The Phantom of the Opera

12 August 2013

Forgive me, but this will be a rather sentimental post.

Last Saturday my husband and I went to watch The Phantom of the Opera and I must say that there were times during the show when I was overwhelmed with emotion. I had to try very hard to control my tears - and take note this isn't even my favourite musical! How to explain it?

I grew up listening to Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific and memorizing just about every song in My Fair Lady, thanks to my parents who both love Broadway. They've passed this love on to me and while I've moved on to "newer" shows, I have never actually seen an international production live. I usually either just watch the movie versions or listen to the recordings of their songs. Oh, I've attended local stagings of Avenue Q and They're Playing Our Song, but nothing on a grand scale. Not the ones I've heard about with a lot of cast members and special effects.

When Miss Saigon and Les Misérables (which is my favorite) were in Manila, the tickets were rather expensive so going was out of the question. Here in Singapore though, the arts scene is very vibrant and theatre seems to be more accessible. Thus, it was only now that attending became a feasible option. And while the one who played the Phantom seemed to be having an "off" day (Earl said he sounded like Russell Crowe singing), the lady who played Christine was up to scratch and Raoul wasn't bad, so when they started singing "The Phantom of the Opera" and "All I Ask of You" I just lost it.

Really, when you finally see it performed live, it is such a different feeling.

No comments: