It had to be said
Okay, I'm going to say this, and I'm sorry if I'm inadvertently offending anyone who has felt or acted the way I'm describing before, but I've gotta get this off my chest or it will simply fester within me until my head explodes!
Ramin & Sierra fanatics: I understand that you love this pair, but you need to learn to shut. up. We do not need to hear about it every single time there is a comment bar attached to something Sierra posts on her sites, or on any Phantom of the Opera related video, article, or image. They are already immensely popular. You will have no trouble at all finding others with similar tastes as there are entire message boards and fan pages, fan tumblrs, fan instagrams set up just for them. But why must you push to the rest of the world that they are the best Phantom and Christine to ever exist? Why must you also remind others that you think Ramin and Sierra are better than so-and-such? Why do we all need to hear it so often, even on posts that have nothing to do with them? Why would either one of them need to hear it again? I'm certain that at any given moment they are aware, probably with the hairs rising on the back of their necks, that you're fapping to their videos and wishing Ramin would divorce his wife for Sierra. (Which, by the way, is the pinnacle of disrespect to the both of them, whose choices about who they marry or don't marry are none of your business.)
Also, I just want to throw out how douchey it is towards other fans to say (as many but not all of said fanatics have said) that one's favorites are THE best or THE characters, because the implication of that is that it's objectively true, and anyone who doesn't agree has lesser taste. I love Sierra to death; she is my favorite ALW Christine, but damnit, there is no objective "best". She suits my tastes. She resonates with me. She's how I see Christine. She sounds good to my ears. Similarly, Ethan Freeman works for me. He's how I see Erik. I feel he comes closest to the Erik that I have perceived in the book. But everyone should be able to find their own performers whose interpretations of the roles resonate with them the most, so I would never push him (or Sierra, or anybody else I like) on others. I don't have an undying need to advocate for them like anyone who doesn't see how great they are is missing out. You alienate others by saying so-and-such is "the best". You disregard other actors by plastering Ramin and Sierra's names all over the comments on their performances. I don't even like Ramin, but I can't imagine writing on a video of him "Ethan Freeman is so much better" (even if that's true for me.)
Well okay, it's not that I dislike Ramin. He can be quite poignant with his body language, his expressions, his reactions; I see a lot going on with his interpretation: a lot of realism, a lot of personal fuel. There's nothing wrong with that; it's necessary to be convincing. But he's convincing as a separate but similar persona to me, not as Leroux's Erik. I can enjoy him, but I can't help but be irritated that he's become so many's ultimate favorite when Leroux's Erik is so absent in him, which (for me) really matters. Ethan Freeman seems to have read the book cover to cover a dozen times, with a determination to channel it in his performance, and that's probably what makes him obscure. I understand what's going on. Leroux's original character is nowhere near as suave, romantic, mysterious, or even wholesome as ALW's Phantom was designed to be so he would hold the layman's affection, which is what has kept the show running 25+ years. I would even go so far as to say that we might not even be talking about The Phantom of the Opera these days if ALW hadn't found that book sitting on a coffee table (or whatever it was that happened, memory doesn't serve me) and decided to, as I said, transform it into the layman's fantasy. Many who fall in love with his musical first (like I did when I was 15) are depressed and even disillusioned by the book, although many go through with reading it because they want to feel like they are more "legitimate" a fan. Anyway, going astray here, but I understand why the simple nod to the book that performers like Ramin give is preferred over the loyalty to it performers like Ethan Freeman show, and I can't force anyone to like Leroux Erik better or be looking for signs of him if they like the adaptation better than the source material. However, it's still disappointing and alienating being part of a fandom with that issue. A fandom with so many people chanting the same fucking names. (And to be fair, I do not like reading comments about how superior Michael Crawford was on videos of other Phantoms. That is equally obnoxious even IF I agreed with everything they said.)
Also, damnit, I need to do my Ethan Freeman post. The guy is a true character actor, similar to Max Schreck, for me (in fact my friend Emily recently said when I showed Ethan to her that he was moving around like Orlok!) He's no beefcake, no classic hero type, and he was not about to inch a character like Erik in that direction. He's also played other delightfully naughty roles, like Dracula, and now he's doing JAFAR in the Europeon production of Disney's Aladdin.
