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.