The Phantom of the Opera
I know, shocker ya'll. I'm writing an entry that's not about writing. (Enjoy, Prl!)
Anyway, I just got home from the play. There's probably spoilers in here for it if you've never seen it or the movie. They redid the auditorium in my town to be able to have this play come here. It's playing April 19-May 14. I went with my mom and my sister.
Anyway, so we got into the theatre and first thing we picked up our paid reservation tickets. Our seats were in Row 10 (they've offered us Row 5 on the phone but they told us the chandelier would be above us and we were like uh, 10's fine.), seats 21, 22, and 23. Basically perfect! Very close and almost dead middle.
So after tickets we went and looked at souvenirs. $50 for a CD. Uh, no way. I got a $10 Phantom mug that has a black mask on it that turns white with heat. Hee. My sister wasn't sure what she wanted at that time though and I was like oh well we can check back at intermission. She was debating between a glow in the dark t-shirt and a book.
So we got in and the show started at 7:30pm. We got to sitting down and the stage is all misty and gray. And a covering said Chandelier. So I'm going to compare to the movie a lot and little to the book cause I've seen and read (though not the book very recently. I read it in High School.)
Anyway, I realized it would start out like the movie with an auction immediately and that the stage would go from old and dusty to new and everything during the Overture. Heh, I was right. What I wasn't expecting however was the "little illumination" line where you're sitting in the theatre in almost complete dark, with them lifting the cover over the chandelier with this HUGE, BRIGHT BLUE SPARK. I felt blind for a second there. Then the "Phantom of the Opera" music kicks on on and hee, I got all excited, I love that song.
And then it goes into the Hannibal start. I think the ballet scenes are more well done in the play. They're kind of glossed over in the movie. And that slave driver running with his whip was kind of creepy. We had the Carlotta understudy apparently so I guess her role could have been a little better in retrospect, bigger somehow, but I mostly enjoyed her at the time. And that guy with her, Piangee (sp?) or something, the chubby guy who plays Don Juan at first in the end, heeee! So funny. He was totally following Carlotta around and hanging on her every word.
It took me awhile in the first scene to pick out Christine. They're really careful not to do much with her until she's suddenly picked out to replace Carlotta. I picked out Meg right away of course, the blond *l* Oh so Christine starts singing in her sparkly slave outfit and then like Meg and Madame Giry and others gather around her midway through "Think of Me". Which slightly different lyrics than the movie, but I wasn't surprised about that. "Think of me, think of me fondly when we've said goodbye. Remember me, every so often promise me you'll try." I don't know, the movie lyrics flowed better to me most of the time but maybe that's just cause I'm used to them. I listen to my movie soundtrack enough.
I was still impressed by all the opera singing. Christine Daae, some Marie lady was sooo good. I felt for her singing so, so much practically all the time. A lot lines spoken in the movie are sung. So after he performance, Christine gets lot of praise, the ballet girls get in trouble and have to practice on the side of the sage while this other set piece serves as Christine's room within the opera house. It had stairs a door, a vanity table and of course a big mirror. When Christine sings in the mirror at first, all you could see reflected was the orchestra conductor. He was easier seen than the Phantom behind it.
So interesting part, music kicks on and mirror opens and Phantom and Christine go behind it and then they slink off into the darkness off stage and like HALF A SECOND Later they're way up on this ramp at the top of this stage that tips back and forth so you can tell they're heading down, down, down. So people are like hmm, stand ins, lightning fast elevator. It's a mystery how they did that.
I love the misty lake and candles and the boat part. I wish there'd been a horse. They said the horse in the movie is a nod to the book. So I realized it must not be in the play. But aw, I miss the horse. They had a giant fake elephant for Hannibal. Why not a giant fake horse? Oh and they sing one more verse of phantom than they do in the movie so it ends with the one with "and in this labyrinth where night is blind..."
So yeah, Music of the Night, Phantom sings and paws at Christine as usual. And then he takes her over to this like broken mirror replica of her in a wedding dress. She doesn't faint upon seeing it, only when it rocks forward arms all outstretched. It seemed like maybe a person played the replica. I don't know, couldn't tell and other stuff was happening. But she faints, he covers her up. Except he left her lying on the floor and she woke up sleeping in the boat/bed. I don't know when he moved her. So she gets up immediately (instead of after the magic lasso scene like in the movie) Makes sense. Would have been a funny set change JUST to put it right back.
