I fully realize that this statement is a no-brainer, but technology and mass-communication have done amazing things for the world. We are now able to experience things happening all over the planet, which, in many ways brings us all closer together. This allows us to view events and activities which we, otherwise, would have only read about. This raises a new question; Do we get the same thrill by watching something which is being televised, as opposed to seeing it in person? With some things, like football, being able to see close-ups and instant replays, makes the game better. But what about stage productions? How do they fare? Let's check out The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall.

To mark the 25th anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, a special performance of the show was staged on October 2, 2011 at London's famed Royal Albert Hall. In order to evaluate an event like this, we must look at both the show and the presentation.

Webber's stage extravaganza is a musical interpretation of Gaston Leroux's classic novel, The Phantom of the Opera. As the story, which takes place in Paris' "Opera Populaire", opens, the company is putting on a production of Hannibal with Carlotta Giudicelli (Wendy Ferguson) in the lead. It's announced that Monsieur Firmin (Barry James) and Monsieur Andre (Gareth Snook) have taken over the company, with the backing of Raoul (Hadley Fraser), a Viscount. The three men are shocked to learn of the legends of the Phantom (Ramin Karimloo), who haunts the building. When Carlotta's role is called into question, it is announced that a member of the chorus, Christine Daae (Sierra Boggess), can do the role, and just like that, Christine is the star. Her voice is strong, as she's been groomed by a mysterious presence, which she calls the "Angel of Music". Raoul and Christine realize that they knew one another in childhood, and a romance begins to blossom. This draws the Phantom out of hiding and he makes his presence known to Christine. Thus begins a love triangle in which the Phantom wants to control Christine and have his own opera performed by the company. Will Raoul be able to stop this masked man?

This was my first experience seeing The Phantom of the Opera in its entirety, as I'd seen snippets of it and I've seen the feature film. In all, the show is impressive, but it's also full of pros and cons. The premiere songs, like "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Music of the Night", and "The Point of No Return", are truly showstoppers and the melodies will remain in your head long after the show has concluded. When condensed, the story is intriguing, and maintains most of the themes and ideas from Leroux's novel. However, while we are watching the show, we are seeing the production's performed by the opera company. Thus, there are dance numbers and songs which feel like filler. But, these slow spots don't rob the overall spectacle of its power and majesty.

Now, for this show in particular. Again, it was recorded in front of a packed house at the Royal Albert Hall and the Blu-ray delivers HD picture and sound (more on that below). My wife is a fan of the show and she stated that while Karimloo and Boggess do a fine job, they aren't as good as the show's original Phantom and Christine duo of Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. The set design used here is very creative, as the backdrop consists of large video screens which can become very things, such as curtains, the Phantom's lair, or the exterior of the opera house. This certainly helps to broaden the scope of the show. But, do we feel as if we are there? Yes and no. The HD photography definitely captures the moment and we get a great view of everything. However, we are at the mercy of the director and editor's choices, so we aren't always seeing what we would like to see. There are a great many close-ups of the actors here, making this feel more like a movie than the viewing of a stage production. (And the HD cameras reveal every flaw in the actor's makeup.) The show ends with a 22-minute finale in which Webber is joined on-stage by Crawford, Brightman, and much of the current and original cast. Brightman sings "The Phantom of the Opera" as four past Phantoms -- Peter Joback, John Owen-Jones, Anthony Harlow, and Colm Wilkinson -- sing with her. However, Crawford does not sing, which vexed my wife to no end.

Despite the fact that The Phantom of the Opera has played in New York and London for years, as well as touring, it's still not something which most of us can just pop up and go see. Thus it's nice to have presentations like The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall. No, the show isn't perfect, but it certainly captures what a powerful stage production this is and we get to experience the memorable music. And, Peter Griffin will be pleased to learn that we do indeed get to see the gross half of the Phantom's face.

The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall made me worry about those sitting right at the edge of the stage on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The show has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 30 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no grain and no defects from the source material. The colors look very good, most notably reds and oranges, and the image is never overly bright or dark. However, when the camera is pointed directly at bright light, we get obvious blooming and haloes. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 3.0 Mbps. This track is a mixed bag. The show opens with dialogue which is very low and difficult to hear at a lower volume. However, once the music starts, things improve. But, any scene with extended periods of dialogue creates issues. The good news is that the music sounds great, as it is very detailed and the low notes really excite the subwoofer. Someone put some thought into this mix. The scenes in which the Phantom is an unseen force place his voice in throughout the stereo and surround speakers, creating the illusion that he is everywhere at once.

The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall Blu-ray Disc contains only two extras. "Getting Past the Point of No Return" (18 minutes) takes us behind the scenes to see the preparation for the show. We learn about the mask and the Phantom's special-effects makeup. We then got into a massive soundstage to see the rehearsal process. The piece offers time-lapse photography which shows the chandelier and the stage being constructed. Throughout all of this, we get comments from the production staff and technical people who discuss the challenge of putting on the show in the unique space of Royal Albert Hall. The other extra is a trailer for Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom.