lady_karelia

Here be Phantom spam!

What a completely glorious, wonderful day it has been, peaking with a most exquisite performance of Phantom of the Opera!

I met Warty in Waterloo, and from there we took a leisurely stroll over the bridge and up St. Martin's Lane to Leicester Square, noticing many beautiful spots on the way, which no doubt will inspire The Muses. The fact that it's Tuesday helped keep the outdoor tables of Starbucks fairly empty, so we settled there for a while, sipping coffee, assessing a small crowd of young actors, talking about writing, Phantom, and a million other subjects, having a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Then we walked down Haymarket, to Her Majesty's Theatre, while I Imperioed Warty to listen to my interpretation of the Harry Potter Symphony. We reached the theatre, made ourselves comfortable, and I felt relieved when I saw that we weren't exactly underneath the chandelier; close enough, but not right there *phew*. We weren't overly impressed when, a few minutes before the performance started, a wannabe-lady with a somewhat hideous hairstyle - one that made me think of high piles - seated herself right in front of me, and her partner of at least six feet height in front of Warty. Thankfully, the seats next to us remained empty, so we simply moved two seats along, which brought us even closer to the centre and offered a remarkable view of the entire stage.

The show began with the Overture, and I think I can speak for both of us here, the moment it started, we were completely and utterly engrossed by the music, the action, the performance, and, oh my goddess, The Voices. Magically enhanced to reach even the farthest corners of the theatre, and most likely tweaked to directly affect every single ear in the audience, I felt entranced, completely sucked in to the events unfolding, not on stage, but in a surreal version of real life.

Earl Carpenter, the Phantom, outdid himself. The first time I saw him as the Phantom was my second visit to the show last year in March. On my third visit, he was the one who saved the show amidst a fairly shallow Mme Giri and a Christine who wasn't at her best. Today, he was even better. And what's more, Christine outdid herself equally. And Mme Giri was back to the strength her character deserves. Of course, the cow still has such strong wards on her dress that I was unable to spell it off, but alas. One of these days, I'll learn to sew seriously, and my first task will be to recreate the dress she wears because, let's face it, that should be my dress. *nods*

Warty had the good sense of suggesting indulging in a Gin and Tonic during the interval, what a splendid idea. Nothing beats a Gin Tonic when you haven't eaten since breakfast seven hours earlier. :-) We chatted about the movie vs. the show during the interval, but I think she agrees that the show beats the movie anytime.

If it's possible, the second act was even more intense. Raoul was much stronger in the second act, Christine and Phantom even stronger, and Mme Giri was simply wonderful. They changed quite a bit in the arrangement, both on stage and in the score, but I must say I like it. I do hope they'll do another recording with the new score.

The Prima Donna, as always, was simply brilliant. You can't help admire her acting talent, she's ever so petulant, a true Prima Donna. Or maybe she doesn't really need that much in terms of acting skills *laugh*, but her voice is wonderful, such a range, it makes me turn green with envy.

The music, of course, is the work of a genius. Who else can create music of such intensity, of such harmonics, of such ingenuity that you have three different conversations going on stage, each couple singing a different melody, and it all sounds beautiful and harmonious?

Like all wonderful, glorious, exquisite events, this also came to an end. I tried to convince Warty to just stay put and wait for the next performance two hours later, but she figured it would be difficult without the invisibility cloak. Damn. Must make a note to take it with me next time.

We exited in a daze. I had some wits left and purchased a long-sleeved t-shirt showing the mask. Picspam will no doubt follow as soon as I wear it. Then we took the tube to Waterloo, and Warty took the train, and I took the tube back home.

Thank you, Warty, for an absolutely memorable day. I know today will stay with me for a long time to come. :-)

Edit: If you want picspam, have a look at the comments. Thanks, Warty!

I was going to post some ramblings tonight about loyalties and such. There are now two people left in this country I feel loyal to. Doors closing and opening and all that. Alas, never mind.

I checked my f-list and saw bambu345 has updated The Summoning here. It is my all-time favourite fanfic, and the posting of another update has saved my evening. :-)

Now, tomorrow is another story. Warty, you'll recognise me by that stoopid grin on my face, no doubt. The family is cursing me - I've been listening to the PotO soundtrack for the past four hours or so.