The Phantom of the Opera 25h Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)

People who know me know that I'm not big into movies, and I don't collect DVDs and Blu-Rays. However, one of my most valuable possessions is my Blu-Ray of the 2011 Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Show from the Royal Albert Hall. It was originally my late girlfriend's, but as she passed I kept it, since the Phantom of the Opera in all of its various forms was something very near and dear to both of us. My girlfriend especially absolutely obsessed over the Phantom of the Opera.

We both shared mutual contempt towards the 2004 film adaptation of the musical by Joel Schumacher, who we agreed belonged at the top of our most disliked people in the world list for creating that disrespectful piece of shit.

We still watched it multiple times just to criticize it, though. It was fun.

When an art work like the Phantom is very important to you, you always get nervous whenever there's a new adaption of it, because you really want it to be good, but chances are it's going to be terrible, and takes away a part of your soul with it after experiencing it.

Luckily enough, we fell in love with the 2011 adaptation. Watched it several dozens of times, but this time not to criticize it.

So, I was reminiscing today, and decided to dust off the old blu-ray and watch the whole thing for the first time in years.

Just to get it out of the way: yes, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman will always be the Phantom and Christine to me, respectively, but the cast in the 2011 show did a great job in their roles, and Ramin Karimloo in particular plays the role of the Phantom the way it's supposed to be played: as the victim.

What's bugged me about several Phantom versions is that he's played as too much of a bad guy, even though if anything, he's a tragic antihero, of sorts. Ramin brings tragedy to the character, with his singing seamlessly ranging from aggressive to soft, and from vengeful to loving - albeit in a misunderstood way. But that's always been the key to the character of the Phantom: he's not evil, just misunderstood. And most of all vulnerable. So, it was nice to see Ramin nail that part of the character so well.

Christine was played by Sierra Boggess, and she doesn't fall much behind from Ramin's performance. Sierra brings in the naivety, innocence and sincerity of Christine's character, and also seems to understand what really makes the character tick. Which, again, is something not every adaptation seems to really get. The Phantom is not a love story between a man and a woman, it's a love story between the Phantom and Christine specifically, and there's a really big difference, and I can really go out on an hour long tangent about this, and have in the past. Sierra also knocked "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" out of the park.

Both Ramin and Sierra had played the roles before, so that plays a part in why they got the characters. They also showcase great chemistry on stage, and that's not something you plan, it just either happens, or it doesn't.

I've always held a deep appreciation for the art of singing, and having taken singing lessons for a few years when I was younger, it goes deeper than just enjoying what I hear, since I have some - admittedly basic - understanding of the technicalities that go into masterful singing. It's a lot more than having a good, God given voice; there's so much that goes into controlling one's voice and performing at a high level that it just might be my single most appreciated talent in humans in general.

Couple the singing itself with the fact that in a musical you also convey a specific, written character through your singing, and I just find that so impressive it's immeasurable.

If I were to nitpick, I'd say that the staging and scenery are a tad too flamboyant and colorful for a story that I consider to be an extremely tragic love tale at its core, but then again it's a stage show at the Royal Albert Hall, so glitz and glamour comes with the territory.

The show itself is faithful to the classic Phantom of the Opera, with some lines changed just a little here and there, but in general there's very little to complain about. And even I allow for some artistic freedom, even though I'm a Phantom of the Opera purist.

But it was nice to see that even upon rewatching after a number of years, the 25th Anniversary Show was still as much a labour of passion and love as I remembered it being. It was clearly done by people who respect and appreciate the Phantom of the Opera, and left out any attempts at remodeling or twisting or updating stuff - which is exactly what a tribute show is supposed to be.

If one is to ever experience the Phantom of the Opera, the 2011 25th Anniversary Show is definitely the best way to do so, short of going to see it live - which is something I'm sure I'll do one day.

It's beautiful, emotional, tragic, sad and most of all passionate. I of course have a deeper emotional attachment to the musical and whole lore of the Phantom of the Opera due to my girlfriend, but it's something I consider worth recommending even to people that are not so much into musicals, since it's a universal enough story for anyone to enjoy. And I find it hard to believe that the performances would be anything short of entertaining to just about anybody. Give it a try.

It was a great watch, again. Now it's 3:20am, and I need to think of something else to do to pass the time.