OBSESSED!: Rebecca Luker and the "Phantom" Puker

www.playbill.co... Now appearing on the big screen in "Sopranos" creator David Chase's new film "Not Fade Away" and set for a two-week engagement at Café Carlyle with Howard McGillin, Rebecca Luker is always on the move. Still, she found time to join Seth in studio for a chat and a song. With the big "Phantom of the Opera" 25th anniversary coming up, the discussion turned to Luker's days in the show and a particularly memorable day working with co-star Davis Gaines. The conversation shifted to Luker's experience fighting for the role of Marian in the 2000 revival of "The Music Man," and ended with Luker singing her signature tune from the show "My White Knight."

[@JordiekinsxxReal]

Rest In Peace, sweet lady. 🤍

[@jakewadkins6840]

Rest In EVERLASTING Peace, a VERY talented, beautiful, kind woman, mother, wife and actress

[@peesha4742]

Does anyone else rewatch these because you’ve seen them all and you are desperate for more?

[@uhmno7944]

peesha I rewatch the Wicked people knowing I’m probably not gonna be Elphie but I wanna be NessaRose

[@tinytop1718]

So glad this was captured forever, RIP Rebecca!

[@c.w.r.794]

RIP Rebecca Marian Maria Christine Nellie (1961-2020) 💔

[@patbulfin5459]

Don't forget Magnolia and Mrs. Banks.

[@floriansigmund4181]

Bless her heart and soul. May she rest in peace. 2020 comes at such a cost.

[@mattyspencer]

RIP Rebecca. First thing I thought of when I heard the news was this video. What a voice!

[@inmyprime]

I remember seeing her as Marian on Broadway and just got CHILLS when she hit that last note of "My White Knight." I'm so glad she worked hard to get into the show.

[@whitneyspears793]

me too!

[@williamschroeder3070]

Rest In Peace. A beautiful voice; a gift she shared with us.

[@ardenteresalewis4494]

Just wanted to hear her voice today. Thank you for preserving her stories forever. And she mentions Jay Binder who also passed. RIP both❤️

[@TheBlondeBomb1000]

Omg, so full of life, talent and beauty. I still can't believe she's gone!

[@narcissus2626]

Rest in Peace, to a Bright Star

[@BottleConcreteBlond]

She was so great in Music Man. I saw her with both Craig Bierko and Eric McCormack. She was amazing.

[@Silver54ful]

Love her!!! One of my all-time favorite Christine performers. Then her rendition of My White Night. Mind blowing! For goodness sakes Broadway and West End. Write more legit soprano roles please!

[@ragtmt15]

RIP such a talent. She will be missed

[@Dathan]

RIP Rebecca. So beautiful in so many ways.

[@stephanie8417]

Rest In Peace, Angel

[@SoulShines4Music]

I was fortunate enough to see Rebeca Luker perform the role of Magnolia in Livent's production of Show Boat in Toronto back in 1993. She was absolutely amaaazing. I also adore her performance in The Secret Garden. Her version of How Could I Know is the gold standard I compare all others too. Such a beautiful voice!!

[@GeeBee909]

Broadway people are special people and Rebecca Luker was one them. She will always be remembered

[@willec7105]

She has the purest and most beautiful voice ever. What a wonderful artist and person. R.I.P.

[@shmykiebransky4517]

Such an amazing and beautiful voice. So terribly sad and unfair. I hope that she is in a joyful place.

[@whatdoyousuppose]

CHILLS at her My White Knight, Rebecca Luker is simply marvelous :)

[@TenorReacts]

Just recently found out. Rebecca, thank you for sharing your gift and talent. Our Angel of Music 🙏🏻🌹

[@rosemcesw]

I saw her in Cinderella tonight and she was incredible! And so so nice. She told me and my friends that we looked like actors.

