The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011) (REVIEW)
Hello, everyone! Since the quarantine will be extended up to May 15, and to add more variety to my daily routine (to be honest, I'm fed up with the same things every day) I decided to start binge-watching YouTube videos. Luckily, my aunt sent me a YouTube link of a theatrical play, The Phantom of the Opera, performed at the Royal Albert Hall in the year 2011. She said that it was a great play. It starred Ramin Karimloo (as the Phantom) and Sierra Boggess (as Christine Daaé). It was aired by the YouTube channel, The Shows Must Go On! for 48 hours. This was to help the charitable organizations earn funds by asking donations from those who will watch the play; this was done by adding a Donate button. The donation will be used to help those who were afflicted by the COVID-19. Even though I really don't have enough money, I really felt guilty about watching the play without donating. It's like I just took advantage of their kindness. I pray that they were able to collect more funds from other sources aside from the video.
Image from FilipinosInCanada.com
It was inspired by the novel of the same title (albeit in French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra), written by Gaston Leroux and published as a series in a French newspaper, Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909, to 8 January 1910. It was translated into English in the year 1911. Two silent film adaptations were produced; the lost film, Das Gespenst im Opernhaus, directed by Ernest Matray in 1916; a 1925 silent film adaptation with the same English title was made by Universal Studios. A theatrical play was made and first performed in 1986, with the music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. A colored film was made in 2004, with the book and screenplay also written by Webber. The film starred Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine. According to my aunt, after my nephew watched the movie, he loved the main theme song so much that he always sings it.
The story is about a masked composer, the Phantom, who lurks under the Paris Opera House, spreading terror to all who inhabit it. He falls in love with Christine, a young soprano, and trained her by using all of his tricks under his sleeves. The play has romantic elements and a strong air of mystery. I love how the story goes; whenever we read or watch anything fiction, usually the main characters are the protagonists. In this play, however, one of the main characters is the main antagonist. But, even though he's the antagonist, we can still see that there's a good relationship between the Phantom and Christine.
The way they set up the stage was exquisite. The props they used are amazing, from the smallest up to the largest. I commend their maximization of the technology they have in adding special effects on the stage. The stage has moving LED walls, which they used to project backgrounds and other special effects. There are small monitors on the conductor's place and on the side of the stage itself. The monitors are strategically placed around the stage so as not to be a distraction while helping the actors keep in sync with the orchestra. The places of the characters are also strategic. The set-up is also immersive for the audience; some characters don't only appear on the stage, but also from different parts of the Royal Albert Hall itself! I also expected that the orchestra was sitting below the stage, but they were above the LED walls, kind of hidden from the audiences.
The actors themselves did a great job, also the conductor and the orchestra. The coordination between the actors and the orchestra was excellent, thanks to their thorough preparation and the small monitors. About the actors; I highly commend how they were able to execute their roles. Each of the characters, minor or major, gave color to the play; no one is just an extra. The vocals are oh, so magnificent! Even though it's online, I felt like I'm in the RA Hall. In fact, at the end of the play, I was so overwhelmed my tears started crawling out of my eye (make sure to watch 'til the end of the video).
The Phantom of the Opera was a great theatrical play, indeed. Everyone involved in its production did a great job. Andrew Lloyd Webber created a masterpiece. Not only I enjoyed the romance and mystery the play has, but I also learned something from it. The video of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011) is not available anymore by the time I published this post, that's why I'm really thankful I took the chance to watch it. If there will be a chance for me to watch TPotO again, I'll definitely grab it.
Thank you for your time reading this! I didn't say that much so as to avoid giving spoilers. What can you say about my review? Please comment down below or send me a direct message through Twitter or a private message to my Facebook page; links to my accounts are on the Contact Me page. Please click the Subscribe button to be more updated. See you in my next post! :-D
Sources:
The story is about a masked composer, the Phantom, who lurks under the Paris Opera House, spreading terror to all who inhabit it. He falls in love with Christine, a young soprano, and trained her by using all of his tricks under his sleeves. The play has romantic elements and a strong air of mystery. I love how the story goes; whenever we read or watch anything fiction, usually the main characters are the protagonists. In this play, however, one of the main characters is the main antagonist. But, even though he's the antagonist, we can still see that there's a good relationship between the Phantom and Christine.
The way they set up the stage was exquisite. The props they used are amazing, from the smallest up to the largest. I commend their maximization of the technology they have in adding special effects on the stage. The stage has moving LED walls, which they used to project backgrounds and other special effects. There are small monitors on the conductor's place and on the side of the stage itself. The monitors are strategically placed around the stage so as not to be a distraction while helping the actors keep in sync with the orchestra. The places of the characters are also strategic. The set-up is also immersive for the audience; some characters don't only appear on the stage, but also from different parts of the Royal Albert Hall itself! I also expected that the orchestra was sitting below the stage, but they were above the LED walls, kind of hidden from the audiences.
The actors themselves did a great job, also the conductor and the orchestra. The coordination between the actors and the orchestra was excellent, thanks to their thorough preparation and the small monitors. About the actors; I highly commend how they were able to execute their roles. Each of the characters, minor or major, gave color to the play; no one is just an extra. The vocals are oh, so magnificent! Even though it's online, I felt like I'm in the RA Hall. In fact, at the end of the play, I was so overwhelmed my tears started crawling out of my eye (make sure to watch 'til the end of the video).
The Phantom of the Opera was a great theatrical play, indeed. Everyone involved in its production did a great job. Andrew Lloyd Webber created a masterpiece. Not only I enjoyed the romance and mystery the play has, but I also learned something from it. The video of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011) is not available anymore by the time I published this post, that's why I'm really thankful I took the chance to watch it. If there will be a chance for me to watch TPotO again, I'll definitely grab it.
Thank you for your time reading this! I didn't say that much so as to avoid giving spoilers. What can you say about my review? Please comment down below or send me a direct message through Twitter or a private message to my Facebook page; links to my accounts are on the Contact Me page. Please click the Subscribe button to be more updated. See you in my next post! :-D
Sources:
- The Shows Must Go On! (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmPjhKMaXNNeCr1FjuMvag
- FilipinosInCanada.com. (2020, April 20). The Phantom of the Opera is free this weekend only, how to watch. Retrieved from http://filipinosincanada.com/2020/04/18/the-phantom-of-the-opera-is-free-this-weekend-only-how-to-watch/
- Shah, & Raj. (2016, March 8). THE PUBLICATION AND INITIAL FRENCH RECEPTION OF GASTON LEROUX'S LE FANTÔME DE L'OPÉRA. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/fsb/article-abstract/37/138/13/2570104?redirectedFrom=fulltext
- The Phantom of the Opera Companion. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=Ji8NRDmL5LMC&pg=PA25&redir_esc=y
- Frey, A. (2018, July 1). The Phantom of the Opera: myth versus reality. Retrieved from https://www.cmuse.org/the-phantom-of-the-opera-myth-versus-reality/
- Meg. (n.d.). The Phantom of the Opera: Creep of Music. Retrieved from https://www.librarypoint.org/blogs/post/history-of-the-phantom/
- Kitchen, T. W. (n.d.). The Phantom of the Opera. Retrieved from https://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/show/the-phantom-of-the-opera/
- The Phantom of the Opera. (2004, December 10). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293508/
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