Having never had the opportunity to see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA live in the West End, I settled on the next best thing; this DVD release of the show's 25th anniversary special, which took place in front of a huge audience at the Royal Albert Hall. It's a vivid, spectacular show full of the requisite sumptuous sets, costumes and damn good singing, and offers pretty much everything you could wish for from a musical.

As this is a filmed performance of a live musical, you have to remember it's not quite the same as being there. The cameramen focus on certain parts of the action in close up and miss out other sections; it's as if you're viewing the show through the funnel of somebody else's interest. Sometimes, the bigger picture is lost in favour of a moment of detail. On the plus side, you get to watch the show from the comfort of your own home, so it's all a question of weighing up the positives and the negatives.

The singers all give very good performances, particularly Karimloo and Boggess as Phantom and Christine respectively – there's no faulting them. This production includes an encore featuring appearances by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the original Phantom and Christine, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Values in terms of costumes, effects and scenery are strong, with the only disappointment the lack of the crashing chandelier set-piece; apparently, the effect couldn't be staged within the constraints of the Royal Albert Hall. Never mind – there's enough excellence elsewhere that it isn't missed too much.

Assuming one likes this musical (and few don't),I believe this is the finest film presentation of all, far surpassing the big budget movie of a few years ago (which I thought was pretty good). As others have said, the staging is magnificent with backlighting and projection enhancing the performances. The singing and acting are superb. Costuming goes beyond the pale. Also, we get the closeups one cannot have in a live performance. We get to see the emotional expression of the actors. There is little time wasted on minutiae as the play goes forward. Some of the highlights are the duet "All I Ask of You" and the magnificent "Masquerade." The three principles are all at the top of their game in this 25th anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall. It is a visual and auditory delight and I am excited that the play I have seen numerous times is there for the viewing.

Well, what can I say? One of the best musicals of all time, beautifully brought to life by a dream cast. Boggess and Karimloo have perfect voices, both alone and together. Fraser gives a fantastic performance as Raoul, bringing out the more heroic, protective side so often ignored. Boggess conveys every expression flawlessly, from elation to heartbreak. Erik's pain at the end is felt so keenly by viewers, as if they themselves experienced it. All the songs are sang brilliantly, but special praise must go to: the title song, Prima Donna, point of no return and the final song. The disappearance of the phantom at the end intrigued, as always!