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On the day of the audition, I got up at 4 a.m. and Mary and I were in line by 4:45 a.m. We were numbers 3 and 4. I sang "Shoe Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy" as if my stomach had complete control of me and it took me all over the room in search of the aforementioned pie and dowdy. I had read in the ad for the audition that they were seeking actors adept at physical comedy for the roles of the managers Andre and Firmin. About a week later, I heard backstage at ANGRY HOUSEWIVES that friends of fellow cast members had callbacks for PHANTOM scheduled for the next day (and I did not). I still insisted that I would be cast in PHANTOM–the "uh-huh" chorus grew. I knew that David Caddick, the musical supervisor, was going to attend the callbacks so I showed up for the callback, pretending that I had been given an appointment for the next day and that I wasn’t going to be able to make it. Lucy Jordan (the late great!) was monitoring the auditions and allowed me to go in. Casting Director Andy Zerman, who had been the sole victim of my first audition, was also there. He was kind enough to let me sing again but inquired, "You're not going to sing the same thing you sang the other day, are you?" I said, "No," and proceeded to sing an art song by Celius Dougherty.
Andy seemed much happier this go-round. The result was a callback for Hal Prince for the role of Monsieur Reyer. This time I sang "The Teddy Bear’s Picnic" accompanied by friend John McDaniel as I imagined Reyer would sing it. Read the scene and a couple of days later I received the offer. Such was my fear of being a disappointment to Hal Prince that I asked for 24 hours to think it over and immediately called my friend Reet and inquired, "What if I get invited to a party on a Friday night? If I’m in a show, I won’t be able to go!" Luckily, Reets’ saner head prevailed and I called the following morning and accepted. I played Reyer for the entire LA run at the Ahmanson Theater–4 and a third years (1989 - 1993). I returned to the show in 1996 as a floating swing (Yikes! Thank goodness I knew the show as well as I did. I never could have learned all 11 ensemble roles otherwise) and continued in that position until August of 2001 when I joined the Third National Tour as Andre.
Some memories:
Michael Crawford
The LA company was fond of our buffet suppers between weekend shows. We came up with one for almost every occasion. The first Fourth of July Independence Day celebratory buffet was held in the hall outside of Michael Crawford’s dressing room. He waited until we were all lined up at the buffet table then came out of his room wrapped in bloody bandages with a peg leg, and waving a white flag (Michael is British). He is a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor.
I had an auto accident during the run. Both Cameron Mackintosh and Michael Crawford called me at the hospital to wish me a speedy recovery and safe return. I'll never forget it.
The rehearsal process with Michael was inspiring to me. He had already done the role in London and on Broadway. He could easily have requested that we rehearse the show without him until we knew our lines, blocking, etc., however, he was there from the first read through, discovering the play along with us.
Michael rarely missed a show. His understudy was on vacation when Michael became ill. Joe Dellger, the second understudy, had not yet had the opportunity to go on. Joe’s fiancée was in line at the box office to pick up a ticket to see Joe’s debut as the Phantom. The box office staff was informing those who were picking up tickets that Michael would not be performing that afternoon. A man called over to his wife, "Hey, guess what, Marge? Crawford’s out and some a**hole is playing the part!"
I was in line one day to pick up a ticket for a friend before a matinee when a woman happened to glance over at the window card which featured Michael dressed in the "Red Death" Masquerade costume with his name printed underneath the photo. She gasped and said to her husband, "MICHAEL Crawford?! MICHAEL Crawford?! I thought we were here to see JOHNNY Crawford from ‘The Rifleman!’"
One evening, as soon as the curtain closed for the end of the show, one of the gentlemen who climb down the portcullus slipped off and was falling to the stage. I don't know how Michael got from offstage DR to UL, but he saw him falling and ran beneath and caught him.
Robert Guillaume
What I remember most about Robert was his easy laugh and a simple approach to his work. He was doing double duty during the time he was with us–producing for television during the day, PHANTOM by night.
Davis Gaines On a couple of occasions, between shows on the weekends, we'd play sporting type games on the public deck beside the Ahmanson Theater - Davis played while wearing a paper sack over his head (he was still in make up). Steve Barton The original Raoul, Steve joined our company for a short time while Reese Holland was recuperating from an ankle injury. He told us that there had been a vocal line for Raoul during the scene in the graveyard with Christine and the Phantom. He sang it one night - it was thrilling! Other memories
Our stage door monitor Margaret Irwin became a wonderful friend and inspiration. She was a writer and producer by day, door monitor by night. During the Christmas season, she brought in names of underprivileged kids to distribute to cast members for holiday gift giving and then she collected and delivered them. It was her generosity that inspired the first A HOLIDAY CABARET to benefit children’s charities–a tradition that continues nationwide.
Opening night of the LA production was quite an event! We had a dress rehearsal that afternoon, and telegrams and flowers were arriving from all over throughout the afternoon. The spirits were high and the anticipation intense. I was about to make my entrance stage right by the stage managers post when Sherry Cohen, who was calling the show that night, offhandedly asked, "What time is it, D.C.?" I looked at my wrist to tell her and saw my bright blue multi-color faced SWATCH WATCH. She held out her hand to collect the watch just in time for me to run on!
