I saw him twice as the Phantom, once in London back in 1994 and once in Essen / Germany in 2006. He is as perfect as you say! There is one thing that makes his portrayal of the Phantom in German even more impressive: keeping in mind that he is a native American, his pronunciation of the German language is absolutely flawless! (I am German myself.) If it weren't for his English name one could really think that German is his mother tongue!

@@MrElfantasma Carsten I can't comment on his German pronunciation as I don't speak it, I think Ethan has close family links to Germany or Austria, his mother maybe, I think he was bilingual before he left the US. Some notes on one of his early recordings suggest this and he's spent two thirds of his life in Europe so he's more European than American now. His voice isnt as good as it once was. I think his later performances in Essen showed more maturity in London I think what he did reflected where he was in his life, there was no real stability as he seemed to be moving around too much.. Also I think he had a few demons to deal with, I saw him in London, not on the stage but in the street and frankly, he looked very tired but I'm sure he wasn't in a good place mentally..

@@valeriebaker9512 Thanks for your answer! Yes, by now Ethan spent most of his life in Europe. And I think he's been married to German musical actress Monika Julia Dehnert for some years now. You are right, his portrayal changed from London to Essen. But I like his portrayal both ways. However, there is one little gesture in the 'Final Lair' that he took over from his London days. At 11:11, before sitting down on the throne, he bows to the monkey on the music box. It's as if he wants to say goodbye to his only companion in his lair. That's a nice twist. If I remember correctly, he did this in London, too.

I suppose because, despite everything, he did get one small moment of actual love and compassion, and is remembering it.

I went to see him do this in London in the 90s. I was in a cafe eating about an hour before the performance, and he was at the table next to me. I left at what would have been his half hour call (the very latest all cast and staff have to be in), and he was still there. Needless to say, he looked a mess on stage. I’m certain his make up artist had to rush to get him ready - still working hard even once the show had started. 😔