A Year In Review (My Theatre Highlights of 2014)

A Year in Review: 

My Theatre Highlights of 2014

I had a very interesting and eventful 2014; it didn't come in or go out on the best note, but there was lots of fun stuff in between! So here's a summary of my favourite moments at the theatre in 2014. I've tried to narrow it down to 2-3 per month, but it's hard when you spend as much time in a theatre as I do (also because my theatre visits tend to clump together; I see a pile of things in a short period of time, then nothing for a while)!

January

January 25th: Strangers on a Train

Starting off with a show I never got around to writing a review of. Despite originally going to see it because it had Anna O'Byrne in it, I really enjoyed this show, so much so that I saw it twice before it closed. Darkly entertaining, this Hitchcock-inspired play had a stellar cast and beautiful set and costume design. The script left something to be desired (the conclusion came on very abruptly with no logic or reason behind it), but overall, this was an excellent show, and I hope it returns to the West End soon. 

February

February 6th and 8th: Three shows in three days; double Olivia Brereton and triple Layla-Meg!

Review

Not much needs to be said about this - a two show day of my favourite Christine and Meg? What's not to like? I had so much fun - as I nearly always do at Phantom - and I wish I could do it all over again! 

March

The Dream Cast!

March 28th: The Dream Cast! (Phantom of the Opera)

Review

This show was an absolutely incredible experience. I've never been so engrossed in Phantom as I was that night, and it remains one of my favourite theatre experiences of all time. I'd planned it such that Olivia Brereton and Layla Harrison would be on, but a surprise appearance by Antony Hansen made the dream cast complete! This was also the first time something truly special happened during this show, and though it's happened many times since, the first is always the favourite :) Of course, as I've seen more people, other 'dream casts' have developed. But this will always be the Dream Cast, and it was a breathtaking experience that I will never forget. 

April

April 6th: Lest We Forget at the English National Ballet

Review

I'd been dying to see an English ballet (the major European ballet companies are just worlds ahead of the North American ones) and this was the first ballet that came up that I could make it to. It was strange and more contemporary than I usually like, but I enjoyed it immensely and I wish it would be on again soon! The blend of four different pieces by different choreographers, yet all intertwined by the same theme, was beautiful.

May

May 18th: Playing Our Part

Review

This was a truly unique event; an array of brilliant performers, a huge variety of songs, and the best audience (I ended up sat behind one of my favourite performers and in front of a "twitter friend" I hadn't properly met before - it was great!). I also got this photo with Olivia Brereton that makes me giggle every time. 

June

June 5th: Spent my birthday evening at my favourite place! Another show of Phantom of the Opera, of course ;-)

Review

Despite feeling (and definitely looking) kind of icky, I had an amazing time at Phantom on my birthday. Harriet and Scott were at the best I'd ever seen them, and the show was just incredible. I enjoyed the show the subsequent two days, but the birthday show was of course the most special and most memorable :)

June 20th: Romeo and Juliet at the National Ballet of Canada

Review

I had been dying to see this ballet since I first saw excerpts of Evgenia Obraztsova dancing it in a documentary. It was everything I could've hoped for - I laughed, I cried, and I had the most amazing time. Guillaume Cote and Elena Lobsanova played their characters with sensitivity and depth, and the whole performance was just right. 

July

I didn't actually see anything in July! There was no theatre or ballet on in Toronto in July or August, so by the time I got back to London at the end of August, I was feeling a bit theatre-deprived!

August

August 29th; with Layla Harrison
and Olivia Brereton

August 29-30th: The Cast Change shows at Phantom of the Opera (aka the day I spent stage door crying on various peoples' shoulders)

August 30th Review

Best of Olivia Brereton Summary

Not too much to say about this… it was sad, sure (I cried. A lot. Too much. I had to reapply my eye makeup four times on the Saturday night), but they were also three absolutely incredible shows that I enjoyed. Also saw lots of friends in the audience, met some lovely people, and all-in-all, I had a good time. It was definitely worth all of the tears, anyway ;)

September

September 1st: Debut of the new cast at Phantom of the Opera

Review

Well, it's always interesting to see a brand new cast, especially on their first night. It's interesting to see how people have developed; some as expected, some a total surprise. It might not have been my favourite show ever, but the key word here is interesting.

October

Phantowe'en with Layla Harrison

October 18th: 2-show day at Phantom of the Opera with Layla Harrison as Meg!

Review

It's Layla Harrison as Meg - what's not to like? She's absolutely stunning, and I was pleasantly surprised how charming a Meg/Christine pair she and Emmi were. 

October 31st: Phantowe'en Round 2!

Review

It may not have been as good a show as the original Phantowe'en, but I still had fun and enjoyed dressing myself (and Purple!) up for the show! (Masquerade butterflies all the way!)

November

Complementary Champagne?
Don't mind if I do!

November 1st: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Unfortunately I have yet to review this show, despite having seen it twice. I'll have to make at least one more trip there before it closes in March, and I will definitely review it then. Anyway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is one of my favourite shows. It's lighthearted, funny, and an all-around enjoyable experience. Doesn't hurt that I got free champagne (ok, so I don't drink alcohol, but I had fun taking selfies with the glass). Anyway, this show is always a good time, and I recommend it to all! 

December

December 15th: The Royal Ballet's Don Quixote at the Royal Opera House

So, I haven't reviewed this one yet, but I will! The outline is hanging out in my drafts folder. I loved Don Quixote. It was a bit acting- and scene/plot development-heavy (I prefer more actual dancing) but the superb technical skills of Marianela Nunez, the interesting choreography by Carlos Acosta, beautiful costumes and set design, and a fabulously entertaining score, this ballet is a must-see. 

