COPENHAGEN MARCH 07. 2009 (matinée)
PHANTOM: Peter Jorde
CHRISTINE: Teresia Bokor
RAOUL: Tomas A. Kofod
CARLOTTA: Åsa Nordgren
FIRMIN: Steen Springborg
ANDRÉ: Morten Staugaard
MADAME GIRY: Marie Bo
MEG GIRY: Jennifer Wagstaffe
PIANGI: Fernando Concha
AUCTIONÈER: Uffe Henriksen
REYER: Kim H. Henriksen
BUQUET: Jørgen Brorsen
Heard before the show, a Swedish lady sitting behind me: "It's Carola who's doing the role from the beginning, but the count fix it so that Christine takes over". Priceless. Especially if you know who Carola is... I think she might have meant CARLOTTA, and that she might have mixed up "the Phantom" and "the count".... Or so I hope, at least...
AUCTION:
Sitting "under" the angel, I concluded that the design is brilliant. It's made to look spectacular both from the front and underneath. Sitting in row 2 allowed me to keep an eye on the conductor monitors as well as the show (if I turned my head a tad), and that was actually lots of fun! And I suddenly understood why the singers sometimes looked in those directions during the show...
The auctionéer was spookier for the evening performance (although he was played by the same guy). Otherwise the same.
HANNIBAL:
We had a Carlotta understudy for the evening performance. According to reliable sources (...) it was the very first time she ever did the role, and if I understood it correctly she had hardly rehearsed it on stage. I wanted it to be a fairytale story, with an understudy taking over the lead role in triumph, just like in POTO. But her opening lines in "Hannibal" was sub-par, almost off-pitch (or so it sounded anyway) and a bit shrill. Not a good start.
We had Fernando Concha as Piangi again, and he is overall a good Piangi BUT HE LOOKS SO WRONG IN THE PART. He is slim, young and with a pretty face. There's nothing about him saying Piangi, except his voice. He has a grand voice. But... he looks like a Raoul.
The scene had good interaction between the cast members (reactions to and about the slave master in particular), but nothing new.
TOM:
Teresia Bokor is blessed with a gorgeous voice. She doesn't create too big a contrast between the first and second part of the audition - I would wish for more contrast there - but she is so pleasant to listen to. I am never ever afraid she will miss a note. I don't think her acting is as nuanced as Mia Karlsson's, but she shines in TOM. And she's so petite. OMG petite!
I also love how the managers and Madame Firmin freezes during Raouls lines, it's like we're suddenly in Raouls thoughts or in the past, where there's only Raoul and Christine.
AOM / LITTLE LOTTE:
Madame Giry kissed Christine on both cheeks, in French manner (note to Raphael: NOT FRENCH KISSING!!!). A nice touch. She did the same for the matinée, come to think of it. Reyer majorly overacted again... "Superb!! *kiss* Impressing! *kiss* *kiss*" Bleeeeh....
Bokor had some very odd facial expressions in this scene, almost primadonna-like. She kept doing these faces throughout the show, and it makes Christine appear a bit... full of herself. Very un-fitting. I didn't like it. But again: gorgeous voice. I could listen to her all day. So I'm highly mixed in my opinion of her.
MIRROR:
How happy I was that Peter Jorde was the one performing on my 30.th POTO performance! Yup, I've turned 30. When it comes to POTO shows, that is.
A pity then that he seemed to have some vocal issues. I immediately heard that his voice was raspy, and it made him sing every note soft and with care. The good thing is that he couldn't "live" on his voice alone, so he acted his ass off all through the show. Me and Josefine talked about it later, it is probably the best we've seen him do, acting wise.
The disappearance scene was as well done as last time, I dig seeing it being done so flawless.
TITLE SONG:
Peter Jorde is extremely tall. His doubles are not. Very revealing.
MOTN:
Peter Jorde is extremely tall. Teresia Bokor is extremely petite. Seeing them side by side is a bit odd, even when Bokor is wearing high heels. Just had to say it...
Jorde is so elegant in every movement, elegant seems to be the core of his movements, even when he's pissed. I think that's what originally fascinated me, because it's such a contrast to how the Phantom looks unmasked and what he does. But Jorde also got this lovely voice with an almost hollow timbre/quality. These two elements makes MOTN a feast.
STYDI:
Jorde pause a bit more in this song, compared to Flemming Enevolds "thunder". His Phantom seemes less determined on how to "punish" Christine. He also does a different crawl over the floor, more snake-like. And he seemed to broken-down in "Secretly... secretly...". Excellent, excellent.
NOTES / PRIMA DONNA:
A major improvment for Nordgren (Carlotta) compared to the Hannibal scene. She sung way better here, a true soprano. She is also a more bitchy Carlotta, and after having seen two sympathetic Carlottas previously it was quite fun to watch. And it was odd to think she usually plays the seamstress...
IL MUTO:
Very, very similar to the matinée. I don't remember any details in particular. Except that Carlotta's "croaking" was bad. Sounded like a donkey, not a toad. But I can live with that.
