"Phantom of the Opera" - Ryan's Comments

My pal Ryan Hardiman got a chance to see a special show the other night, and he sent in these comments - and they were so entertaining, I wanted to post it here on the main page for all to enjoy. Here's Ryan:

So I went to see Capital High's production of Phantom of the Opera (Thursday) night, and I was impressed that they were able to pull of such a complicated show! It's not a "junior" version of the show... this is the entire score... nothing was missing as far as I remember... the chandelier was huge and impressive (and hanging directly above my head... I'm a trusting soul.) They even had a big elephant onstage! You ought to see the "Masquerade" scene... The costumes drew immediate applause from the audience before anyone sang a note. My fellow "Symphony Idol" finalists Sarah Pauley and Micah Atkinson were amazing! I was so proud of them!

Capital High was one of only six schools asked to produce "Phantom" as a pilot production in anticipation of releasing it for non-equity theatre companies. Quite an honor!

They had a few technical issues, but that can happen on opening night, especially with a show this ambitious. There was an extremely loud and obvious foul language slip when someone backstage didn't realize their microphone was live... that's always fun.

But check this out... this is one more reason to love live theatre... Something happened in the show that will never happen again in a million years... at the very end of the show when the ballerina Meg picks up the phantom's mask and holds it up, there is a 5-note musical scale... (the same 5 notes as at the end of "Music of the Night", if you remember.) Last night, on the very last musical note of the show, the school fire alarm went off AT THE EXACT MOMENT AND IN THE EXACT PITCH OF THAT NOTE!

It was Twilight Zone stuff! What are the odds? that will NEVER happen again! And I was there!

Last night was my only chance to see the show because of a previous commitment for the rest of the weekend. Thursday night is appointment TV night for me because my two favorite shows, The Office and Lost are both on, but I can watch them online later...

I'm so glad I went to see The Phantom of the Opera last night instead...Once the show is over, unlike TV or movies, you can never see that specific production again. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and I encourage everyone to get out there and see it!