December 16th: Urinetown

Review

This satirical comedy is second only to the Book of Mormon. I had the best time at this show; the set was clever, the performances were strong, and while I found faults in the script and the tightness of the plot line, it didn't hinder the overall entertainment value of the show. 

December 17th: Lisa-Anne Wood as Christine in Phantom of the Opera

Review

Two weeks later, I'm still thinking "WOW". Still also feeling very, very lucky that I caught Lisa-Anne by chance as I hadn't expected to see her Christine until the new year. Lisa-Anne was stunning; I haven't been that engrossed in a show since the last Layla-Meg (October!) and hadn't cried at Phantom since Olivia Brereton left. It was a nice final Phantom show of 2014 and the perfect way to end my theatre highlights of 2014!

I had a fabulous year in theatre - I laughed, I cried, I glared at noisy/texting audience members - what more could you ask for?! I'm looking forward to another great year of theatre and ballet in 2015!

Guillaume Cote and
Elena Lobsanova

Performers of the Year

Layla Harrison (Meg) - Phantom of the Opera

Olivia Brereton (Christine) - Phantom of the Opera

Lizzy Connolly (Jolene) - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Guillaume Cote (Romeo) - Romeo and Juliet

Shows of the Year

Romeo and Juliet (Ballet)

Phantom of the Opera

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Don Quixote (Ballet)

Into The Woods (Movie Review)(contains spoilers)

Into The Woods

Movie Review

James Corden (Baker) and Emily Blunt
(Baker's Wife)

I've been anxiously anticipating this movie for months; I last saw Into The Woods as an 8- or 9-year-old and I honestly don't remember a whole lot of it. But I remember skipping around singing "Into The Woods" for months after the fact, and years later, the chorus of that song is still firmly stuck in my head. So of course, I made sure to see this movie as soon as possible. And overall, I really enjoyed it. It was not without its issues, but all in all, it was an excellent movie that I would love to see again (though of course it made me anxious to see the musical again!). It's absolutely impossible to mention every moment of this complex and character-filled film, so I'll just be touching on the parts that stood out to me.

James Corden (Baker) and Meryl Streep (Witch)

I was very impressed by the cast of this movie. Meryl Streep as the Witch surprised me enormously; she was absolutely wonderful and perfectly cast for the part. Her performance included a haunting voice, appropriately creepy acting, and an element of ironic humour. I loved it. Emily Blunt played a sympathetic, loveable Baker's Wife, though it felt a little one-dimensional at times. James Corden as the Baker also fell slightly flat, but I didn't find the lack of dimensions troubling. It fit with the emphasis in the movie on The Baker's father-issues. If they wanted to go for that angle, I think the Baker needed to be one-dimensional to make it work. His singing voice left something to be desired, but again, not a big deal. It didn't irritate me, anyway. Anna Kendrick was a beautiful Cinderella, with a well thought-out character, believable development, and a lovely voice. I particularly enjoyed her rendition of On the Steps of the Palace and No One Is Alone. Johnny Depp made a brief appearance as the Wolf; nice job, but not a lot to judge him on as he was only on screen for about five minutes. I really enjoyed Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood. Quirky, humorous portrayal, fabulous voice, and she looks absolutely right for the part. 

Mackenzie Mauzy (Rapunzel)

My main issue casting-wise was Daniel Huttlestone as Jack. He has a great singing voice (as evidenced in "Giants in the Sky") and his acting was decent. But his accent was absolutely incomprehensible at points (listen to "Your Fault" on the soundtrack - I'm decent with accents but his words are so mangled); some dialogue and any less-than-straightforward singing was mangled and impossible to understand. In this case, I think they should either have worked on toning down his accent (accents in this movie were all over the board; American, varieties of British - it was confusing at points, but only an issue when the accents were incomprehensible) or I'm sure there were other casting options. This was probably the low point of the movie for me.

One of the major highlights of the film for me was "Agony", where Cinderella's Prince (Chris Pine) and Rapunzel's Prince (Billy Magnussen) (brothers, as it turns out) bemoan the 'agony' of being unable to be with their loves. It involved a lot of sneering and mockery, a very competitive atmosphere, and lots of splashing around in water. It was absolutely hilarious; a much-needed comic break in an otherwise heavy and dark part of the story. In the end of it all, I felt more for Rapunzel's Prince and frankly was a bit disgusted by Cinderella's, but I loved this song and the performances both actors gave.

Anna Kendrick (Cinderella)

I also wanted to touch on a few of the changes they made to turn the musical into a film. First of all, I did not appreciate the chunks they cut out of "No One Is Alone". It's such a poignant song; it's best in its entirety. A change I did like is cutting out most of Rapunzel's storyline. I like that her ending was left somewhat obscure; the viewer can imagine that she, at least, got a happy ending (spoiler: according to the musical, she has the most unpleasant end). Leaving it out made the story much less complex and less depressing.


There was a lot of fuss about casting young teen Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood; the role usually goes to an older actress, as the musical's interactions between Red and the Wolf are (apparently) loaded with sexual innuendo. They've apparently toned this down for the film, and I think this was done effectively. "Hello Little Girl" still had an element of "Hey kid, I have some candy in my windowless van!" but it didn't feel wildly inappropriate (well, any more than it should have been). It was very much a scene that could be viewed from a few different perspectives. If you were looking for the (for lack of a better term) pedophilia in the scene, yeah, you could see it. If you wanted to take a more innocent /literal (i.e. the wolf is literally talking about food) perspective, you could see that. It wasn't black and white.

I really enjoyed Into The Woods and highly recommend it to everyone; unless you absolutely hate music, it really does have something for everyone. There's a variety of stories, characters, and scenarios and everyone can find something to relate to. 

