Yes - there are some things that I like about it.
No - I will not pay good money for something that rips apart my favorite show/book.
So - here are MY THOUGHTS, on the second act.
These are mine alone. You don't have to like them, you don't even have to read them. Come back next week when we get back on the regular schedule.
That being said I will reiterate the headline
SPOILERS
Because, duh.
Let's plug ahead into this .....
We begin Act Two with a song that I find myself loving. I wish it ended differently as this is a rather moving song.
"Why Does She Love Me"
We see Raoul in the bar. Drinking.
(Apparently he's more comfortable as a drunk than anything else, which is a sad commentary.)
He's singing about the pitfalls of love and everything else. While he's questioning his existance in this musical, er, I mean in New York at the caranival Meg comes in fresh from swimming off the shores of New York.
Frankly, that's a rather crazy idea. But FORESHADOWING.
After she tells him to leave, partly because of what she's seen and since she knows who the real puppet master in the works is, we see Raoul become defensive about his prowess against the phantom.
I have far more sympathy for Raoul in this than anyone else. .... Well, maybe Meg in a close second.
I have far more sympathy for Raoul in this than anyone else. .... Well, maybe Meg in a close second.
Now, the entire time this scene is taking place I'm watching the bartender like a hawk. There is a switch of men on duty, then after Meg leaves the bartender completely vanishes and is replaces with -
- the Phantom.
"Devil Take the Hindmost"
OR
"How to be complete Scum to the woman you married/fawn over"
OR
"Stupid men"
Seriously? They treat her like a piece of meat.
A prize to be won at an auction.
Personally, Christine should have see this coming and done this.
Right. Now that we have Raoul finally genuinely concerned about losing Christine forever, since the Phantom's being an idiot once more, he runs off to try and rescue her after bartering her off.
Note: I did love how the phantom left at the end. Then you sorta hear the last line linger in the empty air.
Also: Raoul keeping his hand at the level of his eyes the entire time. Sheer love.
Then we get everyone on and off stage, singing about the upcoming performance. It brings back all of our beloved melodies from the amazing production, lending an "Notes" feel to this.
With everyone in place we hit the next song that not only made me cringe, but wonder why in the Underground I'd bothered to sit through this.
"Bathing Beauty"
Nope. It's not gone folks, it's still in. Complete with strip tease all the way to a small umbrella covering, making me pray the girl playing Meg has some nude colored clothes on.
Seriously, I felt embarrassed for her.
As for the music, it's vaudeville. It's not bad, it's just.... misplaced in a Phantom related musical. It's more crass and ill suited, yet still applicable to this.
"Mother Did You Watch"
Sighhhhhh.............. Oh Madame Giry.
How far have you been thrown from the apple tree.
Right. I have tons of beef with this. First: M. Giry telling her daughter they're going to be cast aside; Second: telling her that her best friend is the reason she's stuck doing crappy roles; Third: yelling at her for her enthusiasm about her own performance.
Basically, Madame Giry sets her daughter off on the path to Crazy Town.
So - yeah - WHAT THE HECK?
We know she knows about the kid, about all the moolah going to him, but really?
Right, moving right along.
"Before the Performance"
Where have I heard that befo- Well screw you too, crappy sequel.
We get to see Christine's dressing room, where her son is helping her prep for the upcoming performance. We get a cute little reprise of their song together and see how much of a doting, loving mother she is.
Then Raoul comes in and they send the kid out, cus you know. Sending a 10-year old to play backstage is totally safe and fine.
He convinces her to leave, which doesn't take much, as she's wanted to be gone since the creepy music box.
Well, we all know how that works out.
The moment Raoul's out the door its locked magically from the outside. And we get
MIND GAMES!
"Leave and let's have a wonderful, happy life!"
"Sing for me one more time and then you'll still be mine cause I duped your husband whom you still love!"
And we get a "Twisted Every Way". Literally.
As the scene changes everyone comes on and off stage, singing the Quartet of "Devil Take the Hindmost" (which isn't a bad song. I rather love it).
And then -
"Our Kind of Love"!
Oops sorry, wrong song.
"The Heart Is Slow To Learn"!
Sorry, wrong song.
"Love Never Dies"
You can see the problem, right?
Personally - I kept singing the first two, sort of a mashup.
There just something about plagiarizing your own music three different times that confuses the mind and soul. Ah, to be a composer with nothing new.
Wonderful costume, and an excellent vocal performance by Meghan Picerno.
Sadly, Raoul leaves.
Stupid Phantom.
Really? The fact that I'm actively rooting for Raoul to win because he's being beaten to a crisp is just - sad.
Right.
"Ah, Christine"
Woo - you sang my song and everything is fine! By the way, Raoul's gone, so you can stay with me now and forever. Whee!
