It does bring more richness and depth to the song because you can actually hear the mid to low register better of the song. The truly amazing part at how effortless Norm hits the high notes being a baritone.
He kills the vocals. It's so hard for a bass/baritone to make the high notes sound that good. But even looking past that, he does such a good job acting out the role here- he does things like avoid her touching his face and subtle things like that make it one of the best renditions ever
@@oliverdelica2289 Actually initially when Nolen took over the score was transposed for him, suit him. He sounds bloody brilliant He did actually before, in his younger days, belt a B4!
@@trionabyrne72 he was the first ever black phantom on Broadway. "Quite unusual" is both an understatement and a problem. Fictional characters don't have to be tied to a race.
Simply breathtaking. Since the first time I heard him as the phantom, he became my favorite one by far, I've always thought a deep voice would fit the role and man if Norm did it beautifuly
I saw him as Javert in the televised 25th anniversary concert of Les Miserables but only just found out he was the Phantom (POTO is my favorite musical of all time :)) after looking up his bio after seeing JCSS Live the other night. I have since watched all the TH-cam clips I can find but is there any full recirfing of his performance as the Phantom?
Holy crap! Norm Lewis just pushed some of all time favorites down a notch. Talk about setting a bar. Thank very much for this video. I will cherish it forever!
Hands down the BEST Phantom ever!!! His voice is like crushed velvet. So incredibly beautiful!! The smooth baritone makes a huge difference from the other Phantoms!!
No one can replace Ramin as the Phantom for me, but damn, this guy surely did a hell of a job of me trying to reconsider first place :) His deep voice adds that tad of mystery and darkness i've allways imagined floating around the Phantom. I must say Norm, a job very well done. You've deserved my well-earned second place. The next Phantoms will have to fight hard for third base.
+Lauryn Brianna Poor JOJ is always a "quarter of an inch" behind the all time fan-favourite in his main roles :) Like he's always second behind Colm (or Ramin) considering best JVJ. I do not like Colm, but I'd still put JOJ 2nd, just behind Alfie. But John is a musical legend, supertalented!
Had the opportunity to see (and meet) Norm this past July and my GOD he was phenomenal! Phantom is a dream role of mine and Norm is such an inspiration! And Yes a deep voice adds more depth to the role IMO
What a deep voice sings so beautifully and well master the part of being the phantom in phantom of the opera always as usual classic music at its very best after all these years later appreciate you guys thanks keep on singing job well done you should be proud way to go very impressed stay safe and warm out there stay strong and healthy as well much love and respect and appreciation thanks !! Joe
I totally agree with you. In fact, I think that Norm is one of the sexiest Phantoms ever & I prefer a baritone than a tenor for this role. Norm's baritone voice is very deluciously seductive & intriguing. Whoever castes him as Phantom on Broadway made an excellent choice 😉👏😘😋
I love how soft and vulnerable his voice is when he says "help me make..." at 4:42. It really shows the longing the Phantom has for Christine to be by his side, to feel for him as he feels for her. Norm captures the character so well, as he as so strong but so weak and vulnerable at the same time. Not to mention how stunning his voice is... truly a job well done. Bravo, bravo, bravissimo
I also think it was because the catch isn't part of the Broadway choreography. I know in the original London production they did it, they may still do, but I have never seen the catch done in any American production.
+JordynPlays1312 Sometimes it just like that, some Valjean/Cossette pairs have been known to transition into The Phantom and Christine, example, John Owen-Jones and Katie Hall.
Baritones give off a strong,darker presence than a tenor. However Karimloo and Crawford also give the sense of an angelic yet eerie tone that christine described as her angel of music.
@North Bridge i think the one that goes: "music shall caress you, hear it, feel it secretly possess you" which in the 25th anniversary performance is: "music shall surround you, hear it, feel it closing in around you".
Debra Simpson you are right. The first one was Robert Guillaume, back in 1990. See here: www.playbill.com/article/robert-guillaume-first-african-american-to-play-phantom-dies-at-89
I love this rendition of the phantom. Love Sierra and Karimloo, but also I would like to have a DVD/BLURAY with the full show with Norm Lewis. I think he did it great and his performance was relevant beacause he was the first African American in Broadway to play the role. Besides that he was a baritone when generally the people who played tha part were tenor. AND NORM IS AMAZINGGGGG
The best Phantom voice ever.. The masculine baritone gives justice to the domineering Phantom role. It is the essence of Phantom: a burly, masculine beast of a voice!
