West End : Phantom of the Opera

At the entrance.
Phantom of the Opera poster behind me

I simply had to watch a classic.  Phantom of the Opera it should be.  John Salvador, a colleague from the US, strongly suggested I should - he specifically mentioned that it was "interesting how they did the chandelier".  With that kind of prodding, I didn't have much willpower to resist the temptation.  Together with Jo (the only one who wanted to watch Phantom as well),  I rushed to the theatre after the Monday session.

Watching Phantom was one of the highlights of my London trip. Wow! Phenomenal!

At the start, the set looked gloomy, cramped and cluttered... Remember the play started with the auction?  I understood later - it was necessary because there were quite a number of changes in the setting, a stage and backstage, elevations and stairs and grand staircases, sailing the "underground river" to reach the Phantom's lair.  It all worked quite well somehow.  The costumes were grand.  Christine was pretty (she should be, that's why Raoul and the Phantom were both smitten with her),  and her voice sounded pure and heavenly.  (Still, no comparison to the original soundtrack with Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford.)

Her Majesty's Theatre

Angel of Music and Phantom of the Opera were my favorite songs in the soundtrack.  Christine and her friend Meg  beautifully sang Think of Me... As soon as I heard the Phantom's echoing voice saying "I am your angel of music"...I got the goosebumps. 

When the Phantom took Christine on a boat to his lair, singing the Phantom of the Opera, I sang along quietly, gripped Jo's arm and felt like I was on a high.  As they sailed on the "river", with the glimmering lights and the fog, lampposts started rising as the boat passed along, I felt "Wow"! The music, the moment, the setting.  Just perfect... It was dreamlike - I never thought I'd have the opportunity to watch it in West End!  

I must confess I felt sleepy when Act 2 started (still jetlagged, I couldn't help taking a quick nap, almost sacrilegious isn't it?).  As the rest of the story unfolded, I was again mesmerized. The Phantom's singing and acting was just so captivating.  I could feel his emotions, his love, his anguish, his pain. I was sooo into the moment.  His voice was phenomenal and quite powerful.  Deservedly, he had the longest standing ovation.

I really hope I will have the opportunity to watch it again.

West End : Rock of Ages

I love music.  Lately, I've been listening a lot to old songs, mostly remake from Glee, and the 80s.  Since we knew we'd be going to London, Jo and I planned to watch a play - I recommended Rock of Ages on the day of our arrival. Rock of Ages features many songs from the 80s. AlsO, we didn't have much choices, not many plays were showing on a Sunday night.

RoA was a cheesy love story, pretty funny and high-energy,  it was quite entertaining (though I had to bear the bad words and the very suggestive dancing). The love story between Drew and Sherrie made me feel romantic. The acting was good, and everyone in the cast had a beautiful, powerful voice, especially the Stacey Jaax character. (I would not say the same thing about Mamma Mia which we also watched. Really.)

It was off to a slow start, I didn't feel connected right away, until Sherrie sang More Than Words.  Set in Sunset Strip, the story revolved around Drew and Sherrie, young lads pursuing their dreams in the big city -he to be a rock star and her to be an actress.  None of those dreams materialized, but they found love in each other - I Wanna Know What Love Is, Waiting for a Girl Like You, The Search Is Over, you get the picture of the level of cheesiness.  

(A parallel story is how a father-son property developer planned to tear down Sunset Strip, convincing the mayor to abandon the sex, drugs, rock lifestyle. There were protests against it,  hence the singing of We Built This City, another '80s favorite.  In the end, Sunset Strip remained.) 

Lonny Barnett, the narrator, ended the play saying that on The Strip, sometimes the dreams with which you enter are not always the dreams with which you leave, but they still rock.  A quotable quote, dont you think?  The Don't Stop Believin' finale brought the house down! 

For those who loved the songs from the 80s,  I recommend the play.