[@lighthouse-lh3ci]

Haha! Saw her tell this story in Sierra Boggess' "Daae Days." :D

[@lighthouse-lh3ci]

To clarify, the All I Ask of You story

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

I saw, Rebecca as Magnolia in Show Boat and she was marveleus one of the best Broadway sopranos I ever heard.Sadly she is with ALS now. Lets pray for her

[@SkittlesSarahxx]

Rest In Peace beautiful x

[@carolinejamesonactor]

Rest In Peace, strong lady 🤍

[@TomIdelson]

I simply cannot believe she is gone..Thank god for videos and recordings

[@joecascone2189]

R.I.P. Rebecca Luker. What a loss! :o(

[@songthief9560]

I hear Rebecca Luker is an Aries, I love her drive-- with no dancing background whatsoever she taught herself to go en pointe for the role. And nobody gets near the magical beauty of her voice, greatest sung Christine ever. Her performance with Steve Barton was a dream.

[@edisonthethird]

Rest In Peace! I’m so sad 😭

[@Lgevirtz]

Rebecca Luker, RIP

[@im-hit]

Woww great voice, RIP

[@71crm]

I’ve been watching a lot of videos of Rebecca Luker since hearing of her passing. It reminds me of an Ancient Chinese story I had once heard about an emperor who had lost his storyteller wife and begged a priest to bring her back to life. Instead, the priest made a shadow puppet of the emperor’s wife and the emperor was not sad anymore. I guess KZbin is like what the shadow puppet was in that story.

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

Rip Marveleus Rebecca here in a marveleus interview .

[@-_emcee_-]

RIP Rebecca Luker ❤️❤️❤️

[@EnzFab73]

RIP sweet angel.

[@FelizNAVIDad293]

RIP ❤️

[@hziegler]

Love her voice, Rebecca Luker is a total class act.

[@makeittrue]

Totally agree! :)

[@SergeantWaddle]

Love that Pippin reference there

[@orion8835]

beautiful tone and performer.

[@jimjimmyjames59]

What a beautiful voice!!!

[@sadiemeltzer3285]

rest in peace angel❤️

[@itsmefilipce]

Rest in peace❤️ angel!

[@whitneyspears793]

such an amazing talent and a lovely woman!

[@luprano]

Heartbroken 😪

[@CliffMcAulay]

Beautiful and talented lady. R.I.P. Rebecca.

[@MiaKay22]

Rest In Peace sweet Rebecca 💛

[@allezshazam]

Miss her!

[@PaulTheillusionist]

She is amazing!

[@ethanrrb]

Beautiful voice !! Sooo nice.

[@c004857]

Rest in paradise beautiful lady.

[@johnrondeau220]

I think I met her at the late Soprano, Chloe Owens studio in NYC

[@southernlady5085]

RIP. May God receive you in the arms of his everlasting peace.

[@grandcarriage1]

Holy shit balls. Talk about voice control. Amazing!

[@jessc5340]

Rest in everlasting peace, diva.

[@willman18696]

rip Rebecca Luker

[@brookemartin6101]

Was that last note Really That long or Did Seth make her hold it!?. Stunning voice, Stunning breath control!.

[@sunshineeee]

Oml love the Pippin reference 😂😂😂

[@johnfrank25]

She is still my favorite "Christine" in "Phantom!"

[@dougr.2398]

Hé & she were the topic of Terry Gross’ « Fresh Air » yesterday. I’m so sorry I did not know of her until now and wish her well (She has ALS and the man hère, her husband, has COVID residual issues). What an amazing couple!!

[@Averia89]

I just died, yes!!!

[@chanteuse-ro3kf]

Rest in peace dear Rebecca.

[@jeffnally3127]

God, I miss Rebecca....

[@lisa-mariegray5510]

It's so sad that the ALS (Lou Gehrigs) is making it hard for her to sing. Her voice was so beautiful. She is still amazing and very beautiful.

[@ernlwjr2]

Brava!!!

[@ceebee2]

Oh god, I didn’t know she passed last year; how horrible. I just remember her from Sierra’s Daae Days.

[@thenygalavant]

RIP Rebecca Luker

[@k.hizzle5376]

R.I.P Rebecca 😭💔

[@2pensiero]

Rebecca , she is wonderful , I love her !!

[@becqueolson8266]

So the story I heard is that My White Knight was not written by Meredith Willson, but by his mentor Frank Loesser - because it took so long for MW to write his songs and the stage producers wanted a song in that spot for Marian. Once he had time, Willson wrote Being In Love for that spot and MWK was cut from the film.

