A MOMENT WITH YOU

Last week I experienced what was easily the best day of my life as a fan of musical theater. I spent 90 minutes in an intimate room with Stephen Sondheim (!!!) as he spoke to aspiring composers, lyricists and writers about working in the theater and then again that evening at a UCLA Arts & Lectures event in Royce Hall. It was an amazing day!

The first event was just spectacular! I was a stone's throw away from Sondheim (!!!) and in complete awe of the theater legend who was within spitting distance of me. Listening to him talk about the process of writing a show and his stories of working with his collaborators was priceless. It was amazing to be in a room with other theater people who admired him as much (or more?) than I did and we all hung onto every word he spoke. It isn't very often that one gets this kind of experience and I relished every moment of it.

Later that evening, Sondheim was scheduled to appear in conversation in front of an audience with former NY Times theater critic Frank Rich at UCLA's Royce Hall entitled, "A Little Night Conversation" (a play on words as the title of one of his musicals is A Little Night Music). I tried desperately to get tickets for the event when I heard about it a few months ago but sadly it was already sold out. Upon returning from my "afternoon with Sondheim" I tried once again to order tickets knowing that it was an impossible get but somehow, I lucked out as a few limited seats were made available. My entire office looked skeptically at me as I literally jumped up and down with glee for a good five minutes. Again that night, I sat in awe hearing both men tell stories of working (and reviewing) Broadway's finest. I sat there that evening in complete bliss to once again be in a room with Sondheim, a man whose work really affected my love for musicals.

Sondheim is (as many people have said over the years) the one who writes "intelligent" musical theater. Could it be his subject matter which is often so complex and multi-layered like Assassins (about the assassins of various presidents throughout the years), Pacific Overtures (the history of Japan including its westernization) or Passion a dark depiction of love and obsession. Or maybe its the music and carefully thought out lyrics. Yet what is odd (for me) is that in music, I love nothing more than a beautifully composed melodic song in the very traditional sense. I love music that I can sing to and Sondheim's music...well, it aint really that. Generally speaking his songs only become "singable" when you've listened to them ad nauseum like I tend to. This led me to remember back to my first exposure of his work and what made me a fan.

I've long since been a fan of musicals as anyone who reads this or has ever met me would know. While Andrew Lloyd Webber's work represented my musical theater resurgence, it was Sondheim's work that sustained me. It was because I heard Davis Gaines (who was playing The Phantom during The Phantom of the Opera's open-ended L.A. run in the 90s) sing something from A Little Night Music (and I loved it) that caused me to go explore its score. I remember thinking that it was unlike anything I had heard before but its story was so layered that in order to attempt to understand it, I had to sit down and devote some time to truly listen to it. I couldn't get enough of the music, the voices, attempting to understand the songs and putting it all together. Then one day, while watching the news program 20/20, I heard Barbara Walters mention something about Sondheim and his new show (at that time) Passion which was opening at (what was then) the Plymouth Theater on Broadway. I remember hearing the clips of music during that news piece and was transfixed by what I heard. Here is what I remembered: Sondheim talked about his strained and less than loving relationship with his mother, Passion (of course) and the dark quality of the show and the many versions of love (both healthy and unhealthy) and that interestingly enough was enough to lead me down the path of my own of "obsession" with his work.

I wanted to understand Sondheim's work and took it so far that my undergrad senior independent studies project was based on three of Sondheim's musicals: Company, A Little Night Music and of course Passion. My professor's expertise was in Greek Tragedies, but he told me my project taught him so much about Sondheim and musical theater and that I actually taught him something or two. It was an enlightening experience for us both that just made me yearn for more. Though I have listened to it continuously on and off since 1994, Passion will always be my quintessential Sondheim show because it was the hook that kept me interested all of these years.

Passion though was not a big hit. Though it won three Tony Awards (best musical, best book and best original score) in 1994, the show played only 280 performances when it closed (January 7, 1995). Passion had the unfortunate distinction of being the shortest running musical ever to win a Tony for best musical.

