Stop everything, we have an important news update for you.
It just so happens this is also the best Theater-related Olympics story you’ll read in 2012, so, prepare ye.
Michael Crawford is coaching Great Britain’s Synchronized Swimming team. That’s right, y’all. The Phantom of the Opera is a coaching synchronized swim. For the Olympics.
What are his qualifications, you ask? Well, besides YEARS of rehearsal in the lake under the Opera Populaire in Paris, duh, Crawford has coached Olympians in the past. Torvill and Dean, to be exact, Great Britain’s gold medal winning ice-dancing team. Crawford was even present, ringside, for their perfect scoring Bolero routine at the 1984 Olympics.
This summer The Phantom’s Great Britain’s synchronized swimmers will be performing a Peter Pan number, and Crawford has helped them with their acting—you have to make a crocodile face when you’re playing the crocodile, yo—and contributed narration to their performance track as well.
Synchronized Swimming begins on August 5th and we already have our DVRs set, natch. In the meantime, you can check out some video of Crawford and the team here.