Matilda the Musical (December 14th, 2014)

Matilda the Musical 

Children's Cast

On Sunday, December 14th, I saw a captioned performance of Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre in London. I'd first like to address the captions - I was entirely unaware until I walked into the theatre that this would be a captioned performance. As it turned out, beneath the website's calendar where you choose your dates, they have a few notes of when captioned/signed/relaxed performances are. But there is no note next to the date, no warning before you book your tickets, no notice on the ticket itself. You have to actively scroll down (so you need to know to check beforehand), which I think is a very faulty system. Anyway, it was an interesting, if a little irritating, experience. I spotted a few patrons signing in the audience, but I think the majority of the audience was hearing, and was, like me, unaware that this would be a signed performance (the three families around me were all as confused as I was). Fortunately the captions are not too distracting, but are certainly geared towards adults as the text is too small and quick for a child under 12 to read. Something to note when booking tickets.

Understudies

Not much of note in this performance. Of the children's cast, all but Matilda and Bruce were new to me. I've now seen Tasha Chapple for the 3rd time as Matilda. She's a wonderful, talented child, but her performance has lacked development between her early shows and now. Her voice is beautiful, and she really comes alive during the stories. Otherwise, she plays a very stoic, emotionless Matilda, which is harder to sympathise with. Oliver Loades is a mediocre Bruce until you get to Revolting Children, when his big voice and brilliant comedic timing come into play. I wish he would bring this energy and enthusiasm to the rest of his performance. This was possibly the most diverse children's cast I've ever seen; nice to see, but it's not something I look for. Miriam Nyarko's Lavendar was nice enough; not as quirky or energetic as I prefer, but nothing to fault either. She spoke clearly though, which was very good as Lavendar's lines are easy to mangle. The rest of the children's cast was competent. Great dancing, clear speaking and singing voices - not extraordinary, but nothing to complain about. 

I loved the understudy Mr Wormwood that was on (Tommy Sherlock). I've seen him in his ensemble track a few times and he's got a fabulous, powerful voice (unfortunately his understudy did not live up to that; very strained on the big notes of the Doctor. He was obviously not comfortable with what he was doing). Anyway, Sherlock gave a fresh, entertaining performance as Mr W. His "Telly" was very engaging. Demi Goodman was a nice Mrs Phelps. Not one of my favourite characters in general but she did everything well. I was having trouble zoning in on the details of the performances as my focus kept getting pulled to the flashing of the captions. Otherwise, the rest of the principle cast was on and I've reviewed them all before. 

Overall, I did enjoy the show. I don't think I'll be returning until Tasha has left the show, though, so this was probably my last time seeing Matilda until March/April 2015! 

Matilda Review (June 4th Mat)

Matilda (March 16th)

The Phantom of the Opera (December 17th, 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera

I'm feeling incredibly lucky to have been at this show. By complete coincidence, Lisa-Anne Wood - the Christine understudy that everyone has been telling me that I had to see, that I'd love, who was so special - was on. I'm always a bit skeptical when I hear so many good things; I've been known to love what other people hate and vice versa. But not so with this. Lisa-Anne was absolutely fantastic. Definitely my favourite Christine of the current three and among my top three all-time favourites. I had three things that I didn't like. Three. That's very nearly a record for me (Layla Harrison holds that record at one minor complaint). Even my absolute favourite Christine had a "do not like" list the length of my forearm. But Lisa-Anne was very nearly flawless. I'll try to write a detailed review, but honestly I sat through the show with my mouth hanging open and don't remember a lot of the detail. I'll organise this review by actor; I've covered all of the other main cast before, so I'll write a bit about them, the ensemble, and the ballet girls, but my main focus here is the new Christine. 

Geronimo Rauch (Phantom)

Geronimo Rauch with Harriet Jones
(tumblr)

He forgot to cover Lisa-Anne with the cloak after Music of the Night, but other than that I loved his rendition of MOTN this time around. One of the big "night!" lines he drew it out, then finished sort of like "Niiiiiiiiiigh…TAH." Not a good description but it was pretty awesome and I loved it. I thought he was more engaged in this show than I've seen in the past, and I hope he continues this. Fabulous voice as usual. 

Lisa-Anne Wood (u/s Christine)

Wow. Just wow. That was all I could think during the show. Usually I'm pretty coherent and can form more eloquent thoughts about what I like, don't like, anything interesting that happened, etc. Nope. Mouth hung open for most of the first act, and I cried through half of the second. 

Lisa-Anne Wood as Christine Daae
(tumblr)

Starting with the basics, I loved her costumes. It looks like she's got some hand-me-down costumes, which I love because the old-style costumes are so much prettier than the newer ones. Especially the Star Princess dress; still fluorescent, but this one had one of the old-style bodice and sleeve decorations. Also loved her Hannibal costume; the cut was much more sophisticated and flattering than what they've done with Emmi and Alicia's. She looks absolutely perfect for the part as well (brunette Christine! Now we just need blonde Meg and I'll be happy); lovely wig, flattering makeup, and all of her costumes fit well and were a good colour. So I'm happy with all of that!

Performance-wise, I was really, really impressed. I could not believe it was only her third show. A little lyric slip up in Angel of Music, but nothing anyone would have noticed. It's easiest to start with the things I didn't like, since they were so few. Mainly a lacklustre Serafimo in Il Muto (though I question if this might be down to direction more than a personal character choice as Emmi does it exactly the same way); I prefer it done a la Olivia Brereton or Samantha Hill - out there, kind of silly, over exaggerated - it's a nice moment of fun before the scary stuff begins. The other two things are both in Wishing; she had her cloak wrapped around her nicely at the end, then sort of let it go to walk off stage; I think it would've been more effective to keep it wrapped around herself. As well, in the Angel of Music Trio, I would've preferred if she'd brought her arms in on protector and then flung them back out on "come to me" the way that Harriet and Olivia do/did, instead of just leaving them out. Just down to personal preference really. What she did was fine though, I'm just being pedantic. 

My absolute favourite part was Lisa-Anne in the Don Juan Rehearsal. Her face through that whole thing - it was this heartbreaking mixture of terror and sadness. Perfect lead in to Wishing. Also loved her Twisted Every Way; that's where I started crying. She was trying so hard to get Raoul and everyone else's attention and understanding and they just didn't - you could see her slowly losing her mind through the scene. It was very well done. Another favourite moment was Stranger Than You Dreamt It; she did the mask grab very nicely, and the trip, fall, and everything after that was perfectly done. Great reactions, the emotion was very real and convincing. It was fabulous. PONR was a great song for her; she really played the character and got into it. The mask grab here was really well done as well; she ripped it off, then just screamed (and dropped the mask, but that's irrelevant). You could feel the terror in it. It was very visceral. Final Lair was quite something; when the Phantom was threatening Raoul she just screamed "NO!!" and really stood up to the Phantom after that, which is exactly what I like to see. Finally, during Notes II: WOW. So much variety of emotions in there. Just… wow. Sadness to anger to fear - it was all in there, and in the lead up to "stop, I'll go mad!" you could literally see her losing it. Absolutely brilliant. All in all, the acting and reactions to everything were just wonderful. Accurate, meaningful, emotional - I thought Lisa-Anne absolutely nailed the acting. Nice character development and growth, but still kept it consistent, which I loved.

Voice-wise I was a little unsure (usually it's good acting, mediocre voice, or vice versa) but pleasantly surprised that she has a very strong voice. She uses somewhat of a child-like tone, but not in a twee way, if that makes sense. It worked and I liked it. And oh my goodness that cadenza in Think of Me. I haven't heard it done that well in years. She drew it out and played with it much more than any Christines I've seen recently, and it was gorgeous. Actually I really liked her Think of Me all-around; loved the voice, loved the bright, cheerful acting. There was something very joyful about it; it was lovely. 

Not too much else to say (as I said, I struggle to remember details; I was far more engrossed in the show than I have been lately); she was just really, really perfect, and I'm anxious to see her Christine again! 

Liam Tamne (Raoul)

I swear, every time Christine looks to him for comfort he gets this look on his face like "what do I do with this human who is clinging to me?" Decent voice, he's toned down the gasping and choking. 

Everyone else

Much better Meg from Alicia; toned down, less obnoxious. It was much improved from Saturday's show. Still not the biggest fan of this Piangi; it's not dramatic and funny enough for my liking. Lara Martins gave a sassy, funny Carlotta as usual. Great performance from her. Mme Giry understudy whose name escapes me was lovely; I've seen a lot of her and while she doesn't quite have the presence of Jacinta Mulcahy, she does a creepy and engaging Mme Giry. Managers were fine as usual. 

Ensemble

Different swing on in Lisa-Anne's track this time; her Hannibal princess dress is stunning too! Why can't they give the regular a properly fitted dress but the swings have a wonderful one? Strange. I like the way the auction worker (I think Oliver Savile?) reveals the pistol and skulls in the auction scene. I don't know why, but it makes everyone, including myself, chuckle. 

Ballet Girls

Annoyingly I couldn't see much of the ballet today. Conductor's head was blocking most of them in Hannibal (also, does Lisa-Anne dance en pointe? It kind of looked like that but I couldn't be sure. Anyway, she's a competent dancer, which I think is important for Christine), and I couldn't watch Degas because I was watching Angel of Music (for once). Loved Il Muto though, and Masquerade is still one of my favourite scenes because of all of the dancing. Special mention to Layla Harrison, who just oozes elegance and grace when she dances, and I was very annoyed that I couldn't see much of her during Hannibal. 

Final Thoughts
Go see Lisa-Anne Wood's Christine. That is all.

Oh, and Layla Harrison's Meg, while you're at it. I don't know if they'll have dates together, but if they do, that'll be a golden combination.

Updated 'Favourites' list

Urinetown (December 16th, 2014)

URINETOWN

The Musical

Urinetown is a dystopian musical full of dark humour, deceptively cheerful, hopeful songs, and lots of blood. It was probably the strangest piece of theatre I've ever seen. And yet, it was really quite enjoyable. The first act was definitely more interesting and engaging than the second, and there were some moments that felt far too dialogue-heavy (and some of these were entirely irrelevant to the story as well), and the ending was shocking, bloody, and really didn't match with anything else. But overall, I very much enjoyed Urinetown and would highly recommend it. 

It's hard to pinpoint a single highlight of this show. The lyrics and dialogue were clever and humorous, the actors were incredibly skilled; all remained entirely in character despite a few actors swapping between a few characters throughout the show. I especially enjoyed the performances of Matthew Seadon-Young, who played a quirky, dreamy Bobby Strong; Rosanna Hyland, who played heartfelt, annoying-as-all-get-out Hope Cladwell; and the quirky, dark humour of Jonathan Slinger as Officer Lockstock. The set was also incredible; I imagine it would not be a good set up for those sitting towards the front of the stalls, but from the middle of the stalls I had an excellent view. The bottom half of the set was the poor peoples' area, the top was for the rich workers and owner of UGC. The set was also beautifully detailed without being overwhelming; simplistic, yet detailed and effective. I loved it! Same deal with the costuming; simple, yet effective. I hate to think how much time the wardrobe team has to spend washing those clothes though!

