Responding To Musical Theatre Coach Reacts To Gerard Butler in The Phantom of The Opera 

Before I begin with my response to this video, I would just like to say that I am not a singing teacher or a musical theatre coach. I am just a passionate Phantom phangirl, a fierce phan and defender of Gerry Butler's portrayal of The Phantom (which includes his singing performance), a fierce, proud phan and defender of the 2004 movie, The Phantom of the Opera.

This post will not only present my response to this guy's analysis and opinions of Butler's performance of the most famous song number, "The Music of the Night" in the beautiful musical that is The Phantom of the Opera, but also my responses to some of the comments (both ones that are positive and negative, according to my definition and view of what makes them positive or negative) in the comments section of this video. I will do a point-by-point response using a transcript of this video. Other people's remarks with be in bold and italics. My responses will be in regular font. So sit back and relax for a long blog post!

[00:00] It's like they said, "Oh, Let's help him with the difficult stuff." You want to listen to the rest of the playback. He's needed help since I've pressed play. Don't worry about trying to sing the notes perfectly. You can't. Don't try to elongate a beautiful melodic phrase because you can't look at that note again. It sounds great. It's not him. That's 75% of computer 25% him, right. He's really just giving you a sound. He gives you a sound out of his mouth, and we're going to fix it to make it sound like it needs to.

First off, Marc is not using a faithful replication of "The Music of the Night" sequence from the movie. The volume, the pitch, and the melody are off, making the entire scene sound worse than it actually is. The way the song sounds in the clip Marc is using is not how it actually sounds when one watches the movie or listens to the soundtrack.

 
Secondly, it is Gerard Butler singing. It's the other way around: 75% him, and 25% a computer. Here is a video clip of Gerry recording The Music of the Night for the movie in the studio. The clip of him recording the song matches what the song sounds like in the movie. 

So Marc's entire claim that they were using a computer to help him that much is over-exaggerated. Gerry was actually holding a tune, not producing random sounds out of his mouth.

 
Besides, most of the population definitely doesn't care if autotune or other voice editing software was used to help him out. I don't care if they used autotune and other voice editing software to help him out with some parts of the score.

[00:32] (Whispers the first sentence) Why not just do it from the beginning? Hello, everyone. I'm Marc Daniel Patrick. Thank you so much for checking out the channel. We're in a bit of a heatwave here in Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada, the supposed frozen tundra of the world. So I'm just going to sit here and sweat for the entire video and slowly just melt into nothingness by the end of the video. Who knows? We're going to look like. So I apologize that you have to watch this. I do have some water, Thankfully, a pink towel, and a quickly melting block of ice.

OK, now you're downright mocking Gerry because he whispers some parts of the song lyrics. So he whispered some words while singing The Music of the Night. It's not that big of a deal to me.
I'm sorry to hear about the heatwave, though.

 
[01:18] So we'll see where that goes by the end of the video. But here we are. So for today's video, I wanted to look at something I've gotten into a lot of heated arguments about over the years, and that's who should be cast in movie musicals. And everyone's got their opinions because truly, the skillset just changes. Film is generally just straight acting. Well, with musicals, you have a component of singing and dancing to come along with it. So when you put a musical now into a film, what skill set are you trying to hire and trying to look for?

I'm looking forward to this! My answer is whoever ALW wants to play the characters.

 
[01:47] Do you only consider triple threats? Do you only consider someone who can act and leave the singing at the side? It's an argument that can go back and forth, and I will make an entire video essay on it one day. But for today, I wanted to take a look at one of the most debated casting choices in a movie musical of all time. And that is Gerard Butler in the 2004 film version of The Phantom of the Opera. And to do that, we're going to use one of the Phantom's most iconic numbers.

Again, looking forward to it!

[02:14] This is Gerard Butler with Music of the Night!

[02:21] (Song begins, Gerry Butler as the Phantom singing)"Nighttime sharpens, darkness is and wakes imagination. Silently, the senses abandon the defenses."

[03:00] Okay, so right off the bat, it makes me a little uneasy just because of Gerard's speaking voice, which is unique and perfect for his acting roles. But once you need to sing and not only sing, sing one of the most iconic songs in musical theater history. You now lose something. You lose his vowels. He doesn't resonate as well. He has trouble getting on to notes and getting off of notes. It's just it's kind of a train wreck, that whole opening right there. So if I was to give him a note going into this.

I disagree with Marc: it is not a train wreck. He did great! Oh, and my thoughts on Marc's problem with his vowels? This is a movie, not a live stage performance. Filmmaking is a more intimate art form than musical theatre and live theatre are. With a movie, we're not dealing with actors having to project and enunciate like they have to in musical theatre and live theatre.
Besides, ALW wanted someone who had a rock edge to his voice for the movie and that's what Gerry had. I don't believe he had that much trouble with the notes. He resonates just fine to me.

 
[03:31] I would tell him to speak more through it. Right? Try and Act your way out of it. He's a tremendous actor. Use that to your advantage. So why not speak more of the parts? Right? You're already not perfectly executing the notes to begin with. So why not just change it up and use something to your advantage? And the best example I found of that on YouTube was this guy named Luke. And I just want to show you a short clip of his is now Nighttime Sharpens.

What Marc would tell him doesn't really matter because this movie came out sixteen years ago. It's done and there is nothing any of us can do to change the singing performances in this film.
I'll go along with this scenario and tell you my thoughts about Marc's theoretical feedback: Usually I would wholeheartedly agree with Marc's advice to speak his way through the song and use his strengths to his advantage, but Phantom is a musical and ALW told the director of the movie (RIP Joel Schumacher) that Erik (The Phantom), Christine, and Raoul needed to sing. So he sang because that's what Andrew told him to do.
And saying "You're already not perfectly executing the notes to begin with," is lousy and not very constructive thinking.

 
[03:59] Love that. It says the guy's great. Maybe it's not the best example because he can actually really sing. What I love about it is that word sharpens. He abandons any sort of music right there at all. Who cares what the note is? He's going to do whatever he wants with it. And that's totally fine, especially for him who can absolutely flat-out sing. You can hear it already. Throw some notes away, speak through some lines. I don't care. You're going to make me weep by the end of the song anyway.

The snobbery is insane! "You're already not going to sing this song 100% accurately so let's ruin it further by speaking through more of the lyrics." (sarcastically) Once again, great reasoning and great attitude! (end of sarcasm) And Gerry can actually really sing, too.

 
[04:30] So it's going to turn out alright. Let's just watch it one more time. I want to get that sharpens down again. Here Nighttime Sharpest in each sensation darkness to wake. Imagine. Okay, well, I'm not crazy about that, but the point was the word sharpens. I love that. So why not? It's a very small example. I know. Why not let Gerard take that example on Sharpens and use it for the entire opening section. Don't worry about trying to sing the notes perfectly. You can't. You don't try to elongate a beautiful melodic phrase because you can't speak your way through it and get the audience on your side that way.

More snobbery! Four and a half minutes in, Marc's logic and attitude have been not very helpful. This is not looking good at all. Marc's analysis is a trainwreck so far, not Gerry's singing. I expected better from a musical theatre coach. I was on Gerik's side long before Marc uploaded this video. As for Marc's last statement, one would only be hindering Gerry with that kind of sloppy thinking, not helping him.

[05:17] That would be my only note for him at the beginning of this song. There are a couple of other notes I would have, which we're going to get to as the video goes on. But Let's watch some more now.

(05:35) (Butler as the Phantom continues to sing) Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor (05:39) (Butler as the Phantom singing) Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender

 
[05:39.30] I just always love that cinematography. When she blocks a little bit of light and just for five or 6 seconds, all you can see is that stark white mask. It's terrifying. And I absolutely love that.

Finally, the first bit of praise. That is a cool bit of cinematography.

[05:58] (Butler as the Phantom singing)Turn your face away from the garish light of day. Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dream Purge all thoughts of the life you knew before. Close your eyes and let your spirit start to soar

[06:40] So. And so here's our second suggestion, because that's really what ticks me off about this film. Is that moment right there. That a flat that high, a flat for a baritone for anyone. Really, it can be a difficult note to get to. And it is one of the biggest things that everyone looks for or waits for in this song. The problem I have with it is that high a flat is so edited and so digitally produced to help them out. It's like they said, Oh, Let's help among the difficult stuff.

I've already expressed my thoughts on the use of voice editing software to help him out: there's no shame in it. Go ahead and make another suggestion, but I think it's pointless. It's way too late to try and improve his performance in this movie now. The movie's been out for sixteen years now.

 
[07:22] You want to listen to the rest of the playback? He's needed help since I've pressed play. So why not help him from the beginning to the end? If you're going to edit those notes that are tough to get up to are those notes that are so iconic that everyone waits for help them throughout the entire thing. If you don't want them to speak through it, then just edit the hell out of them all the way through. You can reproduce the sound to make it a little bit more digestible to make it sound a little bit closer to what everyone expects the Phantom to sound like.

Yes, because I actually enjoy Gerry's rendition of this song, just not the clip Marc is using. Again, absurd thinking! Criticizing what they did and didn't do and why is not a productive and constructive exercise. What was done was done. Marc's last statement is the most egregious one in the entire paragraph. It's not about "what everyone expects the Phantom to sound like." It's about what Andrew wanted the Phantom to sound like in the movie.

 
[07:54] I just hate how they kind of do them dirty like that where they just let them drown for most of the number. But then help him on what's supposed to be the difficult numbers? It's been difficult since we started, guys. Let's help him from the beginning. That would just be, honestly, my second note, and my room is just so gorgeous. Can we get out of that? Out of the way first? She's so perfect for this that's the next video we need to make is how great the Christine casting was.

 
I completely disagree with Marc on everything here except the Phantom's home being gorgeous and Rossum being perfect for this role. After this video, I am just not going to watch Marc's videos anymore, even the one praising Emmy Rossum's performance as Christine.
Honestly, I don't need to respond to the whole video. This man's analysis is a travesty in my opinion. Let's move on to responding to some of the comments in the comments section of this video.

 
RoboticYeti: "Oh man I was OBSESSED with this movie when I was in high school. It was my first experience with Phantom and I had no idea at the time that it wasn't very good lol. Sometimes ignorance is bliss! That being said - and maybe it's just nostalgia - I still like The Point of No Return from this movie. His singing isn't perfect but I like how they don't put the stupid blanket on his head lol. Definitely ramps up the tension."

 
"Sometimes ignorance is bliss." Don't ever let anyone shame you or guilt-trip you for enjoying a bad movie. The matter of a film being good or bad is subjective and a point of view.
To me, it's a very good film. You can know a movie isn't very good and still enjoy it.
J: "Same! Before seeing the Broadways production, I saw this and loved it. Then when I saw it on Broadway, it was soooo much more than I thought."

 
If you like comparing the film to the stage production, go ahead and knock yourself out. I can't and won't stop you from doing so. I prefer to not compare the two because they're two different mediums. I just love and enjoy each for what they offer!

Melissa McDonald: "He (Ramin Karimloo) didn't have any experience of playing the Phantom though (I think he was playing Raoul at that point), it would have been great if they'd cast John Owen Jones or someone similar. 💕"

Yes, Ramin was playing Raoul in the stage production in London at the time. Even though I love John Owen-Jones's portrayal of The Phantom, too, Gerard was perfect for the role of The Phantom in the movie. So agree to disagree about casting a stage actor in the movie.

FullmetalandtheFlame: "I KNOW RIGHT?? He (Ramin Karimloo) was right there! Why didn't they have him play the Phantom?"

Because he hadn't played the Phantom in the stage musical yet. And ALW wanted Gerry Butler. Why can't you understand that?

Vanessa Serra: "I am sorry, but this is the first time that I can not agree with the verdict. Yes, Gerard is not a Broadway voice, not to be compared with professional singers of this field. But what he lacks in training, he makes up for in passion. I don't like the originals, but in this film, I was won over by the music to the story. And Gerard Butler had a very decisive part in it. I love the film, the soundtrack, the powerful images, and passionate actors. And Gerard shows the brokenness of this character like I've never seen. In his voice, his facial expressions, his gestures, all the facets of this interpretation of the story come out beautifully."

I agree with most of what Vanessa says here, except for disliking the originals. I love Michael Crawford's portrayal of The Phantom and Sarah Brightman's portrayal of Christine to pieces!

 Hellothere682: "But his imperfect voice doesn't work for the character. The one beautiful thing about the Phantom is his voice. The Phantom lures Christine in with this voice. His voice f*cking sucks and definitely isn't entrancing."

First off, watch your language, please, "Obi-Wan." I know that's most likely not your real name, but your handle reminds me of a famous Obi-Wan Kenobi line. Secondly, the statement "Gerry's voice effing sucks and definitely isn't entrancing" is your opinion. To me, Gerry's voice is fine and is definitely entrancing. His voice is not "the one beautiful and appealing thing about the Phantom." Yes, the Phantom does indeed lure Christine in with his voice. As for Gerry's imperfect voice not working for the character, here's this comment by Naly202: "Movies and stage musicals are different, on a stage they need great singers with booming voices to be heard in the back rows, and large elaborate movements that can be seen from the back rows. Movies try to achieve realism, emotions being seen and heard in close up, so they need fabulous actors who can also sing. This movie dealt with this beautifully- being as realistic as possible: none of the characters are professional singers: a Viscount, two scrap metal dealers, a chorus girl, stagehands, a ballet instructor, etc. The only professional opera singers are Carlotta and her husband - and their voices are spot on. Christine is a chorus girl, you'd expect her voice to be a bit timid at first (although some of her high notes scratch my ears). The Phantom is a slightly deranged man living in a damp cave, he is not an opera singer, he's a composer, artist, decorator, etc but not an opera singer. To make a comparison- you wouldn't expect Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to give the best delivery of Music of the Night. He will be able to sing it, he created it after all, but he wouldn't need to be the best opera singer. Anyway, movies and theatre are two different art forms."

I agree with every word Naly said here except the Phantom is a slightly deranged man and some of Christine's high notes scratching my ears. The Phantom is very deranged. None of Christine's high notes hurt my ears. Here is a great Phantom confession from a Phantom phan.

And yes, this Phantom confession expresses my feelings, my Phantom experience, and what I know about Phantom so perfectly except for the opinion of MC being so horribly miscast. MC is in the top five of my favorite Phantoms).

You putting more weight on the stage production interpretation of how The Phantom is supposed to sound when he sings is your problem, not Gerry Butler's or ALW's. Phantom is ALW's musical. He wrote the roles and the score for the show so he knows who he wants to play the characters. He should be able to cast whoever the heck he wants, make some changes as to how he originally wrote the roles so the movie has an interpretation that's closer to the original novel stating that the Phantom was both a composer and an imperfect singer who still lured Christine in with his beautiful yet imperfect singing voice, not a polished and formally trained one, and so he could finally have his Phantom with a rock edge to his voice for once. I hate it when phans of the stage musical and the Broadway community act like their opinions and expectations carry more weight than the opinions and expectations of Andrew Lloyd Webber when it comes to how the characters in the musical are supposed to look and sound. I hate it when phans of the stage musical act like Gerik phans are uneducated about Phantom and are not real phans. I have listened to fine and talented Phantom actors like Ramin Karimloo, Michael Crawford, Hugh Panaro, Anthony Warlow, Peter Joback, and John Owen-Jones. I love all of their portrayals to pieces. I just love Gerry more, including his singing voice. Why is that a problem? Because it doesn't work with the stage production interpretation, which you prefer? When it comes to the phanbase, everyone's opinions are valid. No one opinion, expectation, or interpretation carries more weight than another opinion, expectation, or interpretation.

