Gaston Leroux
articals on the POTO actors and movie.
By Ernio Hernandez
14 Apr 2006
Stage stars Patrick Wilson and Sandra Oh appear in the film "Hard Candy" which hits movie theatres April 14.
David Slade directs the film from Brian Nelson's screenplay.
In "Hard Candy," Wilson portrays a photographer in his 30s named Jeff who sets up a rendezvous with a teenage girl who he met on the internet. Before long, the youngster is back at photographer's home drinking and having a good time. But when Jeff awakes, he finds himself tied to a chair.
Ellen Page stars as the not-so-innocent teen in a cast that features Wilson and Oh as well as Jennifer Holmes and Gilbert John.
Wilson, currently seen in the Broadway revival of Barefoot in the Park, has previously trod the boards in Oklahoma!, The Full Monty and The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm. Other credits include Bright Lights, Big City, the film version of The Phantom of the Opera and HBO's small screen take on Angels in America.
Oh, known for her turn in television's current "Grey's Anatomy," will appear in the upcoming Off-Broadway world premiere of Diana Son's Satellites. Acclaimed for her work in the film "Sideways," Oh has previously starred in the world premiere of Son's previous work, Stop Kiss, at the Public Theater. Other credits include Dogeaters, The Vagina Monologues and the films "Under the Tuscan Sun," "Waking the Dead" and "Dancing at the Blue Iguana."
For more details, visit www.hardcandymovie.com.
April 09, 2006
By Kristen Peterson <kristen@lasvegassun.com> Leaning over a wooden easel in a Henderson warehouse, Martin Smeaton quietly and meticulously shapes three small faces out of clay. A Rolling Stones song plays in the background and shop machines buzz. But Smeaton is focused. A multimillion-dollar re-creation of a 17th century Paris Opera House is not to be taken lightly. "If you don't concentrate, you lose it," he said, squinting through his glasses. "If you don't think about it, you can't do it." The noted English sculptor has worked Broadway sets, film sets, including "The Da Vinci Code," "Finding Neverland" and "Troy," and has garnished the Strip with sculpture. Four months ago he came to Las Vegas to work on the $40 million theater at the Venetian, which will house the most expensive production of "Phantom of the Opera." (The production itself costs $35 million, which more than quadruples the $8 million spent on the Broadway production in 1988). Eight different scenic studios nationwide, including some in New York, Baltimore and New Jersey, are working on the sets. Three of them are in Las Vegas. Anyone involved with the project will tell you it's huge, but huge just doesn't do it justice. The theater's dome is 80 feet in diameter and has 16 separate motors and winches that will operate a chandelier that comes into play throughout the production. There are thousands of parts, painted to look lavish and antiquated. Allegorical sculptures will surround the 1,800-seat theater and accent the proscenium. Additionally, a 14,000-pound staircase is being built as part of the stage. All new illusions and special effects are being added. The show opens in June. Tickets go on sale today at the Venetian. "We wanted to make the Las Vegas 'Phantom' unique, something you'd only see here," said Carl Pasbjerg, executive producer of the musical. "We had to revisit the entire physical production of the show and expand it. "It will be a defining moment for how shows travel from New York to Las Vegas. Until now they've been taking productions and cloning them in Las Vegas." Scores of vendors and contractors are working on the project under scenic associate Paul Kelly, who worked on "Phantom" in New York, and David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group. John Saltonstall, president of Copper Creek Studios, said Las Vegas "got lucky" with "Phantom." Because the theater is being built from scratch, local companies were needed to work on its construction. Workers relish the opportunity to work on the "Phantom" sets, and some have come from around the world, including Bulgarian artist Krasimir Todorov. Recently Todorov was carving ornamental decor out of Styrofoam to create a mold. Across town at Trevi, an engineering and manufacturing firm, Romeo Cabulang designs sculptures on a computer that colleague