The only way I can think to describe his voice to my friends is "his voice sounds like chocolate milk!" It's thick and sweet with a hidden darkness. (Is that weird? That's weird isn't it? Darn.)
Norm and Gerard are my favorite Phantoms. I like the Phantom to sound like his balls have actually dropped so...they're the best. Crawford and Ramin are good though.
Norm did a great job on this. However, I am singing this at a community theater and I can attest to the toughest part of this song. Norm has the most difficult time with the last note. I do too!! Very hard to sing a demanding song like this one and end so softly with good breath support and control.
There's two different wigs, one black for darker skinned men (ie Norm and Ramin), and one brown for lighter skinned men, but both wigs are slicked back, straight hair.
Katie Tucker And also, Norm and Ramin's wigs are definitely brown. If you look closely in certain scenes at the way the color reflects off the wigs, you can see that they give off a brownish glow.
Personally they should’ve lowered the score for Norm. There were a couple of times where he wouldn’t sing the high A flat in “I have brought you” and “Down Once More”
Milton Aguilera in a way yes, but it’s really unhealthy for ones vocal health. Ones mix voices however, with training, can be far stronger than his/her chest voice, like me for example
Colm Wilkinson, Norm Lewis and Earl Carpenter are my favorite phantoms. Norm has the dominance and a deeper voice which i find fantastic and preferable in the role.
he's a lyric baritone. the higher baritone although we seem to hear some kind of a tenor cause its kinda near the dramatic tenor range. just an opinion.
I am now convinced the phantom role needs to be done by a baritone - Norm is a absolutely chilling...
+Aaron Bestgen Not the first baritone in the history of the musical. Earl Carpenter had the role as well (he was Javert in Les Mis just like Norm )
Timothy Nolen is a Bass-Baritone, and he took Crawford's place when he finished his Broadway Run
Anthony Warlow is also a baritone and like Norm he does the role to perfection
Don't forget Steve Barton
I want Norm Lewis to play every role ever.
+gracieliz95 I agree.
+gracieliz95 Just imagine him singing "Springtime for Hitler" xDD
I actually wanna hear him sing "Evermore" from the new "Beauty and the Beast"
omg that would be amazballs!
Scott Hamp that would be perfect or him as Genie in Aladdin
Am I the only one who thought that his deeper voice suited the Phantom better?
+rcgirl 15 Didn't realize it until I heard him!
rcgirl 15 TOTALLY AGREE!! LOVE the baritone on the Phantom. And Norm has the most beautiful baritone ever!!
It does bring more richness and depth to the song because you can actually hear the mid to low register better of the song. The truly amazing part at how effortless Norm hits the high notes being a baritone.
I agree 100% in fact I think a deeper voice suits it better. Not just Norm's voice. Which is why I love hearing Michael Ball sing this too.
He’s the only guy that had it
He kills the vocals. It's so hard for a bass/baritone to make the high notes sound that good. But even looking past that, he does such a good job acting out the role here- he does things like avoid her touching his face and subtle things like that make it one of the best renditions ever
they lowered the key of all the songs for him
Ernest Barzaga lol they did not, he sings Aflat just like Ramin.
Timothy Nolen and Norm were two of the best baritone phantoms, tho Timothy was actually a Bass-Baritone
@@phantomphan873 I agree. I even heard Nolan belt an Ab
@@oliverdelica2289 Actually initially when Nolen took over the score was transposed for him, suit him. He sounds bloody brilliant
He did actually before, in his younger days, belt a B4!
I think he's probably my favorite Phantom. I love his deep, strong but sometimes soft voice for phantom, and he's acting is great.
An African-American Phantom? Quite unusual.
@@trionabyrne72 he was the first ever black phantom on Broadway.
"Quite unusual" is both an understatement and a problem. Fictional characters don't have to be tied to a race.
I feel like he really has the perfect voice for this song - it's beautiful, it's calming, but it's also terrifying at the same time
Simply breathtaking. Since the first time I heard him as the phantom, he became my favorite one by far, I've always thought a deep voice would fit the role and man if Norm did it beautifuly
I saw him as Javert in the televised 25th anniversary concert of Les Miserables but only just found out he was the Phantom (POTO is my favorite musical of all time :)) after looking up his bio after seeing JCSS Live the other night. I have since watched all the TH-cam clips I can find but is there any full recirfing of his performance as the Phantom?