If it's painful and unbearable for you to listen to Gerry's Phantom, then don't listen to his Phantom, but please don't belittle us Gerik lovers for liking him and his singing voice. Thanks!
(I am asking "Obi-Wan" here not to belittle and ridicule Gerik phans because his or her comment here was in response to another commenter who said they like Gerry's imperfect voice for the character of the Phantom).Personally, I think both the film interpretation and the stage production interpretation both work just fine. I love both interpretations equally.

Kerry W: "His (Gerry Butler's) voice is not even close to being in the realm of being good enough for the Phantom. It disappoints in every possible way."

See my previous responses on the topic of Gerry's voice being good enough or not being good enough for the role of The Phantom. I have a more nuanced view on this topic. To you, his voice disappoints in every way. This is not the case for me! It is quite the opposite for me.

Kerry W, continued: "I can not watch this number without yelling directions at the TV for him. I literally get so angry. It's so infuriating. For a movie musical, everyone longed for they did an awful job casting the Phantom. Where is the passion, where is the depth. It's so flat. You'd have no idea how he's longed for her for so long based on this performance."

Chill out and lighten up, please! I love Phantom, too, but I try to control myself when things don't turn out the way I expect them to. I also recognize that at the end of the day, it's just a show and it's just a movie. I understand your perspective about how everyone was excited about Phantom being made into a movie musical and how your expectations for the film were far from met, but I kindly suggest you cultivate the same habit of controlling your reactions when things don't turn out the way you want them to and the same mindset of "I love Phantom, but at the end of the day, I know it's just a show, it's just a movie," please.

 
I completely disagree with you that they did an awful job casting the Phantom in the film. I also disagree with "the lack of passion and depth" and that "it's so flat."
To me, there is plenty of passion and depth. And I'm sorry, buddy, but I do have an idea about how he's wanted her for so long based on this performance: so badly for a very long time.

Clearly, you and I did not see the same film.

 
Kerry W continues (I promise, this is the last one from Kerry W): "I wish they would have cast a better Phantom for her."

I don't feel the same. He was the perfect Phantom for her. To me, Gerry was not miscast.

 
Kelson613000: "His singing is so emotionless, like Russell Crowe in Les Mis. It's like "sing by numbers". Not his fault...we aren't all good singers."

I disagree completely. His singing is full of emotion. He's more emotional than some of the guys who play the role on stage.

 
Marc Daniel Patrick: "YES! 100% He's giving you what he's got. And how could we ask for any more."

He gave us everything he had; He did his best. And no, I can never ask him for anything more than his best effort!

Erik Weigland: "Yep - maybe there should be more public shaming of the casting directors."

NO, JUST NO! There should not be any public shaming of the casting people. Shame on you, Erik W!

Absofsteel88: "I was in high school when this movie came out and I was OBSESSED with the soundtrack. I listened to it all the time, but I haven't listened to it in at least 10 years if not longer. OMG IT'S SO BAD. I immediately started laughing at his first note!!! Maybe I can actually recognize really well done musical theater now, but this is painful...."

 
Please read my response to RoboticYeti. To me, the 2004 film and its soundtrack are very good, not awful. If it's painful for you to listen to Gerry's Phantom, then don't listen to his Phantom.

Marie: "I prefer him over any of the Broadway phantoms. Goes better with the role."

I completely agree. Yes, he fits the role for the movie, not the stage musical, and I love both!

Mariam Nebuser: "Besides, The Phantom is supposed to be Christine's singing teacher and if he can't sing I don't think he'd have much authority on that subject..."

Clearly, when it comes to the 2004 philm interpretation, which is closer to what the book says about Erik's singing abilities and experience, ALW and I both disagree. As I previously stated, both the stage musical interpretation and the philm interpretation work just fine for ALW's general version of the story of The Phantom.

 
Look up the saying "Those who can't do, teach."

Paisley Francis: "Going forward you should show examples of how it should be sung. That way people (like me) who don't have a musical theatre background can have a more well-rounded understanding of your points. i.e. talent vs. auto-tune."

 
I am not going to watch any more of Marc's videos after this. I found two other vocal coaches to watch that I like when I need to scratch my "vocal coach reaction videos" itch.

Noah Hutchens: "With the Phantom, he is said to be a musical genius so you expect the actor to also sound like one. Gerald Butler sounds like he's struggling on every song and the high notes are just him shouting. Thus, they should have realized they either cast someone else who can sing, or have his vocals dubbed."

I disagree with everything you've said. And it's Gerard, not Gerald. Please read my previous responses on the topic of different interpretations and whether the Phantom being a polished, trained singer or an imperfect one is a matter of nuance and interpretation.
As for your claim that Gerry "sounds like he's struggling on every song and the high notes are just him shouting," you can only actually tell that he shouted on a high note only once: during the "Hell" note during "Down Once More." Personally, I cut him slack for yelling on that high note because one, it's difficult for many people to hit (Gerry included, obviously), and like I said, the 2004 philm Phantom is supposed to be a musical genius, singing teacher, composer, yes, but a man with an imperfect and beautiful singing voice that attracts Christine.

Watch the video clip of Gerry recording TMOTN in the studio above. The snippet of Gerry recording the song is exactly as it sounds in the movie and the philm soundtrack, not as it sounds in the clip Marc is using. By the way, the clip Marc is using is off on the pitch, the volume, and the melody so it sounds worse than it actually does. Several commenters confirmed this:

 
LunarVaux: "However this particular video you're reacting to has the entire song pitched up a notch, So that's going to make it sound worse than it actually is."Stephanie Jarrett: "Thank you! I knew right away the pitch was off!"

So that's the reason why I trust the behind-the-scenes clip and disagree with Marc.

Kara Le: "I agree with this so much! When I saw the movie I couldn't believe it. How is anyone supposed to be mistaking that voice for an "angel of music"?!"

And I disagree with this, 100%. If you don't like Gerry's singing in Phantom or the movie fine. As to your question, 'How is anyone supposed to be mistaking that voice for an "angel of music,"' my answer is this: because everyone has their own unique idea of what a voice of an "Angel of Music" should sound like. The idea of what an angelic voice is and should sound like is subjective. For some, it's Phantoms like Michael Crawford, Ramin Karimloo, Hugh Panaro, and John Owen-Jones. For me, it's Gerry Butler.

 
So If I were you, I would kindly refrain from questioning how anyone is mistaking Gerry's voice for a voice of an Angel of Music because maybe Gerry's voice is angelic to them. It comes across as condescending and belittling when you say things like "How can anyone mistake that voice for the voice of an Angel of Music?" It's also just plain hurtful. Just because he doesn't have a voice of an Angel of Music to you doesn't mean he doesn't sound like an Angel of Music to others.

Karen Pinson: "I ADORE ALW's "Phantom of the Opera." The music is stunning. I do believe that Butler is a very good actor, but is he a good singer? ....NO! I get so irate when I read these comments from women praising his voice. Is he sexy? Yes. Can act? Indeed. However, he sing? NO!!! I have actually read comments from women praising Gerard Butler over Michael Crawford and Ramin Karimloo. And I think, "Are these women watching the same video that I am?" I think these women are confusing sex appeal for music. Michael Crawford is by no means a handsome man; however, his Phantom exudes sex appeal, desperation, danger, and mystery through his superb acting and eerie, gorgeous voice. Ramin Karimloo's Phantom exudes sex appeal and mystery through his acting, handsome face, and his powerful voice. The movie got lousy writeups for Butler's voice alone and was a box office disaster compared to the stage version. Even Butler himself has talked about what a disaster his singing was, and for the life of me I shall never understand why ALW cast him as the Phantom in this all-important movie role.""I do believe that Butler is a very good actor, but is he a good singer? ....NO! I get so irate when I read these comments from women praising his voice."

