Mister Matt said: "I mean, when people start going off on these things as "unrealistic" I want to remind them the Phantom, Christine, Raoul are all fictitious characters.
I can't speak for others, but for me, the problem is that the plot hinges on a backstory that is implausible within the realm of the original story and characters. Having your supporting characters go off the rails like pathetic lunatics at every turn doesn't help much. Then comes The Beauty Underneath and all hope is lost for any resemblance to the gothic-horror-romance of the original and it descends into a pulpy dimestore novel camp that could have been entitled "THE MONSTER'S BABY-MAMA!" or "CONEY ISLAND JEZEBEL!"
"
OK so I do love the score but this kind of hits at why the show is a problem for me.
My 2 main issues are:
1, plot suspense, christine has to choose to either sing the phantom's big number or leave with Raoul, we already know she will sing it because after all it is the TITLE NUMBER, so there is no tension of will she or wont she in that moment, so that whole plot device is dumb.
2, Gustave. and here is probably where the whole 'these are fictional characters' might come in, but truth be told, in 18th century France, a Lady (or any aspiring lady) would NEVER hook up in the dark someplace with a guy that tried to murder her and her friends, even if she was madly inlove in some way with him. It is totally unrealistic to think that back then someone would be so casual with a sexual encounter as people are nowadays (and it happened more than once so you cant blame it on a one of spur of the moment thing). Yes it is fictional but you can't divorce the characters from the time period that the show takes place, If Christine did that, she would be labeled as a slut and 'lady with questionable morals" and that would put any chances of an Opera Star career down the drain. so it is HIGHLY unlikely she would do that to herself. As a result, the whole Gustave being the Phantom's child makes it absurd.
Again, I love the score and the design, but this scenario is something plausible in today's world, just not in the 1800's
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27199361@N08/ Phantom at the Royal Empire Theatre