 It was the greatest, most spectacular, most melodic.....It was, THE SHOW TO END ALL SHOWS!!!!! PHANTOM OF THE OPERA CLOSES ON BROADWAY AFTER 35 YEARS !!!!  A magical show from London opened on Broadway in New York City on January 9, 1988. It would become the most successful of our time. The music was composed by an English Impresario and composer of musical theater, namely, ANDREW LLOYD WEBER, born in London, England in 1948. He became one of the most coveted and successful theater composers of our time. Some of his works included, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat, Cinderella, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and countless others. The fabulous English Soprano, Sarah Brightman would star as "Christine" in the original cast. She had an impressive range of 4 Octaves. Specifically, her solo "All I Ask of You," would have 3 million plays on Apple Music. Ms. Brightman was married to Andrew Lloyd Weber from 1984 -1990. The original Phantom was Michael Crawford, a tenor with a voice "to die for." The title song, "The Phantom of the Opera" was performed as a duet between Ms. Brightman and Mr. Crawford to never-ending applause. His rendition of "Music of the Night" won a standing ovation from the theatergoers at every performance.  Combined with the talent of Andrew Lloyd Weber, they were a trio of extraordinary talent in an extraordinary theater show, and probably never duplicated. They were part of a fantastic cast, including Steve Barton who played Raoul. Over the years, so many fabulous talents continued to play these roles, to audiences all over the world. Here are some interesting facts about the show...
Carol-Rose Editorial: The Chandelier fell for the last time at The Majestic Theater on April 16, 2023, to a glittering array of an, "Invite Only" audience. The Monkey Box played for the last time, as well. It has been 35 years of beautiful, extraordinary magic, and will be hard to top. I offer a heartfelt thank you for all the fantasy and melodic genius that I was allowed to experience (I hope my readers had the opportunity too). My sincere hope is: We will be graced in the future with a revival so that future generations may enjoy this wonder of our times. "PHANTOM, PLEASE KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU! I will think of you only...... YOU WERE INORDINATELY SEXY!"  Carol-Rose Marshall, Author
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AKA……..OSCAR FACT: In 1939 this gold statue was given the name Oscar. It is said that the name originated from 3 different celebrities. The first one being, a columnist by the name of Sidney Skolsky, who suggested it be named for the famous, Oscar Hammerstein. Mr. Hammerstein was an esteemed American lyricist, who wrote the words to the music of at least 45 famous shows and movies. This list includes Show Boat, Oklahoma, The King and I, and Sound of Music. The next suggestion came from the Academy Librarian, Margaret Herrick, who insisted that the statue looked like her Uncle Oscar. And, not to be outdone, the famous movie actress, Bette Davis said that Oscar’s derriere reminded her of her then-husband, Harmon OSCAR Nelson. Because of these insistent analogies, the award forever and always was known as: OSCAR. 
It was an era of elegance, unprecedented beauty, abundance of talent, and a dedication by the actors to their craft of unsurpassed excellence and perfection. STAR QUALITY MEANT SOMETHING!  EDITORIAL BY CAROL-ROSE There were HAPPY and JOYFUL musicals with dancers and singers; costumes that made you wish you could wear them too. We were mesmerized by the dancing of Fred Astaire. His rendition in the movie Top Hat (as above) would stand alone in the memories of moviegoers. Can’t forget Gene Kelly for Singing in the Rain; Judy Garland, Anne Miller, and Esther Williams. We always remember the beauty of Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, the rogue handsome face of Clark Gable, and so very many more. When you went to the movies, you were truly entertained! ALL AT ONCE……..EVERYTHING CHANGED! NOTHING WAS THE SAME! Lacking was a sense of respect. The “CAST” of this profession became complacent, greedy, and full of themselves. They forgot that the overall purpose of their JOB WAS ENTERTAINMENT. ENTERTAINMENT WAS WHAT THEY WERE BEING PAID FOR! SUDDENLY……….., it was ALL ABOUT THEM and PERSONAL CAUSES……... To name a few incidents, this phenomenon started years ago and became worse with every passing year. There was a path of destruction in progress. There are too many issues to cite in this article but to name a few: In 1973, Marlon Brando won the Oscar for best actor. In his infinite wisdom, or shall I say absurdity, he refused the award. Further, he did not attend but sent in his place, Sacheen Littlefeather, an Apache Indian, to make a statement as to how American Indians were treated. We are not disputing this, but saying, this had NOTHING to do with NOTHING, NAMELY THE AWARDS. In 1974, the actor David Niven was on stage, and without warning, a male STREAKER APPEARED and ran across the stage, butt-naked at a steady speed. Being the professional Mr. Niven is, he watched, smiled, and then said: Isn’t it fascinating to think that the only laugh that man will get in his lifetime, is by stripping off his clothes and showing his shortcomings? WHAT ARE WE THINKING? IT’S DISTURBING! We remember Clark Gable’s famous line in “Gone With The Wind…...”Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” It seems appropriate. Now, the 2023 televised Oscar show has the lowest audience ever. Actually, just over 16 million, when its best years were over 30 Million. Somewhere, someplace, along the way, it became a sounding board for entertainers to complain about politics, religion, congress, presidents, their wages, their clothes, their Aunt Mabel, their whatever. It was done cruelly to a totally captive audience dressed up in finery and a group of viewers at home. They totally forgot about entertainment. We responded by not watching anymore. JUST THOUGHT I WOULD DOCUMENT THIS FOR YOU: Last but not least is the nail in the coffin. In 2022, there were 20 million viewers. Obviously, 4 million were lost in one year because of "The Slap Heard Around the World." Will Smith got up and full-face SLAPPED the Master of Ceremonies, Chris Rock. Did he have a reason? Who cares! This man was out of line, rude, UNCARING, DISRESPECTFUL, YOU NAME IT! Incredibly, he was allowed to sit down and also receive the best actor award. The audience applauded him. It was all a joke, man! As a side note, just saying, everyone watches the Couture on these shows. Currently, we are shown gowns with only a little feather covering the top of women’s breasts, g-string underwear, and sheer material covering this scanties. I’ll say no more…...your choice! I hope you are happy, Hollywood. You outdid yourself. HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM: JUST GO BACK TO DOING YOUR JOB. ENTERTAIN!!!!!!! |
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