 
My advice for you is the same advice I gave when responding to previous, similar comments: If it's painful for you to listen to Gerry's Phantom, then don't listen to his Phantom, but please don't ridicule and belittle us Gerik fans for loving him and his singing voice more than the stage production Phantoms, as well us expressing that love for his portrayal and his singing voice. We have the right to express ourselves, including what we think about Gerry's portrayal of The Phantom, just as much as you have the right to express that you don't like his singing voice and you have the right to express your feelings when we Gerik-loving ladies express how much we love his singing voice. Whether or not he is a good singer is a subjective point of view.

 
If reading comments from women praising Gerry Butler's singing voice makes you angry, then don't read 'em! It's that simple.

 
Why are you tormenting yourself by deliberately choosing to read such comments when you know it's going to make you that mad and make your blood pressure go up through the roof?

It's not healthy to deliberately do things that will negatively affect your mental and emotional wellbeing or raise your blood pressure like that.

Ask yourself: Is this matter of ladies expressing how much they like Gerry's voice really doing any serious harm to anyone?

 
If your answer is no, then is it really worth getting your panties in a wad over?

"Is he sexy? Yes. Can act? Indeed. However, he sing? NO!!! I have actually read comments from women praising Gerard Butler over Michael Crawford and Ramin Karimloo.I have actually read comments from women praising Gerard Butler over Michael Crawford and Ramin Karimloo."

So have I. And it is their right to praise him over Micheal and Ramin if they like him more than MC and RK.

 
Here's a snippet of a Phantom phan blog post that confirms that it's perfectly OK to have a good grasp of music theory, proper vocal technique, and musical theatre and still honestly prefer Gerry over Micheal: "To try to counter the sometimes vitriolic arguments that can arise, let's get one thing straight: while there are some quantifiable things that people can be "right" or "wrong" on, like how closely an adaptation follows the Leroux novel's plot or whether the actor playing the Phantom is a tenor or baritone, other things are totally subjective. For example, it's an indisputable fact that Michael Crawford had a lot more vocal training and experience than Gerard Butler did; anyone who claimed otherwise would either be uninformed or lying. But whether or not that makes Crawford a better Phantom is entirely down to one's personal opinion. Someone may have a superb understanding of music theory and what makes a good singer, but still truly and honestly prefer Butler's performance to Crawford's; indeed, I know a professional opera critic who does."

As for your question, "Can he sing?" My answer: Heck, YES, he can sing! Seriously, please stop typing "no" in all-caps and with multiple exclamation points. I understand and love your passion for Phantom. I really do. But please chill the heck out!
It's just a movie and it's just a show. 

"And I think, "Are these women watching the same video that I am?"

Yes, I am. I just have a different opinion than you do. Why is that such a big problem for you? Seriously, why? You can express your opinion freely, but I can't freely express mine without you getting so angry because I like Gerry's Phantom over more polished portrayals of The Phantom like MC and RK. That's very hypocritical of you. I haven't prohibited you from sharing who your favorite Phantom is and why. I don't think it's unfair or too much to ask to be able to freely share who mine is and why. Expressing opinions goes both ways.

"I think these women are confusing sex appeal for music."

I am doing no such thing. Here's a Phantom confession from another Phantom phan that perfectly articulates what I think on the issue of Gerik being "sexy" or "hot."

I have never thought GB was physically sexy or hot as the Phantom, honest.

 
"Michael Crawford is by no means a handsome man; however, his Phantom exudes sex appeal, desperation, danger, and mystery through his superb acting and eerie, gorgeous voice. Ramin Karimloo's Phantom exudes sex appeal and mystery through his acting, handsome face, and his powerful voice."

 
*sighs* Karen, Karen, Karen. If there is anyone confusing sex appeal for music, it's clearly not any of us Gerik-loving ladies. By your own admission in your statement above, the only one who is confusing sex appeal for music is you.

In fact, a now-famous quote from my political hero, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, fits quite nicely into this situation. Here's a GIF of him saying the now-famous quote in question.

 I have nothing to say about Michael Crawford except that I love his Phantom, too. I agree that Ramin has a handsome face and there are many things to love about his portrayal of the Phantom as well. But the Phantom's physique is not supposed to be attractive.

"The movie got lousy writeups for Butler's voice alone and was a box office disaster compared to the stage version."

Karen, I have never put any weight on what others think of a movie or a work of live theatre, whether they be other viewers or critics. I don't even give any weight to the opinions of a renowned critic like the late Roger Ebert. And I am not about to start doing any of that now.
So please don't expect me or ask me to put any weight on the unfavorable opinions of others (including your own).

Now, I know of others who love the 2004 movie and Gerry's vocal performance in it just as much as I do and it's great to have people who agree with me. The only reviews that matter to me are the ones from the Catholic News Service. But with those reviews, I focus on the moral/spiritual content and quality of the film (or the lack thereof) and whether or not the film is OK for a Catholic to see from a moral/spiritual standpoint, not the artistic content and quality of the film. The Phantom of the Opera was deemed OK for Catholic adults and teens to see. As for the overall storyline and overall artistic quality of a film, I go see the movie and make up my own mind on whether it was good or not.

Take Solo: A Star Wars Story, for example. Solo did horribly at the box office. I saw Solo and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it's a good movie.

 
The bottom line? I don't care one bit that the 2004 movie got bad reviews due to Gerry's singing performance alone. I don't care one bit that compared to the stage musical, the movie did poorly at the box office. As I stated, I don't care one bit if works of live theatre or movies don't perform so well at the box office. Box office performance or the lack thereof and bad reviews don't influence my evaluation and judgement of a movie or a work of live theatre. I go see a movie or a work of live theatre and then, I make my own judgement on whether or not it was good. I know pretty quickly whether I enjoyed a movie or a work of live theatre or not.

"Even Butler himself has talked about what a disaster his singing was,"

I don't put that much weight on what film actors think how they did in a movie when it comes to deciding how I think they did because guess what: many film actors don't even watch the movies they've made because they often don't like watching themselves in a movie to begin with. They often don't like watching themselves in a movie because the film has been made, the finished product is ready for moviegoers' consumption, and they can't correct any mistakes they made while making the movie. Not to mention, they might think watching themselves in a movie is weird.

 
Also, I am not going to base my opinion on something GB said sixteen years ago. There's always the possibility that he has changed his mind on how he thinks he did with the singing since then.
And Gerry has never described himself as a singer.

 
The bottom line is I form my own opinion about whether or not I liked an actor's performance in something/whether an actor's performance was good or not. 

"And for the life of me, I shall never understand why ALW cast him as the Phantom in this all-important movie role."

 
Because ALW wrote the darn role and the darn score for the show and it is his opinion that carries more weight when how certain things should be handled when it comes to telling his version of the story of The Phantom of the Opera. Because at the end of the day, he is the one who knows the most about the material and the show, not any of us phans. ALW cast Gerry Butler because he was going for a Phantom with a beautiful and hypnotic yet imperfect voice that attracts Christine, which is closer to the original novel by Gaston Leroux. That's why ALW cast Gerry as The Phantom. And please stop acting like the role of The Phantom is the only all-important film role. Seriously, your snobbery reminds me of those James Bond fans who wouldn't stop complaining when Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond in 2005 because he's blonde instead of dark-haired and he didn't have enough charisma and charm to make a good 007 in their eyes.

And who are you to criticize an accomplished composer like ALW for how he handles certain aspects of his version of the story of The Phantom of the Opera?

