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About a Year and Half Ago Michael Crawford Recorded an
Album "On Eagles's Wings", Here Is One Of His More Ispirsational
Songs"On Eagle's Wings"
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord
Who abide in his shadow for life
Say to The Lord: "My Refuge
My Rock in Whom I Trust!"
And he will Raise You up on eagle's wings
Bear you on the breath of of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His Hand
You Need not fear the terror of the night
Nor the arrow that flies by day
Under his Wings your refuge
His Faithlness your shield
For to his Angels He's given a Command
To guard you in all of your ways
Upon their Hands they will bear you up
Lest you dash your foot against a stone
And he will raise you up on Eagle's Wings
Bear you on the breath of Dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you
And hold you
And hold you
Hold you in the palm of his hand
Bio On Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford, who won acclaim for his suave Phantom
in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, took the
name fans now sigh over from a biscuit box.
Such is the nature of this man's career and life, combining
both the expected and unexpected. An acclaimed actor and a
celebrity who is not unaware of his humanity are the result.
Michael was born Michael Patrick Dumble-Smith on January 19, 1942,
in Salisbury, in Wiltshire, England. His father, a war pilot, had
perished in action prior to Michael's birth; Michael's mother raised
him first with the aid of his grandmother, with whom the actor would
share a life-long closeness, and later her second husband, a grocer.
Michael's relationship with his stepfather was, by all accounts, rocky,
and as a student, he was not destined to succeed. The arts became his outlet;
singing first in the school choir and later in Benjamin Britten's Let's Make
an Opera, Michael grew enamored enough of the entertainment profession to leave
school at fifteen to tour in the Britten production.
A stream of radio shows and children's movies marked Michael's adolescent career.
In 1962, he finally began to emerge as a star with two successes: a large part
in the film, The War Lover, starring Steve McQueen, and a hit on the stage in the
Neil Simon comedy, Come Blow Your Horn. Comedy then became his specialty;
Michael's was a familiar voice in Great Britain when he began, in 1964, the BBC
television series, Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life, playing the part of
motor-cyclist punk, Byron. He moved on to more films,including,
The Knack...and How to Get It, in which he played a role to become typical for him,
that of the adorable bumbler.
The success of The Knack brought Michael to another Richard Lester film,
an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum.
Michael played the romantic hero named--well, Hero. He took on another Lester project
immediately afterwards, How I Won the War, in which he played opposite none other than
John Lennon.
Michael's star was rising, beginning to glow even in America. He was introduced
to American audiences in 1967, when he made his Broadway debut in the two plays, White Lies
and Black Comedy. The former, which involved a great deal of physical comedy
(and physical pain, for the star),attracted the interest of Gene Kelly. Kelly, who was
casting the movie of Hello, Dolly!, engaged Michael for the part of Cornelius Hackl
in a cast that included Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau. Despite the glittering
cast names, the movie failed badly. The colossal bomb of Hello, Dolly! at the box office
set off a streak of film disappointments in Michael's career. While his career
floundered, personal problems also arose; the tensions during this period were allegedly
partly at root for his divorce a few years later from his wife, Gabrielle, with whom he
had two daughters, Lucy and Emma. The divorce did not sour the family bond; Michael remains,
by all accounts, a close friend to Gabrielle and seems to have always been an extremely
concerned father.
While his marriage died, his career revived itself in 1971, when Michael played
the lead in the stage farce, No Sex, Please--We're British. He moved from there to what
would become his famous role before Phantom, the part of Frank Spencer. His BBC TV series,
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, made him a genuine star in Britain, where the ratings for the show
consistently soared. Michael even won a "Funniest Man on TV" poll for the part, and was
allegedly contacted by American television productions to make an American version of
Some Mothers.
The success of the TV show provided Michael with the opportunity to return to theater.
He had a hit in 1974 as the lead in the musical, Billy, and followed that with the short-run
but artistically challenging, Flowers For Algernon. In that show, Michael was at last
permitted to tap his dramatic potential to bring to life the character of the retarded boy,
Charly.
