The Phantom of the Opera: Who Fits the Role Best?

If you don't know what The Phantom of the Opera is, then you need to educate yourself IMMEDIATELY! This Broadway hit has been around for several years and a lot of people have played the Phantom's character for as long as this musical has been around (i.e. Michael Crawford, Timothy Nolen, Steve Barton, Davis Gaines, Ramin Karimloo, etc.). Now so far for me, I've only been exposed to 3 actors who have played the Phantom, so forgive me if I didn't mention one of your favorite actors.

1. Ramin Karimloo: This man has captivated me to a new level with his powerful voice. Originally I had discovered him through the "sequel" for Phantom (entitled Love Never Dies), but after repeatedly listening to him sing "Till I Hear You Sing", I became an instant fan. It's just amazing how much emotion he puts into each song he sings. No one can quite make your heart break for Erik's sad fate like Ramin can, and that's why I love him so much. 

2. Gerard Butler: Now obviously Gerard is better known for his roles in a lot of action movies, but I'd say he did a pretty decent job at playing the Phantom for the movie adaptation. His voice holds enough brooding darkness to seduce anyone, but I have noticed that he does hold a couple pitch issues in some of the songs. Ironically enough, some people think that his lack of musical experience gives him an advantage, but it all depends on one's perspective. Now when it comes to Gerard's acting, he definitely knows how to scare or intimidate people as the Phantom, but overall, I do think he did a pretty good job. 

3. Michael Crawford: Now I'll admit that I haven't fully listened to the first cast recording, but from what few songs I have heard Michael sing, I'd say that his voice definitely has this eery and haunting element that's hard to forget. Here's the thing though; when I heard him sing the reprise for "All I Ask of You", I couldn't pick up any sense of sadness in his voice. The anger was definitely there, but that's all I could detect. 

So when I think of Erik, I think of someone who's obviously angry at the world for not giving him more compassion, but he still has a heart in there somewhere and it's longing for someone to just understand his pain, torment and loneliness. When you take this description into consideration, Ramin is who comes into my mind first with Gerard coming in at a close second. Both of these men obviously have a lot of talent (Michael as well) and while I understand the criticism that the movie adaptation gets, I just feel like people shouldn't be so rude and abrasive about it.