Book Review #1

I promise I'm going to make this something more organized.

For today, I'm going to review the latest book that I've read.

"Double Booked For Death" - Ali Brandon

This is the first book in the "Black Cat Bookshop" mysteries. I highly recommend it.

We follow Darla Pettistone, a Texas redhead who's inherited her recently deceased great-aunt Dee's brownstone, and bookstore. With four stories, two of which are apartments, and a fine books bookstore in between, she also inherits a tenant. Jake (Jacqueline, but don't ever call her that) is a former ex-cop who's an old friend of Dee, and free security for the store.

With her first bookstore event coming up, a book signing for Valerie Baylor's hit Haunted High novel, things become rather hectic. With threats for a demonstration from a church group down in Texas who think those books are abhorrence and bad for anyone who reads them, a protestor who claims that Valerie stole her novel, and midnight intruder who comes in after hours, it's more exciting than Darla thought.

Things become worse when Valerie is pushed in front of a van and killed on sight. Not only that, but the van that hit her was the church group from Texas. To top it off, hundreds of her fans were witness to the tragic event.

Darla has her suspicions, but doesn't put much stock into them. Until her female roommate, Hamlet, starts knocking books off the shelves indicating the accident wasn't all that it seemed.

With her friend Jake, and Hamlet adding his input, Darla starts to confront those who were there the night of the book signing. Who stood to gain from the diva author's death?

There's Mavis - the make up artist who flat out called Valerie a diva. Who hated the way she lorded over everyone around her.

Then there's Hillary - the book agent who's not a huge fan of Valerie, but the money she can make off the hit-selling series.

There's Morris - Valerie's twin brother who stood to gain the other half of a massive fortune from their parents. Someone who stays in the shadows of the famous sister.

The Lone Protester - a girl who's been standing outside the shop with a sign indicating that Valerie stole her story.

Which one did the deed?

This is a fun read, wonderful is you have a cat. With the first in the series I can't wait to sink my teeth into book number two.


What are your favorite book series?

Stranger than Normal

I hope you enjoyed the double Phantom posts - I honestly had fun watching the show again. Twice in one weekend was a highlight for me, and getting to share my thoughts was fun! I promise, despite it's flaws (which are many) I still love watching the tour as it passes by. I mean, they can't muck up the music, can they?
(I hope I didn't just jinx it!)

In today's post I thought of discussing, or listing some odd ball shows that I enjoy watching. These are mostly on Netflix, Hulu, or some other such streaming device. There is no particular order to this list, only that they are shows that I genuinely enjoy.

1. Stranger Things

With season two well into filming and the date set for Halloween, it's time for a re-watch. Or a re-watch in case you've already seen it. The show centers on four middle school friends. When one of them goes missing, it's up to the other three to find out what really happened. As they start on their quest the local sheriff begins his investigation into the local hospital, our third group centers on the older siblings. With equal parts fantasy, government conspiracy, and horror; this series has a genre for everyone.

2. Once Upon A Time

This is will probably always be on my list of things to watch. It's taken from the Walt Disney classic fairy tales. They take the movies we've grown up with and twist them into an intricate story. It centers around Snow White and Prince Charming, and their daughter Emma. With many twists and turns, characters from your favorite stories will pop in and out, often staying. With the show in the middle of season six, there are five whole seasons to watch on Netflix.

3. Supernatural

Whoo boy. This series has spawned a large following to rival that of Disney World! No one thought they'd make it past season six, but they are heading strong past 12 seasons! While I prefer the first three seasons, which focus mostly on the monster hunting and brotherly bonding. The recent seasons will give you plenty to think about. I would also recommend the Con panels on YouTube. The two main actors are a riot who work well and play excellently off each other.

4. Merlin

I have yet to finish this series, although it ended a while ago. Let's go back to a time when magic was rampant in the world - and outlawed by King Uther. Merlin, a young boy who is barely coming into his powers goes to the court for work. There he runs into a young Arthur and becomes his personal page. While living in the court, Merlin is forced to hide his magic or suffer death.

5. Murdoch Mysteries

How did we get modern forensics? Take a trip back in time and discover how one Canadian detective started to bridge the gap. William Murdoch is a man who's only out to do what's right. With his cunning, and eye for details he makes one heck of a copper.

6. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Taken from a novel that rivals the width of Les Miserables, this is a new series to keep an eye on. When men around England form clubs based on magic, no one actually believes that it still exists. However, Mr. Norrell manages a feat no one thought possible, in front of a large group of witnesses. Mr. Strange comes into the talent by sheer boredom. The only only problem? One of them is destined to kill the other. Who will be the one to go?

