Floating, Falling, Sweet Intoxication...
(For those of you who don't know, the title of this blog is lyrics from Music of the Night... it has nothing to do with my mental state or alcohol intake).
Ah, the Phantom of the Opera. What is it about the music that's so alluring?
Yes, I saw the Phantom yesterday evening at the Colloseum Theater in Essen with a few of my co-workers, and it was absolutely wonderful. It was in German, but I was surprised at how similar it was to what I saw in Austin. The stage-setup, the effects, the positions and movements of the actors were are comparable, which was interesting. I thought there would be more of a creative difference between the American and German versions. Though the visuals and the general feel of the play were similar, the words, interestingly, were often not. Whoever translated the Phantom into German most definitely did not stick close to the original script. I've listened to the English music so often that I could sing along with the majority of the parts... so I noticed, of course, that the German translation differed. Interesting stuff.
There's nothing like hearing the music live... there really isn't. It was absolutely beautiful, and I love watching the conductor (though he has nothing on Peter Bay!). Especially beautiful was the introduction to "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"... they played a slightly different rendition than anything I've heard before. It was solely violins at the beginning... much lighter and freer than other renditions.
The man who played the Phantom was wonderful as well (Borchert?)... his voice and character had much more emotion, darkness and desperation to it than what I recall in the Austin Phantom, as well as Michael Crawford's version in the original cast (I have this CD).
The lady who played Christine did a great job... though I kept thinking how awesome it would have been to see Sarah Brightman in the role. Ah, well.
The guy who played Raoul was rather *ahem* cute. I think Constantine could make a decent Raoul. Or Phantom, though the Phantom role seems a little too dark and heavy for him. We'll save the Phantom role for TayTay. Maybe I could re-write the Phantom... the Phantom of Broadway, NY. Constantine could play Raoul, the hero, of course. Taylor, the bass player in Constantine's band, would make an excellent Phantom (think: manipulation, jealousy, empty threats, omnipresence), and... hmm... Hamboussi, the drummer in Constantine's band, could play Christine. Afterall, he himself admitted that he likes wearing high heels and fur coats. A true drag queen. Perfect. That leaves us with Joao, the guitarist in Con's band. He could play Meg. She doesn't say much, either. Just hangs out in the background, looks cute, and dances around. I can feel it coming together already!
Ok, back to reality. Yesterday evening really was wonderful; I'm so glad to have found some people who have the same musical interests... as we would say in German, "Klasse!" Classic. Great. Swell. You get the idea.
Click here to e-mail me!
Ah, the Phantom of the Opera. What is it about the music that's so alluring?
Yes, I saw the Phantom yesterday evening at the Colloseum Theater in Essen with a few of my co-workers, and it was absolutely wonderful. It was in German, but I was surprised at how similar it was to what I saw in Austin. The stage-setup, the effects, the positions and movements of the actors were are comparable, which was interesting. I thought there would be more of a creative difference between the American and German versions. Though the visuals and the general feel of the play were similar, the words, interestingly, were often not. Whoever translated the Phantom into German most definitely did not stick close to the original script. I've listened to the English music so often that I could sing along with the majority of the parts... so I noticed, of course, that the German translation differed. Interesting stuff.
There's nothing like hearing the music live... there really isn't. It was absolutely beautiful, and I love watching the conductor (though he has nothing on Peter Bay!). Especially beautiful was the introduction to "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"... they played a slightly different rendition than anything I've heard before. It was solely violins at the beginning... much lighter and freer than other renditions.
The man who played the Phantom was wonderful as well (Borchert?)... his voice and character had much more emotion, darkness and desperation to it than what I recall in the Austin Phantom, as well as Michael Crawford's version in the original cast (I have this CD).
The lady who played Christine did a great job... though I kept thinking how awesome it would have been to see Sarah Brightman in the role. Ah, well.
The guy who played Raoul was rather *ahem* cute. I think Constantine could make a decent Raoul. Or Phantom, though the Phantom role seems a little too dark and heavy for him. We'll save the Phantom role for TayTay. Maybe I could re-write the Phantom... the Phantom of Broadway, NY. Constantine could play Raoul, the hero, of course. Taylor, the bass player in Constantine's band, would make an excellent Phantom (think: manipulation, jealousy, empty threats, omnipresence), and... hmm... Hamboussi, the drummer in Constantine's band, could play Christine. Afterall, he himself admitted that he likes wearing high heels and fur coats. A true drag queen. Perfect. That leaves us with Joao, the guitarist in Con's band. He could play Meg. She doesn't say much, either. Just hangs out in the background, looks cute, and dances around. I can feel it coming together already!
Ok, back to reality. Yesterday evening really was wonderful; I'm so glad to have found some people who have the same musical interests... as we would say in German, "Klasse!" Classic. Great. Swell. You get the idea.
Click here to e-mail me!
posted by Mary Elizabeth at
9:17 PM
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