#paul schaefer

Derrick Davis - the type of person who would bring you flowers at work if you had a bad day. (They might have come from the gas station across the street, but it's the thought that counts.)

Saulo Vasconcelos - the type of person to bring mini muffins to the neighbourhood bake sale.

Jeremy Stolle - the type of person who would wear open toe sandals with calf high white socks to church.

Cooper Grodin - the type of person who would charge you a gym membership and make you hire him as a personal trainer at a gym he built in his garage using secondhand equipment from the 70s. [This version is based on his restaged take on the character, not the Masquerade version.]

Franc D'Ambrosio - the type of person who would sing "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" unironically. [Look, when you've heard him sing "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" you just know.]

Thiago Arancam - the type of person who would start a farm and grow nothing but beets, just because he heard that beets can be used in place of road salt.

Paul Schaefer - the type of person who shops for wallpaper.

It's been almost a year since Phantom closed on Broadway, and I miss these folks.

[Mostly in the order I've recently watched them, which is random.]

Ted Keegan: A legend. Very much "I know how I want to interpret this character and I will do it consistently well over 20+ years and still make you cry each time."

Jeremy Stolle: The acting is always there, but the voice comes and goes? King of mishaps.

Paul Schaefer: I've only seen one vid of him. His Phantom is literally diabolical up to the very last minute and it's...interesting.

Ben Crawford: Great voice before the post-COVID struggles, but questionable acting decisions. Oddly enough he grew more as an actor as his vocals declined.

Dean Chisnall: Such a shy and sensitive Phantom who sings every note with ease! He wins the award for best reptilian stomach crawl during STYDI.

Laird Mackintosh: He was a solid understudy in the 2010s, but I was awed by how he totally owned the role as a cover in 2023 up to closing. He really brings the heat in the first lair.

James Barbour: Ruined by the legal issues and the fact that I saw him as Rochester first.

Killian Donnelly: He's the perfect combination of sensitive acting and a great voice. Always sticks the landing in the final lair, but he does it a different way each time so every performance feels new.

Tim Martin Gleason: He has the most beautiful hands and I love how soft and tender he becomes after the kiss. He genuinely wants Christine and Raoul to escape safely, like what??

Curtain call pics of all the current Broadway phantom understudies.

I'm going to miss them all very dearly🥀

P1-2: Ted Keegan

P3-4: Laird Mackintosh

P5-6: Jeremy Stolle

P7-8: Greg Mills

P9-10: Paul Schaefer

phantom of the opera broadway audio gift - march 1st, 2023

ben crawford, julia udine, paul a. schaefer

[untracked audio]

CAST: ben crawford (phantom), julia udine (alt. christine), paul a. schaefer (raoul), nehal joshi (andre), craig bennett (firmin), maree johnson (giry), raquel suarez groen (carlotta), chris georgetti (u/s piangi), polly baird (u/s meg)