[@davidfleischer455]

Read Willson's book about the 10 years it took him to write Music Man, no question he is saying he wrote all those songs including MWK. Barbara Cook has also talked about all the ways the song changed, so I think the evidence is pretty strong for Willson being the lyricist and composer.

[@ieuanprice5933]

❤️❤️

[@johnkarlquist7787]

Love her.

[@ellsrustia6329]

Thank you and goodbye Rebecca ❤

[@anthonyyoung-ovalle8625]

Rip

[@dianavictoriaaljadeff5302]

itas thatwe need more lwgit soprano roles not belters roles;Kelli O Hara has some burt they great sopranos now have few roles writtein for them so they sing the Barbara Cook and Julie Andrews roles.,There are good sopranos now Rebecca, Audra Mac Donald Kelli O Hara,Laura Osness,Sierra Boggess,Laura Benanti,Victoria Clark,Marin Mazzie etc..Adam Guettel and John Robert Brown write for soprano voices and there are few,The same with the men very good singers like Patrick Willson,Steve Pasquale, Bryan Stokes Mitchell,Norm Lewis,Julian Ovenden etc

[@davidfathom3051]

Absolutely! More Soprano and Baritone roles, Broadway!

[@BottleConcreteBlond]

I hope you're recording and video taping the show with Howard McGillan.

[@AKoooooooo]

i'm so curious at what point during think of me did christine use to go en pointe. i've watched a few clips of early christines, including rebecca luker, and i'm just not seeing it. prior to - during the dance sequences, sure, but the actual song? what am i missing?

[@samara.ariel.jpg_]

Your memory will be such a blessing angel🖤🎼🤍 You will always be my favorite christine. I know one day i will fulfill the shoes of chrstine daaé as a Queer AfroColombian Indigneous Jewsih Woman , and grew up with my adoptive mother working with for broadway including all the original phatom. , i told him before he passed i would be the first Queer colombian Mixed race christine. It will come true🕯🎭 #halprincekid #broadwayghostgirl

[@JonathanBontragerWaite]

Leading Player!!

[@fishfoodlad]

On Seth's website!

[@GD-ec2xu]

Her voice reminds me of Barbara cook

[@nicholastyler2714]

Hahaha that's all I ask of ME!

[@khonsmosis]

Where were these for the longest time?!

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

My white knight was introduced by Barbara Cook in The Music Man. Meredith Willson wanted a,song from Marian as an answer.of Hill The sadder and wiser girl for me.But he had difficulty to compose the song.He and Barbara told that he composed many versions if the song including a longer one she sang in her 1975 Carnegie Hall concert .Finally he composed and she sang the final one that Rebecca Luker sang here.She sang again unmiked in the Cook s 88 birthday tribute in 2015. This song wasnt sung by Shirley Jones in the 1962 movie. She sang Being in love instead .Only Cook Luker and Kristyn Chenoweth and few other sopranos sang this operatic song. I think that Sutton Foster who is a belter not a soprano will sing Being in love because I dont think she can sing this song where you need a great lyric soprano not a belter..Listen to Rebecca Luker here and pray for her health because she has ALS now.

[@davidfleischer455]

Sutton sang My White Knight and was amazing, really catching the most important lines in the song, "thinks of me more than himself, and more than of us than of me" -- she got massive applause with each of these lines in the middle of the song and so earned it! All that said, Rebecca Luker's version here is so heart-felt and powerfully sung, whoever said you get chills listening to her is so right!

[@ryanmcdonald9050]

[@harshmnr]

What's the difference between understudy and alternate? ~:~

[@davidfathom3051]

An understudy goes on when the main actor has an unplanned absence (or vacation). An alternate goes on on set dates of a production (for example, every matinee).

[@TamLe-vb5ig]

David Fathom what's matinee

[@Magnitude7]

Tâm Lê A day show as opposed to a night show.

[@Rcity2332]

Leading player??? Plays Magic to do 😂

[@matthewmastrobuono582]

I’d have loved to see her without raoul! Omg that must’ve been hilarious!

[@angharadr862]

Rest In Peace ❤❤