Passion unfortunately, was not the only "lesser successful" show in Sondheim's repertoire. When they debuted, many of Sondheim's shows were not instant hits. Although nowadays, his shows seem to be revived in some form or another either from Broadway to the Big Screen (Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Into the Woods, Assassins, The Frogs, Passion, Gypsy, Sunday in the Park With George and of course Sweeney Todd). Why the allure now? Maybe theater goers are finally looking beyond the blockbuster style musical and are looking for more meaning when they sit for two or so hours in a darkened theater. I certainly hope so...Sondheim is a great talent whose work should be experienced by anyone who loves music, complex lyrics and a thought provoking evening of theater. To be in his presence was truly an honor and even more special, was being able to sing an early happy birthday to him in a room with 1800 other people. For a musical theater geek, that entire day was pure...happiness.

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE...WTF

***WARNING, DUE TO THE SHOCKING NATURE OF THIS POST, ITALICS ARE USED FAR MORE THAN THEY ACTUALLY SHOULD. YOUNG CHILDREN AND SMALL ANIMALS... BEWARE!!!***

First of all, let me start with, WTF!? For all 9.217 of you who read or stumble upon my blog, yes, I love musical theatre, I think it's fantastic, it is my passion. But...an actual reality show incorporating the Great White Way? Confused? Slightly appalled? Yes, me too. It's not that I think a reality show about finding new leads for a Broadway show on national television is bringing down the value and reputation of Broadway (much less musical theatre), but the real question here is...really? and why?!

I know the U.K. has turned out some big hit shows (such as American Idol and The Office) and we Americans have ripped off the idea in hopes of finding success here on network television (and succeeded...great, we're lazy). Woo-hoo to us for finding and adapting those shows...we know a good idea when we decide to copy it!

Well, beginning this weekend, Sunday, August 12, the BBC will premiere a new reality show, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? They ask the question and indeed, we are perplexed. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has decided to jump on the reality-series bandwagon, seeking a new actress to perform the forthcoming West End revival of the classic Rogers & Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music as Maria von Trapp. How delightfully European.

Not to be outdone by our British friends, our crazy friends over at the Peacock network (whoever greenlit this idea...crazy...seriously) announced this week a brand-spanking-new reality show entitled, You're the One That We Want (lovely isn't it that both shows incorporate well known phases from their respective shows as the title of their reality show). Guess what this show is searching for? Leads (Sandy & Danny, naturally) in the upcoming revival (really, another revival?!) of Grease set to open on Broadway in 2007. Coincidence (though interestingly enough, David Ian, one of the "Maria Experts" in the U.K. version has been announced as the Executive Producer in this U.S. version...hmmm)? Not so much. Ok, so we didn't actually steal this idea, but still...sounds rather lame to me. How dreadfully American.

I find this to be a terrible idea of a television show...simply dreadful. This ranks in the list of bad reality shows like...Second Chance: America's Most Talented Senior (yes, there was one...and if you blinked you luckily missed it and yes, it again aired on the Peacock Network). I really don't see any redeeming quality in a show like You're the One That We Want (not a single one). Though I obviously had plenty to say, I am thoroughly speechless. How different will this show be than any of the other talent-type shows other than having a different ultimate goal. Still...not so interested. Hmmm, I wonder if this will be a show that doesn't actually make it to air and will be an "exclusive" broadband special series. I wouldn't be surprised, would you? Knowing my luck, it will end up as some big guilty pleasure that drunk college students and small children obsess over and love. **sigh**

POOR, POOR JOSEPH

In its 1982 Broadway debut, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was a commercial success garnering 7 Tony, 1 Theatre World and 3 Drama Desk nominations (winning only a Theatre World Award for the late Laurie Beechman for her role as the Narrator). Since then, the show has been revived on Broadway (with Michael Damian) and toured extensively around the world. According to the show’s official website, “it is estimated that the show has been performed in nearly 20,000 schools or local theatres, involving over 700,000 performers of all ages with an audience in excess of 9 million people.” With a story straight out of the bible (the last 13 chapters in the book of Genesis if you must know), a blend of several musical styles, talented performers and visually spectacular costumes and sets, it is no wonder the show has become a favorite among American musical theatre-goers.

I’ve heard the music, seen clips, know the story quite well, but quite frankly I don’t get the hype one bit. If theatre goers categorize this production as being a dazzling spectacular, entertaining musical then Tuesday, June 20 we clearly must have been sitting at different theatres watching completely different shows. I was at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on the show's opening night and to me, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was definitely Technicolor but hardly amazing. Patrick Cassidy stars in this touring production as Joseph, and his perfomance is frankly quite a shame.