I think people can tell that Sierra has done this role like a thousand times
Cristina Gomes She's done it far more than that.
+Cristina Gomes Wonder if shes thinking of what shes going to have for dinner or what. Doesn't do justice to Norm Lewis.
Holy crap! Norm Lewis just pushed some of all time favorites down a notch. Talk about setting a bar. Thank very much for this video. I will cherish it forever!
Hands down the BEST Phantom ever!!! His voice is like crushed velvet. So incredibly beautiful!! The smooth baritone makes a huge difference from the other Phantoms!!
Dan Vasc the best of all th-cam.com/video/1lMQ_3tW1YI/w-d-xo.html
He was absolutely wonderful, his voice so strong and powerful, yet could be sweet and soft in the next breath.....I loved it!!!
No one can replace Ramin as the Phantom for me, but damn, this guy surely did a hell of a job of me trying to reconsider first place :) His deep voice adds that tad of mystery and darkness i've allways imagined floating around the Phantom. I must say Norm, a job very well done. You've deserved my well-earned second place. The next Phantoms will have to fight hard for third base.
Highly recommend listening to John Owen Jones. He was the first Phantom I saw live and holds first place together with Ramin for me.
+Elizabeth111Music YES!!!! Ramin and John are my two favorites!!!!! Ramin is above John by like a quarter of an inch. Haha!
+Lauryn Brianna Poor JOJ is always a "quarter of an inch" behind the all time fan-favourite in his main roles :) Like he's always second behind Colm (or Ramin) considering best JVJ. I do not like Colm, but I'd still put JOJ 2nd, just behind Alfie. But John is a musical legend, supertalented!
John owen jones is pretty amazing
Had the opportunity to see (and meet) Norm this past July and my GOD he was phenomenal! Phantom is a dream role of mine and Norm is such an inspiration! And Yes a deep voice adds more depth to the role IMO
What a deep voice sings so beautifully and well master the part of being the phantom in phantom of the opera always as usual classic music at its very best after all these years later appreciate you guys thanks keep on singing job well done you should be proud way to go very impressed stay safe and warm out there stay strong and healthy as well much love and respect and appreciation thanks !! Joe
Norm is definitely has the most baritone voice of any Phantom.
Check Matthew Cammelle, a tenor with baritone voice.
I thought Matthew was a tenor
Andros Pahlavan
He's a tenor with good low notes. Kind of dark dramatic tenor.
James Barbour is as baritone as Norm Lewis. I mean as deep as him.
I totally agree with you. In fact, I think that Norm is one of the sexiest Phantoms ever & I prefer a baritone than a tenor for this role. Norm's baritone voice is very deluciously seductive & intriguing. Whoever castes him as Phantom on Broadway made an excellent choice 😉👏😘😋
I love how soft and vulnerable his voice is when he says "help me make..." at 4:42. It really shows the longing the Phantom has for Christine to be by his side, to feel for him as he feels for her. Norm captures the character so well, as he as so strong but so weak and vulnerable at the same time. Not to mention how stunning his voice is... truly a job well done. Bravo, bravo, bravissimo
I saw him January 2. Amazing performance. I loved it so much. Greatest phantom of all time!
No wonder even Sierra gushed her admiration for Norm Lewis, she seemed to fangirl him hahaha! What a powerful Phantom he is!
yayyyy! a broadway Phantom that carries her! so much more romantic!
that quick sigh from the person recording this at 4:16 is great
I think it was a gasp of relief that he managed to catch her in time..he was much further away than most Phantoms are for the catch.
I also think it was because the catch isn't part of the Broadway choreography. I know in the original London production they did it, they may still do, but I have never seen the catch done in any American production.
@@timothyclark5571 yup, the catch isn't done on broadway because of different safety regulations, so it's always strange to see on broadway!!
2:25 "I'm FABULOUS!!!!"
Beautiful... the only reason I'd see Phantom live again.
He is pure magic. The second most beautiful voice as Phantom in my opinion. I am still a huge Hugh Panaro fan.
I CRAVED A DEEP VOICE FOR ERIK. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED. He has one of the THE MOST SOOTHING VOICES EVER.
