wanderingchild7 Nice article! Yes the Royal Albert Hall show was just a big lnd advertisement. I agree with most of the things you said about Sierra. But WTF???!!!! lnd again????? NOOOOOOOOOO!!! And who else does alw want to kill? Meg? Raoul? ERIK??? (i hope neither of them) I have an idea! The greatest plot twist ever: the show ends with Erik hanging webber for creating this shit!

WildConcerto I'm pretty sure ALW is going to get Erik killed, because that's the most logical death... But I kinda want Raoul to die... Okay, it's not the way you think, I really see Raoul redeeming himself by saving Christine and she finally realizing how stupid she had been all along...

wanderingchild7 yes... you are right.... but I don't want any of them to die... nor even Raoul ;) I just want this shit to end forever! But if he kills Erik... well I don't know what will I do then... why can't this asshole webber realize that he makes more damage with this crap than success? oh wait! Did he even make success with this????? but if he kills Erik a part of me will die with him... even after the debut of lnd I was in serious depression... what am I talking about? I don't care about that masked pimp in lnd who claims to be Erik!

Bia97 I agree with you. I love Sierra, but I do not consider the best ever Christine; One of the best, for sure, but the best? it's complicated; Many excellent actresses interpreted this role over the decades, making it difficult to choose one. It is easier to choose a favorite phantom than Christine ... My favorite phantom, for example, is Michael Crawford. Few actors played the Phantom on Broadway \ West End, compared with Christines numbers we had. Hugh Panaro, for example, played the character for nearly a decade. The Phantom is a selective role, beginners never interpret. Christine, by contrast, always have new talented actresses playing the role, making it unfair to choose a better, you always think in one the most. People love Sierra because besides acting and singing even better, she is very charismatic. She has a charisma that Emmy Rossum lacking in the 2004 movie. Rossum is simple indifferent, apathetic to everything; throughout the film, I honestly was don't caring about what was going to happen to her. Most Christines fall into the trap of acting only in the archetype of '' helpless maiden, naive girl '', which Leroux created, not doing the public create any REAL relationship with the character. Sierra, does not interpret Christine only as a helpless maiden, has a lot of excitement and charisma in his performance. Generally, those who hate are those who '' is against anything that makes success ''. Also do not understand how Sierra became dear to Webber, if before she had only played Christine in Las Vegas ... his performance as Ariel in 2008 called his attention and Cameron, probably? Well, what I know is that if I were Sierra would stay away from ALW. If he really is as obsessive as they say he was with Sarah Brightman, I can already see ... they get married, Webber writing a musical for her, and then separating LOL

WildConcerto @Bia97: Well, I really have an unpopular opinion about this, but I actually liked Emmy Rossum. She played the role well... considering that she's a sixteen-year-old terrified young girl who gets tossed and turned by a much older man... which is one of the reasons why I prefer having an older Christine. The Phantom is a selective role, for sure, and not anyone can play it. Though, to me, it actually isn't the hardest male role to interpret, actually: the role of Raoul is actually far more difficult, for the simple and good reason that it's so easy to fall in the trap of considering it as a boring role or as playing Raoul as an arrogant jerk, while he's actually much more than that. But I have to admit that since I've written, I've got to discover many other Christines and I can't really say Sierra Boggess has that much radiance and charisma. Yes, she's good. But her character development for Christine, at least in the RAH concert, is pretty messed up, mainly because of LND and because Laurence Connor was directing the concert. Well, I guess that I'm pretty difficult after seeing, let's say, Gina Beck or Samantha Hill, who are both extremely endearing Christines. And I have to disagree with you about Leroux!Christine being a helpless maiden. She's far stronger than Erik and Raoul in the book, she has quite the feisty moments with Raoul when she discovers he has been hiding in her wardrobe notably, and she has enough guts to stand up to Erik when he kidnaps her and even slam the door in his face at one point. The "helpless, naïve maiden" really comes from the ALW musical if you ask me, and that's really how Sarah Brightman, the original Christine, played her. It isn't really a bad thing, though, don't misunderstand me. XD Seriously, I don't know what's happening between ALW, CamMac and Sierra Boggess. How did she get on LND, no idea. It explains how she got in the RAH concert, though. Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful, long comment. ;)

