The following review and picture comes from Anea aka operafantomet, i would like to thank her for allowing me to share this on her behalf. A full version of her review can be seen at musicalfans.net HANNIBAL: Rachel Barrell is such a good dancer! It was easy for me to spot her face (very distinct features), but otherwise she blended with the dancers in a most excellent way. Wonder why they won't let her do the whole dance routine. Barrell is also incredibly cute as Christine, and looks very "19.Th century-ish". THINK OF ME: Rachel Barrell pauses less in the beginning now - earlier it took ages for her to turn around to the audience and starts to sing (I like both versions). She also clinged to Meg a little bit longer this time, before turning around and nodding to the conductor. Nice details. Again, Firmin crack me up. At her first singing lines, he looked like he'd eaten a lemon...  But wow, Rachel Barrell's voice is good. In some sense she has even improved - it sounded smoother and softer (especially at the evening performances - better warmed up?). I found myself wanting her to open her bloody mouth at places, but that's basically all the negative stuff I have to say about her TOM. She was also cute, doing some en pointe dancing under the big Elissa skirt (which btw was a new costume - a faithful copy of the old one, but less colourful. It made me drool as usual....). As others have pointed out, her TOM cadenza is beyond words. What's amusing is that she looks like she knows is...  She just plays around with the notes, with a little smile on her face, and the timbre of her voice is so pure and strong. She received enormous applause after each performance - people was applauding, whistling, cheering. It was well deserved. ANGEL OF MUSIC: Emma Edwards did the after gala lines just as I love them: first she compliments Christine, and then she continues with the same soft voice to the dancers "and you.... You were a disGRACE!". Made the audience crack more than when it's clear from the start that she will yell at them. She also empathized the ballet terms by actually showing them with her foot. I love her role portrayal, even more than Heather Jackson's. I know many feel opposite, though. Again, Barrell is so cute. Her bewildered face when she hears the distant "brava" is like cut out of a Degás painting. She and Meg makes such a believable "best friends" couple. When Madame Giry appears and Meg must leave, she actually didn't say the "always rehearsals!" line (I've never heard it being NOT said) - rather she turned to Christine and they looked like they were about to giggle. It even looked like Christine was blinking at Meg, but I'm not sure. Then Meg poutingly strutted over tot he other dancers. LITTLE LOTTE:   This is one of the few places I thought Oliver Thornton and Rachel Barrell had chemistry. The scene was performed very well, like a real rendezvous. Raoul looked so in doubt when Christine tells him about the angel - like he didn't know if he should take her literally or not. THE MIRROR SCENE:  Barrell acted so well in this scene, crouching together at the sound of this furious voice - like she had never heard him angry (or even raise his voice) before. She did a bit too much arm throwing for my liking, but her movements was wonderfully echoed by Carpenter's Phantom - it looked and sounded stunning. Barrell also manages the coolest tranced looks. TITLE SONG: For the third performance, I was sitting at the royal circle, and I had forgotten how well suited POTO is to be seen from a distance. The title song actually looks better from the balcony and royal circle, though I like seeing it close too. And... feel free to prove me wrong, but I swear to God Rachel Barrell is singing the cadenza live. I've been sitting in front row twice, studying her tiniest movements, breathing, jaw, mouth and muscles. I am a singer myself, and usually it's easy for me to spot those who just mimes. But there were not ONE movements where she was off. Another thing is that the sound is MUCH louder when she turns to the audience towards the end - MUCH louder. I don't see how that could be achieved by a playback recording, and I haven't heard that in other playbacks. A third thing is that the high E was longer at the evening performance than the matinée. STRANGER: Barrell was a tad off-pitch in this number at the matinée, but she sung it utterly gorgeous at the evening performances. I liked how she sat up, confused, when singing "...was a boat....". The unmasking was extremely realistic. The Phantom, just finishing his playing, realizes something is missing, but he cannot figure out what. He turned his note sheets several times, staring, conducting, humming, writing. He's in the middle of this process when Christine tries to unmask him, and it made him turning away look very real. It also made his outburst believable, because not only did she unmask him - she also interrupted him at the very same moment he understood what was missing from his score! His scream was intimidating, almost scary, and I loved how believable they made the "hunt" look. I also like how the London Christines appears to stumble over the foot of the mirror rather than trip in their own feet. Now.. I've never cried in this scene before. I did this time.  