While many actresses play Christine as the more passive leading role in Phantom, Boggess acted the hell out of the part, even making the Phantom’s big “Music of the Night” solo a fascinating moment for her character, visibly toying with feelings of desire and disgust in a real way.

Boggess had already been a pretty great Christine five years back when the shortened Las Vegas version of the musical first opened, but appearing as older Christine in the sequel seems to have deepened her work in the part. (Original star Michael Crawford was in the house, but did not sing.) Although it was a nice surprise to see her onstage toasting the success of her former husband Andrew Lloyd Webber (who, believe it or not, still refers to her as his “angel of music”), the Christine torch had clearly been passed on.Īt this point, there doesn’t seem to be a better Christine than Broadway baby Sierra Boggess, who triumphed in the concert presentation, just as she had last year in the show’s sequel Love Never Dies in the West End.

(For photos of current and past Broadway stars of the show who made the scene, click here.Īt 51, Brightman is rocking the Christine look-the Botticelli hair, the flowing virginal white gown-and can still hit the ingenue’s high notes, as evidenced by her well-sung (if under-miked) performance of the show’s title song alongside current London Phantom John Owen-Jones, next London Phantom Peter Jöback and legendary past Phantoms Anthony Warlow and Colm Wilkinson. This mega-theatrical event was broadcast live around the world, including NYC's Ziegfeld Theatre, presented by NCM Fathom Events. Sarah Brightman, who became a star 25 years ago as the original Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera, made a special curtain call appearance at the musical’s anniversary concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on October 2.

The phantom of the opera 2011