7. Helix

I am still in the beginnings of this series. If you enjoy a good spooky series, or a horror movie, this is the one for you! In the first episode alone you see infected men liquefy into nothing. With the mystery growing, and an entire Artic base at risk, it's up to the stalwart members of the CDC to figure this out before it spreads past those icy shores.

8. Criminal Minds

I love a good cop show. I love a good mystery. This show has both. Follow the adventures of a team of FBI agents as they track down the worst serial killers in the county. What first drew me to the show was the concept, then the fact that Mandy Patinkin was in one of the leading roles. Of course he gets replaced later on, but the series is still worth it. I highly recommend it.

9. Turn

I love period shows. When I learned they were doing on based on the Culper Ring I was thrilled. These were the first American Spies. Washington's own. Set around the one cabbage farmer that was simply too nosey for his own good, it gives insight through the historic papers we have. With many 'historical' appearances this is prime for anyone who loves history, spying, and war games.

10. Sleepy Hollow

Yup, I have to add this one. Another 'historical' favorite of mine, based off the short play by Washington Irving about a headless horseman, this is perfect for any horror lover. When Ichabod Crane was living, he was a spy for George Washington. After an encounter with a German Hessian, he wakes up nearly three hundred years later in modern day Sleepy Hollow. Teaming up with a local cop he realizes he wasn't the only one who's been brought back to life. Now they have to fight the Headless Horseman, who's out for heads. However, that's no where is stops - what if the Headless Horseman was one of the four horseman from the apocalypse? Take a peek and find out.


What are some of your favorite shows to watch? Or what was the last show you binge-watched? Leave a comment and let me know.

Also - I am not paid for any name dropping. I am not endorsed by anyone either. I am not paid for this blog.

The Phantom of the Opera - The New US Tour - Act Two

In light of last week’s post I realized that it would take two separate posts for this particular write-up. One it was too long, and two it was taking forever to write up the review, and three I had to submit to using the 2014 pictures instead of finding ones that related to the new cast. (I know, super lazy!)

So, forgive me.

I now present to you Act Two of the new re-staged tour of “The Phantom of the Opera”.

Entr’acte

There is nothing quite as awesome as listening to this live. Awesome, ‘nuff said.

Masquerade

Firstly, the costumes are an absolute disappointment. Utter rubbish – and absolutely devastating that they took away the more colorful costumes and masks – why they deigned to change this still baffle me. Contrary to the fun array of colors, this entire scene is done in muted colors and tones. Even the lights are dimmer than the original. The only costumes that didn’t really change were Christine’s (semi-star girl), Raoul’s (how could you change this? Glad they didn’t change this at all), and Meg’s.

This is less a spectacle and more of a “fancy person’s no-costume-allowed-not-even-a-cool-mask party”. The guys are all in regular tuxes with flashy capes that coincide to a lady’s muted dress. 

That’s it. Nothing else. No staircase. No festive lighting. No cool masks. Nadda. If you expected any of the cool stuff, lower your expectations and go home.

Also – if you were expecting a cool dance sequence, hope you left your hopes down in the foyer. 

There is no over-the-top awesomeness.

Tuff.

This leads me right into –

Why So Silent

OR – why you shouldn’t leave any mirror near the main character. (Okay, not really, I was going to say something but that would have been insensitive.)

I know this has been stated before. I know the fans have previously groused about this. But it’s true and it holds up.

The Commie Phantom.

Let me take this piece-by-piece. The costume is less an actual costume and more along the lines of a fancy red tuxedo with a wimpy cape. The mask is rubbish. It’s a plain golden thing that makes me desperately long for the functioning skull mask. This makes me angry.

Now the set – think hall of mirrors and there you have it. … no. Seriously. That’s it. Move along now.

So – at the climax the phantom waltzes out from the middle mirror in the back. The music that typically accompanies his entrance – or is in key with how many steps he walks down – is reduced to one “bump” before he launches into “Why so silent”.

His lines seem a bit off, more rushed. One of the managers gets the task of timidly stepping forward and taking it. There is no tossing it to them, no threatening positions, just the phantom standing in the middle and handing it over.

Instead of “Your chains are still mine, you will sing for me” – it’s now, “Your voice is still mine”….. I dunno. I guess in a way it makes sense, but it’s just a bit . . . weird.

While all of this is going on however, one of the girls decides to investigate the mirror through which the phantom entered. She seems to make some decent progress before a few of the guys pull her away. It was pretty awesome.

So, after the proper threats are made, the phantom gives a ball of fire and sorta just waltzes back through the mirror while everyone else runs away. There is a trick where it looks like the mirrors are moving for a moment, giving it that twisted feel. Or a feeling of being caught in a kaleidoscope.

Raoul stays behind with a lantern (which I have no idea how in the heck he got to begin with!) and investigates the mirrors. The new set turns and we see Madame Giry backstage, looking frightened. Raoul yells at her and comes running back.

