Thinking about Phantom and The Shadow.
Yeah, I know, I haven't posted in ages! Lazy blogger syndrome. What can I say?
Anyway, Mom and I were listening to Phantom tonight, because, of course, it is October 9th (or was until half an hour ago)! And that makes it the twenty-fourth anniversary of when POTO first opened in London! Wow! And for all that I've been totally obsessed with The Shadow lately, I simply couldn't bring myself not to honour the occasion. And I'm so glad I did! Man, listening to it again reminds me why I love that show so much, and why it's had such incredible staying-power! As Mom said, it really packs an emotional punch!
It also got me thinking, though, about the similarities and differences between the characters of the Phantom and The Shadow, because in many ways they're very close to one another. Both are masters of concealment and illusion, both are incredibly skilled at using black attire to hide themselves within shadows. Both are, as Harold Prince said of the Phantom, incredibly gifted and intelligent beyond most people. Indeed, both could reasonably be described as mad geniuses. Both are master-schemers, and both are very charismatic as well. Yet the Shadow uses his skills and intelligence in the service of justice, at least as defined by the laws of his day, while the Phantom uses his to gain power and even to exploit. Now, there are some very compelling reasons why he does so. The Phantom has essentially been driven to crime by society's lack of compassion and justice. And, as far as we know, the Shadow does not have a comparable background of oppression and exclusion driving him, so in some ways it's not fair to compare them. But to me, it actually makes the Phantom's story even sadder, because I see in the Shadow who the Phantom could have been had he not experienced so much injustice, or had some one shown him sooner the compassion which Christine finally did. In the Shadow, I see the Phantom's skills and genius, but used for the good of society instead of just being out for himself. I see the kind of force for good that the Phantom could have been if given half a chance and some healing help. Thank God at least, though, that he got at least a little of that in the end from Christine! And that's what makes the show so beautiful and powerful.
Interestingly enough, though, comparing the Phantom and the Shadow like this has changed my admiration for the Phantom. I still totally admire his skill and brilliance, and I still understand all too well his desire to take the society that screwed him over for all he can get out of it. Oppression and exclusion will do that! But I don't admire his crimes like I did when I first became a Phan. Back then, the Phantom could do no wrong as far as I was concerned, and I laughed with him as he exploited the managers, murdered Joseph Buquet and dropped the chandelier. But now I don't. I still understand why he has the desire to do those things, and I even get that, to him, its simply self-defense and carving out a place for himself in a hostile world. But I feel now, in a way that I didn't then, that, as understandible as his actions are, they're still wrong. And I even understand why they frightened Christine away from him in a way that I didn't, perhaps couldn't, in my early Phanship! Actually, those changes in my perception of the Phantom's actions have been growing for many years now. But the comparison with the Shadow has helped greatly to sharpen and focus them. I still love the show and the story, though, because, ultimately, the Phantom is redeemable and is redeemed. In the end, he turns away from evil and crime, and does the right thing with the help of Christine's compassion. And that, to me, is and always has been what makes the character and the story work. Because without that redemption, he'd be just another psychopath! And that redemption is what continues to make the character and story of the Phantom work for me even though my position on his behaviour has changed.
Anyway, Mom and I were listening to Phantom tonight, because, of course, it is October 9th (or was until half an hour ago)! And that makes it the twenty-fourth anniversary of when POTO first opened in London! Wow! And for all that I've been totally obsessed with The Shadow lately, I simply couldn't bring myself not to honour the occasion. And I'm so glad I did! Man, listening to it again reminds me why I love that show so much, and why it's had such incredible staying-power! As Mom said, it really packs an emotional punch!
It also got me thinking, though, about the similarities and differences between the characters of the Phantom and The Shadow, because in many ways they're very close to one another. Both are masters of concealment and illusion, both are incredibly skilled at using black attire to hide themselves within shadows. Both are, as Harold Prince said of the Phantom, incredibly gifted and intelligent beyond most people. Indeed, both could reasonably be described as mad geniuses. Both are master-schemers, and both are very charismatic as well. Yet the Shadow uses his skills and intelligence in the service of justice, at least as defined by the laws of his day, while the Phantom uses his to gain power and even to exploit. Now, there are some very compelling reasons why he does so. The Phantom has essentially been driven to crime by society's lack of compassion and justice. And, as far as we know, the Shadow does not have a comparable background of oppression and exclusion driving him, so in some ways it's not fair to compare them. But to me, it actually makes the Phantom's story even sadder, because I see in the Shadow who the Phantom could have been had he not experienced so much injustice, or had some one shown him sooner the compassion which Christine finally did. In the Shadow, I see the Phantom's skills and genius, but used for the good of society instead of just being out for himself. I see the kind of force for good that the Phantom could have been if given half a chance and some healing help. Thank God at least, though, that he got at least a little of that in the end from Christine! And that's what makes the show so beautiful and powerful.
Interestingly enough, though, comparing the Phantom and the Shadow like this has changed my admiration for the Phantom. I still totally admire his skill and brilliance, and I still understand all too well his desire to take the society that screwed him over for all he can get out of it. Oppression and exclusion will do that! But I don't admire his crimes like I did when I first became a Phan. Back then, the Phantom could do no wrong as far as I was concerned, and I laughed with him as he exploited the managers, murdered Joseph Buquet and dropped the chandelier. But now I don't. I still understand why he has the desire to do those things, and I even get that, to him, its simply self-defense and carving out a place for himself in a hostile world. But I feel now, in a way that I didn't then, that, as understandible as his actions are, they're still wrong. And I even understand why they frightened Christine away from him in a way that I didn't, perhaps couldn't, in my early Phanship! Actually, those changes in my perception of the Phantom's actions have been growing for many years now. But the comparison with the Shadow has helped greatly to sharpen and focus them. I still love the show and the story, though, because, ultimately, the Phantom is redeemable and is redeemed. In the end, he turns away from evil and crime, and does the right thing with the help of Christine's compassion. And that, to me, is and always has been what makes the character and the story work. Because without that redemption, he'd be just another psychopath! And that redemption is what continues to make the character and story of the Phantom work for me even though my position on his behaviour has changed.