Phantom of the Opera / WireImage
Sing once again with me
Our strange duet
My power over you
Grows stronger yet
And though you turn from me
to glance behind
The phantom of the opera is there
Inside your mind...
Inside your mind for 20 years! That's right; The Phantom of the Opera turned the big 20 on Saturday the 26th. It is hard to believe isn't it? 20 years ago in 1988 the show opened at the Majestic Theater on The Broadway and that gigantic chandelier came crashing down (oh no, did I spoil that for anyone - I didn't think so). The show has the honor of being the ONLY Broadway show to ever reach a 20th anniversary. Happy Birthday Phantom! Blow out your calendars and make a wish! Ohhh, I bet you wished for 20 more years!
The Phantom of the Opera is truly an amazing phenomenon. The show has taken in over $675 million dollars in sales, making it the highest grossing show in Broadway history. An unbelievable 12.5 million people have seen the show. So that means some of you have seen it. Hands up. Who has seen Phantom? Hello?
The show is the longest-running show in the history of The Broadway passing Cats in January 2006. The masked man has won 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical and spawned a movie musical! Wow! There are like a gazillion touring productions and international grosses are projected at over $5 billion dollars (that's billion with a B). Double wow! When the curtain rang down on the evening performance on Saturday the show will have racked up 8,319 performances. Triple wow! Wow. Wow. Wow.
I think we need to give some props to the folks that created this monster and are still cashing their checks from this mega hit. The master behind the mask is Andrew Lloyd Webber who wrote the music with lyrics by Charles Hart (and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and a book by Mr. Stilgoe and Mr. Lloyd Webber (or is it Sir Lloyd Webber?). Gillian Lynne choreographed the show!
Here are some other fun Phantom facts; George Lee Andrews who plays Monsieur André is the only cast person who has been with the show for the entire 20 year run. Sylvia Bailey has been ushering patrons to their seats to see Phantom for all 20 years. (I have met her and I LOVE her!) She used to be a former dancer at The Roxy Theater in NYC in the 40's. Jack Farmer has been a flying sets for Phantom, since the beginning. Thelma Pollard has been making sure the make-up is all perfect since opening night and Wally Carroll has been checking cast and crew in at the stage door since day one!
Happy 20th Bday Phantom. Now. This is what I want to know. What were you doing in 1988? I wasn't even born. Ha Ha Ha. I was in college, I think, performing (against type as a macho drug addict) in Sam Sheppard's Cowboy Mouth. I was buh-rilliant! Take my word. Please let us all know what you were up to? Perhaps this will jog your memory:
In 1988
Average Income per year was $24,450.00
Average Monthly Rent was $420.00
Average Price for new car was $10,4000.00
1 gallon of gas was 91 cents
Movie Tickets were $3.50
US Postage Stamps cost 24 cents
A Dozen Eggs cost 65 cents
Top Five Songs of 1988
- "Need You Tonight," INXS
- "Look Away," Chicago
- "Roll With It," Steve Winwood
- "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," Poison
- "Got My Mind Set On You," George Harrison
(Note: There was a time when I couldn't get enough of Chicago - seriously)
Top Five Movies of 1988
- Rain Man
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- Coming to America
- Big
- Twins
(Note: Isn't Twins the movie where Arnold Schwarzenegger played Danny Devito's twin - oh - I meant Governor Schwarzenegger - ‘nuf said)
Top Five Television Shows of 1988
- The Cosby Show
- A Different World
- Cheers
- The Golden Girls
- Growing Pains
(Note: ALF/The Wonder Years/Moonlighting and L.A. Law were all tied for 10th)
That was a fun trip down memory lane. But, I want to know what you had going on in 1988. Spill. When the Phantom was learning how to walk were you regretting a permanent wave? Were you addicted to Super Mario Brothers? Reading "Color Me Beautiful" and coordinating "seasons" with your skin tones and picking out blazers with shoulder pads? Taking prozac (the anti-depressant was released in 1988)? Or, were you seeing The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and buying a t-shirt souvenir? I must know.
Note: in terms of full disclosure it should be known that I once owned a Phantom t-shirt, poster, ceramic mask and, I could be wrong, some type of necklace. I just thought you should know. With that said, I will...
~ See You On The Aisle
P.S. - for more info on Phantom click HERE.
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ahhh...those were the days.....
I think I was partying in Coconut Grove with dubious men of Colombian descent....ooooh, makes me shiver just to think about the crazy stuff I did! Shame on me!! :)
Um, let's see. I was cruising through the 4th grade and probably substituting the after-school apple with a Snickers bar. I am sure that my shoulder pads IN MY SWEATERS slimmed me down a bit, bless them. Watched way too much tv, was secretly in love with Kirk Cameron(pre-bible beater). Best tv show though was MY TWO DADS! Now, that was Buh-rilliant!!
cashing out my stock in "sun in" - but seriously, perhaps producers should look at some of those top 5's and develop b'way musicals from those movies and TV shows. Oops. they already did - BIG featuring Pia Xadora didn't last as long as Phantom, now did it? I would pay to see a Golden Girls musical. Picturing it as a less somber/pensive Follies.
It's Mo Rocca's birthday! Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8RJYfntdf8
In 1988, I was a figment of the imagination, but if I could've been there, I would.
Shoulder pads! Had a few myself. I still wear my Chuck Taylors - have the same purple pair I wore in HS. Doc Martens, too!
But, AHmom, if you were in 4th grade when we were 20, HOW do we know you???
I got a spiral perm. I wanted to look like Andie McDowell in "Sex, Lies, and Videotape'. Needless to say, I didn't....
Did I say you know me??I said if I told you about me it would be very NOT exciting. If you know me, you know a lot of people. I am what you call a non-someone, of no great importance except to those I birthed. By the way, I still know of someone who uses Sun-In and I was from a family that couldn't afford Docs, had to do the Payless knock-off version.
$50 if you guess which state I am in. Panic or insanity are not options...
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