The Phantom of the Opera (Nov. 1 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera

I meant to write this a week ago but got sidetracked by schoolwork. Of course, the delay meant that I've forgotten a lot of the details that I usually mention, so I'm writing this entirely based off of notes (mostly on the three leads) I took during the interval and at stage door after the show. So this is a very general review, sorry!

Act One

Liam Tamne's "Boy" during the auction is still far too loud. He doesn't sound like a weak old man at all. He also fake coughs rather badly through this whole scene, and there's not a lot of reaction to or interaction with the music box. That's a general issue with him; it's like he forgets there are other people around him that he has to work with. Liam-Raoul is very much his own island, which makes him easy to forget when he's not on stage (he has no residual impact on the other characters). 

Tamne and Jones (Tumblr)

Nothing too notable about the rest of the beginning of the first act, except Meg's (Alicia Beck) voice… ugh. She's loud, I'll give her that. If she's going to sing as poorly as she does, as least she's projecting it. It'd be much worse if she was whisper-singing, so at least she looks confident in what she's doing. It's worlds better than the Broadway Megs that barely squeak out their words. I'm still finding some of her acting and dancing overdone and obnoxious (see Phantowe'en review) but I don't watch her if I can avoid it (Degas Ballet, anyone?). Harriet's nice as usual in TOM and Angel of Music; gorgeous voice, nice acting. No complaints there. She's got this very natural voice (it's not overly operatic any more; it seems more real) and powerful. She's also expressing with her voice much better now.

The Title Song was gorgeous; I just love that moment when the music rises and the boat starts to move forward - it's captivating every time. Next to the chandelier going up, that's probably my favourite part of the show. 

Harriet Jones (Tumblr)

Music of the Night was absolutely enchanting; Harriet had some beautiful acting going on (though in all fairness, she just has to stand around and look pretty which she can do without much effort).  Gero's voice is hypnotising (so perfect). A random comment, but I love Harriet's costumes and her command of them. The colours and fit all suit her perfectly, and she never looks uncomfortable in them (especially with the long dressing gown skirt; you'll see a lot of Christines gather up their dressing gown skirt in their arms when they have to run around, but not Harriet) as some others have. In STYDI she does this dramatic skirt sweep with her back to the audience; I don't know why I  love it but it's just such a cool moment. The contrast with the white dress and the darkness of the lair is striking and Harriet handles her costumes very well. Speaking of STYDI; Harriet in this scene was just WOW. The skirt fling was great, the running away was convincing, and she is the only one who can trip convincingly. The awkward running around in that scene is hard to execute well, and Harriet is probably one of the best at making it look spontaneous.

Harriet has made a huge improvement in Il Muto. She's playing with the humour a lot more; bigger faces, sharper movement - it's great! She's over exaggerating, but in the right way, if that makes sense. It's not Olivia's all-out approach, but it's a massive improvement and I love it. AIAOY was nothing interesting. Chandelier went down without a hitch (I've never actually seen it get stuck, come to think of it).

Act Two

Bear with me on this part, as I'm writing it nearly a month after the fact.
Masquerade was fairly normal; some awesome dancing going on though. The more familiar I get with the big, intricate scenes, the more I can appreciate the details, especially when I'm sat right up close. The costumes and choreography are incredibly detailed and nuanced.

Don Juan Rehearsal (Tumblr)

Twisted Every Way, on Harriet's part, was fabulous. It was visceral and raw - so emotional and moving. I very nearly cried. This scene has always been Harriet's strength, but she's really knocking it out of the park now. I am annoyed that they took out half a line though; "I'm sorry, I can't!" has just become "I can't!" which feels incomplete and out of character, especially the way both Harriet and Emmi sort of squeak it out. Liam's face is very much, "What is this emotion and how do I deal with this?" Raoul is very much treated as a fish out of water; he just has no idea what to do with Christine (which annoys me to no end - you're supposed to love her! Act like you care, not like she's just another business transaction). The Don Juan rehearsal was dull; I'm really missing the spark and energy that the old ensemble had. Alicia (Meg) really, really overdoes the faces by this point. She needs to stick her eyes back inside her head (see above photo), stop pouting, and just be natural. Her Meg is otherwise easy to ignore though.

Harriet's fake crying at the beginning of Wishing is far too much. It's eye-roll, not sympathy, inducing. It's the emphasis on the fake; how overdone it is doesn't match with the rest of Harriet's portrayal. She doesn't quite have that big emotional development and subsequent breakdown, which is probably why the sobbing seems so unrealistic. Though maybe it's just an acting or directing issue. But Wishing itself was fine. Still not my favourite song for her, but nothing to really complain about. Wandering Child was fabulous; loved Harriet's hypnosis-face. Liam almost got his hair set on fire here, which was a combination of hysterical and terrifying.

Point of No Return was fabulous; this is the full song in Act 2 that Harriet really has a solid grasp on. The 'almost-kiss/mask grab' was perfect; done exactly the way I wanted it in that there was no way the Phantom could have seen it coming. Great acting on Harriet's part, but I don't like the blocking change they've made to Christine's part at the beginning. She used to hang out by the edge of the stage for "thoughts of love!", now she sort of wanders to the middle of the stage. It just doesn't make sense, and I always liked the visual of Aminta/Christine leaning delicately against the side of the stage. It was a nice moment of peace before the action of the rest of the show.

