Our First Broadway Musical Together: The Phantom of the Opera

Christine: "Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God, give me courage to show you you are not alone! [kisses the Phantom]"  - The Phantom of the Opera

It's something we've never done before, so it got us excited. Last year, we went on a shopping spree to celebrate Sweetpea's birthday. This year we tried something different, we watched the Broadway musical The Phantom of the Opera at The Cultural Center of the Philippines.

We bought a little binoculars (Eye-Max) so that we could see the details of the stage. We chose the front row seats on the second deck balcony. It's too high up there that you are looking three floors down; and if you have fear of heights, forget about participating in the standing ovation at the end of the show.

Critics say that if you've never seen a musical, The Phantom of the Opera would be the best introduction.  It is one of the world’s most successful musicals and the longest running show on Broadway, too.

Dressing up for the Play

In an attempt to dress "appropriately" for the play, I borrowed my father's Americana, but it didn't fit me right. It's uncomfortable, so I just wore a long sleeves shirt without the necktie. My rule of thumb is this: If you can't run with it, don't wear it.

No. I don't wear neckties. Neckties are instruments of torture. I don't know why the hell neckties were invented. I believe it should be declared illegal together with scarfs. They should be banned.

Venus cut.

Sweatpea wore a gray Venus cut dress. It looked great with her bracelet bangles and black high heels. Oh, and her Aubrey Hepburn inspired hair, it was classic. Wala namang awards night, pero we felt we were like celebrities. Happy Birthday (September 25) :)

CCP Main Theater 

The stage was breathtaking. It's my first time inside the CCP main theater. The special effects were complex, especially what happened to the chandelier. The floating candles set up was perplexing and the costumes were elaborate. There were a lot of foreigners audience, parang United Nations meeting lang. :)

Claire Lyon who played as Christine had an inspiring performance. She had a powerful voice and a timber that's so melodic.

Avril and rAAH at the CCP lobby. 

The Phantom of the Opera is for anyone who can appreciate excellence in singing and stage acting. We are fortunate that the Broadway cast and crew preformed here in the Philippines. We need not to go to New York to watch this stage classic.

Cultural Center of the Phils Main Theater. 

You can say that The Phantom of the Opera is a story of desire. The Phantom will do everything to win Christine's heart. He will go to deviant extents as to cause nuances and disturbances at the opera house. Behind the Phantom's mask is a disfigured face, but he has other attractive traits. There's no doubt that Christine also admires him in a lot of ways.

It's a shame the Phantom doesn't recognize his own worth. (He's a great singer, composer, writer, and a teacher). And too bad the Phantom doesn't have charms and sense of humor - qualities that are very attractive to ladies. In short, ang hina niya sa chicks. :)

I guess H.W. Beecher was right:

Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.

No doubt the Phantom is one hell of a talented guy, but at the end of the day, he is a loser because he doesn't know his worth; he doesn't know how to treat a lady. "Character is more important than looks." I guess the Phantom's ignorance of this principle led to his own folly.

Cheerio!
- Rah.