First, I liked how it was Christine's sobs that made the Phantom look up and sing, as if he was trying to both explain and comfort her. Carpenter did an amazingly quick crawl over the floor, which made Barrell/Christine almost cling to the foot of the false proscenium. And then... He gestures towards the mirror bride and/or the sky as he sings "...dreams of beauty....", before saying ""Nooooo... Christine...." (as to emphasize "you weren't supposed to see me like this!". All other Phantoms sais "Oh Christine..." in this scene (as the lyric suggests), but Carpenter's little twist made me sob. It also explained why he decides to return Christine to the world above. AIAOY: As mentioned before, it was not too much chemistry between Thornton and Barrell. I was also a tad disappointed that Barrell had toned down her spunky performance. No Raoul hitting anymore, no obvious anger of not being believed. But on the other hand, she sung like an angel, and her "soooooar" really soared. And Thornton's Raoul was cute when he surprisingly lifted Christine and swinged her around. Not my favourite number, but still very good. MASQUERADE: This was such a good ensemble number, and again I am surprised by how good of a dancer Rachel Barrell is. Ditto for Oliver Thornton - he is really gracious. Another number which looks just as good from a distance as up close. Barrell's Christine had a weird reaction to the "Don Juan" score - the minute he mentiones the name, she turns and stares at it, scared. Darn her, that was exactly how I planned to do it..... The disappearance and double trick went surprisingly smooth - I wonder if they've brushed up the "magic" tricks (as I also will mention in Wandering Child)?. NOTES II/TWISTED EVERY WAY: That.... blue... dress.... is.... too... gorgeous... for... words! And ditto for Carlotta's red dress. I'm especially fond of how the UK costuméers elaborates the backside of Carlotta's costumes. Again, Barrell's Christine was more spunky in the past. Her whole performance is a little cooled down. Parts of me likes it, because it makes her voice smoother and more controlled, and she is still a strong willed Christine. But another part of me misses the obvious fury and fright she displayed earlier in her run. Either way, she is amazing. Her "Twisted every way" was extremely believable, and she and Raoul seemed to really care for each other at this point. WYWSHA: Again, a calmer role interpretation. In this song, I preferred Rachel's new style. She managed to move me to tears. She appeared to fragile and honest and scared in this scene, building up to "the great transformation" in "...try to forgive, teach me to live....". Her high note at the end was outstanding, and again she received tons of applause. WANDERING CHILD: Carpenter's voice is so haunting and enchanting, and the way he opened his arms while singing "Have you forgotten your angel?" was terrific - is if to say "I'm still with you". I loved Oliver Thornton in this scene. He was superb. His acting made perfect sense, entering the graveyard with a body language saying "I'd thought I'd find you here, Christine", before following her gaze up towards the cross and the Phantom. And he seemed both horrified and fascinated - and also a bit disillusioned. Which made the lines "Once again she is his, once again she's returned" understand a bit about the fight HE'S fighting too. It is as if he's willing to give up Christine for a moment, before he sees how she turns into this mechanical doll with strings played by the Phantom, and he simply wants to free her. I Again, the correspondent movements of the singers (this time it happened when all three turns towards the audience, lifting their arms at "Angel of music, you/I betrayed me/you") is so effective. PONR was amazing. Simply amazing. Again, it looked like Barrell knew what effect her voice had, because she entered and held the "...dreams of loooooooove" forever. And looked content. He-he, I admire her. I really do. Carpenter's hands are... I KNOW it's annoying to read about these amazing hands different performers is supposed to possess, but wow. His hands really are sensual. One thing is that they're long and slender, another thing is how he actually uses them. Again, he reminded me a lot of Peter Jorde with his "caressing Christine's contours" and avoiding any direct contact. I also loved how he rapidly turned away from her when she glanced at him - as he thought he was discovered, or as he thought he'd loose control if he returned her glance. Oh, the bench..... Rachel and Earl do the "boob grabbing", but not in the manner of JOJ and Celia Graham....  Bless them. And Rachel's facial expression is too precious! It's like she's first totally confused by why Piangi would grab her boob (or rather - almost grab, as they don't reach her breast before she rushes away), and then she's deciding to give him a lesson. Earl is so funny when he gestures "come back and sit on the bench". I'm told he sometimes pats the bench, other times he gestures to the place where she sat. But she's not coming back to sit there... She turns into this seductive creature, swooshing her skirt, posing, stretching her arms towards him, glides towards him, placing one knee beside his thigh (sp?), playing with him. And when Earl/the Phantom stretches his arms up to avoid touching her (or do to something he shouldn't....), she grabs them and enfolds him. I mean, the guy stands no chance! Excellent acting and singing here. I am still a little in doubt of whether Barrell's Christine knows it's the Phantom or not - but it's clear that when she discoverers the mask under the cloak, she flees stage, and he actually has to go all the way out in the wing to catch her. What was effective is that they turned off the spot at this point, as to make the audience unsure of what will really happen. And then she's dragged back on stage, and the spots comes on again. Niiice detail. The hood revealing is so sad, because it looks like the Phantom tries to hug Christine (an echo of Raoul and her on the rooftop - like he's trying to copy Raoul's actions in order to make her love him. Same with the ring), and instead he's revealed and exposed. Earl Carpenter acted brilliant in trying to flee stage, but seeing it is impossible as there's armed persons in the wings, and when he's about to escape through the bedroom, he remembers the dead Piangi being in there. So he's forced to stay on stage, as is Christine. The second unmasking was nothing spectacular, because I wasn't sure of Christine's motivation for unmasking him. Was it because they were both forced to stay there, and she knew she had to do something? I dunno. But I loved how Earl, instead of covering her with the cloak rather grabs her fiercely