Although Antonio Banderas was never given the opportunity to play the Phantom on cinema, he demonstrated his
acting prowess in a powerful and dramatic duet on ‘Phantom of the Opera’ with soprano Sarah Brightman.
At the Andrew Lloyd Webber Royal Albert Hall Celebration, the duo sang the song and displayed their amazing pipes and amazing chemistry.
Following the opulent pipe organ introduction, Brightman nailed the dramatic opening verse, showcasing why she rose to become one of the world’s best sopranos.
When Banderas finally appeared, the performance took on a smoldering intensity. When it was his turn to sing, he didn’t let the audience down either,
showcasing a strong and mesmerizing tenor vocal on the well-known tune. You can watch the 41 million times that the video has been viewed on YouTube below.
Prior to the 2004 film’s casting, Banderas expressed his long-standing desire in playing the lead role in a Phantom of the Opera movie,
stating, ‘If they need me or they think that I am the person to play that character on the big screen, I’ll be there.’
Although Banderas’s previous several films had not performed well at the box office, Gerard Butler was ultimately cast,
keeping the Spaniard in the running for the role. The song’s rendition featuring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum may be heard in the video below.
Online listeners responded quite well to Banderas’ portrayal of the Phantom, writing complimentary remarks like ‘Antonio did a masterful job of the slow stalking approach,
the unwavering gaze of an apex predator.’ It chilled me to the bone! & “Antonio is the ideal ghost;
his singing within reason and accent are flawless. Sarah is also wonderful; she has an incredible singing range.
To overwhelmingly positive reviews, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera debuted in London’s West End in 1986.
Michael Crawford played the Phantom in the performance, and Brightman, who was married to Webber at the time, played the lead part of Christine Daaé.
The production became the longest-running Broadway production as well as the second-longest running West End musical, trailing only Les Misérables.