So she wakes up, sings her mist song, pulls off the mask. And phantom goes OFF at her of course. Though play-phantom, way more physically violent than movie one. He sure grabbed and threw Christine around a LOT. At one point she's all curled up in this scared little ball, and he's laying on the floor ,crawling across the stage singing "Stranger than you Dreamt It" where they did an excellent job of never showing the deformed side of his face. Though how much control does it have to take to sing while lying flat on your belly? Wow. Phantom rocked. He did such a fantastic job, of just showing how messed up that guy was. He always stood and moved like he was creepy and sickly and in pain.
Okay, blah, blah, magic lasso, then the Letters Song. Except during the huge stage numbers and Phantom's Lair there were always curtains draped halfway across the stage. It just gave it more dimension. Very cool. Okay, Prima Dona song, I could NOT understand them singing. They all just drowned each other out and it was a jumble. The only disappointing number in the whole show for me. Maybe it was Understudy Carlotta's fault.
I do not blame understudy Raoul for much. He was soooo cute. Cuter than regular Raoul who I saw pictures of in the booklet. Blond hair...Just adorable.
Okay, so next Opera performance, Carlotta back in her lead roll, Christine the page boy disguised as a maid. The guy playing Carlotta's opera husband whose she cheating on was funny, explaining how he was going to hide and watch what was going to happen. They had a bed they kept bouncing on in the opera within the play. Just didn't recall that in the movie. Just kissing behind a fan. Anyway, Phantom showed up at the VERY TOP of the stage, behind some gold molding decoration to start the croaking. The chandelier kept flashing. I thought it was going to fall right then. My sister didn't even realize Phantom was up there at first. Heh.
So right hanging messes up ballet, Raoul and Christine go up to the roof. A piece of gold statue sinks lower than usual while they sang. Christine totally drowned out Raoul for "All I Ask of You" at first :lol: but then she adjusted to singing with him. Then the gold statue sank even lower and out comes Phantom. Tee hee! I wonder if there were footholds or a harness for him. It looks totally unsteady and he had to sing very loudly.
They return to the play (unlike in the movie) and woohoo, Chandelier comes sliding down and into the stage. I thought it would go more into the audience but it didn't. So it hits and again GIANT BLUE BLINDING Flash.
And intermission. My sister and I went to the bathroom and then my sister bought a book. We went back, sat down. It was a 20 minute Intermission started from around 8:50 to 9:10. Just flew by. And then we were at Masquerade. I LOVE Christine's outfit during the ball. It was lavender and pink! Oh and right here, I KNEW the lines Raoul and Christine said were supposed to be sung, because in the movie they totally rhymed "Think of it, our secret engagement, look your future bride, just think of it, but why is it secret, what have we to hide." So I know in a documentary the mannequins are supposed to move. :( But they didn't in this version during the song. Phantom's skull mask getup ALL creepy.
So order changes around a bit here. With another letters song "Notes/Twisted Every Way) and then them convinced Christine to do the Don Juan thing and Christine and Carlotta getting into a bit of a fight. Christine is soooo obviously unsettled. (I LOVE THE ACTRESS, she did such a great job!) and she refuses and runs off.
Oh and Madame Giry told Raoul her story about the Phantom around this time too. Again different from the movie. This time Phantom was a grown man in a cage, not a boy. And there was no Room of mirrors! The mirror thing was such a short flash in the movie too. They always skimp on that.
Alright, hmm, oh okay here's a part I totally didn't get, a very funny Don Juan rehearsal, Christine just shows up at after refusing to be in it. There was nothing that explained why she changed her mind. She was already in cloak though and she whispered to Meg a lot. I considered she just came to say goodbye to Meg actually before going to the cemetery. So another special effect, the piano at rehearsal starts playing by itself. Hehe. It really was playing too.
So Christine goes to cemetery, which wasn't much to look at. One tomb, gated, and then this like overgrow with leaf bridge and cross. Phantom stood way up on leaf bridge. There was no sword fight. Phantom shot these giant orange sparks from a staff at her and Raoul though. And then at the end these heated flames SHOT OUT OF THE STAGE and scared me and I could feel that heat for AWHILE afterwards too. (Btw, by scared I mean I jumped a bit. I didn't scream or anything. *lol*)
So then the guards are preparing for the Phantom being trapped during the play. The phantom's voice suddenly starts coming from all over the stage and auditorium. I kept looking for him. *l* And guard guy keeps shooting off his pistol, loud noise, smoke. The Don Juan play begins. Okay, I hadn't realized what this play was about in the movie. Two guys plotting to trick some girl into thinking one guy is the other guy, get her drunk and seduce with her. No wonder the "Point of No Return" song is supposed to happen within it.
