4:20 when the Phantom lets go of Christine and then looks at his own hand as if he hadn't even realized he'd been choking her... brilliant. and then 20 seconds later, "did you think that i would harm her?" the character is delusional or at least in severe denial and it's done so well

I can't take the look on The Phantom's face when Christine's kissing him. Ramin did a phenomenal job there..

the part when the phantom screams leave me alone is how i react every morning when my alarm goes off

The hopeful look on his face at 11:42 when she comes back to give him the ring breaks my heart every time.

"Christine I loooo-oo-OO-oove yoouuuuu." 🥺 Gets me every time.

"keep your hand at the level of your eyes!" *nods and immediately lowers hand again * you had one job, Raoul

I love this section of the show (particularly in this performance) because at this point everyone is sweaty, screaming, crying, their wigs are a mess and it just adds to the intensity, somehow? 😂

It's amazing that after more than one and a half hour singing, they still can sing such difficult scene so beautifully

Ramin Karimloo the only man able to made me not only sympathise with the phandom but understand and CRY for his pain

(4:17) When Erik realizes that he maybe shouldn't be choking Christine, and probably didn't even know he was in the heat of the moment, is the small details that make me love the way Ramin plays this character.

12:59 if you listen past Raoul, you can hear Erik whisper, “I love you.” breaks my heart every time.

Hadley's eyeliner is its own character.

Karimloo managed to play both sides of The Phantom brilliantly. He found a balance between the Villanous Monster and the Desperate Broken Man. Most actors (while amazing in their own ways) pick one or the other. And that choice to do both is what makes Ramin’s phantom stand-out in my opinion.

I really credit Ramin with putting the teeth back in the character of the Phantom; he's a tragic character that the world's fallen in love with but he's also got the emotional development and explosive temper of a toddler and Ramin didn't pull any punches on making him threatening, like when he starts strangling Christine and doesn't even realize he's doing it and does that double take of "oh, maybe I should stop that."

It's all in the little details. His expression during the kiss, his hands like he can't believe it. The hug. The way he sings I love you. How she cries when she returns the ring. The little nod when she turns to him. How she sings her first verse turning slightly towards him. I will never get over how good they are. I will never look at this scene without crying 💔

At 13:55, the moment when the Phantom lets the veil fall to the floor mimics Christine throwing the scarf at the end of "Think of Me." Such a powerful moment, the Phantom's final goodbye to Christine and his wish that some times she would think of him.

Ramin’s “ christine why?!” Is addicting😭

When Sierra ends the line "turn to tears of hate" . . . Ramin's reaction is just INCREDIBLE!!! Then again, this cast is just perfection and this Final Lair is just breathtaking!!! I could watch this production OVER & OVER again!!!

Sierra must have been so emotionally exhausted after these shows. She just gives her all. When she collapses around the 7 minute mark, I feel her desperation. She's pleading not only for Raoul's life but hers as well and it's just incredible to watch.

Christine's last word is [morning] while Phantom was [night]. Awit.

The phantom's face when Christine kissed him was absolutely amazing! Ramin did such an amazing job in the role!

I can't get over how good this production was.

I love this Christine, because it shows she could actually love the Phantom, but she couldn't bare his actions. Sierra is just amazing here!

