Love...
There are sweet and simple love stories and then there are epic sweeping tales on such a grand scale that they take your breath away.
Phantom Of the Opera is the latter. There is a reason this show is still playing on Broadway after almost 30 years. It grabs your heart and imagination and doesn't let go!
But not all love is about romance. The heart of this story isn't the love triangle between the Phantom, Christine and Raoul. It's the story of a daughter who was so heartbroken by the death of her father that she is willing to believe in anyone that could bring a part of him back to her.
As a parent now myself, I finally see the parent angle in this story as more than a subplot and a beautiful song. I understand on a deeply personal level the length that parents and children will go to stay together. I might make these observations while covered in mashed bananas and Sophie la Giraffe every morning, but that doesn't make them any less true!
The glitz and glamor of this show represents the pinnacle of the British Broadway Invasion of the mid-1980's and the absolute height of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hold on American Theatre. It resonated very well with the angsty life of a teenaged girl in the late 90's when I discovered it. And it still resonates well with the students today! Who hasn't been on the short side of unrequited love? Who hasn't had grandiose dreams of success?
Our students have worked tirelessly to bring this story to life, often pushing themselves beyond what they thought were their own limits. I am unbelievably proud of them.
So let the dream begin and immerse yourself in the music of the night. Like the Phantom and Christine, you may never want to leave!
Chakira-Iliana Doherty