Cassidy is talented in his own right with stage credits like “The Pirates of Penzance” and Sondheim’s “Assassins” but this show shouldn’t be one of his theatrical highlights. Sadly, the talent that surrounded him while growing up (his father is Jack Cassidy, step-mom is musical theatre icon Shirley Jones and sibling to Shaun & David “I Think I Love You”) didn’t seem to help him in this performance. While Cassidy has a strong voice, one cannot (and must not) assume that a strong voice must equal a LOUD voice ALL THE TIME. There are moments when a song should be soft and tender, or inquisitive or emotional, however every song Cassidy sang was just loud, over-acted and under thought out. There was no variance his performance from one song to the next (only his costumes). The audience seemed to respond to Cassidy’s often over-performed interpretation of a dramatic and loud Joseph, however he lacked the soft and emotional sentiments the character required particularly in the highly emotional,Close Every Door to Me. The song (to me) is the best song in the production yet was a car wreck when performed by Cassidy. Every emotion was over-acted, drawn out and loud as if Cassidy took great pleasure in hearing the sound of his own overly amplified voice. At the end of the song, the meaning was lost in his bad interpretation and overly emphasized hand gestures. This was the lowest point of the show for me however I began to fear how I would get through the rest of the show. Two seconds into Cassidy’s appearance as Joseph (in Any Dream Will Do which also was embarrassing and this song is happy, upbeat and not that difficult a number to perform) I knew this wasn't going to be an enjoyable night in the theatre.

While Cassidy’s performance lacked in every aspect one could imagine, Amy Adams as the Narrator balanced out the production and brought the real star power and energy to the show (other than the local children’s choir which was cute and good). Prior to this performance, I didn't even know who Amy Adams was (yes, I am one of the 5 people living in the USA who doesn't watch American Idol). Adams (I found out) was one of the final 10 contestants in the 3rd season of American Idol (during the Fantasia/Diana Degarmo era) and has made quite a splash in her theatrical debut. The moment Adams opened her mouth, it was obvious this woman had talent. Adams’ presence on-stage was definitely a great benefit to the production. She has a powerful and dynamic voice that is full and resonates throughout the theatre and fit the pop/rock style of the music perfectly. Adams’ performance and interpretation as the Narrator added a level of power, depth and warmth to the production. She was everything Cassidy should have been, but wasn't times 10.

The production as a whole was bland in spite of the bright flashing on-stage lights, gyrating Elvis impersonator, dancing pharaohs and country-square-dancing-flourescent-pom-pom-clad dancers. Though the show combines musical influences from pop to country, the show doesn’t quite deliver in any other aspect of the production. Just as Cassidy’s performance was terribly overdone, so everything else seemed to be as well from the costumes, sets and even Cassidy’s well-chiseled abs. Adams’ performance however, was the silver lining in this touring production of Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber’s ever-popular Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Though the show was supposed to be bright, boisterous, loud and stimulating it was just loud, overacted and as Tianyi aptly put it, "the gayest biblical musical I've ever seen."

For my somewhat less harsh review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, go to my OTHER review at Broadwayworld.com.

SOMETHING GOOD...(OR NOT SO MUCH)

Hot from the pages of TV Guide Online:

SOUND JUDGEMENT: Hot to launch a stage revival of The Sound of Music — and now that his first pick, the impossibly hot Scarlett Johansson, has declined the lead role — producer Andrew Lloyd Webber is considering using a reality-TV competition to find his new Maria, says the New York Post. Meanwhile, Julie Andrews has christened Cameron Diaz her choice to fill her nun's sensible shoes, should there be a big-screen remake of Music — provided that "My Favorite Things" be rewritten to include "Hair gel/and Angels/and young boys named Justin."

Can I just say...everything about this tidbit of information is just WRONG (except for the parody which is pretty funny). Even I wouldn't watch a reality show to find a new Maria for The Sound of Music! That sounds like the worst idea ever! Of course, this is the same man who butchered his own film version of The Phantom of the Opera. I'm afraid ALW is just plum out of good ideas.

Horrifying, simply horrifying.