Sillapachai Toonrud will make out of clay. Ken Rogers, a 30-year veteran in scenic painting, who has worked on the sets of "We Will Rock You," "Avenue Q" and "Blue Man Group," said landing "Phantom" is like the Academy Awards or the Emmys, on which he has worked. "I blew off a lot of gigs to do this because this is going to be a landmark," Rogers said. "This is going to be around for a long time." What Smeaton seems to appreciate with the Las Vegas production is the return to Maria Bjornson's original "Phantom" set, which incorporated a beauty-and-the-beast allegory - something that wasn't as prevalent in the 2004 movie. Smeaton worked with Bjornson on the London "Phantom" set design. "At the time, we thought it would be just like any other show," Smeaton said. "We did other shows at the time. Others opened and closed in a few weeks. We didn't know 'Phantom' was going to be like it was." Smeaton worked on the "Phantom" movie sets, and when he heard about Las Vegas, he expressed interest. Smeaton's fingerprints are already all over town. He has done work for Caesars Palace and created the sculptures for the pirate-show set at Treasure Island. Also on his resume is the Siegfried & Roy monument on the Strip. "A lot of people write this place off," Smeaton said. "They're not very respectful. What's great about this town is these guys like Steve Wynn are like latter-day de Medici. They put a lot of money out there. In terms of keeping these traditional skills alive and going, Las Vegas is a great place." New York definitely provides more opportunities for set design with all the Broadway and off-Broadway productions, but, Saltonstall said, "When it does happen here, it's bigger than anything done in New York." Kristen Peterson can be reached at 259-2317 or at kristen@lasvegassun.com. Conjuring the 'Phantom'
Valley artisans contribute to Venetian musical
Las Vegas Sun
Phantom of the Opera is here
By STEVE OUELLETTE, Features Editor
PLATTSBURGH -- When Andrew Lloyd Webber brought "The Phantom of the Opera" to Broadway, he charmed audiences with words and music.
When Lon Chaney brought "Phantom" to the silver screen, he merely terrified the audiences, without uttering a word.
North Country audiences will get a rare chance to experience what those 1925 crowds felt when the silent horror classic is shown Friday at the Plattsburgh United Methodist Church.
"People have preconceptions of silent movies as stodgy and not much fun," said Jonathan Ortloff, who has organized the show as a benefit for the Strand Restoration project and will play the organ during the film.
"That was initially my reaction too ... but tell people to keep an open mind. Fifteen minutes in, you realize that you're not missing the dialogue ... the actors of that era do an amazing job of showing the complexities and conveying the emotions of the characters."
Perhaps none more so than Chaney, the so-called "Man of a Thousand Faces," whose self-devised countenance famously caused several women to faint at the premiere of "Phantom."
Ortloff first saw the performance as a 13-year-old during a silent-film festival at Lake Placid's Palace Theatre.
"As embarrassing as this is, I was actually scared by it ... For a movie with no dialogue, it's very effective, in large part due to Lon Chaney. Even today, his portrayal of that face is shocking. He was a terrific silent-film actor."
Ortloff, a junior at the Eastman School of Music, said familiarity made "The Phantom of the Opera" an easy choice for Friday's show.
"It's perhaps the most famous silent movie, and everyone knows the story, additionally made famous by the musical," he said.
The digitally restored version that will be shown Friday includes the Technicolor Ball Masque scene, one of the first rudimentary uses of color film in Hollywood history.
Ortloff, who performed "Phantom" as his senior project at Phillip's Exeter Academy, will play the Plattsburgh United Methodist's Russell organ non-stop for more than 90 minutes.
Every character will have his or her own sound, and Ortloff will mix classic music from the era, pieces from the Broadway musical and original works into the performance.
"I've got it loosely planned out," he said.
Proceeds will help restore the recently donated 1924 Wurlitzer organ, which will be installed at the Strand when renovations to the theater are complete.