"Though I am not a voice coach, I love musical theatre and do feel a bit vindicated in my opinion over Butler's singing voice or rather his lack thereof. "

I am not a musical theatre coach or a singing teacher, either, as I stated at the beginning of this post. I love musical theatre, too. If you feel vindicated in your opinion over "Butler's singing voice or rather his lack thereof," great. Just please quit acting like a musical theatre snob and quit acting like your opinion carries more weight than the opinions of Gerik/2004 philm phans and more importantly, the opinions of Andrew Lloyd Webber.And just know these two things: One, ALW was going for a Phantom with a beautiful and hypnotic yet imperfect voice that attracts Christine for the movie. He was going with what he wanted for the characters instead of what the phans of the stage musical wanted or what the Broadway and West End communities expected. What he wanted for the movie regarding the Phantom's voice is closer to the original novel.Two, the clip from the movie that Marc is using is off on the volume, pitch, and melody, making it sound worse than it actually sounds in the movie. The clip he is using is not a faithful replication of the song as it sounds when one watches the movie or listens to the philm soundtrack.I love the 2004 movie, including Gerry's singing performance and you will never change my opinion. If reading comments from women praising Gerry's vocal performance in this movie makes you this angry, then please stop reading them, and please stop being condescending and snobbish towards us because we love Gerik, including his singing. Please leave us Gerik-loving ladies in peace. People having a different opinion than yours is not the end of the world. So please stop acting like it is the end of the world. Thank you.

Amber Evans: "I don't care what you say, I loved his version of this even if it wasn't typical for classical" musical theater. Everything you said made sense to me, but I can't help myself. I don't care lol I love him 💖"

I agree with Amber here on everything except the bit about not caring about what Marc says. I wouldn't have written this post if I didn't actually care about that.

 
Meagheera: "I think Gerard Butler is a great actor, but this was a poor casting choice. If you're going to do this musical, then do it right. Especially when casting one of the most iconic characters in any musical, give it everything you've got. I was so looking forward to this when I saw the first trailer and so disappointed when I saw it."

To you, I repeat the same question I asked Karen Pinson. Who are you to tell ALW, an accomplished composer of musicals, how to do his own musical? His opinions are the ones that carry the most amount of weight. He alone is the one who calls the shots on how the different aspects of this musical are to be handled, not you or me, and certainly not the rest of the phanbase.

 
Windycitydreaming: "Anytime I see someone say that Gerard sounds good as the Phantom, I'm just linking them to this video."

Please read my response to Karen Pinson about respecting those who think Gerry sounds good as the Phantom.

 
As for you sharing this video with people who like Gerry's singing as the Phantom, I am only speaking for myself here when I say this: No thanks. I already watched this. I am not going to watch any more of Marc's videos. I totally disagree with Marc's opinions here

.
Besides, Marc is full of praise when he's reacting to one of his favorites, even when one of his favorites makes a mistake or employs bad vocal technique. If one drags someone like GB through the dirt and write them off for their mistakes and bad vocal technique even though they don't claim to be a singer and they gave the role their all in both the acting and singing aspects, but then turn around and shower their favorites, who have had years of training in musical theatre, vocal technique, and music theory, with praise even when they make mistakes during a performance or employ bad vocal technique, one is not being fair and objective. One is not a good vocal coach or musical theatre coach if that's what one is doing.

 
No one on Earth will ever convince me that Gerry sounds awful as The Phantom. 

Larissa C: "I love him in this role, this was the first version of Phantom of the Opera I ever saw and just love it. His imperfect voice just makes it better for me personally."

Me, too, Larissa. Me, too!

GMC: "I loved this version!!! He did great!"

I totally agree!

Paisley Francis: "A cool idea would be to show how you can hear a raw voice vs. autotune!"

In theory, it's a cool idea. The majority of people, who don't have a good understanding of music theory, don't care if autotune and voice editing software are used in music. Not all of us are interested in learning about music theory to the extent you are. I am not going to watch any more of Marc's videos after this.

 
Andre Shalders: "If they wanted Gerard so much for the part they could've just dubbed somebody else over him like they did with Carlotta. I think Minnie Driver is absolutely iconic in the acting part and she doesn't sing a single note."

That would have taken away what Andrew wanted for his Phantom for the film. ALW didn't want GB just for his acting chops. He approved GB for the role because ever since he wrote the musical, he wanted his Phantom to have a rock edge to his voice, but the others working on the musical with him said no. So he cast actors with a more classical sound to their voice in the stage musical. The film was Andrew's chance to finally have his Phantom with a rock edge to his voice for once and that's what Gerry had. For the film, he went with the interpretation that was closer to the book: a Phantom who is a singing teacher, composer, and musical genius, but had a beautiful and imperfect voice to captivate Christine while still sticking to the storyline of the show. The whole reason behind having Christine share his music with the rest of the world by having her sing it is because he can't. I know Erik has to sing The Point of No Return with Christine towards the end of the musical, but the audiences didn't know it was actually him until after they finished the duet in the stage musical.

 
ZeroLustProductions: "I've heard all versions and I think he's being a bit critical on someone who isn't a legit professional singer lol. Sure Gerard Butler wasn't amazing but he did good for what he had to work with."

 
I agree completely. But I have a bit more to add: Gerry effectively conveyed what ALW was going for when it came to the movie: a Phantom with a rock edge to his voice and a Phantom who is a singing teacher, musical genius, and composer with an imperfect, beautiful, and angelic voice that captivates Christine, which is closer to the book in that respect.

Meg Block: "Also the thing that drives me nuts with this movie is the amount of talking instead of singing. Especially Raoul."

They had to make some of the lines spoken instead of sung because film audiences are used to more spoken dialogue. So I disagree with you on this. This film has its flaws, for sure, but spoken dialogue ain't one of them for me.

Jesslyn Gray: "I remember when my sister and I saw this when it was in theaters. She and I looked at each other and we both went "what the actual hell was that" just watching this video and all I can think of is "they did him so dirty putting him in a role that is so very much out of his depth."

 
That's not what was going through my mind at all when I saw this video or the movie. I totally disagree that they did him dirty by putting him in this role. He did what Andrew wanted him to do with the character for the movie.

 
Shani Gribben: "I really don't get why they didn't hire someone else to sing for him? They did hire someone else to provide Minnie Driver's vocals as Carlotta, though the credits song is Minnie Driver singing."

Please read my response to Andre Shalders on this topic. 

 VICU: "I studied the show for 7-8 years and know it front and back. I've always wished they could have got somebody from the Broadway production to sing and have him lip-sync because there's a lot of great guys. Even just to play the role entirely. Gary Mayer, Ramin Karimloo, Ben Lewis, Hugh Panaro ect.... all incredible and would have done an incredible job."

Thanks for sharing your opinion. It's great that you know the show so well. However, please read my responses to Karen Pinson and Meagheera about who is the one who knows the most about the show and whose opinions carry the most weight about the execution of this musical that we all love so much (hint: it's not any of us phans).

 
As for my response to the opinion that they could have gotten someone else to sing for Gerry, please read my responses to Andre Shalder and Shani Gribben.

Mountain Holly: "I have to wonder why he thought he was right for this role? I mean, if I were going to try something like this, I would hope someone would care enough to talk me out of it."

In truth, Gerry was actually worried that he wasn't right for the role, but once he was assured that he actually was, he believed it. So I don't appreciate you saying "you hope someone would care enough to talk you out of it." That shatters someone's self-confidence, and Gerry needed self-confidence in order to play this role to the best of his ability.

 
Katie Marabello: "Kick Gerard all you want, but he still worked hard for the role in both acting and singing."

 
THANK YOU! Glad to see someone else who feels Marc was being too hard on him.