WORDFALL, Part 2

Ok, so Maureen informed my list was incomplete...there were actually more questions...and since I'm so hard at work right now, I thought I'd break up the day and finish those off too. So...

Seven things that scare you:
1.) The unknown
2.) Bees
3.) Being alone
4.) Earthquakes
5.) Rats
6.) Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musicals
7.) Death

Seven things you love:
1.) My family
2.) My dog...RIP
3.) My friends
4.) My life
5.) Musical Theatre
6.) NYC
7.) The ocean

Seven things you hate:
1.) Bad drivers...SLOW drivers
2.) Ignorance
3.) Stupidity
4.) Constant indecisiveness
5.) Large crowds (typically, but not always)
6.) Bad smells
7.) Disregard for the elderly and or handicapped.

Seven things in your room:
1.) My bed
2.) Photos of my dog
3.) Bedside table
4.) Guitar
5.) Desk
6.) Laptop
7.) Chair

Seven random facts about you:
1.) I drink my coffee and tea straight up
2.) When I was a kid, I wanted to be a singer...and a journalist
3.) I stopped drinking soda (for the most part) last year.
4.) I am an alcoholic light-weight...1 drink and I'm drunk, 2 drinks...I have no control of my behavior after that!
5.) I'm still friends w/ people I've known since I was 7.
6.) Bees freak me out (and I've never been stung) yet when I was a kid, my friend and I used to hunt down and store bees in jars.
7.) I loved Barbara Streisand as a kid, but now I can't stand her.

Seven songs people should listen to (there are so many I could list though!):
1.) If I Told You Now (or anything by Jason Robert Brown)
2.) We Can Be Kind (by David Friedman)
3.) The Miller's Son (from "A Little Night Music" or anything by Sondheim)
4.) Summertime (from "Porgy & Bess")
5.) I Can't Believe My Heart (by Alan Menken/David Zippel)
6.) Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 for a "New World"
7.) Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Seven favorite movies:
1.) Brief Encounter
2.) Breakfast at Tiffany's
3.) Sunset Blvd.
4.) It's a Wonderful Life
5.) Beaches
6.) All About Eve
7.) Lost in Translation

I REMEMBER

In recent headlines: An Evening with Hal Prince set for September 15. Seeing this reminded me of the dream I once had as a kid to work with Hal Prince. It all started with my obsession with the musical, Annie.

Growing up, I was the biggest fan of Annie -- in my usual way, I became obsessed with everything that the show was. I wore a red dress with black patent leather shoes, had the orange wig and belted out every Annie song to anyone who would listen (and even to those who wouldn't). In addition, I also had 2-3 Annie dolls, a plush Sandy (the dog), sheet music, an official program and went through a good 4 or so cassette tapes (until the show came out on CD). Yes, as you would expect, I thoroughly ran that one into the ground. As a matter of fact, it took years before I could even think about listening to the show again.

I went through a hiatus of sorts during the jr. high years when it came to musical theatre. Annie had run it's course in my life and I wasn't so keen on anything else...until high school when my mom got a hold of The Premiere Collection: The Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber and she became obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera. Naturally, when the show came to LA, guess who went...a LOT? I think my family saw the show a good 6-7 times during it's 6 year (?) run in LA (obviously, the pure fact that I seem to have any kind of "obsession" is hereditary). After around my 2nd or 3rd time, I began to really notice the cast and production credits. Naturally, I became the biggest Davis Gaines fan (he has performed the title role in POTO a good 2,000+ times in his career) but that story is too long and rather embarrassing. In addition to Davis Gaines, I also became aquainted with Hal Prince's body of work during my The Phantom of the Opera phase. Naturally, I became as crazy about The Phantom of the Opera as I was with Annie back in the heyday. In my quest to truly find out everything I could, I realized that Hal Prince was the director/producer behind some of my favorite shows like Cabaret, A Little Night Music and Evita. I was only beginning to understand the scope of this man's work. The more I read, the more I saw, the more I realized that Hal Prince was it. He was involved in some way with almost every major musical in the last 50 years.

