The Phantom of the Opera is there (inside my mind)

 IN SLEEP HE SANG TO ME

Only the OGs know this (I love saying that as if my blog has any readership whatsoever), but I'm actually Indian. Don't get me wrong, I adore my country and I'm very proud of my nation. HOWEVER, the one thing that I don't love is the lack of any broadway shows in my area. Although I have seen some shows when I travel, in general I am limited to proshots and bootlegs when at home in India. That was, until Andrew Lloyd Webbers 'Phantom of the Opera' came to Mumbai's Neeta Ambani's Cultural Centre (NMACC) for short. My parents immediately booked tickets and soon enough we were on a flight to Mumbai. 

Before I dive into how the show was, please allow a brief interruption where I will express my thoughts in a more... incomprehensible manner 

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Okay, now that that's done let's get into the actual show. First of all, if you've been living under a rock, 'Phantom of the Opera' or Phantom for short follows an opera house that is supposedly haunted by the titular phantom. The show mainly focuses on a woman who works at the opera house named Christine Daae. Christine is merely a backup dancer, but gets her chance to shine when the lead singer refuses to perform. Her voice is magnificent, with high notes that make my throat tremble, and the actress, Grace Roberts is truly a powerhouse of a performer. Now, all her friends and superiors are pleased to hear her sing, but also confused, how could a mere background dancer become so talented at singing? It is here when she reveals her secret music teacher, who is "you guessed it) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA HIMSELF. dun dun duuuuun. I won't spoil the rest of the show, it's honestly incredible, and you should check it out for yourselves. Even if it isn't playing live anywhere near you, they made a great movie out of it with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. There is also a recording of the Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo performance on youtube. Whatever floats your boat (pun intended). 

Moreover, NMACC is truly stunning by it's own accord. I have been to actual West End and Broadway theatres, and this was still by far the best one I've ever seen. It was stunning, totally done up in preparation for the show, and all the glitz and glamour made me feel like I was in the opera house as seen in Phantom. Speaking of which, the show is honestly visually stunning, with extravagant lighting, beautiful costumes and set design that genuinely blew me away. All the actors did a great job, and even background characters like Meg stood out in their own ways. Of course, it wouldn't be a performance of Phantom without the grand old Chandelier. I'd honestly consider it a character of it's own, considering it's rise and fall corresponds with the plot and actually impacts the story. If you live in India or are willing to fly to Mumbai, please give it a shot it's incredible and I promise you, you won't regret it!

P.S: I'm team Raoul! I know so many people will disagree with this, but in my opinion the Phantom is far too entitled, he believes that Christine owes him something after he gave her singing lessons, even though she never asked for them. Moreover, some people say Christine was annoying and leading him on, but she was just a young girl grieving her father. I personally thought it was quite disgusting of the Phantom to play on her grief at losing her father and pretend to be an angel sent by him in order to earn her trust, only to betray it so cruelly. Sure, it's sad that he's ugly but plenty of people are ugly. Ugliness is in no way an excuse to threaten someone into marrying you, regardless of how sad his life was. I'm not sure how anyone can look at the phantom, a man who takes advantage of grief to get a girl and think he's a better choice for Christine than a fairly unproblematic man who genuinely loves her and just wants to protect her. Anyways, rant over. 

In dreams he came...