I suppose I have not ever written much about my favorite musical on the face of the planet, so tonight seems like the perfect time.  I have posted a video (that I only saw tonight for the first time) from the 1988 Tony Awards.  I didn’t know this musical existed back then.  I was in high school, and I had heard of the story, and I think we may have heard the title song in choir, but that was about it.  I also did not know the stars–Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.  Where shall I begin?

I will begin with my first exposure to Michael Crawford.  It was in the 1969 musical Hello, Dolly! with Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau.  He played Cornelius Hackl, and I honestly thought that is all he ever did.  I learned a little about him when I read a biography of Gene Kelly (the director of the movie).  I always enjoyed him, but I didn’t know he had a career anywhere else.

I was involved in a show choir my senior year in high school (1991-1992). We got to go to New York for a competition, and we saw a real Broadway show.  And it just so happened we were going to see Phantom.  I remember thinking that I may not like the musical, but I was going to see a real, live musical, so who cared?  Right before the show, we stopped at a little shop that sold musical merchandise.  My partner bought the tape (yes, a cassette) of the highlights from the show.  He proudly showed me, and I asked if they had the full musical version.  Yes, they did, and I bought it.  I wouldn’t be able to listen to it until I got back home–no tape recorder.  But I opened the tape, and I was absolutely floored.  Michael Crawford??  Played the Phantom??  This had to be a joke!  Cornelius Hackl as the Phantom?