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- Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre
- Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!darwin.sura.net!news.udel.edu!brahms.udel.edu!conrad
- From: conrad@brahms.udel.edu (Jon Conrad)
- Subject: Re: phantom version not alw
- Message-ID: <C03F6L.MI8@news.udel.edu>
- Sender: usenet@news.udel.edu
- Nntp-Posting-Host: brahms.udel.edu
- Organization: University of Delaware
- References: <1992Dec24.104535.20852@nntp.hut.fi>
- Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 22:15:56 GMT
- Lines: 35
-
- In article <1992Dec24.104535.20852@nntp.hut.fi> p38448n@puukko.hut.fi (Timo Saarto) writes:
-
- >How does the Phantom by Kopit/Yeston compare with that of ALW ?
-
- > - music ?
-
- No contest. Yeston has an enormous musical gift, and his score for
- PHANTOM contains one gorgeous song after another. Well written for
- voices, dramatically attuned, theatrically varied, musically inventive.
-
- (He's not as good a lyricist, but then the lyrics for the ALW Phantom
- are nothing to write home about either, so I'd call that a tie.)
-
- > - story ?
-
- The Kopit book, in company with the Yeston score, tells the story much
- more clearly, establishes characterizations and motivations more
- effectively, and in general does a better job. Both versions take about
- equal (and different) liberties with the Leroux novel.
-
- > - other ?
-
- Yeston/Kopit is in more traditional musical format, alternating songs
- and spoken scenes (albeit with considerable use of underscoring and some
- throughcomposed episodes). ALW's, aside from a few isolated spots, is
- through-sung.
-
- > - most important, worth shoveling out $60 ?
-
- Definitely, if it's a good production. The one I just saw at
- Candlelight Dinner Theater near Chicago (don't laugh -- it's an
- altogether exceptional dinner theater and does top-quality work) was
- outstanding. And a steal at $45 including an excellent dinner.
-
- Jon Alan Conrad
-