The Phantom of the Opera
From the moment I walked into the Pantages Theater in Toronto Canada, and looked up at the giant chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, I knew that this would be something different. I have never been to a play that I enjoyed, but something about the atmosphere of this theater made me forget of all my past experiences. From the moment the music started, the wonderfully eerie theme song of the Phantom, I was captivated.
The Phantom of the Opera is set in the late 1800's in Paris France, in the Paris Opera House. The curtains opened and I felt like I was really there, in that time. I immediately fell in love with the characters as they were introduced. As Christine and Raoul's romance blossomed, I felt real excitement. I had never before felt anything for a fictional character, but this time I couldn't help it. Their story was beautiful, in every definition of the word. Yet at the same time, I couldn't help but feel bad for the Phantom. He truly loved Christine.
The Phantom is an unusual character. I know that he's supposed to be evil and hideous, but I couldn't help but feel bad for him. In the first act when Christine ripped off his mask and screamed, I felt horrible for him. I think the mask he wears is a way to hide the kind, loving person he really is. When he wears his mask he can be evil and vicious, but inside the mask he's a beautiful person. This is evident in the wonderful music he produces, and the way that he sings to Christine.
I think what really made this play so special is the way that it involved the audience. At various times in the play, it feels like we are in the audience of that opera house, especially at the end of the first act when the chandelier fell. That really scared me since I was sitting directly underneath it. Later in the second act, when they're looking for the Phantom, he seems appears all over the thearter, and his voice coming in every direction. The music was also incredible.
It was good setting to get the attention from the audience and also a way to move around or change settings of the play. Although I love this play my small critic for this play was the players. Some others actors had understandable accents but others didn’t. For example, the brother of the servant his accent was confusing because he kept switching his accent from different country languages. This play was really nice it had a little of bit of everything drama, comedy, romance, betrayal. What like about this play it was how they used the dramatic structure the inciting incident and the climax. The inciting incident for this play of musical comedy murders of 1940 was guessing who the killer of the play was because there was tension building up not knowing who the murder was. The climax for this play would be for me finding out who was the murder and just being in shock how everything had change into a new scenario. Overall it was amazing show how it developed and how well an organized transition the play
If there is truly tradition to be found among the great theatres both on and off Broadway, then certainly the Sullivan Street Playhouse and its long running production of The Fantasticks rates as one of the most celebrated of New York theatrical traditions. Maintaining its place as the longest running production Off Broadway, The Fantasticks remains an enchanting and insightful tale of both young love and bitter disillusionment. It also reminds one, in this age of spectacle and the mega-musical, how powerful and truly inspiring theatre itself can be. Clearly, one of the great strengths of this production and a large part of its appeal for audiences over the last four decades lies in the fact that both the story and the style of presentation compliment each other so completely. Here we find the non-essentials are stripped away, and we are left to rely simply on the imagination of both the audience and the performers to create a magical evening.
Overall I truly enjoyed myself at the opera. It gave me a new perception on plays and operas, before I went I thought it would be cut and dry and I would be ready to leave as soon as I got there, but it was the complete opposite of that. I laughed, I wanted to cry (but I didn’t), and I felt the energy from the stage. I did recommend this opera to some of my friends and I will recommend it to more people because it was really, really good. All of the music was well executed and performed beautifully. I can see myself checking out more operas and plays here at USC, they are really good way to spend an evening enjoying classical music and a good show.
Ever heard of a story that sings of the “Angel of Music” and the “Phantom of the Opera”? A tale that once you have listened to the sweet melody that you will realized that you've pasted the “Point of No Return”? This love triangle has captivated multitudes ever since the 1910 original Phantom of the Opera was published in France by Monsieur Leroux, although most story lovers recall the musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber or the motion picture adaption. Although this story has been entertaining people for over a century, in this new era have prerecorded voices and movements begun to overshadow the talented performers of live theater? Although “The lavish screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (2005) only deepened the damage” of the dislike of musicals made into film “with non-stars in the leads and an unimaginative production,”(Musical),which version, the live performance or the film, makes the story more attractive? To answer these questions, permit this essay to analyze two methods of storytelling: 2011 live performance Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall and the 2005 film, and decide if music and story lovers everywhere have too “turned from true beauty”.
Lloyd Webber’s widely regarded masterpiece Phantom Of The Opera uses key motifs and themes throughout the musical to establish its characters and scenes in an effective manner. Throughout the production the motifs, themes and songs all develop to reflect the changes their respective characters undergo. This is particularly evident when analysing The Phantom, his motifs and songs, and how they develop throughout the story.
... as the music. James Levine, the conductor, as well as the entire orchestra really captured the essence of what each of the scenes in both acts were trying to convey as well the emotion. The orchestra played fantastically and the performers sang and acted beautifully. I thought the set, the scenery, and the costumes were very elaborate and decorative. I really enjoyed the story the opera told and the dramatics it involved. What really captivated me was that Cosi fan Tutte was also somewhat of a comedy. There were parts of the performance that made me laugh. I enjoyed the fact that it was not such a serious opera. The opera was light, enjoyable, somewhat comical, dramatic, and romance filled. The concert environment was intriguing. I really admired the Metropolitan Opera House. The design, architecture, overall appearance of the opera house. It was very exquisite.
