I BOUGHT INTO THE GIANT TOURIST TRAP
...and that's basically all it was. A giant tourist trap.
(No lie, there were tourists in Pittsburgh holding a map they printed off the internet trying to find the theatre I felt a bit sorry for them.)
Cast: 10. Hands down. Tim Martin Gleason, you can kidnap me and threaten my imaginary boyfriend with a punjab whenever you like. His voice honestly fit the part so well, much better than any Phantom I've heard since Michael Crawford. (I'm picky when it comes to Phantoms, so sue me.) Trista Moldovan started out a little shaky, but she knocked Phantom of the Opera out of the water. Legit. Kim Stengel, you were my favorite. Keep being the awesome, hilarious, bitchy diva that Carlotta is.
Orchestra: ten million and five. I loved them. The conductor was incredible and I watched him whenever I got bored or couldn't see properly (see: lighting). I didn't really "feel" the music like you sometimes can, but it was still extremely well done.
Set: You pick: -10 or 10. Extremely lavish and detailed and beautiful, and so many pieces that you wonder how the hell they all fit. They used the space they had very well. But are the intricate sets there to make up for the terrible lighting and the laboriously long scene changes and unnecessary blackouts??? Up to you to decide.
Costumes: 10. It's Phantom of the Opera and let's be honest, the costumes have always been incredible. Go watch the special feature on your PotO 2004 DVD about the Broadway stuff. You'll see what I mean.
Lighting: Negative one hundred. OH MY GOD, WOULD IT FUCKING KILL YOU TO ILLUMINATE THE FUCKING STAGE??? I get it. Phantom of the Opera is a dark musical set to a dark story. The Phantom lives in an underground lake. Yeah, I understand that. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU NEED TO MAKE THE ENTIRE SHOW SO DARK THAT I COULDN'T SEE HALF THE TIME!!! Even the spotlights were dim at some points, which means that the people up really close to the stage could probably see just fine and got an intimate look at everything, but that means I'm squinting and I can't figure out who's who or where the voices are coming from. TURN. UP. THE. FUCKING. LIGHTS.
Score: 10. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Even though I despise Andy, I can't help but admit that he writes good stuff. And Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart are like, the best ever. So yeah, good music.
Story: 7. WHAAAAT??? HOW COULD YOU GIVE IT A SEVEN, RAEANN??? ARE YOU STUPID OR SOMETHING??? No, actually I'm just spoiled with literature. You know, like the original novel and Phantom by Susan Kay. Those stories were multi-layered and beautifully written and interesting and kept you wondering. This musical is predictable and parts of it were dull and poorly-worded. There were also parts that seemed stuck in for no reason, like the rehearsal of Don Juan. One second you've got Christine saying how she can't do it and how frightened she is, then she's in rehearsal? Continuity, people.
So all in all, I'd say it lands a solid 8. Am I glad I forked out *an amount of money I will not disclose* for my ticket? No. My seat was not worth that much money. But I am glad that I saw the show. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon and I did enjoy myself. I just didn't enjoy squinting at the stage because somebody didn't go to lighting school. *is bitter*
(No lie, there were tourists in Pittsburgh holding a map they printed off the internet trying to find the theatre I felt a bit sorry for them.)
Cast: 10. Hands down. Tim Martin Gleason, you can kidnap me and threaten my imaginary boyfriend with a punjab whenever you like. His voice honestly fit the part so well, much better than any Phantom I've heard since Michael Crawford. (I'm picky when it comes to Phantoms, so sue me.) Trista Moldovan started out a little shaky, but she knocked Phantom of the Opera out of the water. Legit. Kim Stengel, you were my favorite. Keep being the awesome, hilarious, bitchy diva that Carlotta is.
Orchestra: ten million and five. I loved them. The conductor was incredible and I watched him whenever I got bored or couldn't see properly (see: lighting). I didn't really "feel" the music like you sometimes can, but it was still extremely well done.
Set: You pick: -10 or 10. Extremely lavish and detailed and beautiful, and so many pieces that you wonder how the hell they all fit. They used the space they had very well. But are the intricate sets there to make up for the terrible lighting and the laboriously long scene changes and unnecessary blackouts??? Up to you to decide.
Costumes: 10. It's Phantom of the Opera and let's be honest, the costumes have always been incredible. Go watch the special feature on your PotO 2004 DVD about the Broadway stuff. You'll see what I mean.
Lighting: Negative one hundred. OH MY GOD, WOULD IT FUCKING KILL YOU TO ILLUMINATE THE FUCKING STAGE??? I get it. Phantom of the Opera is a dark musical set to a dark story. The Phantom lives in an underground lake. Yeah, I understand that. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU NEED TO MAKE THE ENTIRE SHOW SO DARK THAT I COULDN'T SEE HALF THE TIME!!! Even the spotlights were dim at some points, which means that the people up really close to the stage could probably see just fine and got an intimate look at everything, but that means I'm squinting and I can't figure out who's who or where the voices are coming from. TURN. UP. THE. FUCKING. LIGHTS.
Score: 10. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Even though I despise Andy, I can't help but admit that he writes good stuff. And Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart are like, the best ever. So yeah, good music.
Story: 7. WHAAAAT??? HOW COULD YOU GIVE IT A SEVEN, RAEANN??? ARE YOU STUPID OR SOMETHING??? No, actually I'm just spoiled with literature. You know, like the original novel and Phantom by Susan Kay. Those stories were multi-layered and beautifully written and interesting and kept you wondering. This musical is predictable and parts of it were dull and poorly-worded. There were also parts that seemed stuck in for no reason, like the rehearsal of Don Juan. One second you've got Christine saying how she can't do it and how frightened she is, then she's in rehearsal? Continuity, people.
So all in all, I'd say it lands a solid 8. Am I glad I forked out *an amount of money I will not disclose* for my ticket? No. My seat was not worth that much money. But I am glad that I saw the show. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon and I did enjoy myself. I just didn't enjoy squinting at the stage because somebody didn't go to lighting school. *is bitter*