So there's the end of my rant, after not being here a week because I kept getting sick, but I will make more pleasant posts in the future. Here's the Ethan preview:
Ramin & Sierra fanatics: I understand that you love this pair, but you need to learn to shut. up. We do not need to hear about it every single time there is a comment bar attached to something Sierra posts on her sites, or on any Phantom of the Opera related video, article, or image. They are already immensely popular. You will have no trouble at all finding others with similar tastes as there are entire message boards and fan pages, fan tumblrs, fan instagrams set up just for them. But why must you push to the rest of the world that they are the best Phantom and Christine to ever exist? Why must you also remind others that you think Ramin and Sierra are better than so-and-such? Why do we all need to hear it so often, even on posts that have nothing to do with them? Why would either one of them need to hear it again? I'm certain that at any given moment they are aware, probably with the hairs rising on the back of their necks, that you're fapping to their videos and wishing Ramin would divorce his wife for Sierra. (Which, by the way, is the pinnacle of disrespect to the both of them, whose choices about who they marry or don't marry are none of your business.)
Also, I just want to throw out how douchey it is towards other fans to say (as many but not all of said fanatics have said) that one's favorites are THE best or THE characters, because the implication of that is that it's objectively true, and anyone who doesn't agree has lesser taste. I love Sierra to death; she is my favorite ALW Christine, but damnit, there is no objective "best". She suits my tastes. She resonates with me. She's how I see Christine. She sounds good to my ears. Similarly, Ethan Freeman works for me. He's how I see Erik. I feel he comes closest to the Erik that I have perceived in the book. But everyone should be able to find their own performers whose interpretations of the roles resonate with them the most, so I would never push him (or Sierra, or anybody else I like) on others. I don't have an undying need to advocate for them like anyone who doesn't see how great they are is missing out. You alienate others by saying so-and-such is "the best". You disregard other actors by plastering Ramin and Sierra's names all over the comments on their performances. I don't even like Ramin, but I can't imagine writing on a video of him "Ethan Freeman is so much better" (even if that's true for me.)
Well okay, it's not that I dislike Ramin. He can be quite poignant with his body language, his expressions, his reactions; I see a lot going on with his interpretation: a lot of realism, a lot of personal fuel. There's nothing wrong with that; it's necessary to be convincing. But he's convincing as a separate but similar persona to me, not as Leroux's Erik. I can enjoy him, but I can't help but be irritated that he's become so many's ultimate favorite when Leroux's Erik is so absent in him, which (for me) really matters. Ethan Freeman seems to have read the book cover to cover a dozen times, with a determination to channel it in his performance, and that's probably what makes him obscure. I understand what's going on. Leroux's original character is nowhere near as suave, romantic, mysterious, or even wholesome as ALW's Phantom was designed to be so he would hold the layman's affection, which is what has kept the show running 25+ years. I would even go so far as to say that we might not even be talking about The Phantom of the Opera these days if ALW hadn't found that book sitting on a coffee table (or whatever it was that happened, memory doesn't serve me) and decided to, as I said, transform it into the layman's fantasy. Many who fall in love with his musical first (like I did when I was 15) are depressed and even disillusioned by the book, although many go through with reading it because they want to feel like they are more "legitimate" a fan. Anyway, going astray here, but I understand why the simple nod to the book that performers like Ramin give is preferred over the loyalty to it performers like Ethan Freeman show, and I can't force anyone to like Leroux Erik better or be looking for signs of him if they like the adaptation better than the source material. However, it's still disappointing and alienating being part of a fandom with that issue. A fandom with so many people chanting the same fucking names. (And to be fair, I do not like reading comments about how superior Michael Crawford was on videos of other Phantoms. That is equally obnoxious even IF I agreed with everything they said.)
Also, damnit, I need to do my Ethan Freeman post. The guy is a true character actor, similar to Max Schreck, for me (in fact my friend Emily recently said when I showed Ethan to her that he was moving around like Orlok!) He's no beefcake, no classic hero type, and he was not about to inch a character like Erik in that direction. He's also played other delightfully naughty roles, like Dracula, and now he's doing JAFAR in the Europeon production of Disney's Aladdin.
So there's the end of my rant, after not being here a week because I kept getting sick, but I will make more pleasant posts in the future. Here's the Ethan preview: