Sarah Brightman andClaire Moore 12. Michael Crawford Illness 2021, Is He Is Still Alive? Wife/Partner Crawford and Deborah Grant headed the cast. He appeared as the cabin boy John Drake in the television series Sir Francis Drake, a 26-part adventure series made by ITC starring Terence Morgan and Jean Kent. Cameo lets you book personalized videos from your favorite people. Broadway Actor. The complete Phantom orchestraBroadways largestalso returned following the pandemic under the continued musical supervision of David Caddick with the musicals original orchestrations. . "It's been hanging there for 35 years. ben crawford phantom related to michael crawford Hes a supervillain. It seems audiences all around the world just cant get enough of the Opera Ghost and his ethereal protg. This month's horoscope also honors Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Michael Crawford was married to his wife, Gabrielle Lewis. The counterweight for the Paris Opera House chandelier really did fall once in the 1870s (its suspending wire had been damaged by fire), killing one and injuring several others. The actor received a standing ovation from a. Copyright 1991-2023 Playbill Inc. All Rights Reserved. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. In 2001, Steve Barton tragically passed away aged just 47. In addition to his stint the Broadway production, Lampel went on tour with the show supervising the rigging when the Phantom wreaked havoc on the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Wang Theatre in Boston, and other venues. | Having seats right below where the chandelier dropped didnt hurt. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. Making Ruthie II drop on cue, for 13,000-plus performances, is no mean trick. Ben Crawford Marc J. Franklin Don't worryCrawford and company aren't reinventing the show. There was a brief hiatus until popular demand saw it revived for a final series in 1978. | 2. Broadway Replacement Stars That Left Us Stunned: The Phantom of the As production continued on the show, the bulk of the score was revealing itself to be far more classical and operatic, entirely unsuited to Harley's rough, contemporary voice. Ben Crawford's Final Performance as The Phantom: Broadway - YouTube sabbath school superintendent opening remarks P.O. Phantom won seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Crawford) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Judy Kaye, now starring in Nice Work If You Can Get It). Rosemary Ashe [2] He has received international critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his acting career, which has included many film and television performances as well as stage work on both London's West End and on Broadway. Michael Michael Crawford created the role of 'The Phantom' in the hit musical earning him an astonishing catalogue of critical recognition including Broadway's Tony, Drama Desk and Outer. the ways the show relates to them," says Ben Crawford, who has played the titular character on Broadway . Sierra Boggess, who will play Christine in the first French version of Phantom, performed the song Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again accompanied by Lord Lloyd-Webber on piano. Tell me about your journey with The Phantom of the Opera, from your introduction to the musical to getting the offer to play the title role. [11], He went on to perform in a wide repertoire. JanetDevilish 3. The 1980s was the decade of big hair, big phones, pastel suits, Cabbage Patch Kids, Rubiks cubes, Yuppies, Air Jordans, shoulder pads and Pac Man. $75. Rosemary Rosie Asheis currently touring in Sister Act, playing the role of Sister Mary Lazarus. In fact, there is a little more to the story than a falling chandelier though that episode was key in Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel, the classic 1925 Lon Chaney silent film, and every subsequent "Phantom" rendition. It was in between performances of Let's Make an Opera and Noye's Fludde that he was advised to change his name, "to avoid confusion with a television newsman called Michael Ingram[s] who was registered with British Equity". I was utterly blown away. Let Your Fantasies Unwind: Ben Crawford Says the Phantom of the Opera They're not afraid of the hardships in life, but they also tend to worry too much sometimes. Although reunited with Sarah Brightman, he did no real singing as he had just finished performing in a matinee of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. Read about our approach to external linking. The birthday celebration also featured former cast members Michael Ball singing alongside current members Ben Forster (The Phantom), Celinde Schoenmaker (Christine) and Nadim Naaman (Raoul). [25], On 23 October 2010, Crawford attended the celebratory 10,000th performance of The Phantom of the Opera in London alongside composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. My favourite Phantom really depends on whatever mood I'm in, but there are four actors (apart from Michael Crawford) who really stand out - the aforementioned Karimloo along with Earl Carpenter are very tragic and emotional Phantoms, the current West End Phantom Tim Howar has a commanding attitude and really plays up the authority figure aspect of the character, and Hugh Panaro taps into all . He played the lead role of The Phantom