Sunday 24 May 2015

The Phantom Of The Opera - London

The Phantom Of The Opera tells the story of Christine Daae, who is a talented singer performing at the Paris Opera House. She manages to capture the attention of the Phantom who lives underneath the opera house and causes unexplained havoc around the theatre. With the Phantom’s help she manages to become the shows star performer. However as much as Christine is drawn to the Phantom little does she know he grows to love her which causes problems when Christine herself falls in love with childhood friend, Raoul. The musical really is a love story but believe me it’s so much better than I can describe the tale.   
Truthfully, I’m not a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber and his other musicals that I’ve seen I’ve not been overly fond of, so I’ve never been in a rush to go and see The Phantom Of The Opera. What a mistake that was! If you’ve ever wondered how The Phantom Of The Opera is one of London’s longest running shows on the West End you must get down to Her Majesty’s Theatre and see the show. Every set and every costume has such great attention of detail. The way they present the Paris Opera Houses productions are so cleverly done, in particular when Christine is bowing to the audience. Without revealing too much for those who want to go and watch the show, the chandelier above the crowd provides real breathtaking moments. However, the musicals most popular song which I’m sure everyone will have heard before, The Phantom Of The Opera, is the real showstopper. The stage transforms before your eyes into a lake with the Phantom navigating a boat with Christine on. Then when you get to the Phantom’s lair, candles just raise up from beneath the stage, it is such a beautiful scene to watch. I also really liked the fact that every part of the stage was used with the Phantom running across the very top of the theatre during one point of the show. 
Scott Davies who was on as the Phantom in the place of Geronimo Rauch, gave one of the best performances I have ever seen in a musical. I have never seen such emotion given in a performance before. The anger felt when during the iconic scene with the chandelier was felt all around the theatre and when he was sat watching Christine and Raoul I felt the Phantom’s heart breaking. That scene in particular made me sob more than any other musical I’ve ever seen. I believed every sentence of Davies performance, he was such a superb performer.   
For someone who wasn’t expecting much from The Phantom Of The Opera I can honestly say it is a truly breathtaking and wonderful production. I’ve been to see quite a number of West End shows and really The Phantom Of The Opera is most certainly one of the best. The intimacy of the theatre only adds in making show so much better. Even in my seat up in the upper circle I could see the actors emotions on their faces and the incredible detailing of the Phantom's make up. I could not recommend people to go and see The Phantom Of The Opera anymore, it really is fantastic.


Click here to go to the official Phantom Of The London website for more information

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