phantom of the opera how is it romantic? — Page 3

TheatreDiva...I am on the floor!!!!

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Updated On: 10/15/07 at 08:54 PM

Some while back, a person posted a picture of the Phantom and Christine on Broadway Secrets saying "I dream of someone loving me like he loved her."

My response was "What, you mean stalking and kidnapping you, attacking your friends, freaking out violently at you when things aren't perfect, and forcing you to live in fear? Good luck. Your odds are pretty good. I see relationships like that all the time... ON MAURY."

And that's my opinion.

I haven't read the novel but having seen the stage adaptation, I always found it odd myself that this show was considered romantic. Erik is a psychopath and exhibits stalker-ish tendencies the whole show. The mutual love is between Christine and Raoul, not Christine and Erik. I do, however, find the music compelling and romantic. The story though? Not so much.

As far as the lake under the theatre goes, I recall reading somewhere (and my memory is a little foggy here) that there really is one and that people used to be tortured and killed there when the theatre building project was put on hold. Gaston Leroux was a journalist that came to check out the scene when they discovered the bodies later.

I just love how you can't stay on topic.

I love how you can't be concise.

At least Lizzie you got that ADD right.

And you still never answered my question: Is your first language German? What's with your weird capitalization?!

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Updated On: 10/15/07 at 11:00 PM

The show is ridiculously romantic. Technically, the music is written very romantically. But the story alone. Yeah, we get it, the Phantom is disfigured and a wierd genuis, but he falls in love with a voice, and is willing to kill to see that his protege succeeds. And that girl is in love with him no matter what she says. She takes Raoul because he's hot, but the Phantom is the one who cares for her (Can I betray the man who once inspired my voice?) Personally, I'd take the musical genius who wears a sexy tux and can write me a song.

"How many times do people have to tell you how ignorant you are?"

I'm not sure, but the last time I checked, ignorant was defined as "lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned".

I've seen Phantom. I have extensive training and years of experience in Theatre Arts.


~

You don't.




"I know the stage version is different, my friend saw it."

That means you have an opinion on it, or was it just your friends opinion?

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Updated On: 10/16/07 at 02:19 PM

The worst part, though? He sings Andrew Lloyd Webber pop ballads to her!

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Why thank you. That's probably my favorite song from the movie.

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Oh come on, the story is utterly formulaic. The Phantom is the sexy bad boy, Raul is the safe good boy. Christine is attracted to both (which is bizarre, but more on this in a moment) and the romance is that she COULD have the bad boy who would do anything for her but she picks the good boy.

It's just another one of those silly stories about one boring person who seems to be surrounded by people who are literally madly in love with her. Do you think people are paying that much attention? There are strings in the pit and the characters keep telling each other how much they love one another. This is our modern day version of romance. They should've gotten John Cusack to play the Phantom.

That Christine should have any attraction to the Phantom is completely bizarre because she thinks he's her father for most of the time they come into contact with one another.

The original novel is hardly a romance and you'd be hard pressed to find any literary scholar (aside from a specialist) who calls Erik one of the hallmark characters of literature. More likely you'd get a "Erik who? He has a name?"

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Many of you see this show as a sick and disfunctional non-romance. Amazing that so many people have left the theater over the years with tears in their eyes, wishing that Christine could have stayed with the Phantom even though they know she couldn't.

I suppose that fact just reinforces the opinion of some of you that ordinary theater audiences lack taste and common sense.

The Phantom's love for Christine has been through the show completely selfish. With Christine's two kisses in the final Lair scene, this man no one has ever cared for or willingly touched from his infancy on, finds that this woman can. Her action makes him realize (albieit suddenly) that love is generous, not grasping and selfish. He releases Raoul and lets, urges, Christine to leave with him.

He is left alone, heart broken. The pain is exacerbated when she returns---to stay? No, to return his ring and to leave again.

Hot damn! A lot of us sickies find this romantic.

"if this is what is considered a classic what is this world coming to?"

don't read much, do you?

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Hmmm,I would dare say that I am a troubled man, I would also dare to say some would claim I am a tortured soul but that does NOT give Me a free hand to do whatever I want-I chose not to be the Monster The Phantom was willing to be.

Why is it such a hard notion for so many people to understand that our pain is the defining traits of our souls?

It does not matter that Erik did not get enugh Love or kindness, there are uncountable people who have to live without those things He was small minded to think that the world revolved around what HE wanted that His needs outweighed Christines and Rauls.

I want what I want But NEVER at the the sake of others.

Clearly Sally and The Half White Mask has never suffered from that kind of isolation ,I have and learned a long time ago it can belittle You or You can rise above it and become the better person for it.

Would I ever do what He did ? NO! somethings not even happiness are ours to take from others.

Again it goes back to what I said a while back that it is not a romantic story but the loyal fans see it as romantic because the dirty, seedy, Phantom (read the book He was a creepy dirty seedy guy as He was originaly concieved)was replaced by Michael Crawford in a tail coat.

SO, You think think that some of Us look down on You and Your interpretation of it?

Let Me tell You what You seem to lack Sally, that is perspective.
Not one of us attacked You and while quite a few posters clearly are not enamoured with the Show I read little hard criticism of it,You should not take the low road and assumed We were all a bunch of Rubbes because We did not see the show with the same viewpoint that You possess.

Just remember something that Bob Evans once said that there is three sides to any story--Yours , Mine and what realy happened- all of wich are True.

Updated On: 10/20/07 at 10:52 AM