So, I suppose a menage a trois is out of the question?

[shadesofmauve]

madalchemist, zair99, meliz115, ribbitkisser, Traitorous Rat Bastard, Kat, Helen and I just saw the Phantom of the Opera at Sehome Cinema.

< ASIDE > It is vital that everyone know that in the gal's loo at Sehome Cinema you can buy, not just tampons, but stick-on body jewels. Best $.75 impulse purchase I've ever made - they dressed up Rat Bastard quite lover-ly. < / ASIDE >



I'll have to read over her entire review, but I think I agree with crazyasterix's main point - movie phantom is just not as edgy as theatre phantom. The key being that spooky element of 'You know you shouldn't, and you know you want to." That dark power isn't really there.

That, daalings, is the difference between te 'er' and the 're.'

Of course, in all fairness, I have NEVER seen the stage show. I have zoned out into a complete music druggie trance to the soundtrack far more than is good for me (Phantom and Les Mis being the two reasons I'll never need to use actual chemical drugs). The song 'Phantom of the Opera' is helplessly tied to the memory of playing it in a Phantom medley in one of the Capitol Area Youth Symphonies - our uber-cool sixteenth notes that no one ever notices, and the way the entire section started bobbing back and forth to the electric bass. Good times, and good music (any musicians/theorists out there who'd like to point out how simple the harmonies are can go right at it, I don't care).

Christine is obviously a veteran of the Kiannu Reeves school of acting. Raoul is...well...the pretty boy. Kat says that they were all a bit too 'porn star.' Well, his name IS Raoul. He probably fit the best. Madame Giry was probably the best well played, though she seemed young (btw, I want to know how do do that to my hair). Phantom really isn't that seriously disfigured - in fact, he's just a guy, which takes away a lot of the 'unearthliness' that makes the character so beguilling. The sheer decadence of props and costumes were delightful, even if the scantiness of Christine's was, well, a tad out of place. Specifically, most of the fabric was usually about three feet behind her (and to anyone whose never warn a cloak, 6 inches up off the ground it STILL gets muddy - imagine three feet of train). Switching sung dialogue to spoken (Little lotty, was she fonder of chocolates?) was aggravating, because you can tell it's not normal spoken dialogue. The random attempts at accents were anything but French, and since I converse regularly with accents which definatley are, that's kind of frustrating. On the other hand, it's a show which makes no real stabs at believability, so i just call up my amazing powers of suspension of disbelief.

I'm now listening to the soundtrack, because Michael Crawford's gorgeous voice does far more for me than either Movie-Raoul-or-Phantom's rather exposed chests - even if my feeling on leaving the theatre (a feeling which applies triply to the real thing) is that all of these relationship problems could be solved by ditching the ditz and holding a lil' menage a trois.

And possibly counseling.



floating, falling, sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me
Savor each sensation
Let the dream give in
Let your darker side give in
to the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night

Comments

[fenmere.livejournal.com]

Sarah, every time you write a little movie review like this, you should bookmark it for later use in a book. I won't pretend to know what the title of the book should be, or it's theme. That would come after you've collected your best reviews. But it would be such a good read! It would probably be the first movie review book I'd read cover to cover.

[shadesofmauve]

Heh - I just re-read it and realised how disjointed it is, but I should write more goofy movie reviews. The best ones come after seeing a movie with a big group, or just a /special/ group, like when westrider and I watched Highlander: End Game (I have fond memories of that terrible movie).

see you at masterrobyn's tomorrow?

[fenmere.livejournal.com]

Yep!

[crazyasterix.livejournal.com]

I think I just took a moment out and grinned at your aside for a little long than was at all respectful to Rat Bastard... O well, my compliments to his schparkleyness all the same ;)

Funny, I'd only heard the soundtrack one, a long long time before seeing the show live, and managed to see it again live before coming by my own copy of the soundtrack, so it had never occurred to me how much strength ofthe show could be conveyed through just its music (how shallow of me, given the context >_<) - well, aside from the movie, now, which I took myself to alone Tuesday night just to sit there with my eyes closed through about 90% of it (I watched anthing with nifty music-video-drama shots of the statuaries and such, and PONR because... Damn. I means it's fucking arrogant to assume that the Phantom would think he could somehow pass even for a split second as chubby Piangi in that, it's handled very differently and with a little more cunning on stage, but... Damn.) and get to listen to the music in all its fully orchestrated glory over booming speakers in surround, combined with the uncomfortable theatre seat experience... But that's another matter. Though Crawfords phantom doesn't *really* do it for me, I think he's the best I've heard recorded for a full albumn and it's very cool indeed to hear that you do enjoy the ST as you do. Talking to you about this (and/or having you talk me down from this, bless your patience & wit ;)) always gave me the distinct impression that you "got it" about the show, and since that show isn't going to be gracing us live in the PNW any time soon (*shakes fist*) it's comforting, somehow, to know that should you want some've that immersion, you have what you get from the ST to turn to.

mm... longer rant than I intended. And meanderring, no less ;)

"my feeling on leaving the theatre ... is that all of these relationship problems could be solved by ditching the ditz and holding a lil' menage a trois." ~ I love the way your mind works ^_^

[shadesofmauve]

I was wondering about Point of No Return! I mean, I kept thinking that if I were out to get him, that'd be the moment. But apparently as far as they're concerned a hundred pounds or more isn't a good indicator of identity.

Traitorous Rat Bastard had silver jewels on his forhead. Yeahhh...

We still need to get together for a lucious guy movie night - our tastes are too similar. Tsk, tsk - always falling for bad guys. :)

As for the soundtrack, I have the original london recording, and pretty much grew up with it. It's much more musically powerful than the movie soundtrack, and I'm a music junkie, so that's important. :)

[crazyasterix.livejournal.com]

hmm.. yes. And yet the "dude, you're not fooling anyone... OK apparently you are?" aspect of PONR isn't what gets me most. That dubious honour falls to thew backup dancers. I think of all the things truly WRONG* with that movie , the PONR back up dancers earn my biggest WTF moment... Followed shortly (...) by the random mini-piangi.

*and there some things quite right too, i just seem to have a handicap when it comes to typing them up ;)

mmm, lucious guy movie night ... have I mentionned that I like the way you think?

*nods* vocally and emotionally the OLC cast is far superior to the movie ST from start to finish. The thing that gets me with the movie sound is the sheer gluttony of a full orchestra... Though that too brings it's ... "issues" (see: the return of the pimpin' riffs ala Steve Harley music video during the title song)

[shadesofmauve]

I place mini-Piangi at the top of my personal WTF list.

[klorkdean.livejournal.com]

Meep! I think I pretty much agree with your sum-up of Phantom--they also cut out the trio in the graveyard and made it a duet. Musically, I think the Masquerade was THE best part---that and the opening. I love the way they snapped it from black and white and worn to full color and absolutely rich in decorum and life.

I have to admit though, I was pretty impressed by Minnie Driver...I never knew she could pull off Carlotta so well.

[shadesofmauve]

Yeah, Minnie Driver was a surprise. Musically...I'd have to listen again. I remember thinking that the bits simple bits that are normally super-powered by an amazing voice (music of the night, for instance, esp. in high parts), lost a lot in the film.

[klorkdean.livejournal.com]

Agreed..they also mish-mashed the two versions of Music of the Night together...

I hate to say it, but I love Michael Crawford...and this guy was kind of a dissappointment. Especially after seeing the show on Broadway.

But, to his benefit, he's never sang or taken singing lessons before this film. So I guess he's not too bad considering