Bia97 @WildConcerto: Another thoughtful, long comment :D Rossum ... she does well as frightened girl, so maybe you like it. I have to admit that Rossum has a beautiful voice, does not sound like a real opera singer, but she does well in the simplest songs like Think of Me. When she sing The Point of No Return, I was sorry for her because obviously she had no voice for the song. At least she is better than Butler. Yes, indeed, Christine in Leroux, has glimpses of being a stronger girl that ALW's show. The final scene, and a chapter in which she tells the Raoul the time that she was in the lair with Erik, are great. Maybe it's because POTO is a small romance, I do not know, the more I felt that Christine and Raoul were not as developed as Erik. Or is it because Erik is so interesting that overshadows the others? You mentioned Raoul, and I remembered that I like him better in Leroux's book in which Webber's show. In ALW's show, everything we know about Raoul, is that he is in love with Christine ... that's basically it. In Leroux, he is an insecure young man, not just a man in love. For me, the fact Ramin and Sierra have made LND, was the main factor for them star in RAH. And I believe that your problem with the performance of Sierra in RAH, either because the whole show was planned to be a prequel to LND. POTO it was not made thinking in LND, so Christine has more chemistry with Raoul. Sierra, however, was directed at the anniversary concert, made after LND, and the purpose of the production was obviously make LND become a more plausible continuation. This includes, Christine have more chemistry with the Phantom. So no one would be surprised if she came back for him in Beneath a Moonless Sky ... So much so that the DVD of LND was released along with the RAH. Anyway, Laurence Connor did in RAH a version of Webber's show that was plausible for its continuation meaningless. One way to don't make the Love Die :)

fangirlingstuff FINE. I DO RESPECT YOUR OPINION. I THINK SIERRA BOGGESS IS THE BEST CHRISTINE DAAE. RAMIN IS THE BEST PHANTOM. HADLEY IS THE BEST RAOUL. THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY WAS THE BEST!!! LET ME ASK YOU 1 QUESTION. IS IT SIERRA'S FAULT THAT ANDREW AND THESE PPL LIKE HER? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT??!!! NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!! IF YOU LIKE SIERRA, WHY DID YOU EVEN WRITE THIS FREAKING ARTICLE THAT MAKES SIERRA'S BIGGEST FAN SO FREAKING MAD?! IF SIERRA, YOU ARE READING THIS ARTICLE, IGNORE. IT’S NONSENCE 😃 YOU STILL HAVE TRILLIONS OF FANS LEFT. AND WHY ON THE WORLD WOULD PEOPLE HATE SIERRA FOR GETTING GREEN CARDS EVERYWHERE??? WHY???!!! WHY?????????????? DON’T MAKE ME HYPER AND YOU MAY ARGUE WITH ME. ACTUALLY, PLEASE DO. I THINK SIERRA BOGGESS IS THE BEST CHRISTINE, RAMIN IS THE BEST PHANTOM, AND HADLEY IS THE BEST RAOUL! THAT MAKES PERFECT SENCE. PLUS, THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY WAS THE BEST VERSION EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS. PLEASE DONT MAKE ME HYPER. I AM HYPER NOW. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OPINIONS ABOUT THIS, JUST WRITE THEM DOWN. IT IS YOUR OPINION. IT IS UNIQUE. HOWEVER, DEAR WHOMEVER WHO WROTE THIS, THIS ISN’T A WAY HOW YOU EXPRESS THE FEELING ABOUT SIERRA. SO PLZ STOP. BYE. (ALSO, I MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND CERTAIN STUFF CAUSE I'M YOUNG. DO I HAVE TO STATE MY AGE? FINE. I'M 12. BYE AGAIN. REAL BYE.)

fangirlingstuff Also, seach top ten best Christine Daae. Most of them has Sierra Boggess on the first place.

fangirlingstuff I'm even going to give you the link. https://www.thetoptens.com/best-christine-phantom-of-the-opera/

WildConcerto All right. So I was going to ignore your first comment in the beginning, mainly because this opinion piece (let me put a special emphasis on “opinion piece”) is three years old now and it’s barely relevant as of now. I’m also going to suspect you may have thought I wouldn’t actually reply, since this is a pretty old opinion piece. I don’t really hang out here anymore: I’m mostly on Tumblr nowadays, and my main interests are pretty much other musicals and Star Wars (because obviously, that mixes very well). But since you seem to be taking this to heart, I might as well give you a reply. But I do get emails when I get replies on articles I’ve submitted here. [insert Magenta from RHPS saying “Well-secluded, I see all” gif here] “FINE. I DO RESPECT YOUR OPINION.” Clearly, you do not, considering your first message was written in all caps (which in Internet language means you’re shouting) and my opinion seems to piss you off more than anything else. “I THINK SIERRA BOGGESS IS THE BEST CHRISTINE DAAE. RAMIN IS THE BEST PHANTOM. HADLEY IS THE BEST RAOUL. THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY WAS THE BEST!” Okay. Cool. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m going to sound like a snob here, but honestly, I think we’ll be even in that case – but have apart from the 25th anniversary and probably the 2004 movie, have you seen other videos of performances of POTO? If you look around a bit on Youtube, you can find tons of snippets. GlassPrism for instance has a lot. I’ve come to a point where I dislike the 25th anniversary, but not so much because of the actors (who are all talented people, which I’ve said more than once in my opinion piece), but mainly because I see it as blatant LND promotion at this point. I still have a fondness for the 2004 movie, mainly because that’s what introduced me to POTO in the first place, but I sure as heck can see how flawed it is. I’ve seen a lot of videos of other performers, so I came to a point where I personally preferred Samantha Hill or Tamara Kotova as Christine, or John Owen-Jones as the Phantom, or Sean MacLaughlin as Raoul. Ultimately, it’s just a matter of personal taste. If you love Sierra, that’s a-okay. I’ve said as such in my text. But note that I also said this: “So, before continuing, if you think Sierra Boggess is the best thing ever after sliced bread, and that you can’t stand that someone speaks of her in otherwise than superb compliments, this is not the article for you.” Honestly, that makes me kind of confused about why you bothered reading my opinion piece after I actually took the time to warn you about what was to come, and why you even bothered to leave me a comment in all caps. “LET ME ASK YOU 1 QUESTION.” Okay. Shoot. “IS IT SIERRA’S FAULT THAT ANDREW AND THESE PPL LIKE HER? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT??!! NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!” No, it’s not Sierra’s fault. Once again, I actually made that clear in my opinion piece. I think I feel sorry for her more than anything else. I’ve heard she’s actually a shy person who has been reportedly uncomfortable when she met fans at stage door and that said fans got, let’s say, a bit too excited. And if anything, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s behavior towards her creeps me out more than anything else. He has a weird old man crush on her, and it reminds me of stuff I heard about him and Sarah Brightman back in the days where they were married. Seeing how he acted with her during the encore at the 25th anniversary concert pretty much only confirmed that. Honestly, I’m at a point where I hope Sierra has projects soon that don’t involve Andrew Lloyd Webber, because that was something I got increasingly worried about when they announced she was going to be in School of Rock and when they announced she was going to be the principal Christine in the cancelled Paris production. (Sidenote: and HOOOLY SMOKES was I correct in predicting she was going to play Christine again. I’m laughing so hard right now.) Anywho, ALW has a track record of treating the stars of his shows like shit at some point or another. Ask Sarah herself. Or Patti LuPone. Or Nicole Sherzinger. Heck, Ramin Karimloo, Celia Graham and the rest of the LND cast got unceremoniously fired when the production closed in London. Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to have it closed on a whim because the Melbourne production had started to roll and it was all nice and shiny, and the cast discovered they were going to be without a job really soon by reading about it in the newspaper. “IF YOU LIKE SIERRA, WHY DID YOU EVEN WRITE THIS FREAKING ARTICLE THAT MAKES SIERRA’S BIGGEST FAN SO FREAKING MAD?” If you’re Sierra’s biggest fan, why did you even bother reading this when I explicitly said at the beginning to not read it if you were Sierra’s biggest fan? I could understand being upset if this was the Sierra Boggess Fan Club page, but this is the Phantom of the Opera fan page. Not everyone in the phandom likes Sierra. It’s just how it is. You’re allowed to think it’s bullshit, but that doesn’t justify you trying to