Hal Prince began his career working with the legendary George Abbott as an assistant stage manager. Since then, he has won 20 Tony Awards and was a 1994 Kennedy Center Honors Inductee. He has worked with (amongst others) both Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim -- two of the most revered composers of musical theatre in the last 30 or so years. In high school, it was because of these three men that I rediscovered my love of musical theatre. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the simple, melodic, typical Broadway shows whereas Stephen Sondheim wrote for the more intellectually minded theatre crowd whose songs were complex and poetic in their own way. It was Hal Prince though who really understood how to direct those shows.

Sadly, the reality is, I probably won't ever get to work with Hal Prince (which is fine). He's getting older and hasn't been working nearly as much (most recently worked with Sondheim in his newest production: Bounce which sadly...didn't...it flopped). In high school, my parents urged me to get cracking if I really wanted to fulfill my dream of someday working with Hal Prince. I should have listened...hahaha, look at where I am now -- no where near Hal Prince!

SEASONS OF LOVE

Last week, Playbill.com had an article indicating "Seasons of Love" (from Rent of course) debuting at #68 on the Billboard Top 100 singles (as a "hot shot debut"). All this buzz almost three months before the film's release -- how exciting! I'm both surprised and not that the song is also among the top downloaded songs on iTunes. I mean, it's a hit Broadway show and everything...but it's not the most "mainstream" thing out there...or is it? Obviously I'm a tad incorrect because look at the buzz, look at the Billboard chart! Access Hollywood even has a link on their homepage: Access Rent: Behind the Scenes -- 'Rent' the Movie. They've even teased a show with a "first look" at Rent a few months back. Haha, this film has a stellar publicist and a great marketing strategy!

Is it so hard for me to believe that other people might actually be excited about this too? Am I being a theatre snob? Look at how successful Chicago was -- Academy Award winner for best picture, best actress in a supporting role (amongst others) and a Golden Globe for best musical/comedy film. Besides being a great film period, this is a musical. Mind you, musicals used to be a part of the Golden Age of Hollywood -- look at popular films like Oklahoma! and Carousel! These once common, popular film genres were almost a thing of the past. ..until Chicago.

It has been said that Chicago singlehandedly, is bringing back the musical genre in the film industry. Since Chicago, the only other mainstream "musical" film released has been Phantom of the Opera (I'm not counting Reefer Madness since it's a TV movie). Though Phantom of the Opera created buzz -- A.) because it was finally produced and B.) critics questioned how it would do in the box office -- overall, the film failed to surpass or even meet expectation. Despite Phantom's box office failure, film companies continued on with their musical films. In production currently, we have of course, Rent & The Producers with Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love in pre-production. Of course this is only seven that have either been released, are in production or pre-production -- but this is seven more than a few years ago. Again, I don't know if this is a good thing. Chicago set a precedence, but the failure of Phantom of the Opera made people stop and question the genre. I think Rent & The Producers hopefully will cause more positive buzz (and successful results at the box office) while Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love might slow things down again.

What are the "facts" behind my reasoning? The movie musicals on trial are as follows:

Jesus Christ Superstar

Evita

Phantom of the Opera

What do these films have in common? Any true musical theatre fan will instantly know they were written by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. While all are hits on the stage (with Phantom of the Opera set to surpass Cats as the longest running musical on Broadway, Monday, January 9, 2006), his films failed to turn a big commercial profit (a la Chicago). On a personal level, as much as I wanted to love Phantom of the Opera, I just couldn't. Some musicals just don't seem to translate well from stage to screen and Sir Andrew's just...don't. Not to say that Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love will fail, but if you look at the history of Sir Andrew's successful films, things just don't look too good for him.

Ok, I went on a huge tangent. What I really wanted to write about was Rent and what I thought about the excerpts from the soundtrack, but I'm too tired, so I'll save it for another day.

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL

Because I know that the number of people who really read this thing are few and far between, I won't feel so bad posting the following:

The Phantom of the Opera DVD is quite simply put, bad. How bad you ask? Ummm, nails on a chalk board and nasty papercut bad. I will elaborate...from the beginning.

Though I was looking forward to this film, I was doing so very cautiously. I have yet to see an ALW musical that translated well on screen...and I was hoping that this time, things would be different. After all, the dashingly handsome and talented Patrick Wilson was cast as our hero, Raoul Vicomte de Chagny. Ok, so I admit, for me, that was the only thing the film had going for it. Sir Andrew (Lloyd Webber) was producing and had full creative control over his project, but still...something told me to remain cautious.