Amazing! Saw him play this part live, too! Ah, memories.
I love the ping in his voice. He's such a nice verdi baritone. Good to see what a legit/CCM verdi sounds like.
Probably not a true verdi. That is gigantic voice. I would say a good sized lyric baritone.
That being said, could totally be a verdi-tone. Would have to hear in person.
@@k_levande nah just because he sings high he is not a lyric baritone, lyric baritone don't have this raw power
U know what's funny he played Sierras dad in the little mermaid no Broadway now he plays her phantom in phantom of the opera
+JordynPlays1312 Sometimes it just like that, some Valjean/Cossette pairs have been known to transition into The Phantom and Christine, example, John Owen-Jones and Katie Hall.
And the original Valjean and Cosette Colm Wilkinson and Rebecca Caine as Phantom and Christine in Toronto :)
That's not funny or interesting. It happens all the time. Its called casting. Looking at Ragtime and kiss me kate
JordynsLife1312 So that's why she mistook him for the ghost of her deceased father XD
You know you might be right about that. ;)
Wow! He's truly amazing....one of my new top 5 phantoms for sure!
Bravo! Bravo! Bravissimo!
Why? Haven't you seen a African-American Phantom?
I see what you did there
Crawford is still first for me but DAMN but he try get to first place. He is a good awesome mysterious Phantom.
I don't know much about Phantom of the Opera, but this guy is freakin' phenomenal!!!!! He crushed it in Jesus Christ Superstar!!!
Quanto mais escuto o Norm cantar, mais me apaixono por ele!! Sem palavras . Maravilhoso! Que interpretação fabulosa!!!!!!
God his voice is perfect for this role and his portrayal: phenomenal. Wish i coulda seen him live
I really wish I had gotten the chance to see this on Broadway.
i love this man. i love this song. happy days
i really wis id gotten to see him play the phantom, myself
Baritones give off a strong,darker presence than a tenor. However Karimloo and Crawford also give the sense of an angelic yet eerie tone that christine described as her angel of music.
I dig this Phantom :) awesome job and amazing voice Norm!
Norm is setting a norm for new upcoming phantoms 👌
See what you did there
Esse homem é um espetáculo. Sensacional! Que interpretação maravilhosa!
Another great Phantom performance, bravo!
This has to be my favorite version of this song.
My FAVOURITE phantom by far
This the best Phantom I've ever seen! His voice is so melodic I love it!
What a voice. Love it
This guy is amazing. He's my fourth favorite phantom, behind Anthony Warlow at no. 1, Ramin Karimloo at no. 2 and Ben Crawford at no. 3
Norm and Sierra are such a duo! Perfect match
Again, something very beatiful, and I would say that I did not know that Norm was very historic in phantom.He was the first Black phantom, wow!
The first was TV actor Robert Guillaume in the 1990's. He was good but Lewis is phenomenal.
Im in chills.
My wife and I love his voice in this performance. He has a beautiful tone and the romantic vibe this character needs.
I saw him on Dec 15 ,2925 last week. Nailed it !! Breathtaking .. Astounding!!!!! Love d him .the whole thing was Awesome!!!!!
Lol 2925
he sang the line right i'm so happy!
@North Bridge i think the one that goes: "music shall caress you, hear it, feel it secretly possess you" which in the 25th anniversary performance is: "music shall surround you, hear it, feel it closing in around you".
I wish they have a high quality audio of his rendition.
2nd Phantom of Color in the history of Phantom of the Opera ~ Very Nice @3:03
He is the first
yeah aside from RG and the newest phantom...Derrick Davis!!
The current Phantom on tour, Quentin Oliver Lee, is a man of color. ;)
@@jackfeys2826 first on Broadway but there was another right after Michael Crafword
Debra Simpson you are right. The first one was Robert Guillaume, back in 1990. See here: www.playbill.com/article/robert-guillaume-first-african-american-to-play-phantom-dies-at-89
I saw norm do phantom it was chilling so good my back had chills. My favorite phantom though is Ramin
his voice fits the Phantom perfectly
Unpopular opinion
Norm is better than Ramin
*SPARE ME*
Agreed
Definite agree
Yay! Someone who agrees!
He'll yeah, bitch!
I’m with you guys
Wonderfull voice
So I guess Norm is the only Broadway Phantom that does the catch?
