Phantom of the Opera

Do you ever have those times when you get a song stuck in your head and you just can't get rid of it no matter how hard you try?  I think this is a universal feeling, right?  For me, it was White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane for the whole day yesterday.  Yes, it's an interesting song, even though it is quite simple.  But it is again, a SINGLE song for the WHOLE DAY.

It finally changed this morning.  Today it has been Phantom of the Opera.  So today it was a selection of songs, albeit all with the same Andrew Lloyd Webber theme.  They are beautiful songs.  Just take a look at the lyrics from “Music of the Night”

Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation

Darkness stirs and wakes imagination

Silently the senses abandon their defenses

Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor

Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender

Turn your face away from the garish light of day

Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light

And listen to the music of the night

Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams

Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before

Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar

And you live as you've never lived before

Softly, deftly, music shall caress you

Hear it, feel it secretly possess you

Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind

In this darkness that you know you cannot fight

The darkness of the music of the night

Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world

Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before

Let your soul take you where you long to be

Only then can you belong to me

Floating, falling, sweet intoxication

Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation

Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in

To the power of the music that I write

The power of the music of the night

You alone can make my song take flight

Help me make the music of the night

I've always loved Phantom of the Opera.  It is without a doubt my favorite musical - and play for that matter.  I had so much fun when I first saw it.  I was somewhere around 4th through 6th grade I think.  My family and I were in Milwaukee on vacation.  Every vacation my brother and I had to bring a set of dress clothes for the nice events we went to.  We were complaining about having to get dressed up, and also complaining because of the title of the musical.  "Why do we have to go to an opera?  Operas are so boring.  It's going to be terrible."  We both had low expectations and thought we would be bored to death.  Things got better when we were in our seats.  We were in the balcony, just a couple rows away from the edge.  I think there was something in the playbill about all of the technological features that would be a part of the show.  The acting company had brought in their own overlay for the stage.  The overlay added 9 inches in depth.  It held the electronic candles and candelabras that come up from the floor during the underground lake scenes.  In the back there was a moving walkway that would pivot to make it look like the actors were descending or ascending depending on the need.  Those all sounded cool.  But there was also a blurb about the chandelier.  I think it went on for a while about the size, weight, and other qualities of the fixture.  Of course we didn't know why they would spend so much effort describing it.  It was big and nice, but it just looked like a bunch of fancy lights.  Little did we know how the chandelier would be used in the play.  It's likely obligatory for everyone to mention it during their post play analysis / what-did-you-think period.  Even after we read about the technological achievements, we were still under the impression that this was going to be an opera.  I'm pretty sure my parents either intentionally hid from us that this wouldn't actually be an opera, or told us but didn't emphasize it.  It's one of those things where the parents can just marvel at their children's reactions afterwards.  My brother and I were both blown away by all of the performances.  He might have been a bit too young for it to truly influence him, but the experience certainly affected me for a very long time.