The financial failure of Flowers brought Michael briefly back to television,
where he played a counter-character role in the series, Chalk and Cheese. The show was not
well received by loyal fans of both Michael the musical star and Michael as the endearing
Frank Spencer, and it did not succeed. Disappointed in TV, disappointed in film, where he
bombed at the box office in the comedic adventure, Condorman, Michael went back to the site
of his last success, the theater. There, in 1981, he had his most famous theatrical part
prior to Phantom. For four years, he played the lead role in the musical, Barnum, in which
he combined his love of song with his brand of daring physical comedy.
He received an Olivier for his performance and more than one commentator speculated
that the show could run indefinitely, so long as Crawford was in it.
But, wound down from nightly physical abuse in the name of entertainment, Michael
eventually left Barnum for what was to be a long-overdue vacation. It was then that he was
officially hired for a project of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Webber, searching for
a Phantom to put opposite his then-wife, Sarah Brightman, in his nascent Phantom of the
Opera, had heard Michael singing at Sarah and Michael's mutual voice instructor.
Theater history was made.
In 1986, Michael created the role for which he would become internationally and
permanently famous. His Phantom was noted for a hypnotic voice and a romantic interpretation
that did not shy away from either the Phantom's rage or his agonized sexuality.
In all three cities in which Michael created the role (London, Broadway, and Los Angeles),
Michael received reviews that hailed his as a once-in-a-lifetime performance.
For his Phantom, Michael garnered an Olivier Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award,
the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award, the Drama-Logue Award,
the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award, and the celebrated Tony for Best Actor in a Musical.
Producers did not fail to recognize that the voice famed in Phantom might turn out a
successful album or two. Michael accordingly launched a recording career,
beginning with the release of Songs from the Stage and Screen. He toured with a later album,
the 2-million-selling Michael Crawford Performs Andrew Lloyd Webber, from 1991-1992.
When Michael's tour ended, murmurs arose again about the proposed filming of Phantom for
the big screen. But, as the years passed and the film seemed no closer to completion,
Michael again returned to the theater. But this time, not on Broadway or the
West End--Michael went to Vegas.
In 1995, Michael Crawford signed on to perform the leading roles in a new Las Vegas
extravaganza, "EFX!" The $40 million production, written especially for Michael
(and at some points, by Michael), is currently playing at the MGM Grand. Michael left
"EFX!" in the fall of 1996, due to the return of a hip/groin injury incurred earlier in
the difficult physical stunts of the show. On January 26, 1998, Michael filed suit against
the MGM Grand for the termination of his contract at EFX and for the physical problems
he incurred allegedly as a result of his work there. (N.B., it seems the case settled
out of court.) This came after a series of movements on Michael's part, apparently
in a bid to return to the public eye. In November of 1997, he headlined a series of
concerts in Sydney, Australia to publicize the opening of the Star City Casino,
appearing alongside acts like Air Supply, Tom Jones, and Diana Ross. He popped up in
a variety of private concerts in the California area during the winter,
missing the New York celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera
due to prior commitments. It is looking less likely that Michael will appear in the
film version of Phantom, the lead for which has been alternately assigned by the media
to John Travolta and Antonio Banderas. Word from Banderas' agent has it that Banderas
has signed, but this has not been confirmed with either Warner Brothers,
the Really Useful Group, or Michael Crawford.
Michael's 1998 was quite busy, regardless of the movie: he promoted the release
of his album of nspirational/religious songs, On Eagle's Wings, and had an
Emmy-nominated PBS special running across the country. Michael spent the spring/summer
on tour with TJ-Maxx's An Evening With Michael Crawford in Concert, which ran through
the US, NZ, and Australia. An album based on the concert was released in October
of 1998 (Michael Crawford In Concert) in the US, while MC did press in the UK,
including a cameo appearance on the long-running Brit soap, Coronation Street.