Katharine Hamar: "Normally I agree with you, but... I wholly disagree and actually can't stand the casting of Phantoms that have a perfect sound BECAUSE the whole story is that the Phantom CAN'T make his music come alive the way he wants it to and needs Christine to sing it for THAT VERY REASON. In the book he's not even a singer, he's a violinist. When the Phantom can sing perfectly, it creates a HUGE plot hole. The fact that he has a wavering voice makes him more endearing and pitiful and you can understand his character better. He is literally the personification of "Those who can't do, teach." When Andrew Lloyd Webber cast Gerard Butler, he actually said he was casting the way he wanted it for the characters and story, not the way the broadway community EXPECTED. And here you talk about "the way we all expect the Phantom to sound"...

I agree with Katharine on almost everything, except for hating perfect-sounding Phantoms. For the stage musical, I actually prefer that they cast beautiful, polished sounding Phantoms. For the movie, Gerry's imperfect sounding Phantom is perfect.

Marc Daniel Patrick: "Problem being: since its inception they've (ALW) never educated their audience to that fact. If that's the direction you want the character to take, then don't give us decades of beautiful sounding Phantoms and expect us to understand this true character now for the film version."

 
Here's my perspective: Your perspective is the perspective of someone who encountered and experienced the stage musical first or someone who prefers the stage musical over the movie. I encountered and experienced the movie first.

 
Also, I am someone who loves the stage version and film version equally so they are both perfectly valid interpretations and I understand both versions of the character completely. So this is another reason why I disagree with you.

 
Katharine Hamar: To your first point, no telling why except to ask ALW himself. Maybe it is just a case of him maturing as a storyteller and attempting (not succeeding perfectly, but attempting) to add that different flavor to the character.

 
This argument is mostly good in my eyes except for the part where Katharine suggests ALW is merely attempting to add a different flavor to the Phantom's character. Again as a phan who loves the stage version and the film version equally, he did succeed in my perspective.

Marc Daniel Patrick: "Finally. Why are they helping GB with some of his notes in the edit? Why didn't they transpose it down a halftone to help him out? If you're looking for a true-to-the-book, less-than-perfect singer, let him give you just that."

Gerry did give us a less-than-perfect singer. The fact that he yells the "Hell" high note in "Down Once More" and the fact that one can tell he's fighting to keep his Scottish accent at bay when he sings during "The Final Lair" is proof of that. And there's no shame in using autotune and other voice editing software during some parts. They did what they did. It's done. My attitude towards this issue is take it or leave it. I am not going to waste my time and energy questioning how they could have done things differently to help him. The fact that he doesn't have a vocal range of four octaves like stage production Phantoms do is proof that ALW was doing what he wanted with the film, not what the Broadway and West End communities wanted. Gerry had a vocal range of two octaves and he was still able to sing the score pretty well. I've listened to quite a few of the stage production Phantoms and I still think he did a very good job.

 
Katharine Hamar: "absolutely agree with your last point."

Agree to disagree.

Victoria Bryer: "I love this movie and music of the night was my favorite. I don't care that everyone drags his singing. I liked it."

Me, too, except that again, I wouldn't have written this post if I didn't care about everyone else drags his singing through the dirt. I actually don't care in the sense of changing people's opinions. And telling people to calm down when they say they're angry, telling people to not belittle and ridicule others, and telling them to cultivate habits that would be beneficial for them and others is not trying to change an opinion.

 
I care in the sense that I want to share my own two cents.

 
KayLovesDisney: "I'm afraid I am in the camp that loves him! Yes, he does not have the training that John Owen Jones or Ramin do (who I also love and are my favourite Phantoms). In his defense, he did an audition in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber and was given the part. At the end of the day Gerard can only do what he has been asked and directed to do. ALW said he wanted someone with a different voice to Patrick Wilson so they didn't sound the same and there was light and dark....he said "he's got to be a bit gruff, a bit dangerous." 

The one (and only) scene I personally prefer in the movie compared to the stage show is Point Of No Return....Gerard and Emmy are amazing in that scene and I like the fact Christine knows it's the Phantom rather than him being under that black cloak."I'm in the camp that loves him as The Phantom, too. I skip Point of No Return because the lyrics are too racy for my taste. Ramin and John Owen-Jones are a couple of my favorite Phantoms, too. I agree with you on everything except liking Point of No Return in any version. It's just not my favorite scene. I prefer the movie interpretation of Christine knowing it's the Phantom the second he opens his mouth during Don Juan and yet goes through with performing the duet with him over the direction the stage production takes in that regard for sure. It's more dramatic when she immediately knows it's him and yet she still performs the song number with him. I also like that he's not as disguised for PONR in the movie.

I also love your username and your profile pic! (Kay has a picture of Belle played by Emma Watson as their profile pic).

My Happy Place: "I agree 15:07 there is so. Much passion in POTO and this vocally totally falls flat. Could have been so much better."

Yes, it is true that there is so much passion in Phantom. However, your last two statements are where I disagree. To me, it does not totally fall flat vocally speaking nor do I think about how it could have been so much better. It's a waste of time and energy. Take it or leave it, please.

Boston Cousin: "Am I the only one that actually liked this movie?"

No, you're not the only one. I love it, too!

Legal Beagle: "Butler was not a professional singer, he did not have years of vocal training, geez, Butler was the PERFECT Phantom."

Exactly! Thanks!

jstpshply79: "Those of us not trained in the arts (i.e. 90% of the population) are not going to pick apart the different notes in a song sung by someone who doesn't claim to be a singer. Mostly we just notice if they are off-key or not. And we DEFINITELY don't care if a computer helped or not. Your critique feels more "mean girl" than genuine 🤷‍♀️"

I totally agree with you.

Hellothere682: "Still doesn't change the fact that he was shite in this movie and definitely the wrong casting choice."

 
"Shite?" It isn't the 1700s, buddy. It's 2021. And I am not going to tell you to watch your language again. I agree with jstpshply79's reply to you. I have my favorites and opinions, too, but I let ALW be the judge of who is suited to play the characters and who is not because he has the final say when it comes to the casting. I have my opinions as to who was micasted and who was not, but I recognize my opinions do not outweigh your opinions, Marc's opinions, or most importantly, Andrew's opinions.

 
jstpshply79: "@Hellothere682 That's your opinion and I can respect that. I, however, enjoyed it and didn't think too hard about casting. It's fluff for the soul and I let it be just that 🙂 Lighten up...✌❤😎"

Agreed.

 
MenaRae: "Why are you berating Gerard? He sang to the best of his abilities. Isn't it productions fault that they didn't direct him to do things that would sound better?"

I agree with your first two points. However, on your last point, please read my responses to Marc and Katharine.

Summer Rose: "How dare you insult Gerard. He was phenomenal as the Phantom."

Agreed.

Sally Cunningham: "Dude, this is so harsh! And quite frankly reeks of theatre snobbery! Who would want you as their coach if this is how you react when something doesn't sound like you've decided it should sound? I've watched a lot of your reaction videos and you definitely have your favorites. There's even been times I've thought, oof that's some bad technique there, and you've been full of praise if it's one of your favorites. Complete snob!"

Agreed. If he's full of praise when he analyzes his favorites even when they make a mistake or employ poor technique, but completely writes off GB for all of his mistakes and imperfect technique when he did the best he could, that's another reason I'm not going to give this video any more deference.

Lysan: "I disagree. He's not a snob, but just voicing his OPINION. I actually love this movie and Gerard butler as the phantom even with his lackluster singing, but I can respect Marc's opinion from a vocal coach's perspective. And FYI who would want a voice coach that doesn't call out when you are singing a note off or tell you how to do something the right way? I don't do participation trophies, I want to always do my best and want a coach that will be brutally honest like Marc."