"The Russell organ is amazingly versatile ... but it's similar (to the Wurlitzer) in that they both have pipes and keyboards -- that's about it. The Wurlitzer was built specifically to accompany silent films like this one.
"It will be a great asset, not just to the Strand, but to northern New York in general ... This show will give people a glimpse of what is to come."
E-mail Steve Ouellette at: souellette@pressrepublican.com
Don't miss this opportunity to purchase tickets to the all-new spectacular production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera before they are on sale to the public.
Tickets go on sale to the public April 9, but you can exclusively purchase seats today!
Set in a new $40 million state-of-the-art theatre and directed by 20-time Tony Award winner Hal Prince, Phantom at The Venetian® is a can't-miss experience and promises surprises that will astound even the biggest Phantom fans:
- Reconceived by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Hal Prince and members of the original creative team into a spectacular $35 million, 95-minute production.
- Includes each and every song from the original production.
- Spectacular sets, enhancing and expanding the original Tony Award-winning designs of Maria Bjornson.
- A breathtaking chandelier experience unlike anything you have ever seen!
Join The Phantom as he makes his Las Vegas premiere,
it's easy to order tickets online or by phone!
By Phone: Call 1-866-641-7469 (toll-free) or 1-702-414-7469 and mention code PS-RUG.
To purchase tickets for groups of 15 or more, please email onlinegroups@livenation.com
or call toll-free at 1-866-633-0195.
Phantom" Soundtrack Rates High On End-of-Year Billboard Charts
By Andrew Gans
29 Dec 2005
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| Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler in "The Phantom of the Opera". |
Billboard has released its 2005 Year End Charts, and the soundtrack for the Joel Schumacher-directed "The Phantom of the Opera" film placed high in the Top Soundtracks Titles chart.
The single-CD soundtrack, which features selections from the Andrew Lloyd Webber score, landed in the #2 position on the Top Soundtracks Titles. Only the soundtrack for "Ray" placed higher. Other soundtracks in the top ten for 2005 include "Garden State," "The Longest Yard," "Shrek 2," "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," "America Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers," "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie" and "Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again." The two-disc version of "The Phantom" soundtrack placed #13 on the same chart.
"The Phantom" soundtrack also charted #72 on The Billboard 200 Titles for 2005.
Sony Classical released the "Phantom" recording in two editions in late 2004: a single disc of highlights and a deluxe two-disc set featuring the score in a collector's edition package.
The film cast featured Gerard Butler in the title role, Emmy Rossum as Christine and Patrick Wilson as Raoul with Minnie Driver, Miranda Richardson, Ciarán Hinds and Simon Callow.
Based on the classic Gaston Leroux novel, The Phantom of the Opera features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Harold Prince directed both the London and New York stage premieres. The New York production — originally starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman — won seven 1988 Tony Awards including one for Best Musical. The score includes such tunes as "Think of Me," "The Music of the Night," "All I Ask of You," "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," "The Point of No Return" and the title tune.
For more information about "The Phantom of the Opera" soundtrack, visit www.sonyclassical.com.
THEATER REVIEW
'Phantom' still captivates
'Phantom' continues its seductive ways, as the Lloyd Webber musical pays a third visit to the Broward Center.
cdolen@herald.com
The Phantom and his musical are still haunting after all these years.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, the '80s megamusical that launched the new Broward Center for the Performing Arts on a dark and stormy night in 1991, has returned for another five-week run. It's the third Fort Lauderdale visit by the musical that on Jan. 9 will become the longest-running show in Broadway history, beating the 7,485-performance record held by Lloyd Webber's Cats.
During the nearly two decades since Phantom debuted in London, a whole new generation of fans has been born. The 2004 movie musical version of Phantom has helped, rather than hurt, the stage show's business; worldwide, more than 100 million theatergoers have paid more than $3 billion to see The Phantom of the Opera. Though the Lloyd Webber era has given way to ''jukebox'' scores and movie-inspired musicals on Broadway, people still adore Phantom -- with good reason, as the newest Broward Center crowds could tell you.
