it's the phantom of the opera's 34th anniversary! the 25th anniversary special was shown again on youtube this weekend starting october 9 and i couldn't be any happier. i was able to watch that in the cinema in 2011 and i must say, what a spectacle indeed the 25th anniversary performance was. it was every bit as colourful as the one i watched on broadway back in 2002, with all the pizzazz elevated a thousand times worthy of a 25th anniversary production. and yes, i so loved sierra boggess as christine!
my love affair with this musical started during a vacation in the states just a little over thirty years ago. i could distinctly remember my cousin playing a cassette of the phantom of the opera in her car stereo and she was singing along with sarah brightman with the high notes and all as we drove on a freeway. it was those high notes that really got me and i never forgot that. not long after returning to manila, my cousin was kind enough to send me the two-cassette (yeah i'm that old so what lol) original cast recording. the ribbons on those tapes should have been torn to shreds from the countless times i've listened to them in my walkman. so many times i've listened to the recording that i've practically memorised every line. so yeah. i know which lines have been changed in the songs! ha! which makes me also... one of those people who have memorised lines of a favourite show that i couldn't help but sing/speak along with the actors. in this case, while watching the musical, then the movie version, then the 25th anniversary production. but being the ever-conscientious audience that i am, i mouthed the lines for the most part. but now i am watching the show by myself so i don't care if i sing out loud. ;p
the phantom of the opera opened last friday, october 9 at 7pm uk time and is available for 48 hours everywhere else save for the uk. it is still showing on youtube in my time (gmt +8) as of this writing so do head over there and let the spectacle astound you. :) this is also for a worthwhile cause so do check the links in the video's description.
here is my absolute favourite part.