To me it is the way Ramin portrays the "shifting“ emotions of the Phantom that change in a single scene from anger, sadness, derangement, love, arousal, despair and back. As many have pointed out, it's the details he puts into facial expressions and hand acting (his hand acting deserves an essay of its own). Just to point out a few examples in this scene: 2:04 The way he looks down and shakes his head when Christine wonders if she is now to be "prey to his lust for flesh“. He seems called out, ashamed, but also peeved that she would think so lowly of him as to force himself on her. And then 2:21 when Christine turns away in disgust at his mention of the "joys of the flesh“ you can see a flash of hurt and despair on his face, seeing confirmed how she reacts to the very idea 3:23 and 3:31 when he shakes his head in disbelief at her words, like he desperately wants to believe that she might love him but reacts almost mockingly to her claim that his face does not bother her. Then at 3:28 when she touches him and he stops arranging her veil, you see him shaking, though he can't look at her as she speaks. He is so nervous, his hand (again Ramin's hand acting on point) is fidgeting. 3:36 "Wait. I think, my dear, WE have a guest.“ This is such a brilliant shift and his whole attitude changes. He had not even touched her directly, only turned her around and put the veil on. But now, knowing Raoul is there to take her from him, he grips her arms tightly. A second before he had listened to her, seemed open to reasoning. Raoul's appearance brings back the possessive, jealous and violent side. He acts unhinged, to the point that he chokes Christine without quite realizing what he's doing. 3:59 His reactions to Raoul's pleas is brilliant. When he asks to "free her“ he laughs as if it's the best joke ever, but at 4:09 when Raoul says "I love her“ he is not laughing anymore, he is furious! We see him snarl something at Raoul and the smooth, mocking facade is gone. 5:45 His reaction to her "tears of hate“, the shock and horror in his eyes. Hearing her say this, he legit has to sit down. 5:54 When she rips into him (Sierra's performance is beyond perfect) you see him shake his head slightly, willing her to stop, not wanting to hear this... 6:16 When he asks if she will "end her days with him“ his face is a mask of pure despair. Their back and forth, where he goes between angry pointing, approaching her, distancing himself, approaching again, glaring and then his face falling in despair as he breaks down 7:06 He stares at her for a moment, desperate and broken, and it seems like she got through to him, but it's a fake out. Again, there is that shift, that switch from reasonable to madness. It seems like he's listening to her, he even repeats her word "blindly“ but then he looks at her and the possessiveness and obsession take over. His demeanour changes again to threatening as he tells her "you try my patience“ 8:35 During the second kiss, his trembling hand comes up and he finally dares to touch her, pressing her hand to where she touches his disfigurement and you see Ramin is actually crying. Here is again a shift: 8:38 you see a brief moment of him closing his eyes, believing it, feeling loved by her and enjoying the kiss before he must end it. 9:11 You see the warring emotions and thoughts as he first touches his lips (But she kissed me!) and then touches the disfigurement on his face (But how could she love me!). As he goes with the candle he looks back at her exactly three times and every time is different: the first is desperate, the second is determined, the third is when he is close to Raoul and he looks a bit pissed, like 'Really? This dude?' but also like 'Now look how much I love you' before he frees him 12:27 I know that Sierra's looking back and his nodding at her was improvised, but it fits so perfectly into their body language and communication. The fact that he nods at her here means so much considering that Ramin often shakes his head at her in anger or disbelief throughout the play. Like when she pulls the hood off during PonR or earlier in this scene when she tells him his "haunted face“ does Not scare her and he keeps shaking his head, Not believing her. Here, her look back at him tells him 'I feel for you and in a way I do love you' and he finally believes her and nods as if to say 'I know'. This became a bit of an essay, but I found this performance recently and was just floored by how incredibly good it was. The cast was 10/10. So glad we got this on record.

fun fact: in 12:20 the turn that christine does to see the phantom again wasn’t planned or scripted, so, the little nod that the phantom does wasn’t scripted either, it’s just that sierra turning to face him surprised ramin

His voice on “Christine, I love you” is one of the most angelic things I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Absolutely breathtaking.

When he stands up at 11:38 and slowly and nervously walks toward her is heartbreaking. Every ounce of bravado, arrogance, bombast, and intimidation evaporates and suddenly he’s just a man who laid his heart bare. And at 12:40, she slightly angles her body towards him as she sings like she’s second guessing herself or giving him one last opportunity. Absolutely stunning ending and the best interpretation I’ve ever seen.

Honestly, the moment where Christine looks back at Erik at the end (12:23) and Erik gives that little nod for her to go on elevates this above any other performance of Phantom I've seen. It gives the sense that Christine does love Erik, or at the very least feels sympathy for him, and feels regret about leaving him alone. But Erik gives that little nod telling her to go on. And the fact that during her line "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime", she's partly turning toward Erik there, as if she's singing it to him, before Raoul sings the next line and she turns to him. It's like Christine was giving Erik that one more chance to reach out, that final offering, but he let her go with Raoul instead. Heartbreaking, but gosh, it works so well. Absolute best performance of Phantom, bar none.

The saddest moment of the show, I didn't watch it once without crying. How he tells her "I love you" and how she cries when she returns the ring. Wow. One of the best final lair I've ever seen. 💔

This isn't Phantom related, but I think Ramin would make a very good Jekyll and/or Hyde, depending on if it's 2 actors or just him as both.