So in the movie you totally know Don Juan's been replaced like immediately. But in the play it happens behind the curtain and the guy comes out so fully cloaked you can't see his face at all. But he's obviously taller than Piangi and I'd know those Phantom Fingers anywhere. Christine of course doesn't know and is singing along until she feels the guy's cloaked face and freaks realizing she felt a mask under there. Her expression was perfect. And meanwhile Phantom's all like overjoyed at being touched by her. But of course then she reveals him and for some reason pistol people come out and walk away again like they're not ready yet I guess. And then Phantom gets mad and runs off with her.
And again he's all throwing her around so meanly. (Sidenote: hand at the level of your eye stuff SO MUCH BETTER EXPLAINED in the play than it ever is in the movie) I mean Christine just ends up so scared especially when Raoul gets lassoed. And Phantom all actually threw Christine to the ground and laid on top of her for a little while meaning all mean and threatening. I thought Emmy Rossum had actually done a good job of showing Christine's fear and stuff at this part in the movie but this Christine just soooooo upset. And then Phantom long kiss and people are like crying when Christine hands over the ring at the end.
*l* Phantom took the ring and her hand and it was like "Let go. Is he going to let go?" He did. Very cool at this part, the Phantom's lair had these barred gates that came down, opened for Raoul to get in, and closed again. They were as tall as the whole stage. People climb down those gates at the end of the play to come after Phantom. He goes and sits in his throne and covers himself with a black cloak. I wanted to watch him. I mean I totally meant to but then there was Meg and I was watching her and I KNEW by the time the cloak was moved he'd be gone. Just left behind is the mask with a lovely white spotlight wherever it goes.
Anyway, end play, everyone comes out and bows. Raoul, Christine got nice cheers. And then Phantom got HUGE cheers. So overall I loved, loved loved! And hey, did you know Phantom became the longest running play on Broadway in January of this year? Surpassed cats. Hee.
So, I had a wonderful time and I thought let me write this all up while I remember. And yay, my headache from all the flashes in finally gone. Hope ya'll enjoyed reading about it. I'm off to go have a cup of tea in my new mug!
Anyway, I just got home from the play. There's probably spoilers in here for it if you've never seen it or the movie. They redid the auditorium in my town to be able to have this play come here. It's playing April 19-May 14. I went with my mom and my sister.
Anyway, so we got into the theatre and first thing we picked up our paid reservation tickets. Our seats were in Row 10 (they've offered us Row 5 on the phone but they told us the chandelier would be above us and we were like uh, 10's fine.), seats 21, 22, and 23. Basically perfect! Very close and almost dead middle.
So after tickets we went and looked at souvenirs. $50 for a CD. Uh, no way. I got a $10 Phantom mug that has a black mask on it that turns white with heat. Hee. My sister wasn't sure what she wanted at that time though and I was like oh well we can check back at intermission. She was debating between a glow in the dark t-shirt and a book.
So we got in and the show started at 7:30pm. We got to sitting down and the stage is all misty and gray. And a covering said Chandelier. So I'm going to compare to the movie a lot and little to the book cause I've seen and read (though not the book very recently. I read it in High School.)
Anyway, I realized it would start out like the movie with an auction immediately and that the stage would go from old and dusty to new and everything during the Overture. Heh, I was right. What I wasn't expecting however was the "little illumination" line where you're sitting in the theatre in almost complete dark, with them lifting the cover over the chandelier with this HUGE, BRIGHT BLUE SPARK. I felt blind for a second there. Then the "Phantom of the Opera" music kicks on on and hee, I got all excited, I love that song.
And then it goes into the Hannibal start. I think the ballet scenes are more well done in the play. They're kind of glossed over in the movie. And that slave driver running with his whip was kind of creepy. We had the Carlotta understudy apparently so I guess her role could have been a little better in retrospect, bigger somehow, but I mostly enjoyed her at the time. And that guy with her, Piangee (sp?) or something, the chubby guy who plays Don Juan at first in the end, heeee! So funny. He was totally following Carlotta around and hanging on her every word.
It took me awhile in the first scene to pick out Christine. They're really careful not to do much with her until she's suddenly picked out to replace Carlotta. I picked out Meg right away of course, the blond *l* Oh so Christine starts singing in her sparkly slave outfit and then like Meg and Madame Giry and others gather around her midway through "Think of Me". Which slightly different lyrics than the movie, but I wasn't surprised about that. "Think of me, think of me fondly when we've said goodbye. Remember me, every so often promise me you'll try." I don't know, the movie lyrics flowed better to me most of the time but maybe that's just cause I'm used to them. I listen to my movie soundtrack enough.
I was still impressed by all the opera singing. Christine Daae, some Marie lady was sooo good. I felt for her singing so, so much practically all the time. A lot lines spoken in the movie are sung. So after he performance, Christine gets lot of praise, the ballet girls get in trouble and have to practice on the side of the sage while this other set piece serves as Christine's room within the opera house. It had stairs a door, a vanity table and of course a big mirror. When Christine sings in the mirror at first, all you could see reflected was the orchestra conductor. He was easier seen than the Phantom behind it.
So interesting part, music kicks on and mirror opens and Phantom and Christine go behind it and then they slink off into the darkness off stage and like HALF A SECOND Later they're way up on this ramp at the top of this stage that tips back and forth so you can tell they're heading down, down, down. So people are like hmm, stand ins, lightning fast elevator. It's a mystery how they did that.
I love the misty lake and candles and the boat part. I wish there'd been a horse. They said the horse in the movie is a nod to the book. So I realized it must not be in the play. But aw, I miss the horse. They had a giant fake elephant for Hannibal. Why not a giant fake horse? Oh and they sing one more verse of phantom than they do in the movie so it ends with the one with "and in this labyrinth where night is blind..."
So yeah, Music of the Night, Phantom sings and paws at Christine as usual. And then he takes her over to this like broken mirror replica of her in a wedding dress. She doesn't faint upon seeing it, only when it rocks forward arms all outstretched. It seemed like maybe a person played the replica. I don't know, couldn't tell and other stuff was happening. But she faints, he covers her up. Except he left her lying on the floor and she woke up sleeping in the boat/bed. I don't know when he moved her. So she gets up immediately (instead of after the magic lasso scene like in the movie) Makes sense. Would have been a funny set change JUST to put it right back.
So she wakes up, sings her mist song, pulls off the mask. And phantom goes OFF at her of course. Though play-phantom, way more physically violent than movie one. He sure grabbed and threw Christine around a LOT. At one point she's all curled up in this scared little ball, and he's laying on the floor ,crawling across the stage singing "Stranger than you Dreamt It" where they did an excellent job of never showing the deformed side of his face. Though how much control does it have to take to sing while lying flat on your belly? Wow. Phantom rocked. He did such a fantastic job, of just showing how messed up that guy was. He always stood and moved like he was creepy and sickly and in pain.
Okay, blah, blah, magic lasso, then the Letters Song. Except during the huge stage numbers and Phantom's Lair there were always curtains draped halfway across the stage. It just gave it more dimension. Very cool. Okay, Prima Dona song, I could NOT understand them singing. They all just drowned each other out and it was a jumble. The only disappointing number in the whole show for me. Maybe it was Understudy Carlotta's fault.
I do not blame understudy Raoul for much. He was soooo cute. Cuter than regular Raoul who I saw pictures of in the booklet. Blond hair...Just adorable.
Okay, so next Opera performance, Carlotta back in her lead roll, Christine the page boy disguised as a maid. The guy playing Carlotta's opera husband whose she cheating on was funny, explaining how he was going to hide and watch what was going to happen. They had a bed they kept bouncing on in the opera within the play. Just didn't recall that in the movie. Just kissing behind a fan. Anyway, Phantom showed up at the VERY TOP of the stage, behind some gold molding decoration to start the croaking. The chandelier kept flashing. I thought it was going to fall right then. My sister didn't even realize Phantom was up there at first. Heh.
So right hanging messes up ballet, Raoul and Christine go up to the roof. A piece of gold statue sinks lower than usual while they sang. Christine totally drowned out Raoul for "All I Ask of You" at first :lol: but then she adjusted to singing with him. Then the gold statue sank even lower and out comes Phantom. Tee hee! I wonder if there were footholds or a harness for him. It looks totally unsteady and he had to sing very loudly.
They return to the play (unlike in the movie) and woohoo, Chandelier comes sliding down and into the stage. I thought it would go more into the audience but it didn't. So it hits and again GIANT BLUE BLINDING Flash.
