The Point of No Return

I have saved the best for last. My choice is not very original I will admit, but Phantom of the Opera has so far been my favorite show. I have seen it five times, if I remember correctly. I have the soundtrack to the London cast, the Broadway cast, and the movie. And I have probably wore out the DVD of the movie. Like previous shows, I saw the movie before the show. I was sold from the beginning. And unlike Rent, the show lived up to all the expectations I had after seeing the movie.

The Phantom of the Opera is the longest running show and arguably the most successful. Andrew Lloyd Webber composed beautifully haunting music for his show based on the book Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. In this musical, the Phantom of the Opera, a horribly disfigured man living in the dungeons of the Paris Opera House, is obsessed with Christine Daae, a young dancer in the opera house. He has anonymously been giving her voice lessons and terrorizes the opera house to get her lead roles in the shows. When he reveals himself to her she must make a choice between him or her childhood sweetheart, Raoul.

Leroux's Phantom was a menace and the bad guy. In the musical he still is suppose to be, but between the enchanting voice and almost good looks, you want him to be the good guy and win Christine's love. I know I did. The connection between Christine and the Phantom is so much more powerful that the audience is hoping they end up together, but we all know that does not happen. I almost always cry at the part where Christine rejects the phantom. It takes place at the end my favorite song "The Point of No Return". Christine and the Phantom are on the stage of the Paris Opera House, and the Phantom sings

Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime ... Lead me, save me from my
solitude ... Say you want me with you, here beside you ... Anywhere you go
let me go too - Christine that's all I ask of ....

Yeah, I definitely cry at that part. There is so much heartache and pain in those lyrics. I always feel so bad for the Phantom. And that is why this is my favorite show. It can cause so many emotions that you forget you are watching a musical.

The movie is just as good. And yes, I cry at the same part. Fans of Phantom of the Opera are torn between the musical and the movie. Some people do not think the very handsome Gerard Butler lived up to the standards of the Phantom. Its true that his voice is very different from the original Phantom. Micheal Crawford played the Phantom when the show first opened in London. I personally do not like Crawford's voice, but it is very unique. Gerard, who has no training in singing, has a more rough, rock n roll sound to his voice. Some people think his voice does not fit the role. I disagree though. I loved his sound and I believe he sang with more passion and emotion than Crawford did. I was quite surprised at Roger Ebert's review of this movie. He actually said "I do not think Lloyd Webber wrote a very good musical". Wrong. He continues with many other reasons why he did not like the movie, none of which I agree with.

There is a sequel out this season called Love Never Dies, which takes place 10 years after Phantom of the Opera. I have not read many reviews about the musical, so I cannot decide how the Phantom community feels about this new production. But I do hope it goes on tour and makes it way to Florida.