A well-known fact: I love musicals. I have loved musicals, love musicals and will for the foreseeable future unquestionably continue to love musicals. So when I saw that selected cinemas in Wellington were showing the Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Performance, how could I not go?
Me and the Phantom go way back, I mean since I was about 4 and it first came to Australia. My parents went to see it (in defiance of all my pouting). I remember my mum telling me about the falling chandelier, and thinking that they must have had to duck when the chandelier went swinging out over the audience. Kids' imaginations are always more fantastical than reality. Anyway, so my parents brought home the cassette tape, and I remember being completely and utterly enchanted listening to it and attempting to do my own kind of ballet.
Anyway, I digress. In summary, I have always loved the Phantom of the Opera. I actually went to see it live on stage in Melbourne a few years back, but unfortunately in that performance we didn't get to see Anthony Warlow, of whom I am a huge fan (between my mum and I we have all his albums).
But it was still brilliant to see on stage. In August this year I also went to see Love Never Dies in Melbourne with my husband and mum, but that's another blog entry for another time. :) Time for a picture.
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In case you've been living under a rock for the past 25 years, The Phantom of the Opera is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and probably one of the most famous musicals of all time (if not the most). It is also the longest running show, 25 years people - it's older than I am! In October last year, the London production celebrated its 10,000th performance. Regardless of whether you love it or hate it, that's pretty darn impressive.
Luke and I went to one of our favourite little cinemas, Penthouse Cinema & Cafe in Brooklyn, to watch the screening of the concert. We have seen a few other screenings of concerts there, such as Les Miserables and The Importance of Being Earnest, and I have to say it's the next best thing to actually going to the theatre. The Phantom was no exception to this rule.
In many ways you actually feel like you receive a better viewing than the audience members. The camera work was amazing, with great close-ups and wide angle shots which made you feel as though you were right there amongst it.
The costumes were breathtaking, especially during the masquerade scene, where it was an absolute feast for the eyes and you hardly knew where to look. The sets were interesting. Instead of the traditional style of scenery, plasma screens were used to project backgrounds. Although I still prefer more traditional sets, it did mean that scene changes happened in literally a second, and there were a few moments when this method was used most effectively.
But the best part of all was the fabulous singing and acting of the Phantom and Christine. I believe that John Owen-Jones, who played the part of the Phantom, could definitely hold his own amongst the most renowned actors to have starred in this role. Sofia Escoba was equally brilliant as Christine, and her performance of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" was so great that I almost had to hold my hands back from applauding her in the movie theatre. However it is the tantalising chemistry between the both of them that really makes this film worth watching. But don't just take my word for it - you can buy the DVD and check it out for yourself. And just to tempt you further you can watch the clip below.
Luke and I went to one of our favourite little cinemas, Penthouse Cinema & Cafe in Brooklyn, to watch the screening of the concert. We have seen a few other screenings of concerts there, such as Les Miserables and The Importance of Being Earnest, and I have to say it's the next best thing to actually going to the theatre. The Phantom was no exception to this rule.
In many ways you actually feel like you receive a better viewing than the audience members. The camera work was amazing, with great close-ups and wide angle shots which made you feel as though you were right there amongst it.
The costumes were breathtaking, especially during the masquerade scene, where it was an absolute feast for the eyes and you hardly knew where to look. The sets were interesting. Instead of the traditional style of scenery, plasma screens were used to project backgrounds. Although I still prefer more traditional sets, it did mean that scene changes happened in literally a second, and there were a few moments when this method was used most effectively.
But the best part of all was the fabulous singing and acting of the Phantom and Christine. I believe that John Owen-Jones, who played the part of the Phantom, could definitely hold his own amongst the most renowned actors to have starred in this role. Sofia Escoba was equally brilliant as Christine, and her performance of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" was so great that I almost had to hold my hands back from applauding her in the movie theatre. However it is the tantalising chemistry between the both of them that really makes this film worth watching. But don't just take my word for it - you can buy the DVD and check it out for yourself. And just to tempt you further you can watch the clip below.
Until next time :)
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