Ben mentioned on his recent Reddit AMA that he was over singing as a result of not being able to hear himself properly (due to the prosthetic) for so many years. The Majestic’s sound system also hasn’t been updated since the 80’s when Phantom came in, so getting an in-ear monitor or smth wasn’t possible.
Yea I noticed this too, I like both a lot, the newer version has much stranger pronunciation but he goes much less hard on the deepening and it sounds less aggressive.
definitely noticed this. saw him in january and he seemed exhausted the whole time, especially in act one. i was surprised he didn't call out after intermission
To my ear, it sounds like he's singing with a higher larynx in 2023. Where his voice is resonating has changed, which is why it sounds different. I'm classically trained, so prefer the 2018 version. And he sounds more like a tenor in 2018 to my ear; the high notes sound more free.
I saw Ben twice in January and he gave everything. MAGNIFICENT performances from him. His voice is OUTSTANDING. Luckily, I got audio recordings of both shows, and I’m comparing them to this video and they sound different. His fundamental tone is the same but he gives different performances every time. Which is really cool. He likes to change things up. He’s my favorite Phantom. He is marvelous.
Clearly the audio is better in the recent recording. It’s hard to compare to the 2018 recording because the audio isn’t that good. Vocally, he’s stronger in the first one. On a side note it would’ve been better to play all the 2023 clips followed by the 2018 clips. Voices can change over the years and performers evolve with the the role. A good friend of mine known for playing Jean Valjean did just that.
There is definitely a difference and I like both. I saw Davis in the 90s and love his voice so the 2018 version of Ben is great. However I’ve seen Ben twice in the past year, and both times he was amazing and it works with his pairing with Emilie. In fact, the performance I recently saw in Nov was absolutely perfect, and if I never see Phantom again I’m glad that was the show I’ll remember it by. I think the newer sound is probably what he thinks works best for now. Definitely a difference and more vibrato back then.
I heard he had vocal cord injuries/infections, which sound hellish to go through. I hope he's doing okay. Although 2018 sounds stronger, I think 2023 suits the character more. It's more ghostly and unique. I'm just saying, a self-taught, aging singer living like a hermit in the damp sewers isn't going to sound like 2018 Crawford. And I'm not trying to be mean, he sounds good in both imo, especially considering all the health issues he was/is going through. Imagine a tuba player sounding decent after their instrument fell down the stairs. It's still impressive
I really like both his 2018 and 2023. Ben is magnificent, he’s my favorite Phantom. His voice is awesome. If I had to pick between his 2018 or 2023, I would have to say I like his 2023 rendition more. You can definitely tell how he has matured as the Phantom over the years. He sounds outstanding.
I saw it yesterday for the matinee performance and his voice indeed sounded like that. I think it sounded like a mix of Michael Crawford and Ramin Karimloo.
Why did Ben disappoint you? Ben’s my favorite Phantom. He has an awesome voice. However, it seems like people’s biggest complaint about him is his strange acting choices he makes sometimes. I’ve seen Ben 4 times and he is absolutely amazing, so I know his performance really well and he’s wonderful
@@PhantomOperaWickedTheaterPhan he’s just not my favorite Phantom vocally, though he DOES have an amazing voice! I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the ways he pronounces certain words, I guess? but his acting was on point and I loved his point of no return!! It’s definitely interesting to hear how his voice has changed, though!
Ben sang MOTN so much better before (2018). The 2023 sounds so stale and no emotion, and it sounds like a teen boy is singing it. The 2018 version sounds so clean and crisp
@@juliettegold9419 The whole song excluding the "I have brought you..." bit is pre-recorded. The Erik actor's shouts for Chrstine to sing are performed live. But I've heard that some Christine actresses choose to do the ending high notes live on occasion as well!
I saw him 2022 and it was so disappointing and lackluster. It felt like watching a frat boy on stage dressed as the phantom. There was no true elegance or presence. However the whole show felt rehearsedly robotic. It wasn’t ben’s voice as much as how he sang it though, which was extremely “let’s get it over with”. However listening to his 2023 recording here, it doesn’t even sound like him? It sounds like he went full nasal? So sad! I also know he called out for the last performances so perhaps he really had nothing left to give….
I saw him…mid March, 2023. He was absolutely atrocious, and it was pretty disappointing he didn’t have the sense to leave when the role caught up to his voice. That was my one and only original production experience, and to call him sub-par would be GENEROUS. He wasn’t even on pitch. He SCREAMED the All I Ask reprise. Glad they pulled him for the final shows, but I think it was a year late.
I know I’m like almost a year after your comment, but he had an off-season in March. He took sick for most of the month. He matured afterward, it just took a toll on his voice
You shouldn’t hate on him for not wanting to give up the role of a lifetime, especially as the Broadway show was nearing its end. The hate is unnecessary.
@@Buskeeeeeeee oh dude, no. I’m not inflating it, it was BAD. His Phantom changed a LOT post Covid, and he was clearly dancing around some major vocal damage with some VERY strange placement and vowel choices. He was pretty great when he started, and I CERTAINLY understand holding on to it for dear life, but he needed to leave and rest. It would not surprise me if he’s permanently wrecked his voice, which would’ve been an avoidable tragedy.
@@swanben11I saw him in November of 2022 and he sounded fantastic. His interpretation of the phantom and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. Calling him “atrocious” isn’t constructive criticism, it’s plain disrespect. Yeah it was clear he was sick and his vocals weren’t as strong towards the end of the show, so he should be praised for giving it his all even when he was in a bad state. He still sounded great in this recording albeit not as rich as he sounded in 2018.
yeah agreed. i think he has a very versatile and pretty resonant voice but in this role he tends to flatten his vowels (if that’s the right term?) for some reason which leads to a pretty nasal/sharper sound and also gets in the way of his natural vocal power a bit. for some reason he didn’t do that as mr salt though.
@@onlygiovanniallthetime yeah! he has a great voice but he uses it in a Really uncomfortable way in this show for some reason and it makes him sound overly aggressive. maybe like you said with alex brightman its the contemporary MT influence on the vocals? i heard his mr salt after his phantom and it was reassuring to find that he could actually sing things more loosely in a more natural register haha
Ben mentioned on his recent Reddit AMA that he was over singing as a result of not being able to hear himself properly (due to the prosthetic) for so many years. The Majestic’s sound system also hasn’t been updated since the 80’s when Phantom came in, so getting an in-ear monitor or smth wasn’t possible.
Yea I noticed this too, I like both a lot, the newer version has much stranger pronunciation but he goes much less hard on the deepening and it sounds less aggressive.
definitely noticed this. saw him in january and he seemed exhausted the whole time, especially in act one. i was surprised he didn't call out after intermission
Same
His vowels sound really weird in 2023...2018 was stellar!
I love how he sounds in 2018, why is 2023 so different. It’s kinda a shame because he sounded great
His 2023 pronunciation reminds me of Alice Ripley in Next To Normal, sounds amazing in the 2018 video tho
To my ear, it sounds like he's singing with a higher larynx in 2023. Where his voice is resonating has changed, which is why it sounds different.
I'm classically trained, so prefer the 2018 version. And he sounds more like a tenor in 2018 to my ear; the high notes sound more free.
Doing such a Demanding Role for So Long will DEFINITELY take a Toll on One’s Vocal Chords!!!!!!!
Ok so I saw Ben last night and he was fantastic!! Maybe he had an off night before. He sounded amazing and his acting is always on point!!!
Yeah Ben is magnificent!
He sounded better in 2018.
I saw Ben twice in January and he gave everything. MAGNIFICENT performances from him. His voice is OUTSTANDING. Luckily, I got audio recordings of both shows, and I’m comparing them to this video and they sound different. His fundamental tone is the same but he gives different performances every time. Which is really cool. He likes to change things up. He’s my favorite Phantom. He is marvelous.
I 100% agree. I saw Ben in Phantom yesterday and he was amazing!
Have to agree, Love Ben. I think I first saw it in 2021 even then he changed so much. I personally I love how 'rolled' his vowels are.
Clearly the audio is better in the recent recording. It’s hard to compare to the 2018 recording because the audio isn’t that good. Vocally, he’s stronger in the first one.
On a side note it would’ve been better to play all the 2023 clips followed by the 2018 clips.
Voices can change over the years and performers evolve with the the role. A good friend of mine known for playing Jean Valjean did just that.
There is definitely a difference and I like both. I saw Davis in the 90s and love his voice so the 2018 version of Ben is great. However I’ve seen Ben twice in the past year, and both times he was amazing and it works with his pairing with Emilie. In fact, the performance I recently saw in Nov was absolutely perfect, and if I never see Phantom again I’m glad that was the show I’ll remember it by.
I think the newer sound is probably what he thinks works best for now. Definitely a difference and more vibrato back then.
Your Chanel is the best xo 🤗 😘
I heard he had vocal cord injuries/infections, which sound hellish to go through. I hope he's doing okay. Although 2018 sounds stronger, I think 2023 suits the character more. It's more ghostly and unique. I'm just saying, a self-taught, aging singer living like a hermit in the damp sewers isn't going to sound like 2018 Crawford. And I'm not trying to be mean, he sounds good in both imo, especially considering all the health issues he was/is going through. Imagine a tuba player sounding decent after their instrument fell down the stairs. It's still impressive
I really like both his 2018 and 2023. Ben is magnificent, he’s my favorite Phantom. His voice is awesome. If I had to pick between his 2018 or 2023, I would have to say I like his 2023 rendition more. You can definitely tell how he has matured as the Phantom over the years. He sounds outstanding.
