The Four Phantoms in Concert

[ Cheers and applause ] The phantom of the opera is here Inside your mind [ "Old Friends" plays ] - Hey, old friend Are you okay, old friend?

- What do you say, old friend?

Are we or are we unique?

- Time goes by Everything else keeps changing - You and I We get continued next week - Most friends fade Or they don't make grade New ones are quickly made And in a pinch, sure, they'll do But us, old friend What's to discuss, old friend?

- Here's to us - Here's to us - Who's like us?

- Who's like us?

- Damn few!

- Hey, old friends How do we stay old friends?

- Who is to say old friends?

How an old friendship survives - One day, chums having a laugh a minute - One day comes, and they're a part of your life New friends pour through the revolving door Maybe there's one that's more if you find one that'll do But us, old friends What's to discuss, old friends?

Hey, old friends Are we okay, old friends?

What do you say, old friends?

Are we or are we unique?

Time goes by Everything else keeps changing You and I We get continued next week Most friends fade Or they don't make the grade - New ones are quickly made And in a pinch, sure, they'll do But us, old friends What's to discuss, old friends?

Here's to us Who's like us Damn few!

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you so much.

Good evening, and welcome to the beautiful Grand Oshkosh.

[ Cheers and applause ] We are the Four Phantoms.

I'm Brent Barrett.

-I'm Frank D'Ambrosio.

-I'm John Cudia.

-And I'm Ciarn Sheehan.

-Now, the four of us, we were talking backstage before the show, and we're pretty certain that we've surpassed you.

We're pretty sure that you all, collectively, have not seen "The Phantom of the Opera" as many times as we have performed "The Phantom of the Opera."

[ Laughter ] Nearly 6,000 performances.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Now let me tell you how it all came to be.

You see, we all grew up together in the industry, but the very first time most of us met each other were at auditions... when we were auditioning for the same parts.

[ Laughter ] But one might think that would make us rivals or arch enemies, but nothing -- nothing -- could be further from the truth.

-Absolutely, Frank.

And tonight you meet the men behind the mask.

We're here to celebrate the best of Broadway, popular classics, along with some "Phantom" touches along the way.

[ "This is the Moment" plays ] And so with that in mind, here is another of our favorite macabre leading men, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

This is the moment This is the day When I send all my doubts and demons on their way Every endeavor I have made, ever Is coming into play Is here and now today - This is the moment This is the time When the momentum and the moment are in rhyme Give me this moment This precious chance I'll gather up my past And make some sense at last This is the moment When all I've done All of the dreaming, scheming and screaming Become one - This is the day - This is the day - See it sparkle and shine - See it shine When all I've lived for Becomes mine For all these years I've faced the world alone And now the time has come To prove to them I've made it on my own This is the moment My final test Destiny beckoned I never reckoned second best I won't look down I must not fall This is the moment The sweetest moment Of them all This is the moment Damn all the odds This day, or never I'll sit forever with the gods - When I look back - I will always recall - Moment for moment - This was the moment - The greatest moment Of them all [ Vocalizing ] [ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you so much.

It's my honor to introduce you to your very first Phantom of the evening.

One of Broadway's favorite leading men, Mr. Brent Barrett.

Brent Barrett played the Phantom in Las Vegas and in Germany, over a thousand performances.

Been on Broadway, in Chicago, "Annie Get Your Gun," "Grant Hotel," and many others.

He was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in London in "Kiss Me, Kate," and for those of you old-school "All My Children" fans... [ Laughter ] ...Brent killed Jenny Gardner.

[ Laughter ] Well, I say it was a tragic Jet-Skiing accident.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Brent Barrett.

-Thank you, John.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you, everybody.

Even though "Phantom of the Opera" has been a very important show in all of our careers, cumulatively, we've performed in hundreds of productions all around the world and sung with symphony orchestras from the Boston Pops to the Berlin Philharmonic.

A particularly favorite show of mine is the musical "Chicago."

The current revival is the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, and I have played the lawyer Billy Flynn in that production, on and off, for 22 years.

[ Cheers and applause ] Yeah.

Thank you, "Chicago."

And I love playing Billy.

But what you have to know is, what he says isn't always what he means.

Hit it!

[ "All I Care About" plays ] I don't care about expensive things Cashmere coats, diamond rings Don't mean a thing All I care about is love - That's what he's here for - I don't care for wearing silk cravats Ruby studs, satin spats They don't mean a thing All I care about is love - All he cares about is love - Give me two eyes of blue Softly saying - "I need you" Let me see her standing there And, honest, mister, I'm a millionaire I don't care for any fine attire Vanderbilt might admire No, no, not me All I care about is love - All he cares about is love -Now, you may think I'm talking about physical love.

Well, I'm not.

Not just physical love.

There's other kinds of love.

Like love of justice, love of legal procedure, love of lending a hand to someone who really needs you.

Love of the Grand Oshkosh.

[ Cheers and applause ] Yeah!

Yeah, you see, that's the kind of love I'm talking about.

And physical love ain't so bad, either.

Show me long raven hair Flowing down about to there When I see her running free Keep your money, that's enough for me Yes, sir I don't care for driving Packard cars Or smoking long buck cigars No, no, not me All I care about is doing the guy in Who's picking on you?

Twisting the wrist that's turning the screw All I care about Is love [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to introduce you to the only Phantom from the Bronx.

-Whoo!

[ Laughter ] This gentleman played the Phantom in San Francisco for over 5 1/2 years and became a household name in the Bay Area.

He made his Broadway debut in the revival of "Sweeney Todd."

He was knighted by the President of Italy for all of the humanitarian works that he does for that country.

And last summer, he did several concerts in Italy with Andrea Bocelli.

Ladies and gentlemen, the only Phantom Cavalleria, my good friend, Mr. Frank D'Ambrosio.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you very, very much.

Thank you so much.

Everything that Brent said was absolute truth.

But the only thing that he left out is, though, yes, I was born in the Bronx, but I spent a large part of my youth on Long Island.

[ Laughter ] Which is great, yeah.

But when we were living in the Bronx, we lived right above my family's Italian bakery.

Suffice it to say, we were the best-smelling family in the neighborhood.

[ Rimshot ] So who would have thought that when I was to New York City and I was auditioning for a film called "Secret Journal 2," that it would actually lead me to a part where I would be starring opposite Al Pacino in a film.

And that "Secret Journal 2" was really Francis Ford Coppola's codename for his film "Godfather III."

[ Audience "Oohs" ] Yeah.

10 auditions and two screen tests later, literally, I was happy to accept the role of Anthony Corleone, Al Pacino's opera-singing son, in that film.

So you got to understand, ladies and gentlemen, back at my old neighborhoods in New York, the people there know more about the Corleones than they do about the Kardashians.

[ Laughter ] I had the opportunity of singing this next song in the film.

It's actually the Academy Award winning theme song from the trilogy, and it always runs through those films whenever someone from America returns to the homeland, to the life and to the loves that they left behind.

Speak softly, love, and hold me warm against your heart I feel your words, the tender trembling moments start We're in a world Our very own Sharing a love that only few have ever known Wine-colored days warmed by the sun Deep velvet nights When we were one Speak softly, love, so no one hears us but the sky The vows of love we make will live until we die My life is yours And all because You came into my world with love So softly love Now, this is how I sang the song in the film, in the Sicilian dialect.

[ Singing in Sicilian ] [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, but now it is my honor and my distinct pleasure to introduce you to our next Phantom, Mr. Ciarn Sheehan.

Ciarn hails all the way from Dublin, Ireland.

[ Cheers and applause ] Now, Ciarn made his Broadway debut in a little-known musical by the name of "Les Miserables."

[ Cheers and applause ] But it was while starring at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City that he caught the eye of the director of "The Phantom of the Opera," Mr. Harold Prince, who quickly recognized his talent and cast him in the show.

Ciarn's journey started out as Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, the nemesis, to the Phantom of the opera, and later went on to play the role of the Phantom both on Broadway and in Toronto.

Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, Mr. Ciarn Sheehan.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you.

Thanks very much, Frank.

Thank you.

In May of 1921, a young blacksmith named Patrick McGlynn, from County Longford, was making his way through the streets of Dublin.

He was a member of the assassination squad of the Irish Republican Army, and his mission that day, along with his comrades, was to burn down the custom house, a center of intelligence for the British Empire in Ireland at the time.

They made their way into the building, they set it ablaze, and as they made their escape, they were met by machine-gun fire at the hands of the Black and Tans, and Patrick lost part of his right leg.

He was thrown into the back of a truck, and he was bleeding to death until a British officer came upon the scene, saw what was happening, and put him into his own private car, brought him to Kilmainham Hospital, and saved his life.

And a few months later, Patrick was freed from Kilmainham Jail after Ireland and England signed their peace treaty.

Now, Patrick left Kilmainham Jail, met a young woman named Mary Coffey from Dublin.

They got married and had seven children, six girls and a boy.

And one of Patrick's passions in life was his love of Irish music, which he loved to share with his children, particularly the second eldest, named Claire.

And the reason that I know that story is because Patrick was my grandfather.

And Claire, the second eldest, who passed away a few years ago, was my mother, and this is one of her favorites -- "Danny Boy."

[ Audience "Oohs" ] [ Applause ] [ "Danny Boy" plays ] Oh, Danny boy The pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen And down the mountainside The summer's gone, and all the roses falling 'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide But come ye back when summer's in the meadow Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow 'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow Oh, Danny boy, oh, Danny boy, I love you so And if ye come, and all the flowers are dying If I am dead, as dead I well may be You will come and find the place where I am lying And kneel and say an Ave there for me And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me And all my grave shall warmer, sweeter be For you will bend And tell me that you love me And I shall sleep in peace Until you come To me [ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you very much.

Thank you.

As Frank said earlier, we're all good friends up here, so it is my great pleasure and honor to introduce to you the next Phantom, who is a dear -- very dear friend.

This man has crossed the bridges between the opera world and the Broadway stage, becoming the preeminent crossover artist.

He has also made theatrical history when he became the first and only man to have ever played both roles of Jean Valjean in "Les Mis" on Broadway and the Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway.

Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to my dear friend, Mr. John Cudia.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Like my friend Ciarn, I was very fortunate to make my Broadway debut in "Les Miserables."

And then I became what's known in Phantom circles as a lifer.

[ Laughter ] I spent the better part of 10 years in "Phantom of the Opera," both on the national tour and the Broadway company, first as Raoul and then later on as The Phantom.

So we have some "Phantom of the Opera" fans here tonight?

[ Cheers and applause ] Well, this isn't from that.

[ Laughter ] This is actually from the sequel to "Phantom of the Opera."

Did you know there was a sequel to "Phantom of the Opera"?

[ Scattered cheers ] Some people know.

Now, for those of you who don't know, I'm a fan of the original, and I was satisfied with the ending, but there were lots of people out there who wanted to know what happened to the Phantom after "Phantom."

So do you want to know what happened to the Phantom after "Phantom"?

-Yeah!

[ Audience cheers ] Are you sure you want to know?

-Yeah!

-Yeah!

-All right.

He marries Christine.

He moves to New Jersey.

He has two daughters and two dogs.

[ Laughter ] It's true.

It's just me, actually.

[ Laughter ] So, this song is from "Love Never Dies," the sequel to "Phantom of the Opera."

And the action takes place 10 years after the ending of the original "Phantom."

And I chose this song because it answers one of the fundamental questions about musicals and why I love them so much.

And that is, why does a composer break the silence of the theater and have a character sing a song?

Well, I'd like to think that the Phantom spent all of those 10 years in that silence.

The only thing that would make him break that silence are his thoughts of Christine.