Close your eyes let Soar and youll live as you’re never lived before 1:36 he sings that Like an angel
I love this rendition of the phantom. Love Sierra and Karimloo, but also I would like to have a DVD/BLURAY with the full show with Norm Lewis. I think he did it great and his performance was relevant beacause he was the first African American in Broadway to play the role. Besides that he was a baritone when generally the people who played tha part were tenor. AND NORM IS AMAZINGGGGG
Robert Guillame was the first African American to play the role...
BRILLIANT. SUCH an inspiration
The best Phantom voice ever.. The masculine baritone gives justice to the domineering Phantom role. It is the essence of Phantom: a burly, masculine beast of a voice!
I saw this 8 years ago ...to me the only phantom is norm lewis...it still moves me to tears ...❤🌹🖤❤🌹🖤
I've loved Sierra Boggess as Christine in the 25th Anniversary and Norm Lewis is gorgeous as Javert. Seeing the two of them combined is wonderful...
I would want him to sing Be Prepared from the Lion King.
The only way I can think to describe his voice to my friends is "his voice sounds like chocolate milk!" It's thick and sweet with a hidden darkness. (Is that weird? That's weird isn't it? Darn.)
Thats not to weird actully. It makes sense.
That's a relief! I have trouble describing people's timbre and it always comes out weird.
Ramin is my fav tenor but Norm is my fav baritone
Love his baritone voice!!!!
My favourite phantom
The one played by an African American actor?
Norm and Gerard are my favorite Phantoms. I like the Phantom to sound like his balls have actually dropped so...they're the best. Crawford and Ramin are good though.
What a passion!
Amazing
Norm Lewis nd Sierra Borgess what talents!
Best voice to ever play the phantom in my opinion
Simplesmente maravilhoso esse homem! LINDO.
I’ve been listening to multiple versions of music of the night, then I found this
Norm did a great job on this. However, I am singing this at a community theater and I can attest to the toughest part of this song. Norm has the most difficult time with the last note. I do too!! Very hard to sing a demanding song like this one and end so softly with good breath support and control.
I just saw POTO after Norm Lewis left 😭 I wish I could have seen him perform 💖💖
Outstanding. Didn't quite hit that last note, which is tough one for anybody, but the rest of it was great!
Best Javert and now the Best Phantom
best phantom for me 😍😍
This is proof that a phantom with a deeper voice works better.
Norm Lewis is such a dad!
Norm Lewis is by far the best Phantom
Chills😢😢😢
I would like to see him and michael Crawford sing together. He is golden.
Norm Lewis is a first~rate Phantom. In this day and age must we really still depict black men with strait hair?
There's two different wigs, one black for darker skinned men (ie Norm and Ramin), and one brown for lighter skinned men, but both wigs are slicked back, straight hair.
I assume it's so the wire around the mask can easily slip on and off the wig.
Katie Tucker
And also, Norm and Ramin's wigs are definitely brown. If you look closely in certain scenes at the way the color reflects off the wigs, you can see that they give off a brownish glow.
You girls are wigging me out ...
Fabulous!
I agree, he is the best.
Personally they should’ve lowered the score for Norm. There were a couple of times where he wouldn’t sing the high A flat in “I have brought you” and “Down Once More”
It was a strain
Milton Aguilera in a way yes, but it’s really unhealthy for ones vocal health. Ones mix voices however, with training, can be far stronger than his/her chest voice, like me for example
Colm Wilkinson, Norm Lewis and Earl Carpenter are my favorite phantoms. Norm has the dominance and a deeper voice which i find fantastic and preferable in the role.
Only a baritone can present the real Phantom's aura.
he's a lyric baritone. the higher baritone although we seem to hear some kind of a tenor cause its kinda near the dramatic tenor range. just an opinion.
2:20 😳
Wow he's GREAT
Can someone please explain to me wtf just happened at 4:11 lol
+Taylor G The statue moved that The Phantom made in her image. Every show has done that...
Joseph Ryan Salvoro-Patterson Thank you:)
cough cough except for Cameron Mackintosh's version..
The statue isn't as prominent in that version, making her faint appear to have no cause. ;)
Krystal Harwood Cameron Macintosh/Really Useful Group did the original 1986 version dumbass.
He did the West End version of the ending!
good!!!!
Ramin is the best phantom everrr
WOW!!