Start with the score, arguably Lloyd Webber's best. It has given the world the now-familiar title song, The Music of the Night, All I Ask of You -- songs sung in a mind-boggling number of bars, at wedding receptions, at skating competitions, wherever there's a need for lush romanticism. Yes, the themes are repetitive (and wickedly parodied in Monty Python's Spamalot), but that's appropriate to the musical's Paris Opera milieu. Lloyd Webber's own opera parodies, echoing Antonio Salieri and Giacomo Meyerbeer, are fine and quite funny.
The story, based on the 1911 novel by journalist Gaston Leroux, crosses a horror story with a love triangle.
Christine Daaé (Marie Danvers, who sings beautifully but seems a touch mature for the role) is an angel-voiced young soprano at the Paris Opera circa 1881. She gets her lucky break when Carlotta (Kim Stengel), the company's comically temperamental diva, walks off the job. After her triumphant debut, Christine is wooed by two men: the dashing aristocrat Raoul (John Cudia), who turns out to be a beloved friend from childhood, and the Phantom (the terrific Gary Mauer, who is both seductive and achingly vulnerable), a damaged genius who haunts the opera house.
Though Raoul has the looks, the Phantom (who hides his deformed face behind that famous half-mask) has the psychological edge. Christine believes he is the ''Angel of Music'' her late father had promised to send, a guardian and teacher-guide into the sublime world of music. And in Christine, the domineering Phantom sees the chance both to shape a talent and to make the kind of human contact he has always shunned -- a risk that could destroy him.
Still, haunting music and a gripping story don't automatically spell phenomenon. There have been many other versions, musical and not, of the Phantom story. So why is this one the smash?
Harold Prince's brilliant, blazingly theatrical staging -- in conjunction with the late Maria Bjrnson's stunning sets and rich costumes, as well as Andrew Bridge's artful hide-and-seek lighting -- accounts for much of the production's impact.
The stage pictures achieved by Prince and his collaborators -- Degas-like ballerinas twirl in a black void as the smitten Raoul enters Christine's dressing room -- are gorgeous.
There are those cynics who view The Phantom of the Opera as turgid musical theater melodrama, and that's fine -- cheesiness is in the eye (and/or the ear) of the beholder. Yet millions beg to differ. And at 19, Phantom is still a seductively magical musical.
Christine Dolen is The Herald's theater critic.
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Normally feel good family dramas are not my first choice when it comes to selecting a movie to watch. This isn't because I don't enjoy the genre; it's just that more often than not they tend to have a shallow story, forced acting and an overwhelming feeling of preposterousness. When I sat down to watch Dear Frankie, I wasn't quite sure what to expect considering I had never heard of the film before, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Unlike the usual run of the mill family affair, Dear Frankie an interesting (albeit flawed) story populated with believable characters and a superb cast of actors. Filmed in 2004, this is Shona Auerbach's first credited feature film as director and is a testament to her talent and the heart warming script the movie is based off of. It's kind of funny to say "heart warming" when you consider that the main plot device the movie uses is a mother's attempt to cover up a life long lie to her deaf son. You see, Lizzie Morrison (Emily Mortimer), her son Frankie (Jack McElhone) and her mother Nell (Mary Riggans) are constantly on the move and haven't settled down anywhere. It's almost as if they are on the run from something, but you don't really find out the motivation for their constant moving until later in the film, so all you know for now is there's no daddy in the picture. If that's the case though why is Frankie writing letters back and forth with his mariner father and why does everything seem hunky dory? The simple answer is that his mother is intercepting the letters and impersonating the boy's father so he doesn't have to know the truth about why he's not there. While some parents over protect their children, Lizzie takes it to the next level and is borderline paranoid regarding what Frankie knows and what he doesn't. In her mind he's happiest and safest thinking that his father loves him and cares enough to constantly think about him and that's the only plot device running this movie. Sure it doesn't sound involved and things would have turned out fine for Lizzie and company if not for one silly mistake. The name of the boat she picked that Frankie's father is supposed to live and work on actually comes to town, so naturally the boy is excited at the prospect of seeing his dad. Instead of using this as an opportunity to tell her