PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

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Yours truly had the wonderful opportunity to see a truly great production recently on Broadway, the “Great White Way”. It is called that because it is indeed the way to see man’s genius light up and shine on civilization. Once you see the production ‘Phantom of the Opera’ you will realize what I’m saying.

Le Fantôme de l'Opéra as the French call it: was written by a Frenchman, Gaston Laroux. Originally a serialization for a newspaper in Paris from 1909 to 1910, but the original writing of the story, based to a degree about a real person as Laroux claimed.

I found the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical probably on of the finest Broadway productions I have ever seen. Along with the Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera was brilliant, almost in all aspects of the production!

If I had one problem, and that would be mine, I could not distinguish the dialogue when it was sung in unison. But for the rest of it, it was indeed brilliant!

If one goes to a musical for the music, then this is for you. The music is uplifting, carrying emotion clearly from the mind to the heart, so eloquently composed and finding emotion deep down in the soul of those who hear it.

The costumes were authentic, well-conceived and enabling one to be transported from the today to the yesteryear, seamlessly and without effort for the viewer. But there is more: one needs to watch with one’s eyes, yes, but also with one’s freedom from the cinema to realize what they do in The Phantom of the Opera is without the so-called “Special effects” and know that geniuses have fabricated the impossible. The stage production defies explanation, so incredibly the execution, the illusions and the ways the subtleties play into the story line. The large mirror is sitting behind a small setting that suddenly plays a huge part in the story, a stage adornment descends from the frame work of the stage and sits in mid-air, and the viewer wonders why? A scene so brilliantly lit, so incredibly created transforms from a fog covered river with the appearance of small candles, into this wonderful and suddenly dramatic appearance of immense candelabras!

If you want to be wowed and never have seen this wonderful production, then treat yourself to a truly great experience, Broadways longest running musicals, comedies and shows for over 25 years: after all, you deserve it!