Final Lair was pretty typical; I enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything extraordinary. Harriet had some nice little details going on; it was raw and real from her, which is something she's getting much better at. Liam needs to shut up though; the kiss is such a poignant moment and all you can hear (over the music, mind) is Liam/Raoul grunting and groaning.

So just some final notes on the Trio (literally just transcribing the mini paragraphs I jotted down after the show):
Harriet: getting better at using her voice to project emotion instead of just singing it. Great faces and expression. Dancing has gotten better. Could do without the fake crying unless she can build up to it better (could just cover her face instead? Might make more sense for her character). New wig suits her well but too many brunettes on stage. Love the colours and fit of (most) of her costumes.
Liam: for goodness' sake stop coughing/gasping/etc. If you're sick, you shouldn't be on. Otherwise, the sound effects are just unnecessary. Plays the vain Raoul well; totally bewildered when Christine's upset (so *cannot read my own writing* to emotion - I don't like it but he does it well).
Geronimo: love the big exaggerated breath in PONR. Timing is FAB. Great hands and movement through the whole show. Like how he does Masquerade with the Monkey at the end; not childish, just emotionally wrung out, which I liked.

The Phantom of the Opera (October 31st, 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera

aka "Phantowe'en"

Just a quick little review on a show that was a bit weird (so many technical/sound glitches!). This is really short, but the cast was comprised of people I've seen and written about multiple times. 

This show was full of random, weird little glitches. The piano (?) bit during "Lot 666" sounded really bizarre; it was too loud and too shrill at the same time. Chandelier and Overture had no problems though. Raoul's hair was nearly set on fire by the Phantom's fireballs at the end of the Wandering Child trio. Emmi had some gala skirt issues during TOM, but didn't get a face full of scarf this time (and in Wishing, her cloak stayed on!), so that's good. There were more issues, but most of them were quite small (i.e. mics going in and out, music/sound issues, small costume/hair mishaps - like when The Phantom pulled Christine's necklace off in Masquerade, the necklace got stuck to her hair and Emmi had to pull it free - but most were pretty small and I doubt the audience noticed). 

Geronimo was good; not as all out insane as Scott Davies but he has the most beautiful voice. Music of the Night really is hypnotising the way he sings it. You can't take your eyes off of him during that song,  which I think is really important (you should be drawn in the same way Christine is, right?). I really liked Liam Tamne's Raoul after his first show, but now I'm finding he's faded into the background. He's good enough when he's on stage (I don't like how he does Raoul - Christine is not a prize to be won, Raoul! - though he does what he does well) but when Raoul's not the centre of attention, you forget he exists. Emmi, on the other hand, has improved exponentially. She's gone from stoic and emotionless to quite expressive. Not in the same way that Olivia was (in that it doesn't elicit an emotional reaction from me and it doesn't feel natural; it's very much acting a part, but in the best way, if that makes sense). I still have a passionate dislike of her Hannibal bodice (why such high cut legs?)(speaking of which, she had a major Gala skirt malfunction. It didn't come off, but it was twisted almost all the way around and slipped down the bodice so the fabric of the bodice was all bunched up around her waist), but her retina-burner doesn't look nearly as bad on stage as in photos. Anyway, Emmi's turned into a nice enough Christine. Not anywhere near to cracking my top three, but I don't mind seeing her anymore. Her PONR was actually really enjoyable; it had a very spontaneous feel. Decent Final Lair, decent Think of Me. Really enjoyed her Wishing, actually. She's stopped blowing her nose in the scarf, which was great. There was nothing that particularly stood out (except that final note… WOW), but nothing I didn't like either. Alicia Beck as Meg is certainly… loud. So I'll say that for her, she sounds confident with the singing, even if what's coming out of her mouth isn't the best. She's got some nice faces and some of the acting is really interesting, but often she overdoes it. A lot. A good example is when Mme Giry (u/s Shena Sanders, by the way. Nice job, though nothing stand-out) said, "Meg Giry, are you a dancer?" and Alicia gesture to her tutu with a big smile on her face. I can see why she might do that, given the angle she's tackling Meg from, but it felt overdone and cheesy. It's just too much. Fine in Notes, Hannibal, etc, though I'm not the biggest fan of her dancing (it's very.. straight. There's no fluidity to her movement, which is especially evident when she's dancing next to dancers like Danielle and Layla). Great to see Lara again as Carlotta; sassy diva as usual! She and John Ellis don't have the same chemistry as her and Jeremy Secomb, but they try. No comment on John as Piangi; nothing good to say there. I'm loving the ballet girls; the two new ones fit in very nicely, and despite being two dancers short, Hannibal, Masquerade, and Il Muto looked wonderful (that Masquerade though! One of the best I've seen in terms of the dancing). 

I might be writing a review of Phantom this afternoon, but I definitely will be reviewing Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, so stay tuned for that!