The Phantom of the Opera
Hi all! I’ve reviewed Olivia numerous times (for a very detailed
review of her, see my November 1 ‘Olivia Soliloquy’ post), and the rest of this
cast at least once, but it was an interesting show, so I thought I’d make a few
point form notes for those of you who are interested.
Also, this was my 10th time seeing Phantom! Finally into
the double digits J I already have number 11 booked, hopefully will have 12 and 13
booked soon as well. I’m determined to see this cast as many times as possible
before the summer, as I probably won’t be in London from June to August (I try
not to think about that because it makes me want to cry), so I need to get in as many shows as possible before then.
Phantom: Geronimo Rauch
I honestly wasn’t the biggest fan of his when I saw him in
September. The portrayal struck me as boring; he seemed to be depending on his
strong voice to do all of the work. After December 18th’s
performance, Geronimo is my favourite Phantom, surpassing Hugh Panaro and
Jeremy Secomb. He’s stopped counting on his voice to do all of the work, and he
REALLY got into the character. When I say really, I mean it was the most
accurate, heart-wrenching, fear-inducing performance I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t
sure after the first act, but the Phantom doesn’t really do much in the first
act so I reserved judgment until the end. Geronimo’s Final Lair did it for me;
I was so into it that I was shaking. I didn’t cry (for once) but I was shaking
so badly the person next to me was beginning to look concerned. I usually get
quite involved in the Final Lair, and there’s usually some sort of emotional
reaction, but this was just something else. It’s hard to describe acting,
really. But the way Geronimo moves, the way he uses his voice (both speaking and
singing), and everything he does is just so completely Phantom. He managed to
find an excellent balance between the Phantom’s crazy, insane side and his
softer, more tender side. It was just enough that, although the Phantom is
frightening and mad, his vulnerability was visible enough to make you feel
sympathy for him. I will admit, I was very nearly Team Phantom in this show; I
wouldn’t have minded if Christine had taken the ring back when he offered. I
think that’s basically all I need to say about Geronimo; I can’t wait to see
him again! If this is the improvement he can make in three months, then I
imagine he’ll be absolutely spectacular by the summertime.
Christine: Olivia Brereton
I think anyone who’s read my two other reviews on her has already heard
more than enough, but there’s a couple things I would like to mention.
First, her dancing has improved greatly. I’m not sure whether this
is because she’s just gotten better at it in general, or she’s making a
conscious decision for Christine to be a slightly better dancer. Regardless, I
like Christine to dance properly, so I’m glad she’s improved. My Rhythmic
Gymnastics brain noticed that her ankle extension is gorgeous (she also has RG
elbows. Not Liubov-Charkashyna-extreme, but it still grosses me out a bit), so
I’m hoping for further improvement in her dancing. She’s still in flat shoes,
but I think they’re making the shoes with a bit of a box (or a least a stiffer,
squarer front), so it looks much better.
Also, I’ve said this before, but I need to say it again: Olivia’s
Graveyard/Wishing is just… other-worldly. It’s breathtaking, heartbreaking… I
would dearly love for there to be a proper recording of the two songs, but I
think I’m being a bit fanciful. Everyone who loves Phantom needs to see Olivia’s
Graveyard/Wishing. There’s simply nothing like it, and there aren’t words to
describe it. I often get bored with the 'pretty' versions of Wishing, but one could never get bored of Olivia's Wishing.
A shorter, although still longer than I intended, Olivia soliloquy
this time J
The rest of the cast…
I think I had the second cover for Mme Giry; she was great vocally
and in terms of character, but I felt her timing was a bit off. Lara was great
as usual, the understudy Piangi (I guess Jeremy was on holiday or sick) was
good. Cat is still jumping up way too early in Think of Me, and it irritates me
to no end. Other than that though, I think she’s improved a lot. Her voice is
still a bit shaky in places, but overall I like her a lot better than the first
few times I saw her. Sean still isn’t doing the jump into the lake, which is
another thing that irritates me. I guess he’s got an injury that prevents it
from being safe, but that’s what braces and tensor bandages are for! (I’m
kidding, of course. Just because dancers/gymnasts perform with injuries doesn’t
mean everyone is capable of doing that) Firmin and Andre are still hilarious; I
love these two as a pairing.
Bloopers and Fun moments…
I peeked down into the orchestra pit to look at the soldier who was
about to try to shoot the Phantom; I guess it’s pretty loud from down there,
because I could see all the orchestra members quickly covering their ears right
before the gun went off. It was funny, just because it looked like such a well-practiced
maneuver. There were quite a few line flubs and little mistakes, which I don’t
recall. I have to check the lyrics, but I think there may have been a line
mistake in Think of Me. I can’t remember the other songs/lines that had small
mistakes. Past the Point had a few awkward moments, but I noticed for the first
time how much the choreography echoes Music of the Night. And people think I’ll
get bored with Phantom; how can you get bored when you keep noticing new things
with every show! (speaking of which, I finally figured out why Triangle Girl in
Masquerade is called Triangle Girl….) There weren’t any major mistakes really;
the most noticeable for me was at the very end; the veil was left on the stage,
and the cloak landed right near it, so Cat basically had to stand on the veil.
It wasn’t a big issue, it just marred the effect of just Meg and the
mask on the dark stage. Other than that, nothing too noticeable. Most of these
I’m sure I’m the only one in the audience to notice. Also, I got to see Layla
in a slightly different role tonight – she was one of the decoy Christines (the
one on the bridge) during this show! I had an idea of it, because of the darker
wig she was wearing as a ballet girl, plus it kind of looked like her on the
bridge, but it was cool to see something new and unexpected. Another thing about this show is that there were a lot of moments I would've loved to capture in a photograph. During Angel of Music, there was a moment where Olivia's dressing gown was just hanging perfectly (usually it gets kind of crumpled up) and it was just such a beautiful post (brochure-worthy, really). Olivia also has the best (excuse my language) "What the actual hell?" look on her face during MOTN when Geronimo is about to put his arm around her neck. I had to choke back laughter; it was really funny and I would've loved to have that on camera. All in all, just some really great moments that I so wanted to capture in photographs.
Stage Door...
I had a lot of fun at this Stage Door. I met a lovely family from
Brisbane, Australia; the two kids were into musical theatre and they were all lovely to
talk to. They had asked me to point out Geronimo and Olivia when they came out
because they weren’t sure they’d recognize them (they actually got Olivia and
Sofia mixed up), and I did, but I think I was a bit too loud and pronounced
Geronimo’s name incorrectly. Sorry guys L I did
see Lara and Layla briefly; Lara is so sweet, she always has something nice to
say to me and always seems to have time to sign programs (I was only going to
ask her to sign the one I had for my friend but she offered to sign mine as
well, which was lovely). Layla had to run but it was nice that she had a
bit of time for me (it’s always lovely to see her, of course). Olivia and
Geronimo came out at the same time, and I got to chat briefly with them both,
and also got what is probably the best stage door picture I will ever have (favourite Phantom and Christine in one picture!).
All in all, an incredible end to my time in the UK for now. I can’t
wait to get back to Phantom in February; it feels like a second home to me, and
I just love seeing the show (and the people!) so much.
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