13 year long love affair

I have had a 13 year love affair with The Phantom of the Opera. I remember sitting on the very back row of the very highest balcony in an LA Theater with my family passing the binoculars back and forth all night long the first time I saw it. We had to see his yucky face, you know. I think I remember cassie having nightmares for a little while. I also remember that on the 7 hour trip to California my played the soundtrack over and over again while she explained exactly what was going on in the play so that Cassie and I would understand exatly what was going on when we saw it for the first time. I have loved loved LOVED it ever since. I saw it again for a second time here at Gammage with Cassie, my mom, my dad and I think Mama Ginger, right here at gammage in the 3rd row. It was awesome! I remember that huge chandelier hanging over my head and crashing down right in front of my face. That just hightened my Love for this play.

I just saw it again on November 4th in the 4th row right here at gammage and I have to say that the Phantom that I know and love has changed a bit. I'm not a fan of the change.

I loved the movie. That was an okay change. I mean I'd totally marry that Phantom!

You see, the Phantom I know and love is seductive and wonderfully and skillfully manipulative. You have to try to tell yourself that he's bad otherwise you'd totally give into his dangerous world and charm. And his music would seduce any female. Well, any female with good hearing and knows what pitch is. He's dreamy and you can't help but want him, in a way. You want to give into all the beautiful darkness that he has convinced you that you need in order to survive.

And then there's Raoul. He is what makes you see the manipulation in the Phantoms world. However, Raoul is the man you'd take home to mom and dad and the Phantom is the man you'd jump on the back of a motorcycle with. So, there's still that internal love turmoil and eternal love triangle.

Phantom made her experience things she'd never experienced before. The things of dreams and music like nothing she's never known, pure, sweet and total surrender of the soul. But.... Raoul makes her experience things that she never knew she could experience. Love with every fiber of being, fearlessness, comfort, dreams as a reality, and a future that includes a family and the world.

But... How could you resist this? Your are suppposed to know and fall in love with a Phantom that is crazy in LOVE,(if not a little obsessed), with the woman of his dreams not just plain crazy. Christine is the first human being in his world that saw past his face. The first person who wasn't afraid to touch him, to hear him, to be with him and to give into him without fear. You can't fall in love and go through internal turmoil with just plain crazy. And that is what The Phantom of the Opera is supposed to be. He's not supposed to be just plain crazy. He's supposed to be artistic and a genious who's gone a bit stir crazy due to seclusion. It's supposed to be A story about a heartwrenching love triangle. A man who is abandoned by the entire world and in the end is abandoned by his one true love. You are supposed to feel for him and, in a way, you want him to come out as the victor. That is not what I saw this last time I saw the play and I was a little disapointed. This time the character was played as just plain crazy and as what I thought was slow.


I also remembered the chandelier being huge and impressive and this time it wasn't. But then I heard my niece say, "Oh that was crazy! That definately would have scarred Dax and probably made him cry", and the other one say, " I know it was huge and right in front of us".

Then I thought, "okay, that's how I remembered it", and smiled. I miss my Phantom. I want him to come back to me. At least I have the movie, which was done right, forever.

Also, just a random question. What is the significance of the red rose? I mean, they wave fake ones for sale in your face everytime. You really only see a red rose once in the entire play. So, what made it a focal point?