Thursday, February 05, 2004
Music of the Night
I got my Christmas present from Micki last night in the form of front-row tickets to my fourth viewing of The Phantom of the Opera. It's the best Christmas present ever. And let me just say, front row is So. Unbelievably. Awesome. It's quite the experience -- all those facial expressions! And you can see the set and the costumes in detail and take note of the little things that most of the audience can't see. Like the brief glimpse of the Phantom's face when he is unmasked the first time. Or the fact that Carlotta's masquerade costume is black and web-like, with bat wings. Hee. And that Meg is costumed as a boy, a subtle foreshadow of when she appears dressed in boy's clothes in the final scene.
Some people don't really understand why I would want to see the same play four (or five, or six, or twenty, because we all know I'm going to see it every time it tours) times. But it's like rereading a good book: you start to notice the great little details of the set(ting), the symbolism, ways different actors portray the roles (though I think about three of the actors I saw last night I've seen before in other performances of Phantom), further insight into the characters' motives, and the brief and seemingly insignificant moments in the play that speak of more emotion than some of the major melodramatic sequences.
If you haven't seen the play/watched the movie/read the book/been otherwise exposed to the storyline, you might want to avoid the next paragraphs.
I think my favorite part of the play is "Past the Point of No Return", as Christine, playing her role in the Phantom's opera as Don Juan's new conquest, comes up behind the disguised Phantom and sensually embraces him (as she's singing his highly suggestive lyrics, "how long must we two wait/before we're one?"). The opera and the song are the Phantom's creation, and it is part of his scheme to murder Piangi and take that role opposite Christine -- yet he barely knows what to do now that she's willingly touching him. Just when he begins to return the embrace, she realises who is under the cloak, and tears herself away from him. It's always one of the most subtle and well-acted parts of the play, as compelling as the kiss at the end.
Last night's performance was at least as good as the one I saw on Broadway a couple of months ago. The Phantom was especially good, a perfect combination of desperate lover and mad villian. He added emphasis to the duality of the Phantom's nature, illustrated by the mask: with the mask in place, the Phantom is composed and almost gentlemanly as he threatens and taunts the managers, patron, and diva of the theatre; to Christine he is almost tender, and it's clear why she is drawn to him. Without the mask he becomes a bitter, murderous madman, possessive and ruthless, and willing to do anything necessary to force Christine to love him.
Christine sang well, but her acting stuck me as a bit dull at times. She didn't play up the fact that the character is very torn between her loyalties to and love for three powerful men, nor did she emphasize the battiness of the character. One of the best parts about Christine is that she's almost as mad as the Phantom is. Until she realises that the Phantom is an ex-circus freak, she really and truly believes that he's an angel of music sent by her father from heaven. She talks about hearing him "singing songs in my head"; even when he appears at her father's mausoleum -- after she knows full well that he's just a gruesome, deformed man -- she wonders whether his voice is her father, speaking to her from beyond the grave.
Raoul was a bit enthusiastic, at least when he is with Christine. It was a slight twist on the character; usually Raoul is portrayed as being a very stoic protector-figure. He's a practical mind, always telling Christine that she's mistaken, that there is no Phantom. He loves her, but it's at times an almost paternal sort of love -- he's often more concerned just with keeping her safe. In any case, this Raoul emphasized the fact that he's totally head-over-heels for her as well as her protector. It was a nice little change.
The rest of the cast performed equally well, with the exception of Meg, who got on my nerves with her whiny, breathy voice. The role of Madame Giry made up for it, though -- she is one of my favorite characters, and the actress did her a lot of justice.
So... as usual, a wonderful play. I encourage you people to go see it if you ever have the chance. Really. It's the best. :)
| 10:01 AM |
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