As for what I didn't like; the second act dragged on quite a bit. Most of what was covered in the first act was reiterated far too many times in the second. For an adult audience, this was unnecessary. Some of the jokes were also overused and tired by the middle of the second act. The lines between some different characters became a little blurred (as in some of them seemed like exactly the same character, just played by a taller or shorter person) and some could have been more in the background rather than attempting to give them their own personalities and moments (Little Becky Two-Shoes, for example. She was just hanging around in the back the whole show, and then suddenly she became an important figure with a big song and dance number? Didn't make sense). 

All I'll say about the end is that it felt like a bit of an excuse to pour as much blood as possible over as many people as possible. I think it could've ended about five minutes earlier than it did; the way it ended just felt unnecessary and too drawn out. 

Overall, I had a great time at Urinetown. It was a fun night out, and I highly recommend seeing it! 

The Phantom of the Opera (December 13th, 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera

Just a quick little review of this show. Not too much to say so it'll be brief. I was having a costume nerding show, so lots of comments on that. 

Emmi has improved. Her voice seemed a bit tired, but I guess that's to be expected at the end of a 5-show marathon (there are alternates for a reason!). I'm not loving the cut of her Hannibal costume; it's got a very short bodice, but the back of the bodice comes down much farther (the sides hit just below her waist, the back is halfway down her behind). It just looks strange and unflattering. Speaking of which, Emmi looks so tall on stage, but she is teeny tiny in person. Her costumes just aren't cut in a way which flatters her (aside from the gowns; the Aminta dress is gorgeous on her, even if it clashes with her hair). Anyway, overall Emmi is an all-around decent Christine. She has some brief "Wow!" moments, and some brief "WTF?" moments, but all-together it's not necessarily bland, just… decent. Consistent. No character development and still some accent issues (on her Ws and Vs generally). I think her acting was really enhanced by playing opposite Layla Harrison's Meg; she responded more enthusiastically it seemed. Still not warming up to the blocking change in PONR though.

Geronimo also seemed rather lacklustre. Again, it was fine, but nothing extraordinary. In the past I've really loved his Phantom, but now I'm finding it rather tired. Not much else to say there. Same deal with Liam; I've said it all in past reviews.

Alicia's Meg is getting increasingly obnoxious. There's too much bug-eyed-edness (my website, I can make up words if I want), lots of big gasps every time someone said anything to her (as if every second of her life was surprising…), and a lot of pouting and silly faces. Singing voice still isn't there, but the volume is at least good. It's still worlds better than Broadway Megs, but I'm definitely aiming to see more of Layla's Meg (and Georgia's too if I can catch it). Was watching her Don Juan costume like a hawk for the replica I'm working on. The new skirt is fluffing gorgeous. Gold with sheer brown aprons - absolutely stunning.

Speaking of pretty costumes, I loved the swing on today's Hannibal Princess (she was in Lisa Anne Wood's track). Her costume fit so much better than LAW's, and the colours are just stunning. Also adore said swing's (no idea who... either Joanna O'Hare or Emma Barr; I'm inclined to think the former. Whoever it was did a nice mirror bride too) Don Juan costume. It's interesting seeing how they use similar laces but in different patterns to make the  dresses/different layers of the skirts all look so unique. Also love the Triton Girl costume (though not the wig); I used to not like the red tights but now I see why they work. 

I loved watching the ballets today! They were a mind-saver in an otherwise dull show. Hannibal was a bit annoying as from my angle I couldn't see Layla (boo :( ) so I watched who I think is Daisy, who I've seen bits of in the past - she's a gorgeous dancer, by the way. Probably next to Layla in terms of expression. Anyway, watching Daisy was a good idea, because I finally solved *dramatic drumroll please* the mystery of the Vanishing Ballet Girl! So, when there's an uneven number of ballet girls, there's this bit at the front they need an even number for. I've never been able to catch how once dancer just vanishes to even out the numbers for the rest of the song. So I was watching Daisy lead the group of four on the one side, and at one point, the entire group disappears behind the ensemble. When they reappeared, Layla was leading. So my theory is that Daisy (or whichever dancer) just keeps running off stage while camouflaged, and voila, mystery solved, happy me.

But as for the dancing in general, it was a bit of a jumble with a few dancers off, but I enjoyed it a lot anyway. Layla is so expressive in the most elegant way; whether it's Hannibal, Il Muto or Masquerade, she captures the character of the dance but maintains her own elegant style. I love it! As I said, I'm also enjoying Daisy (I really hope I'm getting her name right… it's one of the new girls!). She's a very cheerful dancer to watch; nearly always smiling, but not in a cheesy way. As mentioned previously, I also love Georgia's effortless flexibility (that penche in Degas!) and Danielle's elegance. Speaking of Degas, those tutus need to be deflated. Their puffiness is verging on the ridiculous. It makes beautiful, elegant dancers look like children playing dress up. Also not fond of the way the Hannibal tiaras are sitting lately. I do like Alicia's tiara though; I prefer that style to the almost Byzantine look they're going with now.  

That's pretty much it; relatively dull show, but I really enjoyed watching the dancing and finally getting to relax after exams!

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!

The Phantom of the Opera (October 18th, 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera 

This is another composite review of two shows; it was an identical cast for both, but obviously there were some different things that happened differently in either show, so where applicable I’ll note that. I've organised it by scenes; so if something has an arrow, that just means the first scene through to the end of the second scene listed.

Auction à Think of Me

Raoul’s "Boy" is very loud – he doesn’t sound like a weak old man, though it fits with the rest of the portrayal. Hannibal was pretty normal; they were short a few dancers so they looked a bit sparse, but not a big issue (the BGs were also very blonde today). The ensemble is missing most of the little details that the last cast put in. Fiona Finsbury as Carlotta has improved quite a bit. She’s much less shrill and bug-eyed (makeup fix or she’s just stopped opening her eyes so wide; whatever she’s done, it’s great). The accent is much more accurate and consistent now. I still miss a bit of personality (there’s no consistent trait/traits that carry through her performance). Anyway, Hannibal and her bit of Think of Me was well sung and well acted. What I most love about Layla’s Meg is that she’s not the Phantom’s resident (and very annoying) announcer. She makes Meg a real and important character who has a huge (and very unappreciated) part in the show. That said, she does do the Phantom’s announcements very nicely (volume, conviction; nothing much to say aside from it’s just the way I like it). LOVE watching her and Reyer. She’s cheekily peeking over at the score, and makes the most proud face when Christine starts being a good singer. It’s really cute. Emmi’s definitely worked on her accent; it’s much less apparent now. It mostly pops up when she has small spoken bits (or any phrases that need to be sung/spoken very quickly; i.e. “we must go to the roof, we’ll be safe there!” It also tends to come out when she’s saying something with a W in it. No idea why, but she’s not dropping the ends off of words now, so yay!) The weird thing she does in Think of Me is on the cadenza and the vibrato (I think that’s what it’s called?) at the end, she ‘jiggles’, for lack of a better turn. As in, her shoulders and arms wiggle up and down. It is very bizarre and not particularly attractive. Think of Me was great until that (well, she did get her scarf caught in her face, but that was pretty funny and she handled it well – I have massive respect for performers that are able to shake off something like that – in this case, literally!).

Angel of Music 

Layla and Emmi are absolutely adorable together. Their Meg and Christine gel really well; their mannerisms match each other and they really do seem like best friends. I like that because so often Meg just gets ignored, and I don’t think she should be, so having the “BFF” aspect of Christine and Meg be very apparent is great. Layla’s got a beautiful voice; clear, pure, and really nice volume this time. And the face she makes when Mme Giry is annoyed at her. I died. I honestly didn’t watch the Raoul/Christine part of Angel of Music. The ballet was too enticing. 

Phantom of the Opera/Music of the Night/Stranger Than You Dreamt It

Nothing special about the Title Song; it was good enough. Emmi missed the big ‘swish’ to the audience near the end (when the Phantom sort of ‘throws’ his arms outwards), but it looked ok. Both do the lip synch very well. Music of the Night was beautiful performed by Scott. Emmi was fairly uninteresting (honestly I remember nothing that she did during MOTN, which means she did nothing that wowed me but nothing bad either). But WOW that STYDI! Loved it. Fabulous acting from both Emmi and Scott. Bit of an awkward mask hand-back, but still, the acting was great! And the Mirror Bride kept still this time, so good for her.

Buquet à Prima Donna

I loved this Buquet (no idea who it was though). He was a lot less outwardly creepy, but there was just something very dark, yet almost comical, about him. I don’t really know how to describe it, but it worked very well. I loved when he jabbed his finger at Meg, then sort of drew it around at two of the other girls. Also his reaction to Mme Giry was pretty funny. But oh my goodness, Notes through Prima Donna is the Layla Harrison show. I know Meg’s not technically supposed to be the focus of those scenes, (Hi, Carlotta) but you can’t not watch her (aside from Layla’s generally magnetic stage presence). She just does the most brilliant facial expressions in reaction to Carlotta’s diva tantrum at the end of Notes and the beginning of Prima Donna. I’d love to know what’s going on in Meg’s head at that point, because it’s probably pretty funny. But that changes to sincere concern for Christine; she’s obviously trying to figure something out, but everyone just sort of pushes Meg away. Layla expresses this beautifully; it’s just so real. You don’t hear too much from Meg in this scene (though with Layla you can actually hear something!), but what you do is beautifully sung. I can’t really say too much about anyone else in that scene, but nothing disastrous or outstanding happened (you know, aside from Layla-Meg being incredible).

Il Muto à Chandelier Crash

This was certainly Emmi’s weakest scene. There was just nothing coming from her. Nothing. It was like she’d accidentally found herself on stage and was trying really hard to blend into the background. Not too impressed with that. I don’t mind people not going for the really out there Serafimo (a la Olivia Brereton or Samantha Hill), but if you’re going to play shy/quiet Serafimo, sell it. Don’t just stand there and look blank. Everyone else was good; I loved watching Layla (again, the faces!! So perfect and funny. Also I love her costume for Il Muto; the dress is a gorgeous colour and the style suits her perfectly. And those shoes are my favourite costume piece in the show). Fiona was good in this scene; not as pissed off as I usually like Carlotta to be, but she did the croaking and panic very convincingly. I love Tim Laurenti as Andre’s introduction to the Ballet. The audience, myself included, were in hysterics.

Excuse the most unprofessional sentence I will ever publish, but ASFHASJGSG Layla danced the featured part in Il Muto! And she was beautiful at it; she’s just such a gorgeous dancer to watch. The movements were all fluid yet precise at the same time, and the expressions is just WOW. Can she dance that part every time? Please?

All I Ask of You was fine. Not hugely emotional but better than last time. Liam and Emmi are still doing the face smush kiss (that’s a literal description of it). Because I’m a ten year old (*insert eye roll*) I usually cover my eyes for the kiss, but I’d rather sit through Olivia and Antony’s ultra passionate kiss than the face smush. It’s just not romantic at all. That’s one thing, I didn’t get a lot of connection between Christine and Raoul in this show. I mean, they were fine, but there was no overwhelming sense of love; nothing that made you think they were meant to be together, no matter what happened. I feel like Christine would’ve dumped Raoul shortly after the show ended. I never like how Christine’s pulled off when the Chandelier goes down. What the heck is Raoul doing on stage?! And why doesn’t Christine just run? (I have a theory that Christine is just really, really stupid). Anyway, it was fine. Everyone looked suitably terrified.

Layla Harrison and Emmi Christensson
(Emmi's Twitter)

Masquerade

I LOVE this scene so much; the bursts of colour, the gorgeous dancing, the sparkly costumes… it’s beautiful. Also for other reasons that’re unrelated to the show itself but nonetheless make the scene one of my favourites. Of course made better by my favourite Meg just being generally perfect. No major things to note, but I do love how everyone freezes during “Christine, Christine!” and then all hell breaks lose. It’s a nice piece of choreography. Poor Layla had to do the kick in the corner on her own (usually there’s two dancers supporting each other), which looks... hazardous. Also, I seriously love Georgia’s Butterfly Costume. The bodice (purple with a black lace overlay) is stunning and the skirt is just so darn sparkly. A note on Emmi’s Retina Burner (aka her Star Princess dress). It’s not so bad on stage. Still obnoxiously fluorescent, but the colours relax under the stage lights. The skirt is beautiful actually; the combination of blue, white and pink is lovely when it twirls. It’s the bodice that just thoroughly ugly (and brighter too; the bodice and skirt aren’t the same colour). Still a hideous version of the costume (can the costume dept please bring back the beautiful pale dresses?), but not as bad as it looks in photos.

Notes II à Rehearsal

Notes II was very uninteresting. Not bad, just nothing special. I liked Liam’s “You don’t have to, they can’t make you!” The way Raoul interacts with Christine, it seems as though he thinks of her more as a business rather than someone he’s in love with. Liam plays this angle well, though I don’t like to see Raoul played that way. The rehearsal for Don Juan was another Layla-Meg scene; she’s just so much fun to watch. There’s never a dull moment; I could spend ages writing about all the little details and the cute/funny things she did. Super Meg! Also, Emmi and Layla have an adorable connection as Christine and Meg; they gel very well, so the friendship between the two characters seems very real and strong, which I love. Layla’s Meg is very attentive to Christine, and Emmi’s Christine responds nicely to Meg as opposed to ignoring her.

Wishing à Wandering Child

Emmi’s cloak fell off in the first show. As in, the backpack straps and clips in her hair were the only things holding it on her body. Again, well handled; she didn’t fuss with it (I do prefer when they fix things like this rather than just ignoring them, but I can’t fault just ignoring it; there’s nothing wrong with it, just personal preference). But Emmi’s ‘Wishing’ is nice enough. Nothing extraordinary, but there’s nothing to fault (except her basically blowing her nose in her scarf at the beginning…).  Wandering Child was nice; Emmi does a really good ‘hypnotized’ face. Convincing, not overdone. Ignored Raoul.

PONR

I think PONR is probably Emmi’s favourite song; is where we get the most personality from her. I think what her Christine lacks is development; she just speaks the lines or sings the song, there’s no motivation or carrying character traits behind it. I like the way that Emmi and Scott do everything on the bench, and him dragging her around after she realizes who he is. One thing that did make me giggle was when she ripped his mask and wig off. Blank face. Arms went up. Arms came down with a mask and hair in them. Finito. It was just so… lackluster? Unexpected? Either way, it was strange.

Final Lair

Holy bananas, Scott went a little beserk here, especially the second show! On the boat ride his hands were shaking and spasming – it was legitimately terrifying. It looked as if he was having a psychological break or something. Brilliant, but terrifying. I liked him a lot better than I have in the past; really big and dramatic, but not as overdone (though that might’ve been because he was beside Emmi’s stoic Christine and Liam’s forgettable Raoul). Liam’s “Christine! Christine!” when she was kissing the Phantom was very well done; I liked that addition. Emmi gets quite fiery in the final lair… but her face doesn’t do a whole lot. Stoic really is the best word for it. And finally, the reveal of the Phantom’s mask at the very end of the show. Layla managed the most elegant cape sweep I’ve ever seen (she did it such that she got both the cape and the wedding veil out of her way so she wasn’t kneeling on them. Very impressive). What better way to end the show that with one final look at the most well-rounded, expressive, generally perfect Meg.

The Phantom of the Opera (Cast Change, August 30th, 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera

Cast Change Saturday

On August 30th, the final performances of the 2013/14 cast, I was lucky enough to be able to see both shows. I honestly don't remember a whole lot of them (especially the second one as I was sobbing through most of it), but I'll note down some details that I remember. The casts for the Matinee and evening were the same, aside from Harriet Jones being on as Christine at the Matinee and Olivia Brereton for the evening.

Matinee Cast

The Matinee was what I'm told is known as a 'Muck up', where the performers added and changed all sorts of funny little details. I'm laughed more than cried this show, thanks to all the silly additions. My favourite by far was Ashleigh Fleming. She became a blonde Hannibal Princess, a mask-less Mirror Bride (don't know how she pulled this off. I swear she never blinked or moved a face muscle), a blue-haired Triangle Girl, and completely overdid her part in the Don Juan rehearsal (which I thought was hysterical and awesome). Anna Shircliff was another funny one; she wore a dark BG wig but a blonde fringe (how they did that, I've no idea), what looked like a Passarino wig for her Triton Girl in Masquerade, and I'm 99% sure she had her dressing gown on backwards for Bridge Christine. Charise Renouf (who's awesome parents I sat next to during the show) wore a BG wig for Masquerade. I'm not sure who (swing Fiona?), but one of the BGs left her Degas hair bow in for floor-Christine. Cat Lane wore a Mme Giry wig for Masquerade. Jeremy Secomb drew out the longest "haaaaaaas come home" I think is humanly possible. It was so long, clear, and impressive that the entire cast started clapping on stage, and the audience was cheering by the time he was halfway through. Jeremy also hung out in Box 5 with Raoul during Il Muto. At Curtain Call, Geronimo had a sign taped to his tailcoat. I've no idea what it said, but Harriet was laughing quite hard so it must've been funny. 

