Another POTO post
I'll make it snappy, I promise.
A friend of mine and I went to see POTO in London, with the same cast again, in my case. We had seats right up the front this time, and loved it. You feel part of the show there, with the proscenium literally around you, and the chandelier whooshing past, and it's exhilarating. The level of detail, even that close, is unbelievable -- the satyrs on the proscenium arch have *jewels in their decorations*! (Yes, they are plastic, but come on, it's theatre.) And the tassels and various bits and bobs of costumes are fun to study. Also I was pleasantly surprised that the make-up didn't look too exaggerated, and didn't break the illusion even when the Phantom's mask is off. You could just see the mics, but it didn't bother me at all. The flares were freaky, and the rush of heat from the 'flames' as the Phantom disappears in Masquerade had the whole front row attempt to back into our row -- quite funny, but also very full-on.
The one drawback of sitting so close and off to one side is that some dialogue-style scenes are difficult to observe closely -- one or other of the characters tends to be half-turned away. The effect it has is to change my perspective on charactersiation somewhat. For one thing, I liked Raoul a lot more -- because this time I was close enough to observe his heated exchange with Mme Giry during "Primadonna", and generally more of the scenes where he is a background presence. For another, I didn't feel quite as keenly for the Phantom, perhaps partly because I was too busy ogling the scenery. :D Also Christine sounded a little less 'cockney', but she still conveyed the impression of being a wolf in sheep's clothing (my friend concurred, so I have some external corroboration now).
Random thoughts, more notes to self than anything else:
- Christine's cape in AIAOY is green, not red, because she is thinking of/fearing death and murder - not love.
- Don Juan Triumphant has the line 'poor fool hasn't got a chance' (is it my imagination, or is it 'poor thing' in the film?) Anyway, seems to me it mirrors the 'poor fool' of Il Muto (the cuckolded husband having the last laugh, etc).
- Madame Giry sounds genuinely happy at the Masquerade, when they all think they are rid of the Phantom at last (though on what grounds, I still don't know).
- Christine yelling at the tomb in the cemetery scene still makes me laugh. I know what she's trying to achieve with the notion of singing to the Phantom as much as her father, but at the same time it's completely hilarious moment to have a temper tantrum. Or maybe it's just me. :D
Anyway, as Monsieur Camembert sing - 'a good time was had by all'.
A friend of mine and I went to see POTO in London, with the same cast again, in my case. We had seats right up the front this time, and loved it. You feel part of the show there, with the proscenium literally around you, and the chandelier whooshing past, and it's exhilarating. The level of detail, even that close, is unbelievable -- the satyrs on the proscenium arch have *jewels in their decorations*! (Yes, they are plastic, but come on, it's theatre.) And the tassels and various bits and bobs of costumes are fun to study. Also I was pleasantly surprised that the make-up didn't look too exaggerated, and didn't break the illusion even when the Phantom's mask is off. You could just see the mics, but it didn't bother me at all. The flares were freaky, and the rush of heat from the 'flames' as the Phantom disappears in Masquerade had the whole front row attempt to back into our row -- quite funny, but also very full-on.
The one drawback of sitting so close and off to one side is that some dialogue-style scenes are difficult to observe closely -- one or other of the characters tends to be half-turned away. The effect it has is to change my perspective on charactersiation somewhat. For one thing, I liked Raoul a lot more -- because this time I was close enough to observe his heated exchange with Mme Giry during "Primadonna", and generally more of the scenes where he is a background presence. For another, I didn't feel quite as keenly for the Phantom, perhaps partly because I was too busy ogling the scenery. :D Also Christine sounded a little less 'cockney', but she still conveyed the impression of being a wolf in sheep's clothing (my friend concurred, so I have some external corroboration now).
Random thoughts, more notes to self than anything else:
- Christine's cape in AIAOY is green, not red, because she is thinking of/fearing death and murder - not love.
- Don Juan Triumphant has the line 'poor fool hasn't got a chance' (is it my imagination, or is it 'poor thing' in the film?) Anyway, seems to me it mirrors the 'poor fool' of Il Muto (the cuckolded husband having the last laugh, etc).
- Madame Giry sounds genuinely happy at the Masquerade, when they all think they are rid of the Phantom at last (though on what grounds, I still don't know).
- Christine yelling at the tomb in the cemetery scene still makes me laugh. I know what she's trying to achieve with the notion of singing to the Phantom as much as her father, but at the same time it's completely hilarious moment to have a temper tantrum. Or maybe it's just me. :D
Anyway, as Monsieur Camembert sing - 'a good time was had by all'.