Hi, dear anon! What a wonderful message, I love talking about the phantom and you’re giving me the perfect opportunity. xD (And I’m glad you liked the reference! lol)

SO! I listen to a lot of versions, actually, and I have the 25th anniversary on DVD and I also watch it periodically but I have to say that Ramin’s is not my favourite phantom (his voice is not exactly how I imagine the phantom’s voice, it’s beautiful but too sweet in my opinion, he reaches weird high pitches when he sings and I instead prefer a darker, more roughish voice – that’s why I particularly like Ben Lewis, even if in certain places becomes a bit too dramatic, lol). I also love Gerard Butler’s interpretation, I was 14 and he was “my first phantom” so there are a lot of memories and affection there (and he has that hoarse and raw shade that makes you shiver, let’s ignore the accent thing – that I don’t find particularly annoying anyway, maybe because I’m not a native English speaker? Idk). Colm Wilkinson is another dear phantom, and maybe he comes closer to the book-Erik, he’s older than the others and his voice is amazing; he gives the role another interpretation, a more mature one, I don’t exactly know how to explain it. And then there is John Owen-Jones, that I love too even if it’s too sweet and soft for the aforementioned reasons but that you simply cannot not-love and anyway he goes from there to darker and lower places when he sings, he perfectly renders the phantom’s famous mood swings xD (and ugh he makes me wanna hug him). Ooooh and how can I forget Hugh Panaro? I mean, listen to The Point of No Return, he has a voice that caresses your soul, you can feel his sufference and sarcasm and anger and desire, it’s like a slow and unrelenting descent into the darkness of the phantom’s madness, ugh I just love this version so very much, it nearly brings me to tears. I will name a few more because, ugh, feelings: Norm Lewis, Earl Carpenter (he’s so sweet and gentle, this sounds like a slow courting), Anthony Warlow (chapeau), John Cudia (shivers, this makes me cry everytime).

Speaking of favourite songs, ugh either way I choose I cannot win! xD But I like Music of the Night and Point of No Return and Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and Down Once More, and Idk maybe that’s the ranking too? But there is also All I Ask of You and Masquerade – THE WHOLE MUSICAL. NO I WON’T CHOOSE, IT’S INHUMAN LOL.

What about you, dear anon? Favourite songs and favourite phantoms, besides Ramin? 🙂