I'm always surprised when I learn actors are also gifted singers. Gwyneth Paltrow did a duet cover of "Cruisin'" with Huey Lewis, and not only can Oscar Isaac sing, but he can also play the guitar.
I don't know how long I've been a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music, but I've always thought Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one of the most underrated musical works by Andrew Lloyd and his former, long-time collaborator Tim Rice.
I recently learned Gerard Butler played the Phantom in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical The Phantom of the Opera, which was excellently directed by the late Joel Schumacher.
Gerard Butler is an actor whose films I would go see without seeing the trailer or knowing anything about the movie, but The Phantom of the Opera came out a few years before his breakout role in 300. With the mask, the Scottish actor is not readily recognizable in the film and was relatively unknown then.
The music of The Phantom of the Opera is as beautiful as its story. The title character can be identified as a villain or even a monster, but you have to be heartless not to sympathize with him. Gerard Butler was perfectly cast for the role, both for his acting ability and musical talent.
Around the time The Phantom of the Opera first came out on Broadway in the late 1980s, I was captivated by a performance of "The Music of the Night" I saw on TV, and the song is still my favorite from the musical. I might be biased, but I think Gerard Butler's rendition of "The Music of the Night" is among the best because, even though he was not a trained singer, he sang his heart out with such range and emotion.
You may no longer see a production of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, but there's always the movie, which was co-written and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber himself. The outstanding cast includes Emmy Rossum as Christine and Patrick Wilson as Raoul, but, in my humble opinion, Gerard Butler's performance alone was Oscar-worthy.
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