And intermission. My sister and I went to the bathroom and then my sister bought a book. We went back, sat down. It was a 20 minute Intermission started from around 8:50 to 9:10. Just flew by. And then we were at Masquerade. I LOVE Christine's outfit during the ball. It was lavender and pink! Oh and right here, I KNEW the lines Raoul and Christine said were supposed to be sung, because in the movie they totally rhymed "Think of it, our secret engagement, look your future bride, just think of it, but why is it secret, what have we to hide." So I know in a documentary the mannequins are supposed to move. :( But they didn't in this version during the song. Phantom's skull mask getup ALL creepy.
So order changes around a bit here. With another letters song "Notes/Twisted Every Way) and then them convinced Christine to do the Don Juan thing and Christine and Carlotta getting into a bit of a fight. Christine is soooo obviously unsettled. (I LOVE THE ACTRESS, she did such a great job!) and she refuses and runs off.
Oh and Madame Giry told Raoul her story about the Phantom around this time too. Again different from the movie. This time Phantom was a grown man in a cage, not a boy. And there was no Room of mirrors! The mirror thing was such a short flash in the movie too. They always skimp on that.
Alright, hmm, oh okay here's a part I totally didn't get, a very funny Don Juan rehearsal, Christine just shows up at after refusing to be in it. There was nothing that explained why she changed her mind. She was already in cloak though and she whispered to Meg a lot. I considered she just came to say goodbye to Meg actually before going to the cemetery. So another special effect, the piano at rehearsal starts playing by itself. Hehe. It really was playing too.
So Christine goes to cemetery, which wasn't much to look at. One tomb, gated, and then this like overgrow with leaf bridge and cross. Phantom stood way up on leaf bridge. There was no sword fight. Phantom shot these giant orange sparks from a staff at her and Raoul though. And then at the end these heated flames SHOT OUT OF THE STAGE and scared me and I could feel that heat for AWHILE afterwards too. (Btw, by scared I mean I jumped a bit. I didn't scream or anything. *lol*)
So then the guards are preparing for the Phantom being trapped during the play. The phantom's voice suddenly starts coming from all over the stage and auditorium. I kept looking for him. *l* And guard guy keeps shooting off his pistol, loud noise, smoke. The Don Juan play begins. Okay, I hadn't realized what this play was about in the movie. Two guys plotting to trick some girl into thinking one guy is the other guy, get her drunk and seduce with her. No wonder the "Point of No Return" song is supposed to happen within it.
So in the movie you totally know Don Juan's been replaced like immediately. But in the play it happens behind the curtain and the guy comes out so fully cloaked you can't see his face at all. But he's obviously taller than Piangi and I'd know those Phantom Fingers anywhere. Christine of course doesn't know and is singing along until she feels the guy's cloaked face and freaks realizing she felt a mask under there. Her expression was perfect. And meanwhile Phantom's all like overjoyed at being touched by her. But of course then she reveals him and for some reason pistol people come out and walk away again like they're not ready yet I guess. And then Phantom gets mad and runs off with her.
And again he's all throwing her around so meanly. (Sidenote: hand at the level of your eye stuff SO MUCH BETTER EXPLAINED in the play than it ever is in the movie) I mean Christine just ends up so scared especially when Raoul gets lassoed. And Phantom all actually threw Christine to the ground and laid on top of her for a little while meaning all mean and threatening. I thought Emmy Rossum had actually done a good job of showing Christine's fear and stuff at this part in the movie but this Christine just soooooo upset. And then Phantom long kiss and people are like crying when Christine hands over the ring at the end.
*l* Phantom took the ring and her hand and it was like "Let go. Is he going to let go?" He did. Very cool at this part, the Phantom's lair had these barred gates that came down, opened for Raoul to get in, and closed again. They were as tall as the whole stage. People climb down those gates at the end of the play to come after Phantom. He goes and sits in his throne and covers himself with a black cloak. I wanted to watch him. I mean I totally meant to but then there was Meg and I was watching her and I KNEW by the time the cloak was moved he'd be gone. Just left behind is the mask with a lovely white spotlight wherever it goes.
Anyway, end play, everyone comes out and bows. Raoul, Christine got nice cheers. And then Phantom got HUGE cheers. So overall I loved, loved loved! And hey, did you know Phantom became the longest running play on Broadway in January of this year? Surpassed cats. Hee.
So, I had a wonderful time and I thought let me write this all up while I remember. And yay, my headache from all the flashes in finally gone. Hope ya'll enjoyed reading about it. I'm off to go have a cup of tea in my new mug!