[ "'Til I Hear You Sing" plays ] The day starts, the day ends Time crawls by Night steals in pacing the floor The moments creep Yet I can't bear to sleep Till I hear you sing And weeks pass, months pass Seasons fly Still you won't walk through my door And in a haze, I count the silent days Till I hear you sing once more And sometimes at nighttime, I dream that you are there But wake holding nothing But the empty air Years come and years go Time runs dry Still I ache down to my core My broken soul won't be alive or whole Till I hear you sing once more And music, your music It teases at my ear I turn, and it fades away And you're not here Let hopes pass, let dreams pass Let them die Without you, what are they for?

I'll always feel no more Than halfway real Till I hear you sing Once more [ Cheers and applause ] [ "New York State of Mind" plays ] [ Applause ] - Some folks like to get away Take a holiday from the neighborhood - Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood - But I'm taking a Greyhound On the Hudson River Line - I'm in New York - New York - New York - New York State out of mind - I've seen all the movie stars in their fancy cars And their limousines - Been high in the Rockies, under the evergreens - But I know what I needed And I don't want to waste more time - I'm in a New York state of mind New York state of mind It was so easy living Day by day Out of touch With the rhythm and blues - But now I need a little give and take The New York Times The Daily News - The Daily News, oh, oh It comes down to reality And it's fine with me 'cause I let it slide - I don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside - I don't have any reasons I left them all behind I'm in a New York state of mind No, oh I'll just be taking a Greyhound On the Hudson River Line I'm in the New York state of mind New York state of mind - New York, New York - New York [ Cheers and applause ] -That beautiful arrangement was created by our musical director, Mr. Ryan Shirar.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen.

It is now our honor, our distinct pleasure, to bring out to you the youngest actress who ever performed the role of Christine Daa in "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway at the age of 20.

She also toured the world in the show "The Prince of Broadway," about the collected works of Harold Prince, who directed all of us in "The Phantom of the Opera."

Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Miss Kaley Ann Voorhees.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you!

Thank you so much.

As always, it is such an honor and a pleasure to be singing with these four amazing, amazing guys.

And being on the road and performing, it's easy to miss friends and family and home, but we love to do it.

And so thank you so much for having us.

[ Cheers and applause ] [ "Home" plays ] When I think of home, I think of a place Where there's love overflowing I wish I was home I wish I was back there With the things I've been knowing Wind that makes the tall grass bend into leaning Suddenly the raindrops that fall have a meaning Sprinkling the scene Makes it all clean Maybe there's a chance for me to go back Now that I have some direction It sure would be nice to be back home Where there's love and affection And maybe I can convince time to slow up Giving me enough time in my life to grow up Time, be my friend Let me start again Suddenly, my world's gone and changed its face But I still know where I'm going I have had my mind spun around in space And yet I've watched it growing Oh, if you're listening, God Please don't make it hard To know if we should believe in the things that we see Tell us, should we run away or should we try and stay Or would it be better just to let things be?

Living here, in this brand-new world above might be a fantasy But it's taught me to love So it's real, real, real to me And I've learned that we must look inside our hearts To find A world full of love Like yours, like mine Like home [ Cheers and applause ] [ "All I Ask of You" plays ] - No more talk of darkness Forget these wide-eyed fears - I'm here, nothing can harm you My words will warm and calm you - Let me be your freedom Let daylight dry your tears - I'm here, with you, beside you To guard you and to guide you - Say you love me every waking moment Turn my head with talk of summertime Say you need me with you now and always Promise me that all you say true That's all I ask of you - Let me be your shelter Let me be your light You're safe, no one will find you Your fears are far behind you - All I want is freedom A world with no more night And you always beside me To hold me and to hide me - Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime Let me lead you from your solitude Say you'll need me, with you here, beside you Anywhere you go, let me go, too Christine, that's all I ask of you - Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime Say the word and I will follow you Share each day with me, each night, each morning Say you love you - You know I do Love me That's all I ask of you - Say the word and I will follow you Anywhere you go Let me go, too Love me That's all I ask of you [ Cheers and applause ] [ Applause ] -This next song, from "Les Miserables," is probably one of the most beautiful songs ever written for a Broadway show.

