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Tuesday 05/15/2001 12:51:12am |
| Name: |
Maggie Birge |
| E-Mail: |
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| Homepage Title: |
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| Homepage URL: |
http:// |
| Where are you from?: |
Owensboro, KY |
| Referred By: |
Michael Inspired Me |
| Comments: |
For some reason, the Star Trek saga came to
mind this morning. Although I was never a huge fan of the TV show, I did get interested in
the movie series. The more I thought about it, the more I can see parallels to the Phantom
movie.
First of all, Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the series, was adamant about bringing Star
Trek to the screen intact. All of the principal actors were in their usual roles. In a
sense, those actors owned those roles. I can't even imagine going to see the first Star
Trek film and finding other actors playing Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy. I would
have been shocked to find unfamiliar faces even in the supporting roles. Who else could
have played Scotty, Chekhov, etc.? It might have been called Star Trek, it might have
taken place on the Enterprise, the theme song might have been the same, the enemies might
have been the Klingons, but it would not have been the same for me…or for the
millions of other fans around the globe. In fact, it would have been a total turnoff to
see some so-called "stars" trying to play those characters. If Star Trek had
lost its fan base, who would have gone to see it in the first place...and would there have
been five sequels? Thank God Paramount did it right and reaped huge rewards for it.
How does this relate to The Phantom of the Opera? Well, according to Antonio Banderas, he
and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, and Warner Bros. don't give a flying fig about the
millions of Phantom fans who have forked over tons of money to see this show for 15 years.
He says those fans aren't important (that's you and me he's talking about). He says they
are going to find a whole new audience. Where? On what planet do they plan to release this
movie? It can't be Earth, because if you take away the 58 million souls who have purchased
POTO tickets there isn't going to be much of an audience left. Pretty much anybody who
wanted to see this show has seen it already in some incarnation or other. And if they
haven't seen it, they probably own one of the cast recordings. In most cases, that would
be the original London cast recording. And we, those 58 million fans who don't count, are
the people who have been waiting, waiting, waiting ever more impatiently for over 10 years
to see the movie version of "our" show.
So to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton and Warner Bros. I ask the following questions:
1. Why are you going out of your way to ignore and insult the very audience you need to
make your movie a success? Our money is itching to leap from our wallets to your coffers.
DON'T DISAPPOINT US!
2. Why are you planning to change the story and the music that are so well known and
beloved by millions of people? Why won't you give us the show we have supported so loyally
for 15 years?
3. Why do you insist on using a minimally talented actor/singer whose box office appeal is
negligible? In fact, judging by the last several films in which he was top-billed, Antonio
Banderas by himself can't draw flies to road kill.
4. Why will you not give the starring role to Michael Crawford, the Tony award-winning
actor/singer who stunned the critics, mesmerized the audience, and created a feeding
frenzy for tickets in every city where he starred in Phantom? It is his voice the millions
of Phantom fans hear in our minds and hearts. He IS the proven box office draw for this
movie. Like Star Trek without Shatner or Nimoy, Phantom without Crawford is only a pale
imitation of the real thing.
BEWARE! GIVE THE FANS WHAT THEY WANT AND EXPECT OR THEY WILL TURN AWAY!! |
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