Madame Giry’s Tale

This was done rather well. They are in the center of the stage, with a few stagehands walking around doing work of some sort. On the wall behind them, stage left you can see her story playing out in shadows on the wall. It gives homage to the ’04 movie in those regards, but it was a nice touch. (Read: not the worst thing they’ve done to this show.)

Notes II

Welcome back to the return of craptastic set! If you are on either house left or right the set designers say, “Screw you!”

I mean, if the venue was smaller this would actually be a rather cool set, but in the larger venues – it’s rubbish.

So, I do enjoy the fact that in this version Christine is having None-of-It. When Carlotta rounds on her, she takes off the gloves and lets in. Even as everyone turns away throughout the song so she’d left alone. This leads into our next song.

Twisted Every Way

Firstly, instead of fainting into a chair, as in the original, Christine holds her own. When Raoul keeps trying to tell her everything’s okay, she genuinely slaps him across the face. After saying she can’t do it she runs out. Which is obnoxious because the original also had her say, “I won’t!” (This will make sense in the next song.)

As she runs off Raoul runs backstage after her, she tells him off, “You were supposed to protect me Raoul. Leave me alone!”

He then proceeds to tell off the phantom that he’s going to win.

Don Juan Triumphant Rehearsal

So, apparently everyone already has the lyrics to “Don Juan” memorized. No one holds any sheet music, not even Christine.

She begrudgingly shows up to rehearsal, kinda annoyed that she’s there at all.

After Piangi mucks up his line for the umpteenth time, Carlotta tells off the opera ghost, and then crosses herself when Giry Sr. tells her OG might be watching. Surprisingly this gets a laugh from the audience.

So, there are mucho flames now come off the piano. When it starts into the song, everyone else goes trance like, while Christine is left to wonder around piano confused. The flames get rather high before defusing. Once it ends everyone else starts acting like nothing out of the ordinary happened at all, leaving a baffled Christine to wonder if she imagined it all or not.

Journey to the Cemetery

As the set turns from rehearsal to this we see Christine backstage still confused about the whole odd rehearsal. The chorus members help with the scene change. A few of the ballerinas and Meg are on stage right talking. When Christine approaches them they leave. Meg and Christine have a sort of stare off. When Meg turns away Christine goes into, “In sleep…” For a second it looks like Meg still wants to be friends, then instead leaves. (I take this as a gross nod to the crap that came out in 2010. I am not okay with this. Meg, as her best friend, WOULD NEVER TURN AWAY FROM HER IN THE HARD TIMES! That is utter BS.)

Christine is all alone as the stage rotates to the cemetery.

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Now, other than the crappy view from house left, I actually loved this scene. It’s reminisce of the music video they made with Sarah Brightman. It’s brighter, with only two tombstones. All one level.

I loved the lighting in this scene; the background goes from dark to light. I love the subtlety in this light shift. I didn’t catch it until the second night. It was rather beautiful.

While singing they changed the second verse in the song. With the original being,

“Passing bells and sculpted angels,

Cold and monumental,

Seem for you the wrong companion,

You were warm and gentle”

The switched to these lyrics,

“Three long years I’ve knelt in silence

Held your memory near me,

Three long years of numbered sorrows,

Willing you to hear me.”

I think the lyric change was a nice touch. It gives her more sorrow about the death of her father. And the end of the song has the high note at the end.

Wondering Child

As the song ends we see the phantom walk around the edge of the set and into the ‘graveyard’. 

Christine is sitting in her father’s grave as he sneaks around the other one. They shift positions and he winds up standing on the grave while she’s a bit further back.

My favorite part – IT’S BACK TO BEING A TRIO!!

I almost squee'd out loud when I saw Raoul come into the scene, and start his part in the song. He is often left out of this scene, which bums me out.

It was everything I wanted.

So, the phantom stands stage right, Christine is off on stage right, and Raoul puts himself in-between the two of them. He tries to fend off the phantom while protecting Christine.

I believe the point where Christine comes out of the trance is when Raoul legit punches the phantom in the face, on the non-mask side. They tussle for a little.

The phantom gets all ticked and starts shooting fireballs. When they run off there are a few more that follow before the phantom declares war and lights up the stage.

Before Don Juan

The firemen. So. This will always be one of my favorite scenes. After the whole “I’m-here” shindig, the guy in the pit shoots. It sounds like an honest-to-earth gun shot. Both nights the entire audience tittered, gasped and I think someone actually screamed. It was a nice touch.

Don Juan Triumphant

More . . . grinding . . . and [censored]… at first there’s a long table full of food and the overstuffed pig. Once this brief scene is over the cast take away all of the food, leaving the table bare except a goblet and a bowl of cherries (I’m guessing, kinda hard to see from the back). There are also other people dressed in the black cloaks (my notes say ring wraith’s, ha!)