in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera for five years. Though I can't be there for the final performance due to ill-timed emergency dental surgery, my heart is full of love and gratitude for everyone involved in this production including all who are celebrating tonight at the Majestic Theatre, and those from the original and truly special creative team and Broadway company who are no longer with us. How did you go about building your Phantom? The final curtain came down Sunday on New York's production of "The Phantom of the Opera," ending Broadway's longest-running show with thunderous standing ovations, champagne toasts and gold and silver confetti. It will air on CBS and . Im a linebacker in a suit!, For the most part, however, the response is positive. It's an spectacular, memorable bit of theater magic though there have been a couple of nights, through the years, where they've had to forego it. Hard work, but Hal [Prince, the director] was such a genius in how he gave you enough detail as an actor to find the character, but he didnt give so much that theres a specific form that each actor has to fit into. Read about our approach to external linking. The rigging has two motors. The intellectual aspect of the conversations was something that was really original to me and something I really enjoyed. [23], He later moved to New Zealand briefly, both to be near his daughter and her family in Australia[24] and to convalesce from his illness. Leroux never thought of that. In 1984, at the final preview of Starlight Express, Crawford happened to run into the show's creator, Andrew Lloyd Webber. The role of Monsieur Andr is currently played by Mark Oxtoby. The original Broadway cast featured Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Judy Kaye, and the late Steve Barton. For other people named Michael Crawford, see, Donald Mitchell, Philip Reed and Mervyn Cooke (eds), Crawford with Torvill & Dean receiving marks at World championships 1983, Jody Abrahams, Loukmaan Adams, Mandisa Bardill, Junaid Booysen, Salie Daniels, and Alistair Izobell, Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, The Premiere Collection: The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage, "Today's famous birthdays list for January 19, 2023 includes celebrities Dolly Parton, Jodie Sweetin", "Michael Crawford to Host Afternoon Tea in Cambridge for Sick Children's Trust", "Michael Crawford International Fan Association", "Southwark Blue Plaque nominees: Comedian Michael Crawford aka Frank Spencer grew up in Herne Hill", "The Top 100 Greatest Movie Musicals of All Time", "Play it Again: Michael Crawford on the day he ended up on Spaghetti Junction in his pyjamas", "Michael Attends Record-Breaking Phantom", "Phantom Celebrates 10000th West End Performance with Michael Crawford Andrew Lloyd Webber", "Wizard role for Michael Crawford in new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical", "Russell Grant to join Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz stage musical", "SOUND OFF: PHANTOM 25 - Sweet Intoxication", "Michael Crawford to reprise Frank Spencer for Sport Relief", "Michael Crawford To Star in the Go-Between London Premiere at the Apollo Theatre", "BBC Radio 3 Radio 3 in Concert, A Britten Celebration", "Michael Crawford Full Official Charts History", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2001 Albums", Australian Recording Industry Association, "ARIA Charts Accreditations 1998 Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2012 Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2004 DVDs", Michael Crawford profile at BroadwayWorld International Database, "Phantom of the Opera Tour Ends Two-Decade Run: Phantoms from Gleason to Crawford Talk Tour Closing", Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Crawford&oldid=1151709566, Commanders of the Order of the British Empire, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Awards won for his performance in the title role in, Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (1986), Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement in Theatre (Lead Performance) (1990), Awards won for his performance as Count Fosco in, Voted No. The Gilbert and Sullivan operetta will perform May 3 at Carnegie Hall with Ted Sperling at the baton. Logan Culwell-Block Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? He has also done various Michael Crawford International Fan Association (MCIFA) exclusive concerts around the US. [5][6] Sixteen months after Smith's death, Crawford was born, the result of a short-lived relationship, and given his mother's surname, which was that of her first husband. What a treat to make that my first. In addition to Riddle, the New York production said goodbye with Emilie Kouatchou as Christine and Laird Mackintosh stepping in for Ben Crawford as the Phantom. After the initial production of the show, he worked extensively with Torvill and Dean, and can be seen rinkside with them as they received their "perfect six" marks in the 1983 world championships for their 'Barnum' routine.