At night Christine is singing to Raoul, and makes him sad because he can tell she isn’t herself. Carlotta is singing when she suddenly can’t. Moncharmin and Firmin sitting in box five feel as if there is some else there. Carlotta keeps croaking the chandelier crashes to the ground killing a woman. Christine is suddenly gone after the night of the crashing of the chandelier. She is not found for two weeks; until Raoul finds out she was taken by her “Angel of Music”. He sees her riding in a carriage with a ghostly looking male appearance. The opera holds an annual masquerade ball. Christine comes with a man who is in a Red Death costume. Christine and Raoul get out together but only getting into their first fight. He has a confrontation with Red Death, which is presumed to be the Phantom. Christine comes back from the Angel of Music, but won’t answer any of the questions that Raoul ask. He notices on her left ring finger she has a simple gold ring. He wishes th...
Since this is a review and its based on my opinion, I would have to say this was one of the worst plays I've ever seen in my life. I wasn't entertained by the play at all. The only good parts were the good-looking girls in the play. I like the main character Marisol based only on her looks. She played on ok job of acting. I realize she had a lot of lines to memorize which she had down, but she just didn't get to me. I think the costumes were ok. They had nothing special, or out of the ordinary except for the angel's wings, which were pretty nice. I didn't like the lighting or the scenery. I didn't know where the scene was supposed to be at some points.
There was Phantom, who was named Eric from France, in The Opera House. Everyone in city spoke about it and every worker in Opera was afraid of him, except doorkeeper Madame Giry, whom he spoke only. He controlled everything there. Each director ignored him at the beginning, but they accepted his demands after some accidents happened to them or to their workers. The last time, the directors of Opera were Armand Moncharmin and Firmin Richard. They have two singers, one Christine Daae and the other La Carlotta. La Carlotta, whom all citizens loved, was very famous and main singer in The Opera. Christine was very young and inexperienced, but she was pretty beautiful.
The Phantom of the Opera is known as the most successful musical in history, but its age most clearly shows through some of the themes it displays. Most noticeable to me, is the fact that The Phantom of the Opera conforms to and supports traditional gender roles. This becomes evident after analyzing the characters and their interactions during the 25th anniversary production in London. As a whole, The Phantom of the Opera suggests that the ideal man is authoritative, powerful, decisive, and jealous, while the ideal woman is feminine, indecisive, and naïve.
...criticism. Thence, the Opera achieves an immense degree of complexity and artistry, which helps to explain why the play was so popular for so long. The Opera is entertaining for the masses, complex enough to engage the critic, and it was (in its own way) peculiarly patriotic during an age of immense English pride for native culture.
Different from other types of films, the music in Phantom of the Opera was used by all the characters, as a way to tell their part of the story. The music created a convincing surrounding for the film, guided the audiences. The music was constantly a signifier of emotion, as the characters expressed their feelings through the songs. The music score was an emotional and scary score that tied into their diegetic/non-diegetic singing, giving the main characters an identity, specifying situations and places to help connect certain points. When we hear the dark music play throughout the movie, it plays a certain theme, that theme gives the viewers a clear hint of who or what the music is talking about. Another example of signifier of emotion was in The Devil Wears Prada, where the film used either fast upbeat songs for when Andy walks all around the city, running errands for Miranda, or romantic alternative music when Andy is with her boyfriend and true friends (The Phantom of the Opera/The Devil Wears
A mere mention of the term theatre acts as a relief to many people. It is in this place that a m...
The Phantom of the Opera centers on the Paris Opera House which has over time become the Phantom’s domain. Upon the news that the opera house has been bought and is under new ownership, the Phantom demands that the new owners honor the “agreement” he has established with the previous owners and that the fifth opera box is kept empty for his use and that his salary of 20,000 francs per month is honored. The Phantom also demands that Christine, whom he has secretly been giving singing lessons to, replace Carlotta Giudicelli, the opera company’s prima donna. He also warns that if his demands are not met, that the opera house and the opera company will need to pay the consequences. Though the origins of the Phantom are unknown to the general population of the opera house, Madame Giry knows more about the Phantom than she lets on. It is later discovered that Madame Giry helped the Phantom escape a life of abuse from a freak show and that she hid him at the opera house where she was studying ballet. It was during Christine’s and the Phantom’s singing lessons that he began to fall in love with her and came to be obsessed and protective of her. The return of Christine’s first love, Raoul, threatens to tear Christine an...
“The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation,” says Stella Adler. Theater is unique and intriguing because it blends literary and visual arts to tell a story. Before Theater 10, I viewed theater on the surface level: cheesy plot lines with dramatic scenarios for entertainment purposes. Throughout the course, I have learned what it means to appreciate theater, such as understanding Brechtian and Chinese theatre; however, I believe understanding theater’s ability to convey crucial historical and social messages, such as in the production of RENT, is more relevant and important for theater appreciation.