I did in 2010. When I tell you I could not stop crying everytime he sang... I could feel his voice in every cell of my body, It was trutly a once in a Life time

Ive seen him 3 times as the Phantom and 2 times in Les Mis. The good old days

…almost as bad as Alfie Boe being starcast over JOJ for the Les Mis Staged Concert!

​​​​@@mrjohnjenkins JOJ was the phantom in west end at the exactly same time of the royal albert hall concert. If wasn't for that rubbish "love never dies" and cameron mackintosh stabbing him in the back after years of dedication he put into both Phantom and Les Mis, he would have played the phantom in that concert with Katie Hall as christine, as it should have been. John & Katie actually matched the characters phantom/christine in all aspects unlike other casts people gush about.

Everyone has their favorites, how many Phans would kill for a good quality recording of Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman during their original run on Broadway or the West End? I’d argue if Andrew ever did release something like that it would outsell even the 25th show.

​@@sunflower-xi5ct It's not just a matter of preference. JOJ was the phantom when the concert happened, he played the role for years then left and returned in 2010. But most importantly he actually suited the character including in age, acting and voice. Gillian Lynne herself knew that JOJ is the best phantom. It should have been him, but the boomer mercenaries ALW and Mackintosh wanted the nonsense "love never dies" duo, also ramen is considered "attractive" which is so shallow and totally opposite of what POTO is about. JOJ deserved so much better after all the dedication and hard work he put into the show.

@@saxongirl2054 Who the ‘best’ Phantom is really just a matter of personal opinion though isn’t it? The role is one any musical theater actor would kill to have, and every Phantom actor I’ve ever seen has given it their absolute all, no need to tear one down just to lift another up. I love John and I wouldn’t have been upset at all if he had been the one chosen for the 25th show, but I love Ramin too and thought he did an amazing job. And please let’s not pretend that Ramin is the only Phantom actor that women find attractive . Women were swooning over Crawford back in the day and don’t tell me that JOJ is not freakin attractive as the Phantom because that’s a load of bull! 😆

This. No one, like NO ONE compares to Michael and his performance as the phantom. He visualised the character from the first time ALW played him the Overture, he was obsessed with the movement and use of his hands to convey the Phantoms torment and vocally he absolutely nailed every song and the emotions give me goosebumps

​@Bex Lane Crawford is absolutely exquisite. Homie won that Tony for a reason. He performed "Phantom Of the Opera" with a female singer about a decade ago in a televised performance - his presence during that performance was incredible. He was in a simple black suit, no makeup or anything of course, but he embodied the Phantom with every thread of his soul, so fantastic. I've always loved his Phantom, and his will always be my favorite, but occasionally there's that particular performer that makes you just kind of pause in awe. John Owen is 100% that dude. Just amazing.