Videos on a Budget

Phantom on a Budget has produced several amusing little projects that we'd like to share with you here.  Many thanks to Amy for being the video genius of the century!

Final Lair Scene Parts I & II
First up is the Final Lair Scene from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.  We performed this as part of a small theatre production class in our last semester of college.  Yes, we did lip sync to a backing track.  Why?  Because we're all girls, and Lindsey was mortified at the thought of singing in public, blaming the fact that the Phantom is not a soprano.  We tried to keep all the staging and blocking as close to the typical stage production as possible, while infusing our own interpretation and reflecting the actions of the performers in the backing track.  Please note the amazing working Punjab lasso (more proof of Amy's genius!), the plastic knife of DOOM, the cheap plastic chair, and the not-so-magical disappearance at the end.

Final Lair Dress Rehearsal
Two nights before we performed, we had a dress rehearsal in front of the entire class.  As with tradition, it went terribly!  We were missing our Raoul and had to make due without for the time being, the ring was temporarily misplaced, and the elastic hair tie that I (Lindsey) substituted for it went flying off into the audience toward the end of the scene.  Much hilarity ensued, and by "much," I mean just me.  I sat there laughing like a fool by myself on stage when I should have been crying.  Meanwhile, the professor looked on in horror.  She thought we had finally gone off the reservation.

So after the class left, we all stuck around in the empty theatre until our Raoul arrived from another class, and we taped it.  Some minor muck-ups (for which you'll hear me apologize in the middle of the scene), sure, but at least I didn't hit anyone in the face with a hair tie.  Do excuse the risers, as there was a chorale concert the following evening and we had to rehearse around that and the piano, which was strategically blocking my magical escape route.

Phantom TAG Commercial
The famous video that got it all started!  This shows us what happens when poor, unhappy Erik gets his hands on some TAG body spray...and some young ingenues get their hands on him.

Backstreet Boys "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
In 2005 we performed the Backstreet Boys' "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" at the 2005 college lip sync competition. We went on to win with a perfect score, beating out Meatloaf, David Bowie, and some random people lip synching in another language. They were fun to watch though.  Costumes and choreography inspired by the original music video. Original choreography by Phantom on a Budget cast and Hillary. Questionable cinematography by the college.

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