I disagree about Mark not being condescending/a snob. I love the movie, too, and Gerard Butler as the Phantom, including his, in my opinion, not-so-lackluster singing.

 
Marc may be expressing his opinion but he is a musical theatre coach, not a vocal coach and he is not using the proper version of the song from the film. The version of the song in this clip is off on the volume, the pitch, and the melody, making it sound worse than it actually is.

 
I would want to always do my best, too, but I would want someone to be gentle when correcting me, not brutally honest. I have no problem with singing teachers correcting their students when they sing a note off-key or how something should be sung properly.

 
Sally Cunningham: "Yes and his opinion reeks of theatre snobbery. I have no issue with my singing teacher pointing out mistakes and poor technique but having someone say, don't do this because you can't, like he does in this video is not a good coach. A good coach would try and correct what you're doing instead of writing you off. He's also not a vocal coach, he's a musical theatre coach, which is very different."

I agree with everything you said here.

 
HannaMouse1: "I honestly thought that the audio glitch at 6:30 was just on my copy of the DVD. But it's actually in the film, lol??? How the frick did that get past all the editing a film like this goes through?"

I watched the scene on my copy of the DVD. I didn't detect the glitch. Besides, even if it's there, I am not going to let a little audible audio glitch ruin the entire song for me, let alone let it ruin the entire movie for me. 

I wouldn't worry that much about how a little glitch like that got past the editing process if I were you because nobody's perfect.

 
supercalafragilisticjoy: "Honestly, I didn't notice how bad Gerard Butler was when I first watched the movie because I was so distracted by the girl. She had the same expression with a heaving bosom the entire movie. Lovely voice, but she looked to be in a perpetual state of breathless. ... Maybe she faints from hyperventilating?"

Clearly, you and I did not see the same movie because Rossum (Christine) did not have "the same expression with a heaving bosom the entire movie." She did change her facial expressions.

 Christine feels a ton of emotions throughout the story and Rossum conveyed that effectively.

 
"She looked to be in a perpetual state of breathless."

No, she did not.

 
"Maybe she faints from hyperventilating?"

Um, no. She fainted for a number of reasons: she was tired after being thrust into singing the lead role in the premiere of a brand new production of an opera, the being she thought was her Guardian Angel of Music proposed to her by wordlessly showing her a life-sized doll of herself in a wedding dress and veil, and it was probably hot and humid in his grotto. Wouldn't you freak out if The Phantom of the Opera himself proposed to you in that way? Especially after he's stalked you, lied to you about who he is, and kind of kidnapped you?

 
A lot of crazy and amazing things happened to her in the course of one day. So she had quite an eventful day.

Just Chill: I get that a lot of people like Gerard Butler's voice it had emotion, but y'all need to consider it's the Phantom's character. Erik is supposed to be the Angel of Music, someone who's voice is so beautiful it's almost hypnotic. He is a man who lives in an opera house and taught one of the best singers the building had seen, it makes no sense for him to sing on like some random man on the street. His voice would be more believable on Raoul, not the music expert who taught almost everything she knows about singing opera.

Clearly, you haven't heard the saying "those who can't do, teach." Because the movie, which is closer to the original novel when it comes to the Phantom's voice, goes for portraying the Phantom with that saying in mind. And how many times do I have to say that the interpretation that Erik has to sound like a music expert vocally only works for the stage musical? Andrew was going for a beautiful and hypnotic yet imperfect voice that attracts Christine for the movie. I don't need to consider your interpretation of the Phantom's character because it doesn't work for the movie. Instead, you need to consider what Andrew wanted for the Phantom for the movie instead of what the phans of the stage musical wanted or what the Broadway and West End expected the Phantom to sound like. Capisce?

Blissinchains: "Exactly. You cannot tell me a man who sounds like a trainwreck is this super amazing vocal coach. Composer, maybe, if he sounded that out of tune I'd wonder about that, too. But not this virtuoso of a tenor and is to be on stage. They could have dubbed it on stage. They could have dubbed it like this: and been just fine.(Also, this version is far superior to Schumacher's disaster of a film).

And you cannot tell me that your interpretation aka the stage interpretation is the correct way to evaluate the story when it comes to the movie because it is not. While the film is based on the stage musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to aim closer to the original book in regards to the Phantom's voice for the movie. If you think he sounded like a trainwreck and that he sounded that out of tune, fine. I completely disagree with you that he did. If you choose to question if he's that good of a composer, fine. I just believe that he's an excellent composer, even if he is an imperfect yet beautiful singer in the movie.

 
But please stop forcing the stage interpretation about the Phantom's voice on others when it comes to the movie.

As for the debate that they should or could have dubbed the Phantom in the 04 movie, please read my responses to Shani Gribben and Andre Shalders on that subject. Please read my response to Just Chill on which interpretation is the correct one and that it's about what Andrew wanted to do with the characters for the movie, not what you phans of the stage musical wanted and not what the Broadway and West End communities expected the Phantom to sound like.

 
If you think that whatever movie version you linked in your comment is better than the 04 movie and the 04 movie is a disaster, fine. But please stop trying to get people to conform their opinion to yours and stop acting like those of us who actually love the movie are uneducated about Phantom (that goes for you, too, Just Chill).

Thank you.

Maddie Madness: I love Gerard's voice. Especially in Music of the Night. 😍🎶 It makes me fall asleep in like 2 minutes 😴🎼 Yeaaah may not be perfect for opera BUT his voice sounds more like a phantom's voice. Imagine living in an opera house and being a boy/man who wants to sing like a professional. Would sound like him. It brings more realness in the movie. I'm just sayin'

Maddie, I absolutely agree with you here. And take everything Blissinchains told you with a grain of salt. As I've stated over and over again in this blog post, the stage musical interpretation in regards to the Phantom's voice that Bliss is relying on does not apply to the movie because that's not what ALW was aiming for.

Blissinchains: Maddie, Erik is meant to be this genius, super-talented tenor and composer. You need to sound like one. See: almost every single actor who's ever portrayed him--onstage. They could have dubbed him and gotten away with this casting; they didn't. Therefore, it's still ridiculed and panned because it's legitimately the total ruination of a really iconic story.

Bliss, I know that your comment was to Maddie, but please stop trying to get people to apply the stage musical interpretation of the Phantom needs to sound perfect and polished to the movie. And read my previous response to you and Just Chill. I completely disagree about the absence of dubbing and I completely disagree that the fact they didn't dub Gerry is "legitimately the total ruination of a really iconic story." This "really iconic story" was not totally ruined in my view. Butler was great in his own way and he did what ALW wanted him to do with the character. At the end of the day, that is what matters: what ALW wanted him to do with the character.

I am so sick and tired of stage musical phans like you acting like those of us who like Gerry's singing are uneducated about the story of the Phantom and like we do not have a correct opinion or interpretation because we like Gerry's Phantom, singing performance and all.

Margaret Mary Galbraith: I did see an interview that Gerard did about the role. When he was approached for the role, he went to the academy of music in London and saw a singing teacher. He asked the teacher if he was capable of doing the role as he had huge doubts about it, and the teacher said yes, but you'll need to put in the work. And the point you made about diction, as a Scottish woman, Scottish people we are notorious about not ending our words properly. I can only speak for myself, but I try very hard with my pronunciation when I'm singing.

Margaret, thank you for mentioning that interview. If a vocal coach told a very doubtful Gerry that he could sing this role, then he could sing it. (Take that, all of you Gerik critics!)

