Tag: i could CRY that steve and lil curly baby max are in the same post

operafantomet:

Blonde Raoul appreciation

The first couple of years blonde Raouls was the norm, as it’s how Maria Bjørnson made him appear in the design. Steve Barton was blonde in real life and also wore a blonde wig. And the Raouls to follow him – Michael Ball and Michael Cormick – were blonde, at least on stage. First in October 1989 did West End get a dark haired principal Raoul, with Robert Meadmore.

The original principal Raouls on Broadway 1988 (Steve Barton), Toronto 1989 (Byron Nease), Stockholm 1989 (Bengt Nordfors) and Hamburg 1990 (Hartwig Rudolz) were also blonde. First in the mid 1990s dark haired Raouls became the norm, and today people is so used to that look that blonde Raouls is commented on. Exceptions from recent years include Jeremy Hays on Broadway, Max Niemeyer in Oberhausen and Oedo Kuipers in Hamburg.