The Musings of Clio: An evening with The Phantom of the Opera

The world's longest running musical The Phantom of the Opera by the great Andrew Lloyd Webber has finally come to Manila. I remembered getting excited seeing the great billboards lining SLEX and city buses advertising the show. I did not expect that I will watch the show because of my schedule but imagine my joy when it was extended until October 14! I consider it another great birthday gift that I will see the show after all.

The stage and the famous chandelier

We got to the CCP quite early so we took it as a chance to take photos and get our souvenirs. My friend Kit (she is officially my fellow Phan) and I were so thrilled to get good seats at orchestra level. It was truly a wonderful experience to see this masterpiece. The stage with all those impressive sets were jaw-dropping, the music enthralling and the amazing cast equals to an unforgettable night.

I'm no professional theater critic but I felt Mr. Jonathan Roxmouth's portrayal of the Phantom brought intensity and passion. Absolutely loved how he sang Music of the Night and Point of no Return. It was a moving performance. The lovely Ms. Claire Lyon delivered a beautiful and effortless performance as well. Their final scene together moved us to tears (thank goodness tissues were handy!).

Meeting the cast after the performance was icing to the cake. The two leads and the rest of the cast were so accommodating and gracious. It was madness at the stage door but they were still all-smiles as they signed souvenir programs and posed for photos. I even heard Head of Wardrobe Mr. Eugene Titus saying that the crowd is getting bigger every day.

We went home with big smiles on our faces, thankful for having the chance to see this amazing musical. Here's hoping there will be more performances like this in years to come. ^.^

Here are some photos from October 12's performance. ^.^