The Phantom of the Opera Comparisons - Michael Crawford (OCR) vs. Gerard Butler (2004Mov.)

Please view/listen with the accompanying survey (further details below): https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6WYPPL9

Most would agree that Michael Crawford, from the Original Cast Recording and Gerard Butler, from the 2004 Motion Picture, had the best portrayals of the Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera. However, there seems to exist a contested division between Crawford and Butler, between their respective portrayals of the Phantom, and between the stage and movie versions. Although this video can only minimally compare these two phenomenal stars, hopefully you may gain some insight from the comparison of their singing voices.

This video extracts six excerpts—three from Act I and three from Act II—from both of The Phantom of the Opera soundtracks. Crawford and Butler's Phantoms are contested alongside each other for the viewer to decide who sings the excerpt better. Please follow along the video with the survey posted at the top of the description (likely in an annotation as well). In each question, three options are displayed for each excerpt: 1. Michael Crawford sings better, 2. Gerard Butler sings better, 3. Tie. Additional space is provided for your comments.

My survey results and opinions on each excerpt [edited 6/30/14]:

Excerpt 1: Crawford
This moment marks the Phantom's first entrance into the tenor range, and should be mysterious yet beautiful. Butler's fit "mysterious" perfectly, but Crawford wins due to his excellent vibrato and sensitivity he places on each note, particularly on "Phan...(tom of the Opera)."

Excerpt 2: Crawford
Crawford completely conquered this one. Bold and powerful, his vibrato dominated Butler's lack thereof, and Crawford's high note was sublime, while Butler's was shorter and slightly flat.

Excerpt 3: Butler
A close one, but Butler wins by the absolute power and emotion in his voice. His first few notes were a little gritty, but perhaps this was intentional, given the Phantom's pain and pure hatred for Raoul's and Christine's love. Crawford's beginning was too bright for the occasion, though his signature long last note and maniacal laugh were nice touches.

Excerpt 4: Butler
Also a close one, but Butler triumphs again by the emotional texture in his voice; I could listen to it again and again and could still be chilled by the love heard in his uncommon use of warm vibrato. I would deem this Butler's best-sung line in the entire movie.

Excerpt 5: Crawford
This excerpt highlights a great weakness in Butler's vocals due to limited range; he yells on the last note as opposed to Crawford's dazzling vibrato. Although the scream seems just as emotionally effective, the pitch and texture were overall not clear.

Excerpt 6: Tie
Crawford demonstrated exceptional airflow to have provided the Phantom's smashing final lines and to have held the final note for the perfect length. At the same time, I liked how Butler sung the octave down first, then moved to the tenor register, which highlighted the pain and anguish of the Phantom well for his last lines in the production.

Rankings:
Michael Crawford - 5
Gerard Butler - 4
Partly due to Butler's inexperience, his vibrato and range had not developed as well as Crawford's had, and Crawford could hold much longer notes than Butler. But Butler's power and emotion were sometimes superior to Crawford, and those qualities made him comparable to such an experienced singer as Crawford.

Thank you for participating in this examination of The Stage vs. The Screen.