The Phantom of the Opera

I have other stuff to blog about this weekend but I want to get this one out.  A few months ago a few friends tried to get a group of 15 together to go see Phantom of the Opera but we never could seem to get it together.  Finally last week I decided to get tickets for me and Scott for today’s 2:00 show.  I was really excited.  In fact, I remember twittering buying the tickets was the best thing that had happened that day.

Cut to today.  Drama at church.  Lunch after church.  Long conversation about drama at church after lunch after church.  It’s 3:30.  I lie down to take a nap hoping to forget most of what happened that morning and within a minute, pop straight up and yell, “SCOTT, WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!”  Scott was in the middle of sleeping, pops just his head up and looks at me like he’s trying to determine if someone is getting ready to attack.

After a few minutes of complaining from me over my inability to remember anything and the amount of money I paid for the tickets, I call the ticket office and the lady says there is probably nothing that can be done.  She can’t do anything over the phone.  We could try to go there in person and see if there is anything they can do but she doubts it.  The last show in Charlotte was tonight at 7.

The show is 2.5 hours long and I figure at the very, very least, I could catch the last 30 minutes of the show.  We make the 20 minute trip to downtown Charlotte, make a mess of trying to park only to have Scott drop me off at the front to run in.

I find the place desolate save one man eating his packed lunch at the ticket booth.  He listens to my story but says he can do nothing.  A manager will be there at 5 who can help me.  At this point it’s about 4:15.  It would be pointless to go home and come back.  I get Scott to pick me up and we go park and then wait for 5 at the theater.

Workers begin taking their places and the man finally waves me over just after 5.  The manager doesn’t even flinch at my story, offers me Limited View box seats and I gladly accept.  I victoriously walk out with a handwritten ticket for two, even waving it in the air at a few people that we had chatted with during our wait.  We make plans for the kids who were already spending the afternoon with family.  We decide to run home, get me out of my heels that are already giving me blisters, grab a quick dinner and then head back.

So we get there at 6:45 thinking it started at 7 only to find out doors open at 7 and the show starts at 7:30.  We finally get settled in our box seats only for the lady to say she has sat all 6 people in the box next to the one we should be in.  Ahh…it’s a comedy of errors.  Story of my life lately.  Anyway, we get settled in, Scott complains to all his buddies through text that he’s having to sit through this and I chat it up with the people next to us that have seen it several times and fill me in on a few details.

And then finally.  The show starts.

So.  The Show.

I have to preface this and say I’m pretty clueless about all things Broadway and Opera.  My experience is very limited.  I’ve only seen CATS and Grease so this opinion is coming very much from a novice.  And I know I’m really, really late on any kind of review but I still have to do it.

• The cast was extremely talented.  They blew me away with their voices.  I wanted so many times just to close my eyes and listen but I was scared I was going to miss something on stage.
• Very randomly, Raoul looks just like Peter Facinelli.
• I enjoyed the love triangle story.  I liked the idea of light vs. dark and physical vs. inner beauty.
• The plays within the play was a cool idea.  I liked how we got to see many different types of costumes and types of things in one setting.
• I had a hard time understanding what they were saying/singing.  I think I could’ve followed it better if I had read the script first.  Maybe I’ll be able to relax a bit more after seeing it a few times and I know what’s going on.
• My favorite song by far was “All I Ask of You”
• I hated the ending.  While watching it I found myself rooting for Raoul.  He was very charming and obviously loved her.  Meanwhile, Erik is busy hanging people and terrorizing everyone.  But something in me just assumed she would go with Erik.  They seemed to have that ingrained, meant to be kind of connection.  I really thought she would get over his appearance and give in to the night and love him.  Not knowing the story, I just felt that’s where they were leading us.  Raoul was the “right” guy but in her heart she really loved Erik.  But at the end, the only thing we got was her sailing off in a boat with the “right guy” and a mask in a chair.  Well, thanks.  What was all that for anyway then?  Talk about a tragedy.  The unloved masked man turns out to be unloved in the end anyway.

I don’t say all that about the ending to say I hated the whole thing. I enjoyed myself immensely and would recommend the show to others.  I want to watch the movie because from what I understand, there’s a different ending I’d probably enjoy more.

As for Scott, he got home and said I feel like I need to watch something else to clear my brain and then promptly turned on some show about people surviving getting stabbed in the neck.

So yeah, that was my experience with The Phantom of the Opera.