So – all of this leads into the next hot mess….

Point of No Return

When. The. Heck. Did. We. Enter. A. Strip. Club.

Firstly, when he comes on, he starts the pose and stomp your foot fetish.  He genuinely feels her up a few times until it’s her turn. And then the “Oh my Gosh, why did I think to bring my child to this” begins.

This is how the phantom is treating her rather dumb table dance. I mean, the whole set up before was rather risqué for to bring a child to, after this mess there’s no way in the Underground I’d ever bring a child to see this. There is so much “coping a feel” in this scene I felt uncomfortable sitting there watching.

After she yoinks the cowl back two policemen come on stage, guns at the ready to shoot the perp! 

Raoul also leaves his box to come onstage, which the phantom watches. He takes the time it takes Raoul to reach the stage to sing his AIAOY shin-tick to Christine, standing up on the table (he was trying to get away first then realized it was the one shot he had to sing). He then gets off the table, going far enough to place the ring on her finger and get down on one knee.

Christine knees down next to him, then yoinks off the mask and attached (and funky looking) hair piece; the phantom yells at her.

The marksman shoots at close range and misses! How did that idiot get to be a policeman?

Christine exits, pursued by a phantom.

Between Scenes

We Piangi hanging in the back (no pun intended). The cast remove set pieces, gagging at the corpse. The policemen get people moving out of the opera, across the stage. When Giry tells Raoul about the Punjab and Meg tries to join in, she literally gets Reyer to take her out.

Raoul does a good job at the whole ‘hand at the level of your eyes’ all the way down the steps first seen during the title song. He pauses a few times on the way down, looking around. When he hits the bottom he takes another minute or two before running off.

Final Lair

Hokay – there’s a lot here.

Christine is yelling “No!” before we even see the lair. She is in the wedding gown already. Phantom is ticked; he throws the PONR dress against the wall. It makes an audible thud. (I don’t know why, but that makes me happy.)

The two share their brief moments together, in which the phantom mocks her a bit.

“I bid you welcome” is done in the same snarky vein as Hugh Panaro. I mean, he does the mock bow and everything. The sass is fantastic.

Raoul comes in, sees them close together and promptly forgets the whole ‘hand-at-the-level-of-your-eyes’ to save your life bit. The phantom almost chokes Christine (why is this suddenly a thing?), and leaves her and Raoul to have a moment. As they check their pulses, the phantom goes to his nifty little Punjab shelving.

Not surprising he gets Raoul without much of a fight. After being strung up there’s a tense moment where Christine gets rather tossed to the other side of the stage.

Christine is having none of it. She takes up the phantom’s music and starting balling it up and chucking it around the room, then at him. It ends with her tossing it all on the floor and rushing back to Raoul. The phantom tries to gather his music, then gets what she’s up to and tosses her onto the bed where she flops like a fish. The phantom walks over the bed and rants about his music.

“You deceived me” is more spoken and truly ticked off and angry woman.

At first the phantom is confused, and then finally just gives her the ultimatum.

Christine reaches out and kisses him, then she wraps both arms around and gives him a super hug, which brings him to his knees. They stay there for a little while. Then the phantom stand up, “No!” and backs away. (He can’t handle the cute.)

He uses a clever trick to free Raoul from the Punjab. While he’s telling them to get away, he picks up his music off the floor. While Raoul and Christine leave, the monkey box distracts the phantom.

As Christine is singing the AIAOY reprise, phantom tilts his head as though she’s singing to him. When Raoul joins in, he realizes it’s all for nothing. He just sits there on the floor.

Christine comes back in with Raoul in tow and sets the ring down on a table. The phantom doesn’t even notice they’re there. At all. No looks. Nothing. Nadda.

Raoul pulls Christine out of the room, and they both vanish from the stage.

The phantom lets the music drop to the floor, defeated. He puts his cloak (cape, cloak, eh, I’ve heard it both ways) on and covers up. The mask is no-where to be seen.

Meg comes in, followed by the cops. She sorta backs him up to the bed, where he stands with his back to the audience. Meg grabs him and just sorta stand there until he’s over the right trapdoor (cause, duh). When she pulls it back, it falls to the floor with no one underneath. She lets it drop and then shuffles around until she finds the mask sitting there. She holds it out to the police, in reminisce of the original.

Exit

Whew – if you have any questions, comments, pics you want to share, feel free to post them below. As always NO COPYRIGHT INTENDED!

Pictures taken from google. Still No Copyright Intended!

And now – I need a long break. Going to chill with Erik, later!

