Tonight on M-Net at 20:30
When I sat down to watch
The Phantom Of The Opera for the first time, I was not expecting too much. I had heard about the hype and was prepared to be disappointed. Because that’s what happens when I get too excited about something, it often fails to live up to my expectations.
What I discovered, however, was a magical experience that transported me to another time and place. From the moment that the Opera House came to life out of the ashes, I was enthralled, completely immersed and hopelessly in love.
For me, experiencing Phantom would not be the same without Andrew Lloyd Webber. I could feel his message in every single note. The haunting beauty of his music IS Phantom as we know it. No matter how many times I listen to it, it never fails to move me.
Christine’s performance of Think Of Me, is such a pivotal part of the show. It’s what brings Raul back to her, it’s what brings Carlotta back to the Opera House. And it is these events that bring about the wrath of the Phantom.
Emmy Rossum’s portrayal of Christine is simply superb. She has an air of innocence and vulnerability about her and when she starts singing, it is as if time has stood still. And to think that she was just 16 years old when director, Joel Schumacher first spotted her and about 17 when Phantom went into production.
Incidentally, when he did his adaptation in 1986, Lloyd Webber wrote the part of Christine with his wife (at that time), Sarah Brightman, in mind.
Gerard Butler as The Phantom is equally captivating. He brought through all the emotions of The Phantom. The anguish, the hate and most importantly the love and obsession for Christine.
In this adaptation we don’t get to see Erik’s (the Phantom) background as told by Gaston Leroux, the author of The Phantom of The Opera. But in Butler I could see what must have been years of heartache for Erik. The ridiculing, the abandonment and the sheer horror people felt when they looked at him.
He truly brought the Phantom to life, not only in his actions but in his songs as well.
Another notable performance in Phantom, is
Minnie Driver as the Diva Carlotta. She is hilariously funny and apparently she ad-libbed a lot of her part, which is just so like her, although the part is not. Her scenes may have been few but I loved every moment of her on screen.
I have watched Phantom many times over and each time it never ceases to captivate and mesmerize me.
With the magnificent backdrop of the Opera Populaire , the musical genius of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the superb directorship of Joel Schumacher and the haunting writing of Gaston Leroux, The Phantom Of The Opera is indeed a Musical Masterpiece