I saw it yesterday for the matinee performance and his voice indeed sounded like that. I think it sounded like a mix of Michael Crawford and Ramin Karimloo.
I saw it a few weeks ago and thought the exact same thing!!
His vowels were more wide than they were round
Just not a big fan of his portrayal, but his voice was much better early on. His vocals seem beat down over the past year.
I watch the phantom in january of 2023, but ben crawford was singing like 2018
I’m ngl he completely disappointed me when I saw him in February and a lot of people around me were talking about his strange “choices” 😅
Why did Ben disappoint you? Ben’s my favorite Phantom. He has an awesome voice. However, it seems like people’s biggest complaint about him is his strange acting choices he makes sometimes. I’ve seen Ben 4 times and he is absolutely amazing, so I know his performance really well and he’s wonderful
@@PhantomOperaWickedTheaterPhan he’s just not my favorite Phantom vocally, though he DOES have an amazing voice! I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the ways he pronounces certain words, I guess? but his acting was on point and I loved his point of no return!! It’s definitely interesting to hear how his voice has changed, though!
@@emilyvannatterYeah, I really like how his voice has matured over the years
Seems to happen to singers who play the role- I've noticed Earl Carpenter's timbre changed too.
Ben sang MOTN so much better before (2018). The 2023 sounds so stale and no emotion, and it sounds like a teen boy is singing it. The 2018 version sounds so clean and crisp
Hmmm, could he be doing it deliberately? Like, trying to sound more “ghost” like? 🤔 if it’s not intentional, I think he sounds exhausted
I wish they would have done the Title Song.
The Title Song is prerecorded so it would sound the same in both recordings.
@@finleyforevermore wait what?? what part is pre-recorded?
@@juliettegold9419 The whole song excluding the "I have brought you..." bit is pre-recorded. The Erik actor's shouts for Chrstine to sing are performed live. But I've heard that some Christine actresses choose to do the ending high notes live on occasion as well!
He sounds like he's damaged his voice tbh
I saw him 2022 and it was so disappointing and lackluster. It felt like watching a frat boy on stage dressed as the phantom. There was no true elegance or presence. However the whole show felt rehearsedly robotic. It wasn’t ben’s voice as much as how he sang it though, which was extremely “let’s get it over with”.
However listening to his 2023 recording here, it doesn’t even sound like him? It sounds like he went full nasal? So sad! I also know he called out for the last performances so perhaps he really had nothing left to give….
I saw him…mid March, 2023. He was absolutely atrocious, and it was pretty disappointing he didn’t have the sense to leave when the role caught up to his voice. That was my one and only original production experience, and to call him sub-par would be GENEROUS. He wasn’t even on pitch. He SCREAMED the All I Ask reprise. Glad they pulled him for the final shows, but I think it was a year late.
I know I’m like almost a year after your comment, but he had an off-season in March. He took sick for most of the month. He matured afterward, it just took a toll on his voice
You shouldn’t hate on him for not wanting to give up the role of a lifetime, especially as the Broadway show was nearing its end. The hate is unnecessary.
@@Buskeeeeeeee oh dude, no. I’m not inflating it, it was BAD. His Phantom changed a LOT post Covid, and he was clearly dancing around some major vocal damage with some VERY strange placement and vowel choices. He was pretty great when he started, and I CERTAINLY understand holding on to it for dear life, but he needed to leave and rest. It would not surprise me if he’s permanently wrecked his voice, which would’ve been an avoidable tragedy.
@@swanben11I saw him in November of 2022 and he sounded fantastic. His interpretation of the phantom and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. Calling him “atrocious” isn’t constructive criticism, it’s plain disrespect. Yeah it was clear he was sick and his vocals weren’t as strong towards the end of the show, so he should be praised for giving it his all even when he was in a bad state. He still sounded great in this recording albeit not as rich as he sounded in 2018.
ben sounds always nasal to me. his mr salt much better
yeah agreed. i think he has a very versatile and pretty resonant voice but in this role he tends to flatten his vowels (if that’s the right term?) for some reason which leads to a pretty nasal/sharper sound and also gets in the way of his natural vocal power a bit. for some reason he didn’t do that as mr salt though.
@@brxzbze agreed. i was excited when he was annouced bc of his deep voice. he sounds uncomfortable. he''s more of an alex brightman than davis gaines
@@onlygiovanniallthetime yeah! he has a great voice but he uses it in a Really uncomfortable way in this show for some reason and it makes him sound overly aggressive. maybe like you said with alex brightman its the contemporary MT influence on the vocals? i heard his mr salt after his phantom and it was reassuring to find that he could actually sing things more loosely in a more natural register haha