TOW: Phantom of The Opera

Nothing is quite as iconic in 90s musical theatre for me as the opening chords to the Phantom of the Opera.  Those chords foreshadow darkness and uneasiness, combined with an upbeat tempo, that suggests action and adventure.  The electric rock sound, contrasted with the operatic dreaminess of the rest of the musical numbers show how different the two worlds of Christine and the Phantom really are.  And watching the musical for the first time, in contrast to my first reading of the book, opened my eyes to new ideas on this iconic story.

For those who have never paid much attention to the Phantom of the Opera, it's a classic romance, in which Christine is torn between two male love interests.  The Phantom, who has threatened and tricked the theatre management into making Christine a star of the opera, and has fallen in love with her.  Raoul, her childhood friend, and benefactor of the opera, has found her in adulthood, and wishes to have a normal courtship with her as times would allow.  The Phantom teaches Christine how to sing, comes to her in the middle of the night, and is a creature of dreams and suggestion. In comparison, Raoul is a classic Prince Charming, not a devil of any kind, but a normal hero.

One of my theatre-going companions made the comment that a good Phantom has to be three S's: Scary, Seductive, and Sexy.  (She felt this one didn't have all the goods, unfortunately.)  And it's true, the whole point of the Phantom is that he is both a sexually appealing man with a mind for great things, and a monster of epic proportions, both physically and mentally.

Seeing the Phantom of the Opera in person, it reminds me that so much is determined by what we look like.  If he hadn't been hideous, if he hadn't a horrible disease, if his own family had loved him, if, if, if.  I think that's why, even with all his cruelty, we can sympathize with the Phantom.  He's a character who should be loved, but is unlovable.  It reminded me of how many people play in that world of darkness and magic, where as long as no one shines a light on them, they are mysterious, interesting, and powerful.  It is only when they are shown love, that we see them as they are: broken, wounded, and in great need.

Wedding #1 this summer

I just thought I would post some pictures, and some memories I had of this wedding:

• Got to see my brother's office and where he works
• Got to hang out with my nieces, who are growing like weeds
• Made some new friends with the groomsmen
• Hung out with both my dads on father's day this year, for the first time in what must have been 10 years

For one weekend, I had so many laughs, my throat hurt!  So much family love.