The Phantom of the Opera - The New US Tour

This past weekend I had the fantastic opportunity to usher at one of my favorite theatres for my all-time favorite show, well musical. (There is a difference between a show and a musical.) Friday night I worked in the second dress, giving me a decent view of the entire show (although I did have limited view because of the new staging and sets, more to come later). Saturday night I worked first dress, about twenty feet from the edge of the balcony. I was able to see expressions better, and notice quite a few light cues that were magnificent and gorgeous to behold.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts and notes on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s re-staged, re-costumed, re-imagined, re-whytheheckwouldyoudoallthiscrapwhenitwassellingoutalready, tour of:

The Phantom of the Opera

I will take it scene by scene, so bear with me on our Journey to the Lair across the Lake. I will say off the bat though, that some of the dialogue from the original (and subsequent productions) has been changed. This happens throughout the entire performance. I will add a few examples at particular scenes later on.

Now, shall we begin?

The Prologue.

This scene takes place ten-fifteen years after the events of the phantom. The new set up shows you the main stage of the opera house, now covered with boxes, costumes, posters, and anything that wasn’t nailed down that can be sold. Yes, there is an auction going on. We get introduced to old Raoul, now without his flying nun nurse, and no longer confined to a wheelchair. He buys a poster, then the infamous monkey box.

The Monkey Box – before it was a cute little box with a monkey sitting atop with a triangular head. This new one takes the film into consideration in the form of the monkey. It also looks like a triangular contraption which, when you wind it up, opens like a flower and the monkey sits up and chimes. It was an interesting new prop for the new production.

The chandelier is no long on stage beneath a tarp. Instead it hangs above the orchestra pit with a “dust” covered cloth hiding its former splendor. There is no rising during the following scene either. This was disappointing. It is also smaller than the original, without the traditional lyres adorning the sides.

The Overture

As stated before, there is no dramatic rising of the chandelier. Instead we are left watching old Raoul standing on the stage as the auction is taken away and we are taken into the past. Madame Giry comes onstage, Carlotta stands on the edge of Stage Left in her Hannibal gown with the severed head, and a few ballerinas slowly dance by him. It gives a great illusion that we are being taken into the past events of what transpired. The top of the proscenium no longer has the exquisite statues, instead opting for a drape that can be removed for the other set pieces.

Hannibal

Carlotta. She has so much more diva attitude in this version that it’s impossible not to love her. The new tour gives her some of the best moments, far outshining the rest of the cast more often than the original. Her sass has no end.

While she is singing to the severed head, a male ballet dancer dances on with a casket for the head, which after kissing it, Carlotta drops inside.

The ballerinas have a longer “slave girl” dance. The added minutes give you time to appreciate the hard work the men and women go through. And it’s lovely to watch.

The elephant is now a cardboard cutout, rather than a larger set piece. I did not notice whether or not there were men drinking when they took it off (if anyone else has seen it, did you notice this?).

Think of Me – Carlotta

I think this is where I fully fell in love with Carlotta. As she’s preparing to sing M. Reyer gives her a few notes, which she freaks out about. She goes full blown Italian diva and yells at him, saying it’s the wrong key and to start again. I wasn’t prepared for this, but it gave her more character depth. When she prepares to sing, she flicks her skirt out, smacking a few unsuspecting ballerinas in the process. The fact that she doesn’t care, and glares at the girl who was “in her way”, is priceless.

Think of Me – Christine

The entire staging from this has been changed. She spends the first half of the song dancing around the stage. About halfway through two ballerinas sorta dance out carrying it; then they drape it over her shoulders. There’s a slight, not really “tug-of-war”, in which Christine gently pulls it away. Raoul’s part seems . . . less. The lines are still there, but it just seems to go by rather quickly. Though instead of being seated with the managers he gets his own box, which is neat.

There are some amazing lighting choices done with this scene as well.

Backstage

After the final note, it transitions to behind the stage. All the ballerinas flock around Christine, this time wearing either shawls or dressing robes. When Giry Senior tells them to go and change for more rehearsal some of the girls actually start crying.

This transitions into –

Angel of Music

Christine and Meg’s lines take part in front of at least twelve other people. Instead of having her own dressing room, Christine shares it will all the ballerinas. Which begs the question, if OG was giving her private lessons in that room, how come no one else heard him? And does this mean he was spying on all the other ballerinas too? That’s some super stalker syndrome, if you ask me.

I digress.

As the ballerinas are changing back into their tutus, they do a few “pause” moments, depicting Degas paintings. It’s a wonderful nod to the painter. (Though seriously, how does Christine manage those one-on-one lessons when there’s the possibility of twelve or so ballet rats bursting in on her? HOW?!)

Madame Giry’s lines have changed, and after she gives Christine the letter she stands right outside the door listening in. Ever heard of space woman?

