Thanks for your reaction! Yes, you are right-- the Phantom is Voice Play's former baritone singer, Tony Wakim. He burnt out of their demanding touring schedule and wanted to focus on theater and production. He and Layne had just bought and started PattyCake Productions and he was quite excited that they could do more of the theatrical productions now. Tony is still very much a part of their production and family. By the way, Tony frequently makes costumes and made Rachel's dress here.
This one IS pretty goosebumpish! Not just Rachel, but Tony's part AND really Layne's. And whomever arranged it! It also seems to be a marker in VP history as the apparent beginning of their more theatrical style. And it really is kind of cute to see just how excited Tony was about that in the outre.
Woot. This one doesn't get enough love, because of how far back in their catalog it is. But this "departure" was important in setting them on the path to the kinds of content they produce now. And it's so good. Easily the best thing they did while Tony was still a full-time member of the group.
This was one of Layne's. I love that he emphasized the (usually unspoken) creepiness of this situation - the weird, secretive seduction, the Phantom's need to control her, etc. (And yes, of course you're right, it was Tony)
This was great! I should have guessed, but this was a Layne arrangement - I know this was around 8 years ago, when Tony was still part of the group - amazing to see how good they were back then - and how far they have come since! ❤
Loved your reaction to this. Despite his great voice, Tony tired of traveling to do their live shows and wanted to work more behind the scenes. So he left and formed Pattycake Productions with Layne. But his voice can be heard on many of Pattycake’s videos. Pattycake has a monthly Zoom chat for patrons and we get to learn more about their productions. A recent topic of discussion was the mask he was wearing for this. Did you know that these masks are formed specifically for each performer? They are held on with straps, but the mask doesn’t touch any part of their face, which would interfere with their performance. And they are usually only used for one performance. (But they are expensive so with care, they can be used two or three times at most). The mask here was specially made for Tony.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. ❤️ I did not know that, but looking at it now, and seeing that the phantom mask actually is a bit away, is impossibly it to see now. So cool ❤️
Yes this is a fantastic one by them. So funny to hear Tony say the theatrical aspect was a departure for them since nowadays they're known as the theatre kids of acappella. I believe Geoff has mentioned before that it was Tony who pushed them in that direction (though they had all done some kind of theatrical performing before) and Layne who pushed them to focus on putting their videos online.
Are you saying Phanthom? It's "fan-tum". Anyway, they're good, but high soprano and tenor hurt my ears. I've gone from alto to contralto, myself, and prefer lower voices. I like Layne's arrangement EXCEPT the rhythm, which should be more of an ominous pulse. I do like that last, haunting high note, though. They did the same in their "Hide and Seek (Ding Dong!)".
Probably just a Norwegian quirk that snuck in. Not being a native English speaker that does tend to happen 😂 I did enjoy their version of this and the more upbeat rythm they put on it. So many have done it wonderfully and like the musical but it’s not often I hear one like this I like. But this one I did ☺️
Here's wishing you all the luck available so you can watch Phantom live on stage. ☘ Another fun fact Tony actually designed Rachel's dress. In my opinion Tony really needs to do a feature with Voiceplay. Thanks for the reaction ☘🦆🤭🤣