son the truth, she further perpetrates the lie and even drags a stranger into the picture (Gerard Butler) to pretend to be the kid's father for a day. As ridiculous as you, I or any normal person may think this is, to Lizzie it makes perfect sense and as I said, it's the driving force behind Dear Frankie. Things with the stranger become interesting as Lizzie begins to second guess her decision and doesn't feel comfortable with a guy she doesn't know spending time with her son. While it's an interesting twist to the story, I find it hard to believe that any mother who protects their child to the extent that Lizzie goes would let her pride and joy spend time with a man she doesn't even know. I guess it's not that far of a stretch from reality though considering how many parents you see on the news that leave their children alone with people they barely know. Either way it's an unlikely scenario and the only conflict the film has going for it, but even so the acting and directing is so good that it makes it believable. I have to admit that I'm not a sappy guy, but I found Dear Frankie so powerfully acted that it pulled at my emotions and it really made an impact. Gerard Butler gives his best performance yet and really landed a role that was perfect for him, so if you've ever seen him in Timeline, Phantom of the Opera or Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life you'll be pleasantly surprised by his work here. Emily Mortimer nails the part of Lizzie and the roller coaster of emotions she's going through, and Jack McElhone is smart and wonderful as Frankie. From beginning to end, Dear Frankie is an interesting film that will make you care about its characters, no matter how silly their situation seems at times. If you're the type that loves emotionally driven movies, you'll want to watch this one with a box of tissues handy. Just don't question the mundane aspects of the plot and enjoy it for what it is; a touching story about a boy's dream come true and a mother's attempt to bury the ghosts of the past.
The Dear Frankie DVD comes with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and boasts a competent digital transfer, even though the film has a few minor flaws in its presentation. There are several scenes where the image contains some noticeable grain and the colors can sometimes become slightly saturated, although more often than not it appears to be part of the filming style. At times the video is crystal clear and the film looks sharp, but at others the quality drops off and becomes significantly softer.
The audio for Dear Frankie is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, but for all intensive purposes it doesn't make a lot of use of directional sound. It's not like this is the kind of movie that will test the limits of your system, considering it's a slower, more dialogue intensive film anyhow. With thick British and Scottish accents, the vocals come through very crisp, but it mostly comes from the front channels. The release from Mirimax features a decent number of notable special features, but most of them feel like promotional fluff material instead of solid extras. Aside from these features there is also a (slightly boring) commentary for the film with director Shona Auerbach where she reveals some information about the movie, the filming of Dear Frankie and the cast she worked with. The features on the disc are: The Story of Dear Frankie – The actors, director and producer talk about some of the fundamentals behind the story and the ideals of the characters. It was a good watch, but didn't provide much useful information regarding the filming process or portions of the story that you wouldn't catch from watching the movie. This feature runs at just under ten minutes. Deleted Scenes – This special feature gives a look at eight scenes from the cutting room floor, each with optional commentary on the material. The scenes range in length from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, but it's easy to see why they were cut after watching them. Interview with Director Shona Auerbach – Is a 13 minute interview with questions regarding her involvement with the project and her personal feelings regarding the story. She also goes into some casting detail and other interesting tidbits regarding the film. Perhaps the movie may revolve around a thin plot structure and it's not very believable, but the job done here by the actors and director really sells the story. Dear Frankie will pull at your emotions and draw you in deeply with the rich characters and style. The video and audio quality may not be top of the line, but considering the material of the film you wouldn't expect the soup-to-nuts treatment. Anyone looking for a touching sentimental story and doesn't mind when their heartstrings are tugged at will enjoy the very memorable Dear Frankie. Recommended
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