I have always grown up with the Phantom close by thanks to the love of this title coming from both my mother and grandmother. From watching the Movie over and over again with my mother to seeing it live with my family i had always come to cherish this title, which drew my to this 25th Anniversary. As I watched in awe i began to remember all of the love that that i had felt threw the years and all of the strength this gave my threw my hard times. To see such a play brought glorious tears to my eyes, and here is why. (Spoilers)
First and foremost the Phantom. Going in I wasn't sure what to expect, I had always held a special place in my heart for Butlers Phantom (2007) and I was amazed by the live one which i had seen. But I must say, Ramin Karimloo shines and took my breath away. I truly could see the pain at the end when Christine leaves him and he is left alone in the dungeon with nothing but his monkey, voice, and tears. I was amazed by the notes he hit and the tone this man set that differed from the mood Butlers Phantom had always set in my mind, Simply Amazing.
Second the Rest of the cast was amazing as they blended together. From Christines fear and confusion that is so well shown to Raouls love for her that blew me away. And compared to other adaptions, I truly did love the comedic look the managers of the Opera gave off. From scene to scene I was constantly lifted off my seat by the beauty that every singer gives.
Lastly the costumes and music brought the entire thing together in one perfect set piece. From the production of Hannibal to Masquerade i was constantly amazed by the bright costumes and light to dark mood that it gave off allowing the viewers to see just how amazing or terrible it was becoming. And i especially liked the Phantoms outfit and makeup threw out from the hat he wore to help hide his face better to his Masquerade costume with the moving skull jaw. And don't get me started on how wonderful the music was, setting the mood and bringing the tone from bright and happy to horribly sad in a mere few seconds.
All in all this was an amazing show with little to no error. From start to finish i was constantly enjoying the fun the actors had playing there parts and the sheer emotion each actor put into their characters. I give this a 10/10 for an amazing experience.
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