Sitting Front Row for ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ Then Ordering a Candied Hot Dog Ice Cream Sandwich

I’d been looking forward to today from the second I arrived in this city. I didn’t know what day it would be, but I couldn’t wait to see my favorite musical on the Broadway stage.

First, I have to be honest — the cast I saw in London in 2016 was better. (If you remember, this was the one West End show I saw twice. The show I would’ve seen twice here was ‘My Fair Lady,’ starring Laura Benanti, but I saw it for the first time right before it closed.)

But from the moment the glowing chandelier rose to the rafters at the beginning of the first act, I was enraptured, and reminded why this is my favorite musical. “Phantom” is a show I’d see no matter who was in the cast, though not quite to the level of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” By way of explanation: I’d see “Cursed Child” with any actor in any role for the effects alone; but with Phantom, the one actor whom I need to love is the Phantom.

Today’s performance was special because not only was I sitting in the front row of the Majestic Theatre; I was surrounded by people who hadn’t seen the show before (as evidenced by their gasps when the chandelier dropped at the end of the first act and when the Phantom appeared in the angel). It was the kind of reaction I imagine the Phantom boat must’ve elicited when it debuted at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London in 1986. It was so much fun! And this was the one show I’ve seen here where I saw ZERO people on their phones (at least, in my vicinity).

The chandelier drop was pretty cool, and that’s another reason I’ve always wanted to sit so close — it does pass right above your head. I overheard someone behind me say that they’d seen the show on tour, but that the chandelier drop wasn’t nearly as dramatic [I’ve never seen a touring production of “Phantom” — I’d seen the show twice on the West End (and countless YouTube bootlegs) prior to today].

So, on to the cast. I have no problem whatsoever with Ben Crawford as the Phantom. I was surprised by how excellent an actor he is as well as a singer, and he had this exaggerated heel-to-toe, high-stepping walk for the Phantom that I loved. He was by far the strongest member of the cast (but, really, no surprise there). He has a yearning, full, tender voice when he’s singing to Christine (Kaley Ann Voorhees), and is both earth-eclipsingly in love with her and achingly insecure about his deformity.

My only criticism is that when Christine rips his mask off in his lair beneath the lake, Crawford’s Phantom is more bemused than angry. He doesn’t seem upset; he’s more like “Oh, so that just happened. O.K., then!” The Phantom needs to be mad here — his whole charade of a life with Christine has come crashing down, in his opinion, now that she’s seen his deformed face. The Phantom doesn’t necessarily need to be angry *at* Christine for removing the mask, but he should definitely be enraged about what’s just unfolded.

Crawford's voice also held the audience rapt in every number, but especially in “Music of the Night.” Granted, he can’t sing notes that are simultaneous sobs like my second-favorite Phantom (after Michael Crawford), Scott Davies, could in London, but that’s a high bar. You see why Christine is hypnotized.

Now, on to the rest of the cast. I was reminded how little time the Phantom actually spends on stage by the contrast between Crawford and the Christine and Raoul actors. I wasn’t overly impressed by Voorhees’s Christine, whose notes often felt short and stilted (then again, my point of comparison was Celinde Schoenmaker’s luscious, velvety notes in London). I was also a bit disappointed by Kelsey Connolly’s Meg Giry (who, according to the program, was making her Broadway debut in this production), but Raquel Suarez Groen as Carlotta delivered a standout performance. I might even have liked her diva more than Christine!

Raoul was definitely the Raoul of “Love Never Dies,” the infamous “Phantom of the Opera” sequel musical. In a top-notch production of “Phantom,” the audience should be rooting for both the Phantom and Raoul to win Christine’s affection, and should be torn over having to choose between the two.

In this production, it was clear that the Phantom should come out on top (even if he didn’t). The Raoul I saw in London, Nadim Naaman, was a rival to Davies’s Phantom, and I was rooting for both (though obviously the Phantom more).

But, on Broadway, Jay Armstrong Johnson’s Raoul is the jerk from “Love Never Dies,” to whom it seems like Christine is no more than a generic stand-in for the wife he wants. Johnson's Raoul doesn’t have the Phantom’s tenderness, and the “All I Ask of You” number came across as more of him comforting a silly girl whose fears he dismisses than providing any real security. His words of comfort rang hollow, absent any tenderness.

Small thing, but I also missed the British accents in this production. But I did get to see some neat actors, including Laird Mackintosh, who sometimes plays the Phantom and will soon join the national tour of “My Fair Lady” as Henry Higgins, and Maree Johnson as Madame Giry (I was interested to learn from the program that she started her career in ‘Phantom’ 23 years ago as the Christine understudy in the original Australian production before playing the role full time in Sydney).

It may seem like I’m criticizing this “Phantom” more than I’m praising, but I should emphasize that the production as a whole was great. There’s a reason why “Phantom” is my favorite show, and I was reminded of it today. My nitpicks are those of a die-hard Phan. :)

But, while I’m here, there are more of them: The sound balance in the title track between the pre-recorded opening lines while the Phantom and Christine are getting into position on the travelator, and the ones the actors then sing live, was slightly off, making it clear which parts were recorded and which were sung live. Oops.

And, unlike in the London production, which has an alternate or cover Christine actress stand in as the mirror Christine that causes the real one to faint, the Broadway one uses a very obvious doll as the mirror bride. Not quite as convincing when it moves.

And, unlike on the West End, due to safety regulations, the Broadway Phantom doesn’t catch Christine when she faints — he just kind of throws a blanket over her and leaves her on the floor. I mean, come on! It’s his fault that she fainted in the first place; the least he could do is catch her!

Finally, the scene in which Monsieur Firmin announces that Christine will be playing the lead role after the Phantom wreaks havoc on Carlotta’s voice was better on the West End. In London, Firmin emphasized Christine’s name and seemed to be talking directly to the Phantom to make sure he heard the announcement. On Broadway, Firmin is just talking to the audience. That’s all. No panicked appeasement of the Opera Ghost. Then again, as I’ve mentioned, Crawford’s Phantom isn’t exactly a raging terror, so that’s perhaps understandable.

It took me a bit to come down from my “Phantom” high (it really is an excellent show), but I headed to work (my last editing shift!) afterward. After several shorter pieces, I handled a longer 3,000-word investigative piece tonight (which I’ll share when it publishes), which was fun because I had several phone conversations with the reporter on the story to talk through a few questions I had, as well as some specific language. It’s always fun when I get to talk to reporters! And what a great way to go out!

In other fun news today, I noticed that the main New York Times account retweeted one of the tweets I wrote for the New York Times Sports account about the Simone Biles story I edited last night. Always fun when that happens, especially during my final week!

In other miscellaneous news: I picked up this obligatory Statue of Liberty for my desk from my favorite grammatically sketchy souvenir shop. I finally found one that wasn’t cracked, dented, ill-proportioned, or just plain wacky. Hooray!

I also scored an Oscar Mayer Ice Dog Sandwich for next week when I’m back in Indiana — I saw the Twitter announcement from the branded account earlier this month, and DMed Oscar Mayer about how I could try it. It turns out they’re shipping samples out next week. So, prepare for all the candied hot dog bits-ice cream tasting back in Indiana!

Speaking of which, food finale week continued today with a sushi donut from Poketeria in Midtown. Each one is handmade to order (but so worth the wait), and is stuffed with sushi rice filled with a crab mixture in the middle, then rolled in spices, with fish and avocado added to the outside of the donut. But the sweet, rich, two-tone sriracha aioli and unagi sauce that pairs perfectly with the sushi is the best part! Come to Indy, please.

Also, I’m confused why every time I’ve ordered one of these, the cashier has tried his or her hardest to talk me out of doing so (“Just wanted to let you know it’s a small appetizer, and it’ll take 20 minutes.") It's never taken more than eight. There’s even a huge sidewalk sign outside their door advertising the donuts!

Another greatest hit: The Spicy Chicken Tikka Live Fire feast from Indikitch (Deep Indian Kitchen), featuring garlic naan, basmati rice, chickpeas, and cucumber salad. I forgot to take a photo of my specific one, but this is pretty much what it looked like, except with chickpea daal (and fluffy garlic naan).

Up next tomorrow: Hopefully a final play or musical TBD (Shakespeare in the Park if I manage to win the lottery). Probably some of that saucy triple garlic mazemen from the Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop in Midtown. All the packing. And likely some surprises along the way on my final day in NYC.

Also, alert that in the interest of maximum fun, your final NYC blog post with tomorrow’s adventures will be delayed a day or two so I can soak up everything possible in this city, pack, and then catch a few hours of sleep before my flight home.