Her Majesty's Theatre
Date: 31st January (Wednesday), 7:30pm
Seats: Stalls D20-21
Date: 31st January (Wednesday), 7:30pm
Seats: Stalls D20-21
(With Richard!)
I have seen Phantom several times on multiple continents (in Sydney, Melbourne and New York), and I think this was one of the best ones. Funnily enough, the Phantom was played by an Aussie here in London!
We booked tickets several weeks ago on my birthday, and picked Phantom because a) we hadn't seen it yet here, and b) because Husbando was tired of going to shows I liked more all the time. He loves Phantom. We grabbed a quick dinner at Japan Centre nearby before the show (Japanese food court, yum!) and picked up our tickets.
Our seats were fantastic. Normally about £70, we picked them up for £40 each. Row D (which is actually the third row), just off the side. I really liked being on an angle so we could see more of the hidden stagecraft (like quick changes on stage) and avoid most of the smoke. The chandelier was right above our row too! And the costumes, oh my. I would like so many of them!
I had forgotten how good this show is. The music has been stuck in my head ever since we booked tickets, and the set pieces were more impressive than I remembered (that elephant that is only on stage for about 2 minutes!!!). The vibe of the show was fabulous, and I love the reactions from the people who obviously haven't seen it before.
The actors were generally great too. I really enjoyed Meg and Madame Giry, both parts I'd really like to play. Meg in particular has a nice track and quite a big part, and of course her dancing is lovely. The directors Andre and Firmin were a bit difficult to hear as the mic balance was a bit off but that did get fixed during interval (the people sitting next to us complained to the sound desk) so was improved in Act Two.
Raoul (Jeremy Taylor) was fine. He wasn't anything to write home about, but he was good. I think I've been a bit spoiled with Aussie casts for Raoul and the Phantom.
Christine (Kelly Mathieson) was definitely my favourite. This is her West End debut, she was 'discovered' in the Scottish ballet (as in, her singing voice was). I was a huge fan of the way she played the part. She started out very shy and withdrawn and grew in confidence more and more as the show progressed. By the point of 'Don Juan Triumphant' she was bold and almost sexual, and I had never quite seen a performance like that before. I really liked it, and her emotion in the final scenes was very raw and emotional too.
Raoul (Jeremy Taylor) was fine. He wasn't anything to write home about, but he was good. I think I've been a bit spoiled with Aussie casts for Raoul and the Phantom.
Christine (Kelly Mathieson) was definitely my favourite. This is her West End debut, she was 'discovered' in the Scottish ballet (as in, her singing voice was). I was a huge fan of the way she played the part. She started out very shy and withdrawn and grew in confidence more and more as the show progressed. By the point of 'Don Juan Triumphant' she was bold and almost sexual, and I had never quite seen a performance like that before. I really liked it, and her emotion in the final scenes was very raw and emotional too.
Our Phantom (Ben Lewis, graduate of WAAPA) grew on me throughout the performance. At the beginning he seemed weaker, but as it got more intense, so did he. By the final scene I was enthralled! He really acted out the madness of the Phantom at the end beautifully.
All in all, I probably should have gone to see this sooner. I guess I'm usually attracted by the neat and shiny things. But the older shows still have great appeal.
All in all, I probably should have gone to see this sooner. I guess I'm usually attracted by the neat and shiny things. But the older shows still have great appeal.
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