Phantom of the Opera @ the Esplanade
I wanted to fall under the magic spell of The Phantom of the Opera. Just one more time, I wanted to be seduced by the Music of the Night, to live the romance of All I ask of You, to be haunted by the The Phantom of the Opera.
None of this happened at the Esplanade. There were the elaborate costumes, the seamless scene changes, the extravagant dance sequences, the lavish set. But the magical suspension of reality that draws you into the world of the Phantom did not happen.
There is a sense that this whole production is tired. I am not alone. Johnny Malkavian thought "even the chandelier looked a little squashed". The Pensieve thought Music of the Night "wasn't as powerful and lingering" as he remembered.
When the curtains finally, thankfully, came down there was no standing ovation; there was only polite applause.
7 comments:
If I remember correctly, even the sets were stripped down. I was sitting 5 rows from the stage and it was difficult to suspend my disbelief when most of the sets were painted instead of being actually built.
Brad Little played the Phantom to a T, and it was awesome how he kept in character even during the curtain call. He didn't smile, as you might expect how the composer would express the gratitude for his audience's heartfelt appreciation for the Phantom's opera, his masterwork.
Hi JM. Thanks for visiting. I was sitting about 5 rows from the stage too. I don't have complaints regarding the set, but big chunks of the action on stage was blocked by a very big fat head immediately in front of me. arghhh!
Ah....spoke about watching but haven't gotten down to book the tix. I have no comparison as i've never watched any, so i should still be awed
hmm... that's a pity. The songs are lovely.
SW: Still got time. It runs till May 20.
WG: The whole musical is great. This production is missing something.
i heard they were going to singapore... but someone told me i was wrong... i could have been there... damn!
zewt: Not too late. Phantom runs till the 20th.
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