So no one gonna talk about "You deceived me!" ? It's one of the most explosive lines in this scene omg 😭😭😭 Sierra my goddess ❤

"Pitiful creature of darkness, What kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you You are not alone..." Beautiful... simply beautiful. Andrew Lloyd Webber was, and continues to be, a lyrical genius.

shoutout to hadley fraser for not just standing there while he’s being choked, a lot of raouls dont actually show struggle during this scene. he’s such a phenomenal actor

12:58 The soft "I love you" Ramin whispers kills me everytime I hear it.

Phantom: Wait, I think my dear, we have a guest! Christine: *barks*

11:43 when he straightens out his vest because even though she rejected him he still shows her respect of wanting to look presentable in front of a lady....AMAZING !!!!!!

5:40-53 For being a genius, The Phantom didn't realize how BADLY this would backfire on him. His expression when she holds up the veil, you can see him mouthing 'no' and honestly I think THIS was the beginning of the end for him, not the Kiss. The kiss sealed how WRONG he was. But this whole exchange where Christine is fighting back, and Phantom is like "I guess I better double down on this, just stick to the plan" but Ramin plays it SO WELL because he's not yelling AT her, he's basically BEGGING her. It just oozes _'wait, you- you can't do that. you're not supposed to do that, what's HAPPENING?!? Please don't make this so hard!!'_ Christine is breaking down and everything is already crumbling around him. Part of him, the Human Man, KNOWS he messed up, that this is wrong, but the part he's developed over the years to protect the scared scarred child within just refusing to acknowledge it. "Make your choice." The only way to fight what Christine is saying is to double down. The Kiss is what gives the Human Man strength and allows him to break free. She shows him "OH. there IS another way. *_Mercy._* Even filled with so much hate for me, what I did to her, trapping her here, treating her like THEY treated ME all my life... _If SHE can show mercy in the face of THAT... so can I..."_

At 12:00 the way Sierra's face just crumbles, that moment gets me every time. The way she holds eye contact and just falls apart.

Starting at 12:52, as Raoul begins singing "Say the word and I will follow you" you can can just Barely, hear Phantom whisper "Love you" right as Raoul's "will," is sung. Watched this sooooo many times and only just heard it now.

How he hides the monkey's face "Hide your face, so the world will never find you." Brilliant. So many amazing little moments in this.

THIS LAST SCENE IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. And the way these three act is phenomenal, I cried so much 🥺♥️

YALL HE STARTED TO SMILE WHEN SHE CAME BACK THEN CORRECTED HIMSELF WHEN HE REALIZED SHE WASNT STAYING 😭😭😭 I WILL FOREVER CRY AT THIS

11:50 - 12:05 gets me every time! 💔😭 You can clearly hear his heart and soul in that "I love you"

6:52 when she collapses and sing “i gave my mind blindly” literally sends chills down my spine

Okay but can we talk about Raoul’s emotional whiplash here 3:47 - Caution/alert 3:51 - Panic 3:58 - Pleaing 4:03 - Frustration 4:11 - Anger 4:18 - Desperation

I’m so obsessed at Ramin’s “you alone...”

All respect due to Crawford, Wilkinson, Brightman, et al, but no one.. absolutely no one.. will ever beat this cast or this production. Ramin, Hadley, and Sierra, in addition to the rest of the cast just nailed this. It is timeless. Bravissimo!

Ramin's Phantom is so heartwrenching. I can't watch him without sobbing. His performance is devastatingly wonderful.

One song closer to the whole musical being uploaded on YT.

When Phantom sings Christine I love you it just hits. This moment gets lost in the musical sometimes but here it highlights how beautifully tragic and tender this moment is.

I've seen this show and this scene a hundred time but at the "go now and leave meeee" i genuinely burst into tears once again :')

Credit to hadley for a brilliant performance during the entire stranglehold scene! Not overshadowed (a tough feat!) from Ramin & Sierra at all

10:14 Can we all just appreciate Raoul's temper in this scene? He was about to tear the Phantom apart and the only thing stopping him was Christine HOLDING HIM BACK 😂

8:38 he's closing his eyes, just feeling the moment, exactly the way it's has to be 😔 it's so heartbroken, but SO LOVELY TOO!! I'm crying 🥺

At 13:37 it really looks like Ramin is consciously taking a moment to look around and drink in what is undoubtedly the pinnacle of his career.

The way Christine projects her singing towards the Phantom at 12:38 is just genius. No need to turn completely, she manages to sing to her back. 👏🏻

"Christine, i love you" always get me 😭💔😔

One of the best conclusions in Musical Theater history!!

4:20 I love how he didn't even realize he was choking her until he looked back and releases her, the anger leaves his face and it's replaced with shock and concern, glancing at his shaking hand. But the anger and jealousy come back as quickly as they left, unable to cope with Christine being cared for by someone else.

the break in his voice when Raoul says 'LET ME SEE HER!!!" means everything to me. I've been watching this clip forever and that never stops breaking my heart every time.

This act got me ugly crying. The Phantom's shock when Christine says she hates him; the sense of confusion when she kisses him and it's everything he ever wanted, but not quite; her reluctance when leaving him behind and him nodding and letting her go 🥺 Sierra was absolutely perfect in this one! It must have been emotionally exhausting to perform this scene. She really gave her everything in this.

I love how The Final Lair makes clever call-backs to previous songs & leitmotifs. Here are my favorites: - Christine sings Angel of Music as she pleads for his mercy during the trio confrontation song, because she's appealing to his Angel of Music persona or his good side. - Phantom's reprise of Masquerade. The first time Masquerade was sung, it was in joy and celebration. Phantom's reprise turned it on its head and gave it a deeper and sadder meaning. The partygoers of the masquerade ball wore masks for fun, but Phantom wears a mask because he needs to hide from the cruel world. - All I Ask of You transitions to Music of the Night. All I Ask of You was Christine and Raoul's love song. The first time they sang it, Phantom did a reprise in the same melody, as if he's trying to insert himself in their love story. He couldn't accept that Christine loved Raoul and not him. In the Final Lair, All I Ask of You was sung again, but this time Phantom ended it with Music of the Night. This shows that he's finally let go of Christine (screw LND). Music of the Night was his song for Christine. "It's over now" means the end of his obsession of her, and also cleverly ends the play as a whole.

I have to say, my favorite part of every phantom is the “Christine I love you” when she returns the ring. It’s a true heart breaker

Everyone: Andrew you can't create a thrilling climax where everyone just stands and sings Andrew Lloyd Webber: hold my phantom mask

Hadley is the best Raoul ever. Such a powerful voice and performance!

When Christine came back to return his ring Erik truly thought he came back for him but as soon as he saw the ring he only smiled, accepting it all. THE EMOTION IN HER EYES ONCE HE TOLD HER HE LOVED HER MAKES ME CRY EVERY TIME.

The tear in Ramin's right eye just after 8:11. Just another piece of an amazingly acted scene.

Man, Ramin's screaming of 'Forget what you know of the Angel in Hell' and seeing him shaking with the intensity of how hard he was pouring his soul into those words, and everything that followed really punched me in the heart. God, what an incredible performance! Had me sobbing like a baby at his Masquerade refrain after such intense emotion.

I love 00:50. The first “Why?” is so rational, self aware of unfair abuse and betrayal; it is a sincere cry for help. Then the next “WHY?” is irrational, fueled by aggression and hatred while playing the victim. Bravo.

05:26 The tears I might have shed for your dark fate grow cold, and turn to tears of hAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I find it hilarious that when Raoul's being strangled, he's literally on a bunch of stairs, like bro, just go like two steps up and you're fine. Edit: why is this comment still getting corrected and fact-checked? this was intended as a *joke,* some of y'all need to go touch some grass smh

10:26 Ramins scream, literally chills!!!

I've never been one to cry at shows/movies. But when I first saw this show way back in 2015, tears just fell at the end. Ramin's 'Christine, I love you' will always get me in the feels no matter how much I've watched this. Everything is beautiful from start to finish. Sierra, Ramin, and Hadley just have so much chemistry that it is always such a joy to watch this phenomenal production on replay. Still sucks that the reunion concert in Japan didn't push through last year because of the pandemic. But, safety first. Dammit covid.

Rauol’s face when Christine kisses the phantom tears at my heart every single time.

This shows why it is one of the best musicals of all time and why it is still on after all these years. A truly fantastic musical. The acting is fantastic. Such a talented group.

Their faces when Ramin says "Christine I love you" is so heartbreaking, they both did a PERFECT job. They're both in tears.

Sighs The vocals, the phenomenal acting, the casting, and of course, Ramin's existence *chefs kiss*

That little nod that the Phantom does is something no man ever wants to go through.....accepting that the woman you love is going with another man. Unfortunately I've been through it myself, and it breaks you as a man. I've never been the same since. There's not much in this masterpiece that makes me relate to the Phantom and his behaviour....but that moment, that moment I know how he feels

The Show Must Go On, probably: "Alright fine, we'll upload this one too. Surely our viewers will be satisfied?" Everyone in the fandom: "Yeah no sorry, we're just going to need you to upload the whole show again, haha." Honestly though, for a modern musical [well, more modern than some others] it's hard to beat this 25th anniversary performance.

When she loses it at 11:59 will always get me. This was one of the best productions of any show Ive ever seen. Phenomenal. I cant get over it.

So, fun story. I have a couple friends who just as big Phans as myself, and as a 'project', we took it upon ourselves to learn this ENTIRE song. A month later, we show up to our drama class (this is college, btw). And with our professor's permission, we preform this ENTIRE song in front of the class. We even dressed the parts (to the best of our abilities being broke college students). Best. Day. Ever.

I only recently noticed that on 12:56 Phantom whispers "I love you" as Raoul and Christine sing to each other 😭 Way to break my heart even more 💔

(Not so) fun facts as I listen to this with headphones in, I'm hearing moments I never caught before. At 7:04, right after Christine says, "gave my mind blindly", the Phantom whispers "blindly" to himself, almost in disbelief. At 12:58, while Raoul is singing and offering his hand to Christine, just before she takes it, the Phantom whispers "I love you". If anyone needs me, I'll be crying over here.

I’m so happy this is here, thank you! Raoul’s way of desperately shouting ‘let me see her’ gets me every time. In the movie he sings it too softly, but Hadley’s Raoul is so expressive in all the right ways. And the phantom’s ‘Christine I love you’ makes me cry same as Christine 😭

Ramin is a perfect Phantom, so heartbreaking and sad, phenomenal acting! I cry every time I see the end 😭😭😭

I can't get enough of this musical & this cast ! Their acting is INCREDIBLE !

8:58 The way he caresses her hands here 😭😭

I've seen so many Phantoms portray this pivotal moment and I must say the Ramin's performance topped them all. The chemistry he has by taking a role and almost embodied it's nuances in the depth of the character, it's struggles, it's love and even embracing the roles madness is simply spectacular.

why no one speak about how wonderful and amazing hadley is😭

7:20 'you try my patience' OMFGTHATHGEKL Ramin is sch a good actor

10:24 him screaming and breaking his vocal control is what made him my favorite Phantom

I've watched this performance dozens of times and only now have I found out that Ramin got stuck on an invisible wire around the 10:00 mark. He managed the situation really well!

I’ll never get enough of this.

12:38 When Christine slightly glances back at The Phantom as she sings KILLS ME!

I went to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in 2010 because I had seen the movie and I loved the musical. The first time I saw Ramin and Sierra was in the promo video for Love Never Dies, I fell in love with then and I wanted to see the musical live but when I could travel to Europe the musical was over. After, Ramin went to do his Ramin and The Broadgrass band show in Boston, I went from Brazil to Boston to see him. At the end of the show he went to talk to the fans, when I gave him a Cavaquinho (Brazilian Ukulele) he said: "Is it for me?" and he gave me a big hug, I was very happy, he is a nice, kind and loving person and an excellent guy. Then he went to play Jean Valjean in Les Mis on Broadway and I went to see him again. I saw Sierra live when she played Christine again with the first black actor to play The Phantom on Broadway, Norm Lewis, it was amazing. She is also very friendly and charismatic and spoke to fans at the end of the show. I hope, that someday, I can see, in live, Ramin and Sierra performing together again.

10:08 is the best lmao. He tells “LEAVE ME ALONE” at the voices in the background

Lol, Raoul's/Hadley's reaction to the kiss is my usual reaction to excessively long smooch scenes in most movies/TV shows but I LOVE THIS ONE

sierra, ramin, and hadley KILLED this...hands down my favorite trio

The look of hope when he sees Christine standing there and then his shattered heart when she gives him the ring is just 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

6:01 oh my god. it sounds like they’re singing in completely different keys but it still harmonizes 😭