[17][18]. Lester also cast him in the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and How I Won the War, which starred Roy Kinnear and John Lennon (during the filming of which he lived in London with Lennon and his first wife Cynthia, and Gabrielle Lewis). In 1967, he made his Broadway dbut in Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy with Lynn Redgrave (making her dbut as well) in which he demonstrated his aptitude and daring for extreme physical comedy, such as walking into walls and falling down staircases. Ben Crawford was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and received a BFA in Music Theatre from The University of Arizona. Lloyd Webber had met Crawford socially several times and remembered him from his work in Flowers for Algernon. On the Twentieth Century (Mar 15, 2015 - Jul 19, 2015) Performer: Ben Crawford [Ensemble] Understudy: Ben Crawford [Bruce Granit, Max Jacobs] Musical Comedy Revival. Ben Crawford Stage Actor Birthday May 22, 1982 Birth Sign Gemini Birthplace Arizona Age 40 years old #54906 Most Popular Boost About Actor who rose to prominence for being the replacement for the titular character during Shrek the Musical's original 2008 Broadway run. In 2004 he was cast as the obese Count Fosco in Andrew Lloyd Webbers The Woman in White. The show's current Phantom, Ben Crawford (no relation), was out of the show because of a. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. I disrupted the whole opening. So were doing our job!. Sign up for reopening news, announcements, and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows! Phantom has been the largest single generator of income and jobs in Broadway and U.S. theatrical history. On Saturday 23rd October, the cast of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA celebrated the show's 10,000th . There have been 16 Phantoms of the Opera on Broadway from Michael Crawford, who originated the role, to Ben Crawford (no relation), who will ring down the curtain, after an unprecedented 35 year run, on April 16. Margaret Hall Crawford was brought up by his mother, Doris Agnes Mary Pike, and her parents, Montague Pike and his wife, Edith (ne Keefe or O'Keefe), in what Crawford described as a "close-knit Roman Catholic family". The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. [14][15][16], His later films fared less successfully, although Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which he played the White Rabbit, enjoyed moderate success in the UK. Discover what happened on this day. Crawford spoke of his own memories of the first performance 24 years ago, and was then presented, along with Lloyd Webber, with a special cake to commemorate the landmark achievement. The 40-year-old stage actor has done well thus far. He originated the role of Don Price in the original 2013 Broadway production of Big Fish. Ubaldo Piangi I know the West End like the back of my hand - now writing and keeping a very close eye on West End Theatre! He played the role for two and a half years and over 1,300 performances, winning an Olivier Award (Best Actor in a Musical), a Tony Award (Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role, Musical), a New York Drama Desk Award, and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement in Theatre (Lead Performance). I felt such awe watching Michael doing Stephen Sondheimin a role Id obviously love to do. It came in only a week after we'd seen Phantom on Broadway, and she was thrilled, grinning ear-to-ear. He originally enrolled at the University of Arizona in their pre-med program, wanting to be a pediatrician. | But the real star of "The Phantom of the Opera" has remained unchanged for 13,981 performances. People who are born with Mercury as the ruling planet have communication skills, intellect and cleverness. It's called "Ruthie II. Brian dArcy James was always so welcoming and inclusive to me and the rest of the cast. Ben Crawfords intense, slightly menacing take on the Svengali music teacher was utterly captivating. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera opened at Her Majesty's on 9 October 1986 with Crawford starring opposite Sarah Brightman as Christine. [11], While he was playing in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Crawford was approached to star in the musical Billy (based on the novel Billy Liar), which opened in 1974 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. Actor: The Knack. "When it hits that loop, the music is ending, the crescendo happens, and at the same moment a big flash goes off that blinds everybody that's looking at it in theory," he said. Crawford said he had always been a fan of comedians such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy, as well as the great sight gags employed in the days of silent film, and saw Some Mothers as the ideal opportunity to use such humour himself. Now she's made diversity part of her ethos. He went on to appear as a performer in On the Twentieth Century and Mr. Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In Webber's version, of course, the Phantom is less a monster and more a matinee idol singing such swoony ballads as "Music of the Night." I went in for the tour and things were close and didnt work out. While we don't know Ben Crawford birth time, but we do know his mother gave birth to his on a Saturday. Once you got the gig, where did you start? From 14 February, Russell Grant took over the role. [11], Also in 1981, Crawford starred in the original London production of Cy Coleman's Barnum (1981) as the illustrious American showman P.T. The Gilbert and Sullivan operetta will perform May 3 at Carnegie Hall with Ted Sperling at the baton. YOUR TOP TEN Musical Theatre Overtures EVER. Michael Crawford Posts Tribute to Phantom of the Opera Anniversary Special! 