The PHAAANTOM OOOOOOF THE OOOOOOOOOOOOPERAAAAAAAAAA!
So I recently went to New York with a group from school, and we did a hell of a lot of things there, but one of the most exciting things was we saw a couple Broadway plays.
On the last night we saw Wicked (.... you know, how the Wicked Witch of the West was actually pretty okay, originally starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who are pretty much Broadway legends). The version we saw didn't have Idina or Kristin, as they're now on to other things, but it did star Robin DeJesus - who, by the way, played Sonny in the original Broadway run of In the Heights. I have an autograph and a selfie with him, which pretty much made my whole life.
Anyway, I'd seen Wicked before, and it's very good. Like it's really really good and I always enjoy it. And you gotta respect how game-changing it is for musical theatre as a genre. But for me, it just did not hold a candle to Phantom of the Opera.
For those who don't know what Phantom of the Opera is, it's a musical based on a novel from about late 1800s I think, and it follows the story of an opera house which is haunted by a mysterious ghost, or "phantom". This "phantom" seems to be almost omnipresent, and nearly always a threatening presence to boot - a powerful ghost indeed, who demands a salary from the owners of the theatre every week and also demands that Box 5 be left perpetually reserved, presumably so that he can take it. He's also most likely the culprit of a lot of poltergeist-y things that happen around the opera - things that happen quite a lot, judging from Carlotta's prima donna fit about it. In her prima donna fit, she refuses to sing for the show, and a chorus girl by name of Christine steps up out of nowhere and blows them all away with a soprano voice that could match Carlotta - who knew? Well, the thing is, she's been having lessons from someone...someone she can't even name, except to call him the "angel of music".
And yeah, that all goes over really well.
So this was the first time I'd seen Phantom of the Opera, that week on Broadway. It was the first time, and the seats we had were very close to the stage, so it's possible that that played a role in why I loved it so much.
But there's more to it than that. There's a lot to Phantom that really came together for me. I love the story for one thing. Now, I read (what I'm pretty sure was a summarized, simplified, made-for-children version of) the book years and years ago, and I remember really enjoying it at the time. So the story's just always been something that's intrigued me. It just kind of revels in this sort of classical, yet Gothic thing, this in-between steampunk thing going on, and I love it. I mean, the title song is a good definition of steampunk on its own, I think - there's a lot of classical playing and singing going on, but at the same time, it was definitely not written in the Victorian era. The constant beat that keeps it going is such a modern tack, but it's so effective.
Like I'm in love with how Gothic it is.
But the music is also beautiful. I mean, even when it's dissonant and harsh, it's like that so carefully, and honestly, I've been listening to this soundtrack non-stop for the past few days (it's good homework music, go figure) and it's just, entirely, gorgeous.
If I have one complaint about the music, it's that they reprise a lot. Like, all the time - Angel of Music comes back like six times. Again, I do feel like it's sort of carefully done - they use the tune of Notes as the theatre owner's theme, and I do feel like they're using the music as its own language to convey things without having to listen to the lyrics they're actually singing (although it undoubtedly helps). So I do see what they're trying to accomplish, and they change it enough or put it in a different enough context so that it doesn't get annoying, it's just if you listen to the soundtrack over and over for three days straight. Like I have been.
I actually legitimately enjoy every character. Like, even Raoul, who exists almost entirely as a love interest for Christine. I actually cared about him. That almost never happens, and I think it's because he was actually genuinely supportive and comforting to Christine and not just "Hey you're pretty, why do you talk so much, the Phantom doesn't exist??????" And I liked Christine, I totally understood what she was about.
And of course, I adore the character of the Phantom.
I was having a discussion with my friend about the character of the Phantom, and I was talking about how he was indisputably my favourite character, which probably had quite a bit to do with the fact that villains are always way more interesting than the protagonists, and she responded with, "Well, I don't really consider him a villain."
And I sort of get that, but at the same time, let's not get carried away. The Phantom is a villain. I mean, he kills people. Multiple people. Like, with complete intention. He is a villain, but that doesn't make him one-sided by definition. He's totally a sympathetic villain by the end of it, and that's what makes him so interesting. I mean, he's not a good guy, but he is also a genius. He created this whole labyrinth under the opera house, and writes operas in his spare time and invents things. He's very passionate about music, and I think that's indicative of, y'know, a soul. And of course, he's been tormented his entire life - the mask is hiding a monstrous face which he was born with, and because of this (it was mentioned in the musical I think, but it was definitely in the book I read) he was treated as a freak for his whole life. Like, he was a circus attraction, and as such, he was abused. It's weird because I spend so much time reveling in how creepy and twisted the Phantom is, and yet when this exchange happens:
Raoul: Show some compassion!
Phantom: The world showed no compassion to me!
or when he gets his own little reprise of Masquerade:
Phantom: Masquerade... Paper faces on parade... masquerade... hide your face so the world will never find you...
Or, here's the one that really gets me, his brief reprise of Music of the Night the second time he abducts Christine before the grand finale:
Phantom: This face which earned a mother's fear and loathing/A mask, my first unfeeling scrap of clothing/ Pity comes too late! Turn around and face your fate!
I get a surprising amount of feelings.
My current favourite song from the show is Music of the Night, A.K.A the I-just-abducted-Christine-and-now-I'm-trying-to-get-her-to-embrace-my-darkness song. I mean, it's the creepiest thing ever, but musically, it's absolutely gorgeous. (Also in the original soundtrack, which starred Michael Crawford as the Phantom... Michael Crawford just has an extremely unique and wonderful voice, and it really makes it).
And that's kinda what I love about the show. It's so creepy and Gothic, but undeniably.... beautiful. I mean mostly the music, naturally, because it truly is, but I mean, the Phantom's resolution is beautiful as well, not to mention the elaborate-ass set that they have to pull off when they perform it - trapdoors and tilting bridges and crashing chandeliers and, like, beams of flame. It's incredible to see live, and none of it misses a beat.
I'm also really in love with the title song because of the suspense in the music. I don't wanna get too technical here, (but I kinda do because I'm an analytical bastard with a particular passion for music) but at the beginning of the fourth verse the suspense really gets going, and it's because the violins pick up and start this really cool pattern of ongoing eighth notes, and it doesn't stop, and it goes on incessantly without rest, and it becomes... this ticking clock in the background, but so much prettier. And it sounds repetitive, but it changes just enough to keep you off-balance. Gives me chills. And it's because of this one pattern in the music (although the rest of the song is just as fascinating, and Christine's super-human soprano powers at the end are worth listening to) that suddenly gives the suspense some renewed vigor, because suddenly you have this ticking clock, and you know one of them is running out of time, but you just don't know who.
Too long, didn't read: it's really beautiful, well-written music, and you should listen to the title song (preferably with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, because their voices are unique and wonderful) if only to listen to how all the parts fit together to create this marvelous suspenseful whole.
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in, to the power of the music that I write...
Yeah, I've had Music of the Night stuck in my head for a solid week, but it's just so pretty.
So yeah, if you ever have the chance to see this live, do it. Do not even hesitate. It is such a beautiful show, and it is such a spectacle to watch sometimes, and I mean, even when you can't make out the words they're saying (operatic pieces are like that sometimes) you're so wrapped up in the music you don't even care and the Phantom is just such a fascinating character and I just really adore this show a lot and I think everyone should experience it.
Off now to watch the movie and read the original novel as soon as humanly possible.
10/10, would watch infinitely.
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