by the wrist and drags her offstage. FINAL LAIR: It was beyond words. This is a scene where I prefer to sit as close as possible, and I was lucky enough to sit in front row TWICE this time. Christine seemed furious about what just happened, and her first lines was just as much statements as they were questions. The Phantom's hurt look and his haltering explanation made so much sense, more than those who just hammers the lines out (although that can be effective too). He also tried to hand her the wedding bouquet twice, but she just kept looking calmly him in the eyes. I loved it. His reaction when Raoul shows up is too precious for words. This is another thing that MUST be taped, because the way he shows five-six different emotions in one little sequence is nothing but amazing. Evil, content, scared, excited, surprised... Amazing. Also, his mocking delivery of the lines was effective. I also loved his "...did you think that I would harm HER..." (as in "oh no, you bastard, it's you I blame"). Also, the pain in his face when Raoul sais that he loves Christine....  He also does a funky breathing when opening the gate. raoul looks like he don't trust that gate for a second, and passes underneath in less than a second. Oh, and one of my fave "logical" parts: you know how everyone keep saying that Raoul and Christine simply should have escaped by running out to the right? Christine and Raoul hugs for a brief moment, making sure they're both OK. Christine then takes his hand to show him the way out - the way she and the Phantom probably went after "Stranger than you dreamed it". But when she's about to flee, she looses the grip of Raouls hand - because he's trapped in the lasso! That twist (and how well it was performed) was pure genius. Yes, I love it when the details are taken care of. If the details are right, I am much more willing to believe the stuff they're doing on stage.   Carpenter's Phantom is violent, but never over the top (in my eyes, anyway). The balance he has found is rather amazing. One movements follows another, and I felt it is always clear why his Phantoms does what he does. I loved how he basically threw Christine to the floor before hiding behind the organ and his note sheets (an interesting feature all through the musical: he's always hiding behind his music, whether it is literally or symbolic). And Barrell's reaction to it, making Christine lay on the floor for a while (as in not on her knees - but laying flat), before gradually rising and gradually singing higher and higher before belting out the "HAAAATE" was superb. I've never liked that belting in sound clips, but on stage it makes perfectly sense when seen in this context. Christine is actually protecting Raoul by standing between him and the Phantom not once as usual - but twice. And the second time it looks like the Phantom is about to hit either Christine or Raoul (it depends). This made the transaction to "Angel of music, you deceived me...." very understandable, and the Phantom's facial expression at that accusation made him look both shameful and heartbroken - because deep down, he know she's right. That also makes Earl Carpenter's Phantom deliver the "Make your choice" in a less yelling manner than some others (again, I love both ways of performing it). The kiss..... The KISS! Carpenter is managing to put up an honestly shocked and appalled expression - it was particularly obvious from B4 (where I was sitting at the matinée), and I must confess it sent a tear down my face.... Also, his reaction to it, touching his lips, stumbling across stage, touching his lips again, almost smelling his hand for this trace of beauty and kindness.... If it hadn't been so sad, it would have been beautiful. That was Carpenter displaying what fine actor he is. The same can be said about Oliver Thornton. Instead of just standing in the lasso, his Raoul was at this point exhausted and probably also sure that Christine had choosen the Phantom. You could see that he was slowly dying in the lasso  and by the time Christine discovers him, he is hanging there rather lifeless. She is about to run over to him, but is gestured to stand back by the Phantom - which suddenly frees him. Hand on my heart - that was the best performance I've seen of this particular part of the musical EVER. Interesting enough, Christine is the first to run out of there, rather than being led out by Raoul. Raoul looks like he wants to attack the Phantom, but is chased out of there in "Goooo! Go noooow!". I absolutely adored how Earl's Phantom just falls to the floor, heartbroken - and then he's surprised by the monkey music box. He crawls towards it, not knowing that Christine is standing behind him (Barrell enters earlier than most other Christines I've seen). But when he's covering it's face, she hears her sobbing, and turns around, surprised. I don't even want to descibe the rest, as it's so sad.... On one of the performances, he raised and walked towards her, saying "Christine, I love you" as in "thanks for returning". And then she hands him the ring, and he falls on his knees, almost begging her to keep it. She waits until he's accepted the ring, embrace his hand, and then runs out of there. Marvellous and just too sad for words. One of the other performances, he just stayed down on his knees, crawling towards her, and when seeing that she is about to give the ring back, he sings "Christine, I love you!" as in "You cannot return it! I love you!". I don't know which version I thought the saddest, but both of them were heartbreaking. What was also heartbreaking (don't know I'm stressing this point too much, I'm just telling how I felt it) is that when he was sitting there on his knees, he did this pose which was as a classic proposal pose, as an echo of Raoul's actions in AIAOY.  But Christine leaves, and he falls to the floor again, crawling towards her veil, being "sweet intoxicated" by the smell of her..... He also displayed a marvellous voice in "You alone can make my song take flight.....".