Phantom of the Opera in Manila 2012

I was so ecstatic when I got an invite to watch The Phantom of the Opera as one of the TweetSeaters!  We were tasked to tweet the famous play while we were watching.  I enjoyed the play so much that I couldn’t hide my excitement and awe.  I was tweeting how I admired the actors, the props, the effects and the sound system!  It was just too awesome/too good!  It would be such a shame if I don’t share it to everyone in the Twitterverse.

I brought along sioti Mark to #PhantomInManila.  He told me that it was his 1st time to watch a musical.  Wow!  FIRST time!  Considering we were watching Phantom of the Opera, which is one of the best musicals of all time that should be an experience in itself.  I then asked sioti Mark if he could guestblog in HeaRty’s Haven, I know he’s the best person who could describe the whole Phantom of the Opera experience.

I shall give this space to Mark, known as geekbubble in the online world.  Thanks sioti!  I feel honored that you agreed to share your wonderful experience in this blog 🙂

You can find Mark on Twitter (@geekbubble) and on the ff. websites: geekbubble.com and http://about.me/markong.

[Roch’s Note]

Whenever I come across High School Musical and Glee on TV, my eyeballs involuntarily roll themselves to the back of my head. I admit, musicals are just not my thing.

So when I was invited to be a part of Ticketworld’s Tweetseat program for the Phantom of the Opera, I immediately googled if it was worth my time.  It was the longest running Broadway show, with more than 10,000 performances, and grossed $845 million USD to date.  It piqued my curiousity, to say the least.  This was my first live musical. I was excited. Kind of.

The storyline is nothing to write home about.  It is tragic and romantic, but it has been unchanged since Gaston Leroux published his novel titled Le Fantôme de l’Opéra in 1910, which the original musical production was based on.

A synopsis from www.thephantomoftheopera.com:

Far beneath the majesty and splendor of the Paris Opera House, hides the Phantom in a shadowy existence. Shamed by his physical appearance and feared by all, the love he holds for his beautiful protégée Christine Daaé is so strong that even her heart cannot resist.

I came in a skeptic, but came out a fan. Let me tell you why.

Props and Costumes

Top notch. I almost cannot believe this level of creative brilliance can be pulled off on a local stage. From the costumes of the casts, to backdrops, to the intricate construction of partitions and furnitures, to the chandelier. Every props gave each cast and each scene its character to further draw you into the story.

Lighting, Effects and Sounds

Lighting does a lot more than just illuminating the set, it puts focus and depth to the scene and accentuates the props.  Floating candles.  Stars in the sky.  Lighting of torches.  The bluish green light combined with smoke effects gave that Gondola scene in the subterranean lake its magic.  It was really a spectacle to behold.

The surround sound was also excellently utilized, giving Phantom’s echo that eerie and mysterious and elusive feel.

The technicality and synchronicity of everything is perfect.  It is impossible to count the number of times i uttered the word “wow” under my breath – and i’m not easily awed.

Transitions

Seamless.  A set transforms to another one in just a couple of seconds, all right before my eyes.  The secret? Multiple layer of curtains and lighting.  The action was brought to the front while the space behind the second curtain was being prepped for the next scene.  Amazing!  Everything was smooth and efficient.  There were no dead air nor uncomfortable pauses spent waiting for the next set to be ready.

Music and the Play

I guarantee you, you will get hooked with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music.  The melody is catchy and the lyrics are heartfelt.  The orchestra were amazing!  Perfectly layering different musical instruments to achieve an excellent aural experience.  I have been listening to the Phantom of the Opera soundtracks for 6 days already – straight.  It even managed to replace “Call Me Maybe” that has been stuck in my head for weeks.  Ha!

Some of the popular songs are:

• Think of Me
• Angel of Music
• Phantom of the Opera
• Music of the Night
• All I Ask of You
• Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

The casts were fantastic.  The chemistry between Raoul and Christine was evident in their acting.  The Phantom exuded fear and terror but his duets with Christine were very passionate and emotional.  Everybody was incredible.  I never clapped so hard and so long in my entire life.

The list of principal casts are as follows:

• The Phantom – Jonathan Roxmouth
• Christine Daaé – Claire Lyon
• Raoul de Chagny – Anthony Downing
• Monsieur Richard Firmin – James Borthwick
• Monsieur Gilles Andre – Jason Ralph
• Carlotta Giudicelli – Andrea Creighton
• Ubaldo Piangi – Dondi Ong
• Madame Giry – Rebecca Spencer
• Meg Giry – Cat Lane

——————–

Everything was executed exceptionally.  It was a total feast of the senses.  After the most stimulating two and half hours I spent inside the theater, I came out with a stupid grin on my face, with a newfound love for theatrics.  It immediately diminished all my prejudices about musicals.  It was indeed an unforgetable theater experience.

If you think that all this post did was praise everything about the Phantom of the Opera, it is because it really is THAT excellent.  If you’re on the fence about watching, just go for it.  It will be worth your time and money, trust me.

Season is extended until October 14, 2012, and seats are running out fast.  Hurry and book your tickets now on http://ticketworld.com.ph.

Discounts:
Student discount for Balcony 1 and 2 seats.  Just show your ID!
Family package, buy 4 tickets and get 40% off on the 3rd and 4th ticket.