I’ll never forget the night that the Phantom made three complete somersaults down the stairs to land splayed and splattered at the bottom to end the MASQUERADE at the top of Act Two. You couldn’t differentiate between the screams and the giggles that night!
I'll also never forget...
Audience members who saw the show numerous times and greeted us warmly at the Ahmanson Theater stage door. We came to know them by name. They were family by the end of the 4 1/3 years.
Mayor Bradley of LA announced THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA day in Los Angeles the day we performed music of Andrew Lloyd Webber at the California Plaza on Grand Ave. as part of Michael Alexander’s wonderful concert series.
I’ll never forget the day Karen Benjamin and I began buzzing backstage about CABARET NOEL: A Broadway Cares Christmas (see recordings page). It all came together in a couple of months. It couldn’t have happened without THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. It gave me time and income to turn it into something of which I am incredibly proud. I also recall a performance attended by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber - he did a bit of futzing with the ending of 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again' - what a treat to meet him!
Touring memories
On opening night in Cleveland 1998 or 1999, I was to play the Auctioneer. I hadn’t been the Auctioneer for a year and a half but figured it had worn a groove into my noggin. So when David Hansen, SM, asked if I needed some time on the stage to go over it I answered, "No, I've got it." The dress rehearsal went fine so I was further convinced that I was the genius of the century. That night, I got close to the end of the Auctioneer’s monologue–"...perhaps we may frighten away the ghost of so many years ago with a little illumination, GENTLEMEN!" Well, I got out the word "perhaps" and went blank.
I thought, "This can't be happening. This is THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, a well-oiled machine. NO ONE forgets their lines in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!" The entire cast slowly turned toward me. I had to think fast! So I thought, "Well, you can’t go wrong with the name of the play!" and I repeated "perhaps…" and followed it with "we may experience THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!" It took a few moments for the crew to realize that this was all they were going to get before the chandelier should kaboom and we should continue on with the play. I would say that this was my most embarrassing moment to date had I not done the very same thing the next night, even though all day I had mumbled the monologue to myself over and over and over…UGH.
Stage Manager David Hansen handled it wonderfully. I went to him expecting a pink slip or, at the very least, a sour look. Instead, he said jovially, "Well, you won’t do that again will you." I didn't.
Rebecca Judd, to calm my nerves about it, approached me and told me about the time she made her debut as Mme. Giry and, instead of saying, "I have a message, Sirs, from the opera ghost. He insists that you keep box five open for his use, and he reminds you that his salary is due!" She said, "I have a message, Sirs, from the opera ghost. uh...box five...don't sit there...don’t even think about it...and the Phantom…he needs to be paid!" I felt instantly better about the whole thing.
September 11, 2001 in Atlanta: Waking to CNN in the a.m. to see the first tower on fire and then watching in horror as the rest of the story unfolded. Wanting more than anything to see and grieve with PHANTOM company members only to have the show cancelled that night and be alone with the information and the fears and the worries that my roommate in NY was possibly working in the towers that day. Performing the next night and, at the curtain call, singing "God Bless America" and being joined in the song with such fervor by the audience. The discussions–what sense is made of singing and dancing at such a time. Does storytelling of any kind serve a purpose? Now? Ever? And is "to divert attention for a couple of hours" a noble pursuit? We tell a story of passion, of love and forgiveness. Surely there is a place for that now…
Meeting and getting to know members of local theater communities where we visit:
Spending time with Andrew Driscoll and hearing of a wonderful opportunity that he is making the most of in Peoria, Illinois–as Artistic Director of the Apollo Professional Theater Company.
Stage West in Des Moines Iowa–here’s a theater that does challenging, insightful work. How lucky we were to have some time with them.
Saddleback CLO in Costa Mesa, California–I had the great pleasure of performing the role of Bert Barry in their production of 42nd STREET a few years back and am now a semi-regular fixture of their cabaret series. We spent one of our evenings off singing musical theater there and it was a blast. If you know the Phantom of the Opera well... ...you may be able to tell me what is wrong with the following lines (as spoken ONSTAGE at some point or other during a performance!):
PHANTOM PHACTS Weight
of the chandelier: 1,000 pounds THE
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA had its world premiere at London's Her Majesty's
Theatre on October 9, 1986.
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES MORE STORIES TO COME! Phantom Cast Benefit Performances! No benefit performances by the cast of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA currently scheduled
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My
first exposure to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
was shortly after the London cast recording was released. I bought it,
brought it home, put it on the record player (yep, it was an LP–vinyl)
and hopped on my stationary bike to listen while I exercised. I enjoyed
it so much that I called my friend Kitty Snyder and invited her over to
listen. I knew, somehow, that I would be involved in the show. Turns out
that within a couple of years both Kitty and I would be employed by Cameron
Mackintosh–Kitty in the pit of the first National Tour and I as Monsieur
Reyer in the Los Angeles production of the show, which opened in 1989.
The auditions were to be held at the Methodist Church on Franklin Ave.
in Los Angeles. I was doing a show at the Odyssey Theater at the time
(ANGRY HOUSEWIVES) playing friend Mary Van Arsdels’ self-involved
husband. While applying make-up, I turned to Mary and told her that somehow
I just knew that I was going to be in PHANTOM. The cast of ANGRY HOUSEWIVES
looked at me and said, "uh-huh."
