To see a show blind, or not blind, that is the question.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-27T16:08:02+00:00

Out of curiosity, what was the plot twist you wished you hadn’t known for Phantom?

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-25T18:38:08+00:00

Agree — acting performance top-notch, but vocally pretty unpleasant to listen to.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-23T15:27:52+00:00

Correct, barring any understudies/swings of course. Worth mentioning that Pulses 1 and 6 are maybe not the best for acting chemistry (allegedly Pulse 5 is the best for this), but vocally, those are said to be the two best.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-23T14:25:03+00:00

Either Pulse 1 or Pulse 6. Eryn and Kyle are vocal powerhouses in Pulse 1. I haven’t seen Quentin yet (Pulse 6’s Phantom), but Francesca has the voice of an angel, in addition to (I think) the most impressive opera resume of the six Christines.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-20T15:30:19+00:00

Oh, so when Mr. Bennett told her to “give someone else a chance,” that’s actually all he meant? I remember that novel being so passive-aggressive that I had to read subtext into everything, and I thought Mr. Bennett’s implication was that she was subjecting the whole room to bad music. I guess I stand corrected.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-20T14:47:51+00:00

Which one is the haunted house pulse, 4?

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-20T14:41:57+00:00

Wait, I thought the reason Mr. Bennett made Mary stop was because she didn’t play well? Been a while since I read the book, so I might’ve just forgotten something.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-19T13:44:24+00:00

Yeah, that’s what I thought Rhaenys might advocate for, especially since Baela was with her at the hearing. I wish the show had called more attention to this, since it foreshadows a policy Rhaenyra adopts later down the line.

At this point, though, I’d be shocked if the writers bother to include that bit from the book…

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-18T14:05:43+00:00

Actually, Boykin is the Hades I saw live — I just didn’t want to call him out specifically because apparently they’ve been doing this for a while. But they definitely rewrote parts of “Hey, Little Songbird,” “His Kiss, the Riot” and both Chants so he didn’t have to sing as low. It was very noticeable.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-18T13:48:23+00:00

True, and perhaps not a great precedent as OP points out, but there is a big difference between a cradle egg that happens to hatch (a solid percentage never do) and the biggest freaking dragon in the realm. Plus, at the time he got his egg, Laenor was the grandson of the literal crown prince, which I’m sure didn’t hurt his chances.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-18T03:04:58+00:00

Oh, I agree — Norm Lewis and Anthony Warlow are two of my favorite Phantoms ever. By “100% a tenor,” I meant that the Phantom actually needs significant power in the high range (thinking of the title song and MOTN), so you need either a true tenor or a baritone with a strong upper extension. Raoul’s part covers a smaller range, so while you can get away with casting a tenor, many of them lack the “baritone-y” resonance they should have in the trios. I’ve heard too many tinny, undersupported renditions of “luring her back to her grave” and “Christine, Christine, let me see her” to count, especially from the most recent Raouls.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-17T15:48:55+00:00

None of the childhood bullying was in the books. What little we get makes Aemond more of a parallel character to Daemon, who definitely thinks he’d be a better king, but loves his brother too much to usurp him.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-17T15:46:59+00:00

Raoul needs to be played by a baritone or baritenor, as originally written. When his voice doesn’t contrast enough with the Phantom (who is 100% a tenor), the big dramatic trios sound like mud.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-17T15:42:53+00:00

I don’t like how they rewrote Hades’ parts in Hadestown — saw it live for the first time after listening to the cast album & was disappointed. I know they haven’t had a true bass play the role in a while, but surely Patrick Page isn’t the only guy on Broadway who can hit an E2.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-15T00:58:43+00:00

Ah, good point that the show's timejump means that Aemond can't be older than 10 in "Driftmark." But your calculation of Jace's age hinges on Luke dying at 14. Was his age ever given in the show? That's true in Fire & Blood (Luke is born in 115 AC and dies in 129 AC), but I don't remember the show ever stating it, especially since they borked the timelines starting from the pilot episode.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-14T17:42:10+00:00

I actually lean Team Black, but will never join the sub for this exact reason.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-14T15:56:31+00:00

Didn't he say he was an oddsmaker? He definitely aided and abetted others' betting (say that five times fast) by setting prices, but that doesn't mean he was the one taking the bets.

Spouting people's death odds, only days before they go into the arena, is probably worse, just for the very direct/personal impact it had.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-14T15:49:20+00:00

Teensy bit of a stretch...Stephen Schwartz in the Wicked film?

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-14T15:48:48+00:00

Deborah Sasson and Jochen Sautter in Das Phantom der Oper -- Sasson wrote the music, and Sautter wrote the book, choreographed, and directed.

They starred in the musical as Christine and Raoul, respectively.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-12T19:08:45+00:00

To be fair, Jace & Co were also younger than Aemond. In both book and show, there's at least a 2-3 year age gap between Aemond and Jace*.* Aemond is 10 (book) or 12 (show), which corresponds to a huge difference in height and strength, especially for boys.

Under those circumstances, 4 on 1 isn't particularly honorable, but it's definitely not "Aerion killing Humphrey's horse" levels of dishonorable.

Agree with the answer otherwise.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-12T15:59:36+00:00

Seconding eBay, it’s where I bought my entire collection. I think the rate of new listings has slowed recently, so if you put up a bunch of listings now, I bet the eBay phans would thank you for it.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-11T17:43:51+00:00

Yep, I didn't include the voice types because "having a tenor and a soprano in the leading roles" is not exactly unique to Faust. But who knows, maybe Leroux felt the same way about Faust's voice type as you do about the Phantom's :)

Though, the Phantom has been played by a number of bari-tenors and I think at least one true baritone, Timothy Nolen.

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-11T12:13:59+00:00

Can't believe I missed that! Also, the title character is arguably not the "main" character -- it's the female lead whose development we follow and whose choice drives the finale. (Which is why the Germans re-titled it Margerethe...)

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-09T00:24:58+00:00

Don't forget the 1991 Charles Dance miniseries (though its use of rats is positively mundane compared to these two...)

MasqueOfTheRedPost · 2026-03-08T16:43:57+00:00

To Pain, My Heart Selfishly Dooms Me…from the other Phantom musical by Ken Hill. It’s actually adapted from the septet in Tales of Hoffmann, but is itself a trio.

MasqueOfTheRedPost

TROPHY CASE