The Phantom of the Opera
This is definitely going to be another point-formy review; I wasn't paying enough attention to mental note-taking to really write anything too detailed. Lately I just want to sit and watch, not obsessively note every single move. It's a good fallback when the show is boring (a rarity), but it's more relaxing just to enjoy it. There are certain things I remember, and that's what I write. Anyway, lecture over.
Geronimo Rauch (Phantom) - WOW that was a Final Lair! Basically from the beginning of PONR, the show was on fire. It was so intense. Gero was great as usual, lots of energy. He's toned down the heavy breathing a bit, but I could still do without it even more. I actually thought he was Scott for a minute because of the heavy breathing. Anyway, love his energy, love his voice. Music of the Night is so beautifully sung. I swear he's shrunk or Olivia's grown though… he seemed very small in stature today. He left out the choking thing today, but I don't think it was necessary and I don't think it would've worked if he'd tried it. It's hard to explain, but it wasn't necessary this time.
Olivia Brereton (Christine) - 8 shows, I should be sick of her by now. But I'm not. Her portrayal is really consistent (which I like because I think her interpretation of Christine is perfect), but she adds new little details all the time, which keep it really fresh. I've only recently noticed how good her PONR is; I sort of noticed last time, but she really kills PONR. It's sultry and sexy without being too over the top. I usually zone out during PONR just because people have a tendency to overdo the sexy, but I think Olivia has a nice balance going. It gets the idea across without overdoing it. Also, I think this was probably the vocally strongest 2nd act I've seen from her. Huge voice, lots of power behind it. It showed the most in PONR and the Final Lair. I could hear lines I usually miss, which was nice. As I mentioned previously, that Final Lair was epic. It looked like she was crying at one point. I love her strong, passionate protection of Raoul (even though this Raoul totally doesn't deserve it). For this show, I don't think either Phantom or Raoul was the 'right' choice, so I like that she played it like she was sorry for both… I don't know, it just worked.
Sean Palmer (Raoul) - Erm… no comment. Boring. Self centred. Totally not deserving of being saved from the noose. Wimpy. Although he did fight the noose a bit more than usual. Can I have Superhero Raoul (otherwise known as Antony) back please?
Cat Lane (Meg) - Still (!!) jumping up too early in Hannibal. Literally on her feet and looking distressed before anything has actually happened. It's April. She should've figured it out by now. Nothing going on in her face or body during Notes. I did like the way she did that step back and run before the curtain opens for the journey to the final lair. Her voice is nice enough; not particularly strong but she hits all the notes.
Fiona Finsbury (Carlotta) - Really, really strong Il Muto. I loved that she was really 'acting' it; she was Carlotta playing a part, and it was over the top and silly, perfect for the scene. She wasn't afraid to bring out Carlotta's more mean side (the 'your part is silent, little toad' saw her grabbing Christine's wrists quite tightly and pushing her away). Her "She's mad" was good too; less abrupt and more of a realisation than Lara's. But she needs to do something different with her eye makeup (it doesn't suit her; her eyes look too massive with the current makeup), and her voice can be very shrill and grating. It was also uneven; sometimes she was too loud, other times you couldn't hear her at all. And the accent. It needs work. I realise for her it's not natural, but it was overdone and very contrived sounding. But I think she has a lot of potential and I could see her being very strong with some adjustments.
Others: Yay for being able to watch Degas Ballet again. I'm still in love with this one girl's penche. It's so effortless and beautiful. The ballet itself is very smooth and clean. I just love watching it. Noticed a few costumes in Masquerade that I hadn't noticed before; didn't like either of them. New gypsy costume for Layla; I love it. Weird colour combination, but it's a nice colour for her and I think it balances out the red wig better. Also, SPARKLY. No major bloopers, just a few understudies on for the ensemble roles and some random trips/slips in various dances. But a relatively clean show all in all, and it was great as usual.
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