Clue #1: Joel Schumacher.
Clue #2: And I cringe as I type this out, only because he is terribly hot and seemingly the nicest guy, but...Gerry Butler. Let me just mention that when he was cast, I had never heard of him before. Wasn't sure if an "unknown" without any real professional vocal training/experience could pull off a role that was vocally heavy.
Clue #3: This was a film that nobody ever thought would be produced. Casting rumors had been swirling for YEARS teasing people with the idea that the film was coming to fruition.

Cut to...November something or another. I went with a friend to see an advanced screening where the entire cast, director and Sir Andrew would perform a Q&A following the screening. As the lights dimmed and the music began to swell, I sat anxiously in my seat only hoping that the film would on some level make me as happy as the stage version had for so many years. Despite my initial suspicions, I did have to admit that the trailer looked AMAZING. It was dramatic, stunning, colorful, exciting...all good things...or so I thought because the trailer ended up being the only good thing about the film.

The opening sequence was great, I got chills from being so excited. Then, I got chills throughout the rest of the film because it was so horrid. How do I describe the film...cheesy, disjointed, ugly, badly directed, bad pacing, bad cinematography...did I mention cheesy? The actors in the Andre and Fermin roles were trying too hard resulting in unbelievable characters that you didn't mind not liking. Then came the Masquerade scene...it was dull, boring and very GOLD. Yes, GOLD and they were VOGUE-ING (a la Madonna). I won't even bother elaborating.

As for the main characters...Emmy Rossum exceeded my expectations and I thought was well cast as Christine. I knew of her, but wasn't very familiar with her body of work. Patrick was a fine Raoul, however I didn't think it showcased the breadth or depth of his talent. It was a great experience for him I'm sure, and he did a fine job in the role. Patrick's voice far outshined the rest of the cast (and I'm not just saying that because he is a two-time Tony Award nominee in musical theatre). My only real criticism for him is indirect as it is due to whoever thought that Raoul should have long hair. It might have worked on some actors in the role, but not Patrick. Shorter hair to match the period of the film, yes...but long hair? It just made him look gay and like a wimpy Raoul. Sorry Patrick.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Phantom supposed to have some horrific disfigured face? Well, ...Gerry was hardly disfiugred and barely horrifically freakish. He had a droopy, lazy right eye and perfect skin on his left side. Oh yeah, and a bad wig. How then is he scary when he's too pretty? Maybe it was his singing that was most frightening to Emmy's Christine? Not sure, but if any of the creative PTB were going for scary and disfigured Gerry/Phantom I've gotta say, "Sorry folks, you failed because he was much to pretty."

I almost forgot to mention Minnie Driver's performance...again, weary when I heard she was cast as Carlotta, a Bel Canto (as she would say) operatic singer, but she was really great. She didn't exactly do her own singing (except for the end-credits) but she pulled off the over-the-top diva-esque Carlotta perfectly.

Ok, so after all that (and trust me, this is all an abbreviated "review" of sorts), cut to today, May 3, 2005. It is a big day in the world of CD and DVD releases for me. To start, today was the day Spamalot -- the hottest ticket on Broadway -- was being released as was Little Women -- the best show I saw on my last trip to New York. In addition, I was waiting for the DVD of POTO because of all the special features. Though I wasn't sure what would be on it, I figured it had to be somewhat informative. Big mistake -- is anyone seeing a trend with me in regard to this film? Hey, you figure, 2-disc DVD, that second disc has gotta be something! WRONG. Said second disc has 3 features. To the average viewer, they can ooh and ahh at the "Behind the Mask"/"Behind the Scenes" BS...but I've already heard this story before! Give me something else, right? WRONG. Give me "interesting" interviews or unique behind the scenes...give me (at the very least) a freaking commentary track from Sir Andrew and any member (or 2, or 3, or 4) of the cast. Again, my bad as I assumed.

Said DVD left me with a bad taste in my mouth as did my opinon of the film (which ironically is playing in the background as I type. One can call it "inspiration"). I admit, my expectations might have been too high...I was a faithful Phantom Phan for years, particularly during it's long run here in LA, but with Sir Andrew involved, legit theatre people cast in key roles, you'd think it would be decent...sadly, not so much.