Busy as 1998 was, Michael hasn't taken a breather in 1999. In May,
he appeared in Atlantic City and Foxwoods, CT concerts, before disappearing till August,
when he appeared again at Cerritos. Surprised and delighted fans soon saw the product
of his non-concert time: his autobiography, Parcel Arrived Safely: Tied With a String,
hit the shelves in the UK, followed with a January 2000 US release. Michael's fall
was spent spent doing book signings in the UK, with appearances in 2000 slated for
Australia and New Zealand. A Christmas album, In the Moon of Wintertime, came out
under the new title, "A Christmas Album." Although Michael has not made any stage
commitments known, he has finally spoken up on the topic of the "Phantom" movie.
He admitted not knowing where he stood with it, has said he'd be interested in doing
the voice dub if need be, and sent a message to fans. He publicly thanked fans throughout
the year for their support, saying that while he didn't like to do the "schmoozing"
necessary for Hollywood support, he was enormously flattered and gratified by the fans'
enthusiasm on his behalf.
Not that such modesty has put a stop to MC's career. On the contrary, 2000 is
already shaping up to be an exciting adventure. Word has it that MC was in talks to star
in a West End musical in May, The Witches of Eastwick, but pulled out due to other
commitments. As 2000 shapes up, we'll be sure to see what precisely those other plans were.
Michael Crawford as "Phantom"
Thanks To Krista's Michael Crawford Site For This Information
<b>Peter Karrie Biography</b> 
Peter Karrie was born on 10th August 1946.
He grew up in south Wales, where his first
audience was the cows on his grandmother's farm. His first
success was as the lead singer in the band Peter and the Wolves,
which opened concerts for bands including the Rolling Stones.
Peter toured the country as a singer, and then went to London,
busking until he got his first part in a show. He went on to star
in most of the major musicals - Jean Valjean in Les Miserables
(on three runs), the American in Chess, Che in Evita, and Judas
in Jesus Christ Superstar. He created the role of John
Blackthorn in Shogun, and has also played James Dean in Dean and
Angelo in Fire Angel.
Peter is best known for playing the role of the Phantom in The
Phantom of the Opera in London, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore
and Hong Kong. He was twice voted the favourite Phantom of
members of the international Phantom Appreciation Society. He is
currently playing the Phantom in Toronto. The Vancouver Sun
described his performance in the role as "definitive".
Peter has appeared in concerts around the world, on television
and on the radio. His own Beyond the Mask concert tour
has been an international success, selling out many venues and
receiving excellent reviews. He has also hosted his own
programme on Radio Wales as well as being a guest star on many
stations.
Peter's solo album Theatrically Yours contains songs from
the shows he has starred in, including "I Need to Know" and
"Pride and Prejudice" from Pride and Prejudice, and "No Man" and
"One Candle" from Shogun. Mike Gibb, reviewing the album in
Masquerade magazine wrote "If you enjoy listening to the best
show songs performed magnificently then I can do no better than
highly recommend Theatrically Yours."
Peter has also created the roles of Darcy on the concept
recording of "Pride and Prejudice", Nosferatu on "Nosferatu, the
Vampire", and Don John on "Much Ado" (all by Bernard J Taylor).
Taylor wrote the role of Nosferatu with Peter's voice and range
in mind. "I wanted to create a part which would allow him to show
of the full rang of his vocal and dramatic abilities," said
Taylor, "and I am thrilled with the result. He has a tremendous
range in his singing, both vocally and emotionally. I think his
performance on the recording is electrifying from start to finish
full of light and shade. I cannot think of any other singer who
could have performed it as well as Peter." He hopes Peter will
create the part on the West End when the show gets there.
Peter is married and has six children
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MY TRIBUTE TO THE ANGEL OF MUSIC: SARAH BRIGHTAN
Still has a little work to be done!
Hi I thought that you may enjoy these Pictures and
Links, Alot are From The Phantom of The Opera, Les Miserables,
Sarah Brightman, Michael Crawford,The Toronto Blue Jays.
I Dedicate this Page To My Partner Brian and Many
Friends:
Rick,Dennis,Lew,Terry,Matt,Michelle,JudiHojnacki,Tom,Robert,
Maitre/Scott,Scoop/MacKenzie,Birgie,Elden,James,and Sarah
Brightman
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with alot of Cool Links
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