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The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray]
Review by Lisa Verson : Brava, Brava, Bravisima!

I was lucky enough to see this live in the US on October 2nd and like my fellow reviewers, it was "PHANTASTIC"! I have seen the show twice before and loved it and have always loved the beautiful music. Andrew Lloyd Webber did a great job with this (along with Cameron Mackintosh) production. Ramin and Sierra shone as the Phantom and Christine. I'm not going to lie -- I wan't sure about Sierra at first since I had never heard her sing before, but she's amazing. And Ramin...my goodness! I saw him as Enjorlas in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables as well and he was so powerful there. I knew he'd make the perfect Phantom. What I really loved about this was you truly felt like you were not only there at the Royal Albert Hall, but that you had a front row seat (better than a front row seat even). The close-ups are amazing. And this was not in a concert style format like Les Mis was last year. It was the entire show (nothing left out!!) with the actors actually acting, not just standing at a microphone singing. The end of the show was just...I still, after two weeks of seeing it cannot even begin to explain the ending/encore. Of course ALW came out and gave a speech and then introduced the original London cast minus Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. I was a little bummed but of course, he announced them after the cast had come out. So great to see both of them and I must say Michael looks as good now as he did in 1986!!! And Sarah...wow. She sings 'Phantom of the Opera' as four past Phantoms (including Colm Wilkinson, John Owen Jones and Anthony Warlow...there was one more but I forgot his name) came out and sang with her. It was great! But that wasn't it. The four Phantoms (plus Ramin) sang the most beautiful version of Music of the Night. I got goosebumps. It was just gorgeous! I wish that Michael Crawford had sung as well, but I'm guessing he had a good reason. This is definitely a DVD worth buying and watching over and over again. I know I will!

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray]
Review by Barbara W. Robbins "RobbinsRoost" : Can't Wait for This Release

I absolutely can not wait for this DVD. It was released in the UK yesterday, Nov. 14, to rave reviews. I was lucky enough to be there at the Royal Albert Hall for all three performances. What a thrilling experience it was. Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess had wonderful chemistry, and the ending, with all the Phantoms, Andrew Lloyd Weber, and Sarah Brightman was something I am glad I did not miss. I can't wait to see the close ups because the clips I've seen are fabulous. Ramin and Sierra put such passion into their work. This will absolutely put the movie version to shame. Ramin, Sierra, and the rest of the cast can actually sing! Also loved seeing Stephan John Davis in his cameo role of Don Attilo. I feel very comfortable giving this DVD and the CD 5 stars before viewing because it will be everything I viewed, but closer!

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray]
Review by adancer : Wonderful show

I went to see the live broadcast of this on Oct. 2. I loved it so much I wanted to go back and see it every time they showed it, but was busy for all of the other showings. I was so excited to see that they have it available to purchase now. This was the first time I had seen the full stage version of the show, however I am very familiar with the music. The cast did a wonderful job, and in the end Andrew Lloyd Weber gave a speech and introduced the original cast and company. Sarah Brightman performed Phantom of the Opera with 4 former phantoms who then sang and beautiful rendition of Music of the Night for which they were joined by the Phantom from that nights performance. In my opinion this is Andrew Lloyd Weber's greatest work, and it is no mystery that it has lasted 25 years. I would not be surprised in the least to see it last another 25.