Now there's a thought. It must be pretty good if it's been going for over 25 years, 10000 performances in the West End and is the most successful musical of all time...
I've always been drawn to the music of Phantom. My mother had the tapes at home, along with those from Cats, and I often spent an afternoon listening to those magical soundtracks. It has taken many years for me to finally find out what all the fuss was about.
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| Outside Her Majesty's Theatre, ready for Phantom! |
I'm no stranger to musicals, having seen all the obvious ones like The Lion King, Wicked and Billy Elliot. It does make me wonder how anyone can not like a musical. What's not to love? Colourful, extravagant costumes, crazy moving sets, seamless performances and, best of all, music. There's nothing quite like the full swell of an orchestra playing live, actors singing from the bottom of their hearts, despite the fact that they've probably already performed 5 times that week...
Phantom isn't exactly a complex storyline but it's now a classic. Misunderstood, deformed composer falls in love with beautiful tenor. Who is in love with a handsome man from her childhood. Who hasn't had that happen?
I think my favourite part of Phantom was the fact that it made me jump. I wasn't expected to be shocked by gunfire or falling chandeliers but there you go. Not just a pretty picture, Phantom has some good old fashioned dramatic tension.
And the music. Oh god, the music. I'm generally not a fan of opera but did that Anna O'Byrne (playing Christine) have some pipes on her. And she's an Aussie! Represent!
So, despite waiting 18 years to see it, Phantom was well worth the wait. My 'Angel of Music' finally appeared and now I can drift off into the 'Music of the Night'...
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