Think of Me

In Alvin Klein’s, Another Chance for a Different ‘Phantom,’ he argues that Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s, “Phantom,” has been unfairly shadowed by Andre Lloyd Weber’s “Phantom of the Opera.”

            Klein praised the acting in Kopit’s production. He complimented the performances of the actors who play, Christine and Carlotta.  He also raved about Kopit’s phantom, Eric, played by Bradley Dean; he said his performance, “is no less bravura than Lord Lloyd Webber's, but he is far more affecting.”  The acting is not only superb but leaves a lasting impression.  Klein was very complimentary not only of the acting but the singing, especially Eric’s; he wrote, “He makes human, non-repetitious, utterly gorgeous sounds.”

            The actors were not the only great part about “Phantom,” Klein makes note on numerous occasions of Kopit’s wonderful work.  When speaking of Kopit’s music he said it, “charms and effervesces, valuing melodiousness and variety more than the extended leitmotif and endless bloated reprises.”

            Kopit’s version does not have as much, “stuff on stage,” as Klein put it; however, he wrote that, “the thrill of such a spectacle wears thin.”  Phantom is more than just a pretty set, the music is spectacular and the acting is superb.  Klein finished by saying, “When history tells the tale, the ''other 'Phantom''' may well be the winner.” 

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E7D8113AF932A1575AC0A9659C8B63