I want to mention once again that the Buquet dummy and the hanging scene looks so believeable, I don't think I could see it on West End again without giggling (the West End Buquet hanging is... well... not very convincing, partly because the doll/mannequin is a bit too small, and partly because it jumps up and down, not looking like a hanged man, but... a doll...).
AIAOY:
I was once again annoyed by the odd facial expressions of Teresia Bokor. Maybe I just wanted her to do the scene exactly like Mia Karlsson (which is unfair to ask from a performer), but I don't think she acted this scene all that well. But she and TAK forms a believeable couple, and it sounded awesome.
The chandelier falls on semi-speed (not fast, not slow), but hits the stage hard. It seems like they're running the pre-recorded laughter track until the chandelier has hit stage. For this particular performance it took ages, giving us lots of lovely maniac laughter....
MASQUERADE:
Seeing Masquerde so close is awesome. The details on the costumes! The facial expressions! Bokor also seems to be a well trained dancer, she is gracious and on rhythm.
NOTES / TWISTED EVERY WAY:
Teresia Bokor is using the Wishing bodice with extra blouse, the one Hanne Damm also wore. It is a bit paler than the others (I've seen it backstage), but even pale with no obvious fading. Nice dress.
Nordgren (Carlotta) was more bitchy in this scene as well, and although I prefer the gentle Carlotta approach it is always fun to watch a tad bitchyness on stage... Bokor acted very well in "Twisted every way", very vulnerable, and was well matched by TAK's protective Raoul. But earlier, when she was told she had secured the largest role, she did the "full of herself" face again. I think my main issue with this is that it appears all of Teresia Bokor's Christine acting is on the surface, a bit shallow. It can change so fast, and the various faces/reactions don't seem related. I would wish for a more coherent or heart-felt approach.
WYWSHA / WC:
Here's where I liked Bokor's acting again. She appeared very vulnerable on stage, and she sung her heart out.
DON JUAN:
Erm... the Carlotta understudy didn't sing Carlotta's vocal lines in this scene. Maybe she hadn't rehearsed them? Or didn't remember them? It was actually highly interesting to hear the scene with plain chorus and no lead soprano.
PONR:
Bokor's Christine acted amazingly (but yet believeable) drunk in this scene, 't was so fun to watch. And the scene was hot, hot, hot! It was cool to see Jorde's Phantom opposite a more "aggressive" Christine. It made him a bit more aggressive as well.
DOWN ONCE MORE:
Oi... Not a good number for those with vocal issues... But again Jorde compensated lack of vocal power with great acting, he seemed to get more violent...
FINAL LAIR:
...surprisingly more violent... Although not Enevold-violent. He-he. His throw in the beginning was harder and angrier than usual. He seemed more fustrated, more deranged. And more sarcastic, that was an element I liked a lot.
The lasso seemed to malfunction a bit - it got twisted, making the noose loop into itself and the "knot" hanging downwards instead of upwards, making it much shorter. For a moment I was seriously afraid they would pull it to its regular position, which would have lifted Raoul from the ground. But obviously they didn't.
Peter Jorde's Phantom seemed to taunt Raoul more than Christine, mocking him. He also did the "slapping her hands away" move during "...I gave my mind blindly...", but more like a sweeping than slapping movement. However, his "You try my patience... make your choice!!" line was ringing through the theatre, he appeared so angry.
The kiss was beautiful. Jorde had to bend down a bit for petite Bokor, but it basically made it look like he was about to collapse, which was very effective. And his reaction went on for "ages"; disbelief, confusion, his hands shaking, looking from Christine to Raoul to Christine, fear... Lots of hand movements, although I don't remember what he did in particular.
Bokor also did the "not-want-to-go" thing (although not as long or determined as Karlsson). I think that makes the return all more plausible. The return of the ring was saaaad, especially after having seen Jorde's Phantom sitting on the floor, imitating the monkey playing cymbals, looking like an abandoned child.
Jorde cheated his way through the "You alone...." part, speaking a couple of words, and all along he seemed so broken down. Of course, most/all Phantoms looks like that at this point, but there's something about seeing an almost 2 meters high man about to collaps, it appears to massive.
CONCLUTION:
Despite me nagging on about Teresia Bokor's various acting and Peter Jorde's vocal issues, this was a great performance. Especially since, as I explained earlier, the vocal issues forced Jorde to ACT the role with every fibre in his body. Also, opposite Bokor he became more angry, more dramatic, which I liked.
And despite me nagging on about the understudy Carlotta, she has lots of potential, and I enjoyed having the opportunity to watch someone doing a role for the very first time.
In fact, if you ask me, I cannot say whether I liked the matinée or the evening performance best. I did like the Enevold/Karlsson combo the best, but that is because I overall prefer Karlsson as Christine.
So... My 30.th time rocked!!
Back to main site
Copyright © 2000-2009: Anéa