PHANTOM question

[Quiche2]

So what's up with the mask? Why does it look 1 way, covering both sides of the face in the logo, as seen in my avatar, but in the show it's a half-mask?

[Jay Lerner-Z]

They tried it with the double-sided mask onstage but found it constrained the actor, so switched. Early promotional material had already been printed, and they liked the two-sided mask, so they stuck with it.

Question answered. Nobody else need reply.

[winston89]

The reason for the half mask is as follows. They were originally going to give Crawford a full mask. However, he was having trouble singing with it, so they cut it in half. However, this was close to the start of previews and the adverts had already gone to print. So, they left the print ads as they were and only gave the actor playing phantom half a mask.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Yes. What I just said.

/end

[Quiche2]

k

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

The other ladies are wrong. Originally there was going to be a mask that covered the entire Phantom's face, but it gave the actor problems singing, so they changed it. But the ads were already ready at the time, so they left them with the full mask, which they seemed to prefer for promotional purposes.

[tazber]

From what I understand, and I forget where I read it, they wanted to use the whole mask but it constrained Crawford's singing.

Since the print advertising had already been finalized though they decided to leave it as the logo.

[Wynbish]

Well, kinda. Except that you forgot the part where the whole mask was just not working on Crawford's singing-voice-emitting face.

[CATSNYrevival]

Hal Prince talks about this on the DVD extras for the movie and he never says that a full mask was ever seen on stage. He does say that the ad was created first, but that he was very concerned about Michael Crawford being able to emote or show any emotion at all with such a constricting mask, and so the decision was made to keep it as a half mask, but do it vertical instead of horizontal. Crawford then asked that the mask be switched from his left side to the right side and that is the mask we see today. There's never any mention of it being difficult to sing with. That issue is mentioned in the documentary, but it was in regard to the make-up, the putty around Michael's lip, and his inability to enunciate properly. It had nothing to do with the mask or not being able to sing with it.

[Wynbish]

New answer!

/end

[TimesSquared]

I heard a different explanation.

Crawford was hired to play the Phantom, but at that point, the actor only had a half face. They tried giving him a full mask, but it wouldn't stay on, since there was no left side of his head to support the mask. In early previews, they tried using a half mask on his half head, but it looked "decidedly odd" in Hal Prince's opinion, especially when Crawford was seen in left profile. Prince credits Maria Bjornson with the ingenious solution: they built a prosthetic left side for Crawford's head. The final prosthetic was so much more handsome and expressive than Crawford's right face, that they decided not to cover it with the full mask.

Alas, by that point, the producers feared that using a half-mask to advertise the show would be perceived as a cruel dig at Crawford's deformity and at the half-faced community at large. The rest is musical theatre history.

End of story. Fin. No one else need reply.

[Justin D]

lol, but to be honest, they did use a full mask on Colm Wilkinson when he did the first workshop

[Quiche2]

^^

lol, but to be honest, other posters said they switched it close to previews, which is after workshops

[Jay Lerner-Z]

I loathe you.

[Quiche2]

Right back atcha.

*Every little trait however small, makes my very flesh begin to crawl, with simple utter loathing. There's a strange exhiliration, in such total detestation.*

[gstrus2]

Phantom Question: Where is the best place to sit for your first time seeing the show? Was thinking front row mezzanine, but would love all your input.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Quiche has seen it numerous times, and indeed will be seeeing it again shortly with his beloved Grandpappy, so he is probably the best person to answer.

Front row mezzanine sounds fine to me, though.

[Wynbish]

Love the loathing

I feel bad for Quiche's brother, though. What does he do with the Grandpappy? Favoritism!

[Quiche2]

^^
He takes the bus from Grandpappy's house each morning, that's what. His school doesn't have a bus stop is our neighborhood, but my Grandpappy's does. My Grandpappy's neighborhood is on the way to where my mom works, so she drops him off there every morning.

[Wynbish]

So you get a NYC trip and he gets a bus stop? Damn

[Quiche2]

Yep.

[Wynbish]

Maybe he can go this year since you're on your own now

[Quiche2]

Just on my own from my mom, I still visit my Grandfather almost every day like I usually do. He lives literally 8 mins. (yea, I timed it) from my school, so I stop by almost every day after school.

[Wynbish]

I love this. This is like Maury.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Today, on Maury...

"I Moved In With Sugar Daddy After Mom Kicked Me Out Over Broadway Obsession...Oh Wait, That Didn't Happen Because I Don't Exist"

Check local listings.

[little_sally]

I've been on this board a long time and this is both the most bizarre and best thing I've ever seen here.