shut down a differing opinion by sending an angry comment in all caps and a follow-up message almost 20 days later with angry smiley faces. “SIERRA, YOU ARE READING THIS ARTICLE, IGNORE. IT’S NONSENCE. YOU STILL HAVE TRILLIONS OF FANS LEFT.” I’m pretty sure she’ll ignore this article, because she’s not only a mature adult, but she’s also a successful Broadway star who’s had a successful career. And I wasn’t disrespectful of her in the article, in my humble opinion – there was a bit of snark here and there, but that’s just me being me. So she probably won’t care that a nobody like me thinks that other actresses should get the spotlight as Christine as well – which was the *whole* point of my opinion piece. But that doesn’t give you a pass for being patronizing and, I’ll say it, childish. Also, it’s “nonsense”, not “nonsence”. And Sierra can’t have trillions of fans considering there are only a few billions of people on this planet. “AND WHY ON THE WORLD WOULD PEOPLE HATE SIERRA FOR GETTING GREEN CARDS EVERYWHERE??? WHY???!!! WHY???????????? WHY LISA WHY????? *cough cough* I don’t hate her for “getting green cards everywhere”, as you said. I’m mostly disappointed with the powers to be for giving her the VIP treatment for… well, no reason at all. The reason why she’s always there whenever there’s some big event having to do with POTO is because she just happens to be Andrew Lloyd Webber’s favorite and, as Christine, she just gives him exactly what she wants. It just makes me sad personally that she gets the VIP treatment and other Christines get stumped all over and are treated unfairly. It’s not her fault at all, she’s not responsible for whoever is cast or not. I also wish the 25th anniversary was more a celebration of everything great about the West End production and not some shameless LND promo. That’s all. Checking out other Christines is worth it. Each of them brings something new to the role and I love comparing them afterwards. And in the end, I have favorites. Who just happen to not be Sierra, because… reasons. And personal tastes. “DON’T MAKE ME HYPER AND YOU MAY ARGUE WITH ME. ACTUALLY, PLEASE DO. I THINK SIERRA BOGGESS IS THE BEST CHRISTINE, RAMIN IS THE BEST PHANTOM, AND HADLEY IS THE BEST RAOUL! THAT MAKES PERFECT SENCE. PLUS, THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY WAS THE BEST VERSION EVER!!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS. PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME HYPER. I AM HYPER NOW.” Well, dearest, you were hyper since the beginning with your all-caps. I’ll give you this: the 25th anniversary had an amazing orchestra, plus the organ at Royal Albert Hall. And Maria Bjornson’s costumes. I just don’t think it’s the best thing ever. And you won’t convince me, and especially not with all caps. “AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OPINIONS ABOUT THIS, JUST WRITE THEM DOWN. IT IS YOUR OPINION. IT IS UNIQUE, HOWEVER, DEAR WHOMEVER WHO WROTE THIS, THIS ISN’T A WAY HOW YOU EXPRESS THE FEELING ABOUT SIERRA. SO PLZ STOP.” It’s “Dear whoever wrote this”, not, “dear whomever who wrote this”. Also, if your point was to show me “how to write THE FEELING about Sierra”, I can’t say you have succeeded in that regard. And I can’t say you’re in the right position to lecture me, an adult, on how to write an opinion piece. I’m already asking myself why I’m losing my time replying to you, but in the future, you’ll probably fall across people on the Internet who will be far less kind than I am. “(ALSO, I MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND CERTAIN STUFF CAUSE I’M YOUNG.” Clearly, you didn’t, because you got angry over certain things while I stated the contrary in my opinion piece. “DO I HAVE TO STATE MY AGE?” No, you really don’t have to. I won’t give you my age either, because you'd probably be mortified. “FINE.” Okay. “I’M 12.” I guessed as much. You still have a lot to learn, young Padawan. “BYE AGAIN. REAL BYE.” Well, no, not “real bye”, because you posted more, like, 20 days later. “Also, seach top ten best Christine Daae. Most of them has Sierra Boggess on the first place.” I’m not going to bother with the spelling and the grammar mistakes. I’m tired. Also, hello again. “I’m even going to give you the link.” Well, thanks, because I wouldn’t have bothered, otherwise. I do know how to do a Google search, though. All right, so checking out the list, Sierra Boggess is number 1. Sarah Brightman is number 2. They just happen to be the best known Christines apart from Emmy Rossum, but most people don’t like the 2004 movie anyway. She does manage to get to number 8, though. My point here? This list works by popular vote. Probably a lot of people who voted on that list haven’t seen lesser known Christines, like, let’s say, Gina Beck. Or Rachel Barrell. Or Valerie Link. And so on. Again, there’s nothing wrong with having Sierra as your favorite Christine. But just because she’s the most popular one doesn’t mean she has to be my favorite. If I only based my opinions, likes and dislikes about whoever or whatever was the most popular, I don’t think I would have gone very far in life, honestly. Have a nice day.