What's left to be said about Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera a decade after its premiere? That it's maddeningly ubiquitous? A stitch-up of various themes shoplifted from the Italian operatic repertoire? A critic-proof crowd pleaser that's probably being staged somewhere in the world as you read this? A megahit that will likely outlive Titanic in the pop-culture pantheon, Phantom has largely redefined--for better or worse--the manner in which modern musicals are conceived, staged, and marketed. Its influence has reached far beyond the traditional confines of London and Broadway. A favorite example: an abridged version that was the centerpiece of Los Angeles's longest-running transvestite revue, replete with 14-inch chandeliers and a man-playing-a-woman-playing-a-man in the title role. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Rating:
Summary: A complete musical
Comment:
With 356 four- and five-star reviews already posted, there is not much more to be said about this show or this recording. This is almost the complete musical--good solo lines, strong choral parts and orchestrations that become part of the package, not just background.
I cannot give this a five-star rating, because the lyrics and dialogue are very difficult to understand at times. This is partly because of the accents, and partly because of unprecise enunciation. If you want this as background music, or listen-to-on-the-headset-while-walking, it is fine. But to immerse yourself in the story, you must stay glued to the libretto.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Sentimental value, but not timeless.
Comment: "The Phantom of the Opera" is a show I like, but for the wrong reasons.

For many it's their first musical often because as a global hit there are productions around every corner. The result is a lot of people, including myself, being attached sentimentally to the show rather than for its artistic merit.

That's not to say it doesn't have its moments - despite very self-indulgent and over extended "Music of the Night" has become a standard. The reprise of "All I ask of you" with Michael Crawford's haunting falsetto can be moving and "The Point of no Return" can be a showstopper. "Poor Fool, he Makes me Laugh" is funny and "The Mirror" is a haunting revelation of the Phantom, but this revelation can become tiresome with the over repetition of the melody - unskillfully transposed to add some interest by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The title song also needs to be re-arranged into the 21st century as the synthesized drums have not aged well (there was some improvement in the 2004 film cast). In this particular recording Sarah Brightman can also be unintelligible at points.

Still, there is no denying the music is catchy and hard to dislike (except when it's repeated throughout the show many times). It's no "Fair Lady", but because of its few redeeming tracks, its very high quality recording, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman's definitive performance of their roles and its place in musical theatre history, the 1986 cast recording of "The Phantom Of the Opera" is a must buy for anyone who listens to music.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect
Comment:
As a PHANATIC, this double box set is a must-have. I must say that the box is cute, it has the complete libretto (with ALL dialogues)... all inside a little cute box.

I used to have a 80' double K7 set, given by my aunt when she saw the Phantom for the first time back in 90'. The main difference is that those K7 had the COMPLETE DIALOGUES, with NO cuts. And these CDs do not have little dialogues... but it still worths buying.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Original cast is better
Comment: Had just finished watching the film version and realized how much better the original cast sounded.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: well worth purchasing
Comment: I chose to purchase this after my 4 year old became obsessed with the Highlights of Phantom of the Opera CD. We both like this one much better. I had forgotten some of the songs over the years since the Highlights CD does not cover them all. The 'new Phantom' as my son calls it is wonderful. My son listens to it every day during his rest time and I often catch him humming songs from the CD around the house!

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