 
TerriBethReed: OK this is my take on this subject. I'll be 68 in September & I've been involved in personal singing, choirs, band, Acapella since I first heard music & started to talk & sing lol & after kindergarten on. I'm also a movie & TV Series buff. Sometimes you choose an actors qualities to fit the specifics of the role they're playing. The Phantom is a perfect example of that. The Phantom is a genius in all the arts of opera theatre, right? That doesn't mean he has a perfect singing voice. He's been locked away in those caverns since he was a kid, surrounded by & self-taught by what was happening in the theater. So would you as a director/producer want your leading man & who is the subject of the movie, to be a perfect baritone? Hell no & that's why they chose Gerard Butler. Butler had music experience, he had his own rock band, he writes his own music still to this day. That's one of the reasons why they chose him to be The Phantom because they wanted an edgy rock vibe to their music for the film. I've seen every 'The Phantom Of The Opera' film ever made & this one will go down in history as the #1. I just found this 'The Phantom Of The Opera' last week & I watched it going in blind. I didn't Google it to see who the actors were or any other info on it because I already knew the basic Phantom story & I didn't want to prejudice my opinion prior to watching it & I'm so glad I did it that way because preconceived views regarding actors & actresses can prejudice opinions about a film. I challenge you, to set your music expertise & preconceived ideas aside for a few hours & watch The Phantom again remembering who he was, what life made him & everything that made him that way. Then listen to the soundtracks of just the songs between The Phantom, Christine & Raoul, or just watch those sections without the add story filler about the opera bs. Then tell me what you think about the movie. 

Terri, what a great challenge you've put forward. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Thank you for telling us about your background with music. I always try to go to movies and live theatre performances with an open mind instead of very many preconceived expectations. I've been pleasantly surprised and I enjoy myself quite a bit when I do! I'm glad you like the 2004 movie and I'm glad you think the 04 movie is the best out of all the Phantom movies. I haven't seen any of the other Phantom of the Opera movies. I like your perspective a lot!

R Roo: Lmao why is everyone now saying they're realizing how imperfect he sang after watching this video. Listen, people, if you liked how Gerard sang before, it shouldn't change just because someone points voice technicality all of a sudden. If y'all thought he sang well then he sang well, period. Can't believe this guy is saying he is cringing at the way Gerard sang even so far to say his voice was a "train wreck" like lmao you made it sound like he was singing like he's tone-deaf when in reality he sounds better than 99% of the people in the world. I really hate these people that critique the smallest things, so small that people who never saw this video would even think he sang really well. All these "technicalities" on why it wasn't good is BS, whether something is good or bad is subjective, tbh I think Gerard sang it better than most "musically trained" singers I've listened to that sang the same song. If you thought Gerard's voice is cringe, what's more cringe really is how you probably can't enjoy any song because you find all these microscopic technical wrong notes in them lmao. People, just listen to songs and be your own judge, you don't have to be musically trained to know whether something sounds good or not."

R, thank you for saying this. I agree with a lot of what you said. In fact, there are a couple sentences worth repeating.

"Listen, people, if you liked how Gerard sang before, it shouldn't change just because someone points voice technicality all of a sudden. If y'all thought he sang well then he sang well, period." "People, just listen to songs and be your own judge, you don't have to be musically trained to know whether something sounds good or not."'

 I cannot emphasize both of these statements enough.

Closing thoughts: A musical theatre coach who shows favoritism and extreme bias by dragging someone like GB who is not a musical theatre actor or singer through the dirt and writing them off due to their singing mistakes and bad vocal technique but then turns around and showers their favorites who are professional musical theatre actors/singers with praise even when their favorite makes singing mistakes and employs bad vocal technique is not a good musical theatre coach. Use the proper version of the song or movie clip when doing analysis and reaction videos like this. Don't be snobbish towards others who prefer Gerry as the Phantom over more polished portrayals of the Phantom like Micheal Crawford and Ramin Karimloo. If other people like Gerry's vocal performance over the vocal performances of stage production Phantoms, please respect that. Remember that ALW was doing what he wanted with the character of the Phantom for the film, which in regards to the Phantom's voice was closer to the book by Gaston Leroux. Having another person do the singing for Gerry would have defeated the point of what Andrew wanted. I am not going to think about what they could have done to help Gerry, or who they could have cast instead.
I am not going to think about how they should have recast the Phantom for the movie because in my opinion, they never needed to. Gerry was perfect as the Phantom for the movie, singing performance and all. In my opinion, he was not miscast and they did not let him drown or do him dirty. In my opinion, he was right to accept the role and not turn it down. Andrew Lloyd Webber was within his rights to not veto this casting decision because The Phantom of the Opera is his movie and his stage musical. There's no shame in using voice editing software to help people out during some parts.

 
If anyone wants to show people this video in the hopes of changing their favorable opinion of Gerry's vocal performance, please ask if you may do so first. Or better yet, don't even ask if you may do so first. And definitely don't link it to them or show it to them. People should be allowed to make up their own minds. People should be allowed to have their opinion, even if that opinion is that Gerry sounds good as the Phantom.

By showing Marc's video to them or even linking it to them, you imply that there's something wrong with their opinion. No one's opinion is wrong.

 
People should be allowed to like the movie and its soundtrack. If they prefer the movie over the stage musical, please respect that. As I've previously stated, I love the movie and the stage musical equally. I enjoy each for what they offer.

 
Please do not encourage publicly shaming the casting people. And please do not keep reminding people of the interpretation that the Phantom is supposed to sound polished and perfect because that is not accurate in the case of the movie and the original book. The interpretation that the Phantom is supposed to sound polished and perfect to fit with him being a musical genius and an opera teacher/an "Angel of Music" only works for the stage musical. In the movie and the original book, the reason why he wants and needs Christine to share his music with the world by singing it is because he can't. He can't make his music come alive in that perfect way he wants it to himself so that's why he partly wants and needs Christine to sing it. That's why he teaches her how to sing. The Phantom is the very personification of the saying "those who can't do, teach."

 
Also, I am sick of people commenting that they wish that the leads were played by any of the stage actors in the movie, whether it's John Owen-Jones, Ramin Karimloo, Hugh Panero or Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.

You want a movie with stage actors? There's the 25th-anniversary production video with Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess for your watching and listening pleasure! And for the record, I love the 25th-anniversary video just as much as I do the 2004 movie. Go watch the 25th anniversary instead of complaining so much about how bad the 2004 movie was to you.

I am sick of people commenting that they wish it was another director instead of Joel Schumacher. To me, the 04 movie was really good, not a trainwreck. And everyone needs to stop criticizing ALW's decision to cast Gerry Butler. Everyone needs to stop telling ALW how to do his own musical. Everyone needs to stop criticizing ALW over his decision to not dub Butler. I prefer it when actors do their own singing in movie musicals instead of dubbing them. 

Marc Patrick Daniel never should have made this video. It sparked some good discussion, but it also sparked disrespect and condescension from phans of the stage musical towards phans of the 2004 movie and Gerry's Phantom, including of his singing performance. It sparked pointless discussion about what they should have done or not done with the movie.

All I ask is that phans of the stage musical let me have my favorite Phantom, even if that favorite Phantom of mine is Gerard Butler and not any of the stage production Phantoms. I ask that you let me have my favorable opinion of the movie and Gerry's vocal performance. If your intention is to conform my opinion or interpretation of the Phantom's character for the movie to yours, just forget it. You will never get me to do so. Even though I get tempted sometimes to leave the Phandom over phans of the stage musical trying to get 2004 philm phans to apply the stage musical interpretation of how the Phantom is supposed to sound to the movie, I won't leave. No one is going to push me out of this fandom. I will stand my ground. I know what Andrew wanted to do with the Phantom's voice for the movie and as long as I have that info on my side, no one is going to ever succeed in conforming my opinion to theirs. I also started an online group for those who love the 2004 movie. So there is a safe haven for phans of the 04 movie.

If any of you, my lovely readers, have not seen the 2004 movie, The Phantom of the Opera, I highly recommend it. It's a fabulous movie. Please check it out and let me know what you think of it!