She doesn't bat an eye at the fact that her childhood friend, lover, and husband is gone. Doesn't seem to mind that he was concerned about her before the performance, then suddenly ups and leaves during it. At least she had the courtesy to stutter when she saw him leave, but she didn't even question why he was gone, or what (rather whom) had caused him to go.
Oh, Christine.
Now we get to the "Fun" part.
Raoul did leave a note behind for her, and it's read as the Phantoms' notes were.
This bugs me, but I can see why: her only concern after her husband leaving is for her son.
Screw the husband, where's the kid?
Angry phantom, upset Christine - cue Backstage Panic!
But wait - the trio saw Raoul leave alone....
...but the mirror in Meg's dressing room has been smashed.
"Streets of Coney Island"
Meg has Gustave and is leading him along the streets, while everyone and their moms (see what I did there?) are out running around looking for them.
To her credit, Madame Giry is finally concerned about the welfare of her daughter. Of course, the Phantom's threatened to kill her, but hey Motherly Love is back!
So - they reach the end of a pier where Meg is half pulling/pushing Gustave towards the end and the water.
Phantom, Christine, and Madame Giry come up, but are held back when they realize Meg has a gun.
While they try talking her down she tells them about her "Little Trip to Coney Island". How she had to leave Paris with her mother to save the Phantom, who didn't care. How she and her mother had danced together for a while; then how she was literally whored out so the Phantom could have the money he needed for his little "Fantasma".
Question: How did he not know about any of this? Was he really that blinded by his supposed love for Christine the entire freking time?
So - now that everyone's told her it was for nothing, she gets nothing, there she loses!
She's finally flipped.
She does lets Gustave go, and he runs to his mother.
As she's putting the gun to her head, the others try to talk her down. The Phantom wins the loudest mouth contest and starts slowly walking up to her. He's finally got his brain geared to a woman ready to murder everyone around her - like he did back in the good version. He's doing a fantastic job, until -
"We can't all be like Christine."
First: When someone is on the verge of suicide, you do NOT compare them to the person they've been compared to and told they weren't anything like by everyone around them.
Second: Phantom, you airhead. Didn't you learn your lesson the first time around? If Christine had said something like that you would've killed Raoul.
Naturally, this response doesn't go well with Meg either, while trying to hold on to the rest of her sanity, the gun goes off. She accidentally shoots Christine.
Because of the nature of this shot, and the fact it sounded real, people in the audience shouted and a few voiced loud concerns. It made me jump as well.
As Christine falls, Meg rushes to her mom and they both get away as fast as they can.
Gustave is concerned about his mother, who decided to tell him that the Phantom's his father, not Raoul. To which the child screams -
Also: So, I guess Love really DOES die.
With everyone in place we hit the next song that not only made me cringe, but wonder why in the Underground I'd bothered to sit through this.
"Bathing Beauty"
Nope. It's not gone folks, it's still in. Complete with strip tease all the way to a small umbrella covering, making me pray the girl playing Meg has some nude colored clothes on.
Seriously, I felt embarrassed for her.
As for the music, it's vaudeville. It's not bad, it's just.... misplaced in a Phantom related musical. It's more crass and ill suited, yet still applicable to this.
"Mother Did You Watch"
Sighhhhhh.............. Oh Madame Giry.
How far have you been thrown from the apple tree.
Right. I have tons of beef with this. First: M. Giry telling her daughter they're going to be cast aside; Second: telling her that her best friend is the reason she's stuck doing crappy roles; Third: yelling at her for her enthusiasm about her own performance.
Basically, Madame Giry sets her daughter off on the path to Crazy Town.
So - yeah - WHAT THE HECK?
We know she knows about the kid, about all the moolah going to him, but really?
Right, moving right along.
"Before the Performance"
Where have I heard that befo- Well screw you too, crappy sequel.
We get to see Christine's dressing room, where her son is helping her prep for the upcoming performance. We get a cute little reprise of their song together and see how much of a doting, loving mother she is.
Then Raoul comes in and they send the kid out, cus you know. Sending a 10-year old to play backstage is totally safe and fine.
He convinces her to leave, which doesn't take much, as she's wanted to be gone since the creepy music box.
Well, we all know how that works out.
The moment Raoul's out the door its locked magically from the outside. And we get
MIND GAMES!
"Leave and let's have a wonderful, happy life!"
"Sing for me one more time and then you'll still be mine cause I duped your husband whom you still love!"
And we get a "Twisted Every Way". Literally.
As the scene changes everyone comes on and off stage, singing the Quartet of "Devil Take the Hindmost" (which isn't a bad song. I rather love it).
And then -
"Our Kind of Love"!
Oops sorry, wrong song.
"The Heart Is Slow To Learn"!
"Love Never Dies"
You can see the problem, right?
Personally - I kept singing the first two, sort of a mashup.
There just something about plagiarizing your own music three different times that confuses the mind and soul. Ah, to be a composer with nothing new.
Wonderful costume, and an excellent vocal performance by Meghan Picerno.
Sadly, Raoul leaves.
Stupid Phantom.
Really? The fact that I'm actively rooting for Raoul to win because he's being beaten to a crisp is just - sad.
Right.
"Ah, Christine"
Woo - you sang my song and everything is fine! By the way, Raoul's gone, so you can stay with me now and forever. Whee!
She doesn't bat an eye at the fact that her childhood friend, lover, and husband is gone. Doesn't seem to mind that he was concerned about her before the performance, then suddenly ups and leaves during it. At least she had the courtesy to stutter when she saw him leave, but she didn't even question why he was gone, or what (rather whom) had caused him to go.
Oh, Christine.
Now we get to the "Fun" part.
Raoul did leave a note behind for her, and it's read as the Phantoms' notes were.
This bugs me, but I can see why: her only concern after her husband leaving is for her son.
Screw the husband, where's the kid?
Angry phantom, upset Christine - cue Backstage Panic!
But wait - the trio saw Raoul leave alone....
...but the mirror in Meg's dressing room has been smashed.
"Streets of Coney Island"
Meg has Gustave and is leading him along the streets, while everyone and their moms (see what I did there?) are out running around looking for them.
To her credit, Madame Giry is finally concerned about the welfare of her daughter. Of course, the Phantom's threatened to kill her, but hey Motherly Love is back!
So - they reach the end of a pier where Meg is half pulling/pushing Gustave towards the end and the water.
Phantom, Christine, and Madame Giry come up, but are held back when they realize Meg has a gun.
While they try talking her down she tells them about her "Little Trip to Coney Island". How she had to leave Paris with her mother to save the Phantom, who didn't care. How she and her mother had danced together for a while; then how she was literally whored out so the Phantom could have the money he needed for his little "Fantasma".
Question: How did he not know about any of this? Was he really that blinded by his supposed love for Christine the entire freking time?
So - now that everyone's told her it was for nothing, she gets nothing, there she loses!
She's finally flipped.
She does lets Gustave go, and he runs to his mother.
As she's putting the gun to her head, the others try to talk her down. The Phantom wins the loudest mouth contest and starts slowly walking up to her. He's finally got his brain geared to a woman ready to murder everyone around her - like he did back in the good version. He's doing a fantastic job, until -
"We can't all be like Christine."
First: When someone is on the verge of suicide, you do NOT compare them to the person they've been compared to and told they weren't anything like by everyone around them.
Second: Phantom, you airhead. Didn't you learn your lesson the first time around? If Christine had said something like that you would've killed Raoul.
Naturally, this response doesn't go well with Meg either, while trying to hold on to the rest of her sanity, the gun goes off. She accidentally shoots Christine.
Because of the nature of this shot, and the fact it sounded real, people in the audience shouted and a few voiced loud concerns. It made me jump as well.
As Christine falls, Meg rushes to her mom and they both get away as fast as they can.
Gustave is concerned about his mother, who decided to tell him that the Phantom's his father, not Raoul. To which the child screams -
As he runs for his life, the Phantom and Christine get a few last minutes together. Although she was shot in the stomach at such a place to indicate she only has moments, this seems to stretch out forever.
They rehash nearly the entire show saying how much the love each other and then - much like Eopnine and Marius - she dies while singing in his arms.
Gustave comes back with Raoul, the father he's known and feel safe around (because Stranger Danger kids!). At which point I feel more sympathy for Raoul once more. He was going to take his wife away from this and instead she gets murdered. By her best friend. Because of something her former teacher did.
The Phantom shares a few title song lyrics to the kid, who decided that he has to be okay with his real dad and takes off the mask, somehow leaving the wig perfectly in place.
And we end the show there.
Good. Godot.
At the end of all this tripe I have far more sympathy for Meg and Raoul than the other chuckle heads.
They got the short, short, frayed end of the rope on everything in this.
And there you have it.
My thoughts on the "Sequel".
The actors were amazing, and the singing was phenomenal. But the context was horrid!
You could make a far better show with these songs rather than tagging it as a Phantom sequel!
What about the redemption the Phantom got at the end?
What about Christine moving on from her sorrow and pain?
What about Raoul helping save her one true love?
Also: So, I guess Love really DOES die.
Alright, well. I'm done.
Credit for the videos and pictures go to their respective owners. Come back next week for sanity.
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