25 Phabulous Phacts In Honor of The Phantom of the London's favourite Christmas musical returns to spread festive cheer at the Dominion Theatre this winter , The exhilarating new musical Ain't Too Proud opens to rave reviews! We understand that John passed away in the 1990s, although precise information is hard to come by. "That name was come up with in an actual bidding, to have the honor of naming the chandelier. It was this character that attracted film director Richard Lester to hire him for the role of Colin in The Knack and How to Get It in 1965. Steve Barton tragically passed away aged just 47. buy tickets now for the Original London Production of Andrew Lloyd Webbers PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Musical Theatres Greatest Tearjerkers: The Vote, Whos Afraid of the Big Bad Opera: Tosca for Beginners, Best EVER Feelgood Musical Theatre Songs to Brighten Up January, Funny jokes that only theatre nerds would understand, Where Does London's West End END? What's announced and what's in previews in the West End. Former MT performer, for many years I ran TKTS in Leicester Square. Michael Crawford surprises audience at Phantom of the Opera What Ben Crawford Does That No Other Broadway Phantom Has So I make it down safely or I fall on my ass.. Michael Patrick Smith CBE (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian, and singer.. Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and the title role in the musical The Phantom of the Opera.His acclaimed performance in the latter earned him both the Laurence Olivier Award for Best . "That lighting shop was beloved to me," he said. [26], Beginning with previews in February 2011, Crawford originated the part of the Wizard in the new Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical version of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, which had its official opening on 1 March 2011. | READ: All the Times Phantom of the Opera Made History on Broadway. Shrek The Musical (Dec 14, 2008 - Jan . What Ben Crawford Does That No Other Broadway Phantom Has, Thirty-one years into the unprecedented run, this actor still makes, Al Hirschfeld Exhibit Extends at Museum of Broadway, The Lusty Month of May's 2023 Playbill Horoscopes, From 'Not Asian Enough' to Broadway Choreographer, JoAnn M. Hunter is in Charge Now, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, DArcy Carden, Jodie Comer, More Are 2023 Theatre World Award Winners, National Children's Chorus to Make Carnegie Hall Solo Debut. And at the invite-only performance, it was a whos who of current and former stars of the show. Winners of the Dorothy Loudon Award and the special honorees have also been announced. Please check back soon for updates. And this is why Ben Crawfords approach utterly fascinated me. During the Eighties, conservative politics and Reaganomics held sway as the Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture. Crawford was unable to sing because of a bacterial infection but was cheered at the curtain call, stepping to the side of the stage. In 1961 Michael Crawford appeared in an episode of One Step Beyond called "The Villa" in which he played a character experimenting with strobe lights. You are always just mentally taking notes and absorbing that. But the Broadway production did. NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 24: Ben Crawford as "The Phantom" makes a speech as "The Phantom of the Opera" celebrates 13,000 Performances on Broadway at The Majestic Theatre on April 24, 2019 in New York City. Among his stage work, he performed in Andr Birabeau's French comedy Head of the Family, Neil Simon's Come Blow Your Horn, Bernard Kops's Change for the Angel, Francis Swann's Out of the Frying Pan, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, and Twelfth Night, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, The Striplings, The Move After Checkmate and others. But sometimes timing just makes its way into your career. Ben Crawford Is The Phantom of the Opera's Next Title Player on What it actually does is drop, and then swoop toward the stage in a parabola that is as much a testament to theater ingenuity as it is a defiance of physics. Producer Mackintosh recently told Variety that "of course it will return. He replaced Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek during Shrek the Musical's original 2008 Broadway run. After creating the role of Firmin in Phantom, he went on to enjoy national celebrity as Coronation Streets Fred Elliott. And so Crawfords Phantom descends the stairs facing forward, remaining upright. Yoanna Nikolova, Christine Dae Because she read about theater all the time.". Andrew Lloyd Webbers Phantom of the Opera will return to the Great White Way this Fall, like so many other shows that have been gutted by COVID-19. His Broadway credits include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Mr. Salt), the titular character in Shrek The Musical, Big Fish (Edward Bloom u/s, Don Price), Les Misrables (Javert/Valjean u/s) and On the Twentieth Century (Bruce Granit u/s). It worked. Actor who rose to prominence for being the replacement for the titular character during Shrek the Musical's original 2008 Broadway run.