Also, after Raoul tells the managers that he wants to meet Christine alone, as they go off one of them snarks, “You – you are a naught boy!”

Little Lotte

So Raoul bursts in, startling Christine who was adjusting her clothes in front of the mirror (which I have to wonder now if OG was watching her). She’s startled, which I get. So after the initial shock of “There’s a Man in My Dressing Room!”, she’s more responsive. They have their childhood chat, and Raoul acts more ‘adult’.

I’m still not sold on the locket she wears, but knowing that it carries a picture of her father, eh, I can let it pass.

Angel of Music Reprise – Through the Mirror

When the phantom comes on his voice is literally in the entire theatre, all the speakers. You are surrounded by his voice. On “I am there inside”, it switches to directly behind the mirror. As the song goes along you get a beautiful silhouette of Christine on one of the walls. When the mirror opens she’s far too eager to get through, there’s no hesitation or caution, and just full out “I’m coming!” The mirror quickly closes behind them.

Raoul comes back in and spends a few minutes looking around, inspecting the walls. He finds the one rose he gave Christine on the floor (movie nod). The set rotates around him as he continues playing detective. He calls her name once, or twice, but there is no reference to the angel.

The Phantom of the Opera

As much as I loathe the set for having extreme limited viewing on the sides, I do love this set. (Begrudgingly.) They start at the top of the set piece, then the phantom opens a door and stairs emerge from the sides. It makes me nervous each time I see anyone walking down them, because the only support is from the wall. There are a few stops where they make poses reminiscent of the 1925 film, which are awesome! The boat is only on for one verse, quick, brief, and gone. The use of real flames is awesome.

At the end instead of yelling, “Sing!” a bajllion times, he changes it up with other things, like “Breathe!” This is a fantastic nod to the teacher/student aspect.

Also I have a little beef with the fact they don’t use the fedora. It’s used in the shadow scenes, but never when you see him. What. The. Heck.

The Music of the Night

Derrick Davis as the phantom has a unique and wonderful tone to his voice. I thoroughly enjoyed his version of this song. Throughout it he’s trying to show off his music, and acts like a love-sick kid. 

The giddy way he sort of runs around is adorable.

I do not enjoy the blindfold. I get that it’s a way to force Christine to listen to the music and not focus on the sights around her, but I still think it’s dumb. At some parts during the song it’s this awkward, “look at all the wonderful things!” And she seems distracted by the music he sets out that I don’t think she’s fully listening to him sing – she’s reading the music.

The back of the lair looks like a tree, with the lights coming down like vines. The first night I saw it, I thought there was a skewered teddy bear as part of the set – though the second night I figured it was something else.

Instead of using the boat to sleep in, there is an actual bed now with various blankets and pillows. 

The organ is smaller too. And instead of waiting until the end, Christine passes out right after “Floating . . .”….. Okay, she doesn’t “pass out” more as, gently leaps into the phantom’s arms and falls asleep. This is weird. He puts her on the bed, she nestles in, and he tucks her in.

Another fun aspect of the lair is that there is a little nook to stage left where he keeps his Punjab lasso. (Which I thought was a fun, cute nod.)

Stranger Than You Dreamt It

SERIOUSLY! LOUD FREKIN ORGAN DOESN’T WAKE YOU UP BUT THE SMALL MUSIC BOX ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAIR DOES!

AND WHAT THE EFF HAPPENED TO THE ORIENTAL JACKET AND HAT?!!? WHY DID 

YOU HAVE TO ABANDON THIS PART OF THE COSTUME? IT WAS AWESOME!!!

Excuse me.

So, instead he just takes off his jacket and tosses it.

So the phantom takes the mask off, leaves it on the table. At first I thought this was odd, but after the second time I saw the point – he takes up a cloth to wipe the disfigured side of his face. So – I see the point now. Christie wakes up, sees the mask and picks it up. She literally turns him around to see and he flips out. (Although in all honesty, it was his fault for leaving it right there and not somewhere Christine proof.) Pitiful expression of sadness.

I do love the line when he’s mocking, “Think of me”, he gives this little head shake, full of snark. 

Then he falls to the floor like a boss and sort of crawls towards her. The only way she’ll look at him is after she hands the mask back.

Notes I

LIMITED FREKIN VIEW!

I have to have it out, but I had multiple people complain to me about it, including a woman from 

London who was extremely ticked.

I digress again.

The two men portraying the managers made the lines more comical than I’ve seen previously. When Raoul comes in he behaves more like an aristocrat, waiting for one of the managers to take his coat off (if this has been done in previous versions I have never noticed). When Carlotta and Piangi come in, their bickering and accusations don’t seem to faze him. Madame Giry makes more problems when she enters, eliciting an audience wide laugh.