It is also affectionately known as "The Prayer."

- Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh - God on high Hear my prayer In my need You have always been there - He is young He's afraid Let him rest Heaven blessed - Bring him home Bring him home Bring him home - He's like the son I might have known If God had granted me a son - The summers die One by one How soon they fly On and on - And I am old And will be gone - Bring him peace Bring him joy He is young He is only a boy - You can take You can give Let him be Let him live - If I die Let me die - Let him live Bring him home - Ooh, ooh, ooh - Bring him home Bring him home Home [ Cheers and applause ] [ "The Phantom of the Opera" plays ] - In sleep, he sang to me In dreams, he came That voice which calls to me And speaks my name And do I dream again For now I find The Phantom of the Opera is there Inside my mind - Sing once again with me Our strange duet My power over you Grows stronger yet And though you turn from me to glance behind The Phantom of the Opera is there Inside your mind - Those who have seen your face Draw back in fear I am the mask you wear - It's me they hear Your spirit and my voice in one combined The Phantom of the Opera is there Inside your mind - He's there, the Phantom of the Opera Beware the Phantom of the Opera - In all your fantasies You always knew That man and mystery - Were both in you And in this labyrinth where night is blind The Phantom of the Opera is there Inside my mind -Sing for me.

Sing, my Angel of Music.

- He's there, the Phantom of the Opera -Sing.

- Ahh, ahh ahh ahh Ahh, ahh, ahh ahh, ahh Ahh, ahh ahh ahh, ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh -Sing, my Angel!

- Ahh, ahh ahh ahh, ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh -Sing, my Angel of Music!

- Ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh Ahhhhh, ahhhh Ahhhhhh -Sing for me!

- Ahhhhhhh [ Cheers and applause ] [ Cheers and applause continues ] I have brought you To the seat of sweet music's throne To this kingdom where all must pay homage to music Music You have come here For one purpose and one alone Since the moment I first heard you sing I have needed you with me To serve me To sing for my music My music - Nighttime sharpens Heightens each sensation Darkness stirs and wakes imagination - Silently, the senses abandon their defenses - Slowly, gently Night unfurls its splendor Grasp it, sense it Tremulous and tender - 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 dreams - Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before - Close your eyes Let your spirit start To soar - And you'll live As you've never lived Before - Softly, deftly, music shall caress you Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you - Open up your mind Let your fantasies unwind In this darkness which you know you cannot fight The darkness of the music of the night Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before Let your soul take you Where you long To be - Only then Can you belong to me - Floating, falling, sweet intoxication - Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation Let the dream begin Let your darker side give in To the power of the music that I write The power of the music of the night - You alone can make my song take flight Help me make The music of the Night [ Cheers and applause ] - I'm nothing without you Without you, I lack what it takes - Unless we're combined - I have half a mind to blow all my chances and breaks Without you I'm bupkis A flop who keeps dropping the ball - It's time to stop quaking - Start taking the lead - And you are the singular buddy I need I'm nothing without you Without you, I'm nothing at all -Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Kelly Ann Voorhees.

[ Cheers and applause ] - I'm nothing without you No hero, a zero, that's me - With you by my side, there's no better guide On how to be all I can be - I'm nowhere without you To doubt you is where I went wrong - The script calls for fusing and using our smarts - And greatness can come from the sum of our parts - From now on, I'm with you And with you is where I belong -One more time!

Miss Kelly Ann Voorhees!

[ Cheers and applause ] - But us, old friends - What's to discuss, old friends?

Here's to us Who's like us Damn few [ Cheers and applause ] - Here we are In a room full of strangers Standing in the dark Where your eyes couldn't see me Well, I had to follow you Though you did not want me to But that won't stop my lovin' you I can't stay away [ Cheers and applause ] Blamin' it all On the nights on Broadway Singin' them love songs Singin' it straight to the heart songs Blamin' it all on the nights on Broadway Singin' them sweet sounds To that crazy, crazy town Oh, those nights on Broadway [ Cheers and applause ]