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Maria Friedman. Although I’d enjoyed her in recordings for other shows, I wasn’t really prepared for how much I would love her on stage. As Marian, Maria exuded a strength and independence which made her very likeable, and very at odds with her time. Her voice was wonderful, and her interpretation of the part just perfect. I have trouble picturing someone else in the role! For much more about this great actress, visit About Maria: The Maria Friedman Website. |
| Michael Crawford. He was the #2 reason I wanted to see this show (after the fact that it was a new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, of course). As a big fan of Phantom, I own most of his solo recordings, and though I know he’s not to everyone’s liking, I was still very excited to see him on stage. Although he was virtually unrecognizable in this part, he did a fantastic job, and definitely brought the house down with “You Can Get Away with Anything”. It just convinced me that I’d love to see him in more things as well! The Michael Crawford International Fan Association has much more info. |  |
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Michael Ball. I was so disappointed not to get the chance to see him in this show in New York, but I can imagine he would have been a lot of fun in this part. If you’d asked me who should replace Michael Crawford in this show, I can’t say I ever would have came up with his name, but Michael’s such a great actor, I can imagine he pulled it off brilliantly. The pictures certainly looked like fun! For more, please visit my Michael page which has links to some other great sites. |
| Martin Crewes. I was familiar with Martin’s name from Les Mis, but I’d never seen him on stage before, and he really impressed me as Walter. He has a lovely voice, and his range of emotion, especially his quiet dignity in parts of Act Two, were very interesting to watch. You can find a few links for him at this site. |
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