It was rather nice when the phantom came onstage during the reading of the final note. He sort of hangs out at the top, being his usual snarky and mocking self. He walks off, then comes back to lean over the banister and snark, “Ideal”. I swear someone took notes on the Charles Dance snark – and added some of Panaro’s.

Prima Donna

Why bother with having the Giry’s and Raoul onstage when you can’t really hear what they’re saying anyway? They seem to be pushed to the background. More central focus on Carlotta, complete with changing into her Il Muto costume while onstage.

Ill Muto

The Baritone is full of win. It sort of feel like this part goes by quickly. Meg does not make an appearance with her, “He’s here the Phantom of the Opera!”

Instead Christine says it then her normal line. I guess this works . . . meh.

After the toad incident Carlotta makes one of the fastest get-always I’ve ever seen. I missed her exit both nights being distracted by the other happenings on stage.

The managers split up, and the one on stage does the best “the ballet . . .” And when the ballerinas come they run into him on accident, his response is “watch it!”

Ill Muto – the Ballet

For this they do a split scene. Half is the ballet, which is a little bit changed. The costumes are no longer cheap sackcloth’s, but pretty ballet-esq nymph deals, light green. Instead of the shepherds there are two fawns, which is pretty cool. This is all happening on stage right.

Stage left is ‘backstage’. We see Joseph Buquet looking at all the girls, doing his leering impression. Then the phantom comes dressed as a stage hand and kills him. As the body rises the ballerinas look over; he does a quick look and runs backstage. If you aren’t looking in the right area, then you’ll miss it entirely.

Why Have You Brought Me Here

No “No, to the roof, we’ll be safe there!”. Instead the set rotates and Christine is suddenly ‘on’ the roof. And if you’re house left don’t get your hopes up for seeing this particular scene.

Christine is walking back and forth while waiting for Raoul to show up. They have this fighting spat, in which Christine yells at Raoul for not believing her. Once the Phantom calls her name she just sort of looks at Raoul and sarcastically asks, “What was that.” She says it in such a deadpan manner that it’s almost a mock of Raoul. As in – you idiot, I told you he was real, if he’s not, who spoke? It’s as though she’s daring him to disagree with her. She goes down to the edge of the stage, looks over and there’s serious contemplation of her jumping. When Raoul realizes this you can see the genuine concern he has for her. He calls her name, and then slowly walks toward the edge of the stage.

All I Ask Of You

Christine crumples to the floor. Raoul is careful as he approaches her. He gets on the floor across from her, then sort of crawls over to her. At the end of the song they kiss twice, but nothing else. She leaves him on the roof while she runs back down for the performance. He follows about two minutes after.

An awesome lighting cue is how the moonlight comes out and shines through Apollo’s Lyre, casting a beautiful golden glow on the stage.

All I Ask Of You (Reprise)

The Phantom climbs up onto the statue. When Christine and Raoul sing their bit he goes to cover his ears. After singing his bit he disappears from the set and it changes back to the front of the ‘stage’. 

 He reappears in Box Five with his cane. After shooting fire and yelling, “GO!” the chandelier flickers, then goes down. No arch towards the stage, nothing else.

There are my thoughts on the first act of the restaged tour. Stay tuned for act two.

(NOTE: I do not own the pictures. They were taken from the 2014 souvenir program. No copyright intended.)

Journey to the Final Lair

- OR How I Became a Theatre Major instead of a Scientist

Way back when I was in elementary school I was part of the Girl Scouts. For one of our "outings" we got to go up to Georgia Tech for a day of activities, spending the day in the city, and taking over the classrooms. Sitting in a college classroom was exciting. The room was huge! And the chairs swiveled around while you sat on them - best part of college life!

I know - basing a whole career on how much fun a swivel chair is isn't the best method of life decisions. Though in retrospect, I did far better in math and science after that. They were fun classes for me - exciting and engaging.

But somehow along the way, things sort did the one-two-switch-a-roo. The right side of my brain became more prominent. I became a far better writer (sometimes you can't tell), slightly better with my drawing, and far more prominent in singing and what-not.

Then came "The Phantom of the Opera".

Now, I had seen the book before, I owed a few copies, done a couple projects on the musical for French class. When the movie came out December '04, it took me until the following February to finally see it. And the day after to begin reading the novel for the first time.

Theatre became an intregal part of my life since then. It is my place to go when things are down and depressing. I got my Associate's in Fine Arts, loving every single moment of it. Though it is difficult to "break into the business", I kept up with it by working on community productions. Mostly I keep backstage, far more comfortable there. Although I did try my hand at acting a few times (utterly terrifying, but kinda sasfictory after the fact).

Now I Volunteer Usher at the local theatre while working online from home.

It's been a long time coming to this point in life, but I feel grateful for all the many people I've had the opportunity to work with. I think it's good for people to try theatre at least once. It's a good way to test yourself, to make new friends, to learn how to be an electricial (okay, a super amature one), work with sound, among other things. It's a great learning process that can improve how you come at problems.

If you want to learn about the bounds and leaps you can take, go volunteer at your local theatre. Ask to tackle any task that comes your way - you will not only learn so many new things, but you will have a blast!

(Oh, and if you volunteer at your local theatre, you can see the show for free! Pratically, you have to pay for parking and gas, but still a $100 plus show ticket for nothing! GO! GO NOW AND DO IT!)

Have a wonderful week.

I'm going to usher "The Phantom of the Opera" a few times this week before it leaves. Because I am a Phan and darn proud of it.

Reading - Make It a Hobbt

While I would love to stake claim to that marvelous quote - I cannot.

Back in high school a trilogy of epic fantasy movies came out over the space of three years. While I had never read the novels (yet), I set a goal to read them before going to see the movies.

Reading a trilogy, especially one such as The Lord of the Rings is no easy feat. The novels were written is such a way that the words flow, how it was written, the context. For some it's an intimidating factor. For me - it was downright terrifying! But I made it through .... six times. (Still haven't gotten around to the Silmarillion, tried it, but it scares the crap out of me!)

In honor of books in general - here are a few that I have a particular fondness of. No particular order.

1. The Shadow Revolution by: Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

           

     This is the first in a trilogy. The Crown and Key series is what happens when you mix Victorian England, magicians, and a slash of steampunk. Each book is wonderful, telling the story through a band of adventurers. Join Scribe Simon Archer, alchemist Kate Anstruther, hunter Malcom MacFarlane, and the inventor of their gadgets Penny Carter as they fight to save London, and England at large from supernatural threats.

2. Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress: A Girls Guide to the D&D Game (Dungeons and Dragons) by: Shelly Massanoble

          

        As a recent convert to the great game (began roughly over a year ago, though only been to about 10 sit-ins), I can attest that this is a great read for new beginners. It definitely helped me while I was learning the ropes of the game. If you need an intro to the world of the game I would highly recommend this.

3. Eyes Like the Stars by: Lisa Mantchev

         

        Okay. This entire book is based on theatre. Yes, with an "re". Take the wonderful works of Shakespeare and other plays, place them in a live theatre where they are actual people, and mix in a rambunctious girl who can call in any scene piece and make it real. When someone inadvertently unleashes Ursula, who kidnaps her best friend Nate (who happens to be a pirate from Neverland), Bertie Shakespeare Smith will do everything in her power, and the Book, to help rescue him. (Oh, it's the first of a trilogy.)

4. Northanger Abbey by: Jane Austen

       

      I had to add at least one Austen novel on this list. While there are many wonderful tales to choose from, I prefer a lesser known. This follows the life of Catherine Moreland in her quest to find love. Although, when she continues to see art in normal life, it's hard to tell what is real and what is pure imagination.

5. The Chocolate Cat Caper by: JoAnna Carl

     

      With Cozy Mysteries on the rise - well, at least for me - this is one of my favorites. When Lee McKinney divorces her husband, she moves up to Michigan to heel her aunt Nettie in her chocolate shop. Things are looking up, until a big client winds up dead with one of Nettie's chocolate's to blame! Lee goes undercover (ish) to find the culprit to clear her Aunt's chocolates. This one comes with recipes included!

I'll end it at five - but be aware there will be follow-up posts in regards to novel ideas!

Note: I am not paid for name dropping. I am not paid for anything said on this blog. Please don't sue me.

Love - Love - Love

Since it is Valentine's Day, I suppose that I should do something revolving around love and all that jazz. Here is a little profile based around the first lovey couple that graced the world in animation for the first time. Let's take a little trip back to the 1930's, shall we?

Snow White and Prince Charming are Disney royalty - the first couple that started a massive princess themed franchise. Honestly, we wouldn't have themed blankets, towels, shoes, socks, underware, etc. etc. etc, if not for these two.

Based on the German fairy tale by the Brother's Grimm this was the first campaign that Walt Disney used to cement himself in the Animation world, and as a studio. It was a rather bold move, using a fairy tale to make a motion picture.

However through the years it has proved to be one of the best movies to date. Still standing up through time, it is still a classic movie to watch.

With a few reprises in varying Disney flicks - and other mediums - it's not hard to see why this particular motion picture stands the test of time.


And to leave it off - here is a video of the original Prince Charming wooing his princess, after she wishes her life better.

Happy Valentine's Day!


(I am not paid for any name dropping or anything like that. This is purely for fun and free. That said, if anyone who works with any of these companies or studios finds this, please don't sue me. It's free publicity!)