Cat Lane's Mme. Giry Wig
for Masquerade
(Cat's Instagram)

About the performances themselves, Harriet's first act is very strong. Her "Think of Me" is full of joy, it's infectious. But her second act seemed to fall flat with very wooden and 'rehearsed' acting (Wishing was the main culprit for this. I don't think crying can get much faker-looking than that). Antony was on fire this show; I thought he was going to murder the Phantom during the Final Lair (I've seen him go pretty insane, but he actually spit at the Phantom! Never seen that before). I really loved how much he struggled against the noose (on his absolute tippy-toes the entire time), and when the Phantom kissed Christine, he struggled harder, then on the second kiss turned the entire noose around to look away. Antony actually makes you feel for Raoul, which is awesome considering I mostly consider Raoul to be a stuck-up, arrogant jerk. Geronimo was fine during the show; he held back a bit at the matinee, but overall everything was good enough. No complaints, but nothing particularly stuck out.

Evening Cast

The second show was incredibly emotional before I even sat down. However, I had the good fortune of  sitting next to some incredibly friendly people, and that helped with the worst of my emotions. Regardless, I still sobbed my way through most of the show. There were so many incredible performers, principles and ensemble alike, who left that night. It was impossible to watch each of the leaving people's performances as much as I would have wanted to, so I picked my battles. Obviously Olivia was the priority, but I also tried to focus on Antony, Jeremy, Cat, and Ashleigh. If I'm being totally honest, I don't remember a whole lot about the show. It sort of rushed by in a flurry of tears (I started crying as soon as I saw Olivia had tears in her eyes during Hannibal. And I'm not usually a crier. RG kind of whips that out of you). So I'll write about what I remember, but you can find detailed thoughts on Olivia's Christine, compiled from this show and the August 29th show, at the bottom of this post.

It was a relatively smooth show; no issues that I could pick out. The part of the show I enjoyed the most  was probably the Il Muto ballet, because it was the one time I wasn't thinking "This is the last time I'll see _____!" Beautifully danced as usual; I love how much energy the BGs put into that piece. It's so intricate and yet delicate at the same time - I love it! Cat has improved over the summer (as has the styling of her wig) and now I'm quite sad to be seeing her go. She was a cute Meg with a solid voice and nice dancing and acting, and she will certainly be missed. Jeremy was a funny, personable Piangi. He made Piangi stand out in a good way, making it so much sadder when the character meets his untimely end. His big voice, brilliant comedic timing, and adorable relationship with his Carlotta (Lara Martins) has always been a highlight of this cast. Ashleigh had the most wonderful facial expressions during Hannibal and Don Juan (she's such a joy to watch), and her Mirror Bride has always been spot on (and a beautiful and well-acted Christine as well).

Of course, it wouldn't've been an Olivia-Christine show without a wardrobe malfunction. Minor ones this time, though. Her scarf got caught on either the Elissa skirt or Hannibal bodice during Think of Me (it actually looked kind of cool because the scarf was catching the air when she moved - she managed to shake it loose by the end of the song though). And one of my favourite mishaps, just because of the way she makes it work, the Aminta dress coming too far off her shoulders. It's happened a couple of times, and I love that she waits to fix it until the Phantom is done manhandling her, and then while looking absolutely terrified tries to pull it back over her shoulder in a very protective way as opposed to just yanking it back into place (that would feel out of character).

Olivia and Antony
(Olivia's Twitter)

One very poignant moment of this show was All I Ask of You. Olivia and Antony are a beautiful pairing; they just click so perfectly and it makes Christine and Raoul's relationship much more tolerable (and, dare I say it, romantic). Well, Olivia was clearly crying during AIAOY, and Antony was giving her longer hugs and wiping away her real tears. It was so, so adorable. Antony and Olivia are a truly special pairing. In a way, I'm glad they're both leaving at the same time; it'd be hard to see one without the other. I seriously lost it during the AIAOY reprise at the very end, because it sounded as if they were both choking up. Both made these roles their own; Antony's Superhero, likeable Raoul and Olivia's interesting and multidimensional Christine.

Geronimo Rauch, Olivia Brereton, and
Antony Hansen
(the best trio)(Antony's Twitter)

Another favourite moment was, of course, Wishing. Olivia's song; many people can sing it. Some can act it too. But no one captures the emotion the same way Olivia does. She does the exact same hands, arms, and head movements every time, but each time I see it, it feels like the first time. Every word she sings is absolutely full of emotion, and I was sobbing into my hands by the time she sang "and speaks my name" with her signature way of singing that last word. It rips your heart out every single time. She's also the only one who can pull off the crying at the beginning without making it look fake and ridiculous. Everything just feels so real, and that's why her Christine is so easy to sympathise with. The way she does the Journey to the Graveyard bit is almost haunting, which I think helps it to seem less contrived/rehearsed.

Unfortunately, I don't remember a whole lot else about the show. I do know that it was incredibly emotional for both the audience and performers, and despite crying through it, I enjoyed it immensely. Everyone put their heart and soul into this performance, and it was absolutely breathtaking.

It was very, very sad (I was crying into a friends shoulder after the show - thank you Sabine!) saying goodbye to all of these incredible performers. Each and every one of them has given brilliant performances during their time in Phantom, and I'm so glad I've written about nearly every performance so I and others can remember how amazing they all were in their respective roles. Wishing every departing member of this cast all the best as they continue their careers. I know we'll be seeing much more of them all in the future.

With Olivia Brereton after
her final performance
(myself)

Links
The Best of Olivia Brereton
The 2014/15 Cast Debut