#obc

Frequently Asked Questions

1. 𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝘿𝙑𝘿 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜? No. You must physically view it at the New York Public Library (NYPL) Theatre on Film and Tape (TOFT) archive at Lincoln Center, New York City.

2. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚? It is not being released, and likely never will be. The only way to view it is at the NYPL TOFT in NYC. It will not be released for home viewing (like the Royal Albert Hall anniversary concert) because this is meant for research and reference only. The recording is owned by NYPL, and Andrew Lloyd Webber/LW Entertainment has not authorized it ever being released.

3. 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚? NO! Photographs and video recordings of this archived footage are strictly prohibited. If you are fortunate enough to see the video at TOFT, please follow the rules and DO NOT record or photograph. Doing so will ruin future access to the video at TOFT for the rest of us. Don’t be that guy.

4. 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚? It is available to the public with NYPL library cards (which are available for free, even to non-NYC residents). However, TOFT is technically a restricted research archive. As such, please have a valid reason for your visit. Maybe you’re researching for an upcoming high school production. Or you’re researching for your own Phantom website or blog. Whether any of that is true is between you and whatever deity you subscribe to. Find a reason you can actually defend, and be professional when viewing the video. I listed “research” as my reason for the viewing; I was not asked at booking or on the day for additional information or justification.

5. 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤? I’m a career Phantom cosplayer, effects makeup artist, and wig maker. I have a public website with free costuming and makeup resources available, and have consulted on several school productions of the show over the years. Also I’m a huge phan and have always wanted to see it!

6. 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚? According to the NYPL website, you can only view the complete footage once. We were able to stop, rewind, and rewatch scenes multiple times to take notes during our viewing. That said, if there are legitimate reasons for an additional visit, it’s worth contacting TOFT to see if another viewing could be granted. I have not tried it yet as I only just saw it recently and I don’t need another viewing at this time.

7. 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩? It’s free! You only need to sign up online for a NYPL card and create a Special Collections account through TOFT. It takes about 15 minutes to sign up for these and book an appointment.