This is a Broadway rant but I hate the new production of the Phantom of the Opera.

This will definitely get absolutely no traffic whatsoever but I need to rant it out..

The Phantom is back in Toronto, Ontario this month and I'm seeing it January 28th with my sister and BIL and I couldn't be more fucking excited however... I hate the new production. Like what the fuck were they thinking.

I get they made this "new production" for easier set designs to travel across North America AND to make it more "modern" which is stupid as fuck given it takes place in Pairs 1880 or some shit like that. But the new production is just shit and a total injustice to the original. I know I'm overreacting because it's relatively the same (Same score. Same music. Same characters) and anyone who hasn't seen the original wouldn't know the difference obviously. But the things they did chance ruin it.

I first saw Phantom in grade 10 and while I thought at the time it was going to be the lamest thing I've ever seen, I instantly fell in love with it and have been in love with it since (I am now 30)

As I waited years for it to return to Toronto, it finally did in 2015 and I was ecstatic.... Only to see they totally changed the whole thing.

The sets are awful and too small. If you're sitting on the side you can barely see the full set.

The mascarade scene was terrible. They took away the stairs and just had dirty mirrors in the back and a lot less people dancing.

They took away the Phantoms hat (why??) And parted his hair like a mom would part her 9 year old sons hair for picture day. (this literally upsets me the most lol don't fuck with The Phantoms appearance!)

They took away the angel he hides behind in "all I ask of you reprise".

They took away the fake doll Christine so the real Christine had a reason to faint and now she just faints for literally no reason (or does she fall asleep?? How on earth am I to believe someone just casually falls asleep while something fucked up is happening to them? "oh I got kidnapped by this deformed masked man and taken to his underground layer where he may or may not rape me buuuut I'm pretty tired I think I'll just take a little nap")

Why did they change her taking off his mask for the first time and instead have him take it off and leaving it off? I don't think the Phantom would have risked her seeing him like that...

They took away the giant grave that the Phantom is on top of (and took his big hat away!!) in Wishing you were somehow here again" and instead had this awkward running back and forth fist fight between Raoul the Phantom.

The music of the night scene was pretty weird.. Why is he blind folding her and then carrying her around? It was sort of cringy. I tried to get into the romantic aspect part of it but I couldn't. It took away from the beauty of the music and lyrics and performance because Christine was too busy walking away blind folded and The Phantom was picking her up and shit.

The title song scene set up was disappointing. Them slowly and awkwardly going down those steps took away the pace of the music for me.

At the end when he doesn't see Christine behind him as he says I love you was dumb too. And they took away Christine and Raoul boating away in the background. We just hear them in the distance which seems like a cop out (and by extension to that they took away the descending gate)

Also seems the talent has gone a little down hill. The first time I saw Phantom it was John Cudia playing the phantom and holy Christ. If I didn't believe in a God I do now. He was absolutely incredible. Then my last two times (saw it in 2015 and again in 2018 with my sister), the two phantoms there were meh. 2015 was Chris Mann and I feel he doesn't have the voice it takes to play Phantom afnd and the second was Queintin Oliver and now this performance will be Derrick Davis and I've watched some of his videos on YouTube and while he's obviously an amazing singer, something is just missing with his voice when it comes to being the Phantom. And did they take away Christine's wig??? Her hair seemed lifeless throughout the whole show... And why did she slap Raoul? Wtf.

Oh and lmao. Were they just fucking lazy because they kept in the part when he hangs the opera janitor or whoever he is, the phantoms giant shadow against the back wall where it shows him STILL WEARING HIS HAT FROM THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION!! like wow! I couldn't believe it. If you're going through all these lengths to lessen the show then fucking cover all your basis.

All in all I'm very disappointed. I was even hesitant to take my sister because I knew this was kinda crap compared to the original production but she doesn't know and it's either see it or don't and obviously id see it even if homeless people were playing the lead roles. But now we're seeing it again and taking my brother in law who is excited.

I really really hope they revert back to the original. What were they thinking? This doesn't make it better or more "modern" at all. It just seems lazy to me and they took out SO many details that make the whole show.

I of course still am in love with The Phantom though. I'll just keep watching shaky cam versions of the original production on YouTube. Thanks for reading.