Down Once More

When I was 13 years old, I became fascinated with a 30ish year old French man named Erik. Although I didn't know him by that name at the time. He mainly went by "The Phantom." Also sometimes "The Opera Ghost." If he was feeling really fancy, "Angel of Music." It helped that he was played by Gerard Butler who still looks dang good with half his face covered up.

The first time I was introduced to the Phantom was in 2004 when the film adaptation of the musical came out on DVD. From the moment that the organ music started to play, I felt all the mystery, emotion and imagination that has captivated Broadway audiences since 1988.

I could not stop talking about it to my friends or singing all of the parts of all of the songs. My mom, brother and sister did not understand this obsession, but my dad, he understood. He was the one who introduced me to the movie and was just as enthralled as I was.

Part of what is SO GOOD about this musical is that you are simultaneously repulsed by and rooting for the phantom.

"You are a sadistic freak, BUT I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY."

"Christine, run as far as you can. Yes, go with Raoul. That's all he's asking, BUT GIVE POOR GERARD A BREAK. THE MAN HAS BEEN ALONE HIS WHOLE LIFE."

And then there's that part where she takes off his mask and you just feel depressed for everybody.

I don't cry over very many things, but after the 16th time of watching the movie and listening to the ending song "Learn to be Lonely." I sobbed in my room. Sobbed. Leaning against the unbroken mirror in my room thinking about the phantom's broken mirror and broken life........

All the feels.

My dad and I have both had opportunities to see the musical live, but they got away from us.My dad's opportunity was back in the 90's. He bought actual nice tickets for a show in Los Angeles, but didn't get to go. My opportunity to see it was at BYU my sophomore year. The guy I was dating bought us tickets but I broke up with him before the show so I didn't get to go.

The years passed and I didn't think of my first musical anymore.

Recently, my obsession has been Hamilton. The cheap seats to that show are $900.  I started to look at the other shows on Broadway and after scrolling past "Kinky Boots" and "Cats" I saw my old Middle School crush "The Phantom of the Opera." The wheels in my head started to turn and after realizing that New York City is only (hah) four hours away from where I live, I decided to get tickets to the show for me and my dad for Christmas.

We were a tad bit excited.

My dad likes to change the lyrics to songs. Either that or he just doesn't know them in the first place. It's hard to tell. The morning of our trek to New York, I could hear my dad singing from the catacombs of the bathroom to the tune of "In sleep he saang to mee, in dreeams he caame." Except his version was, "I like the waaay you think. You stink, you stink." He sounded so happy and I could tell he was excited for our trip. I asked him later if there was any particular reason for his choice of lyrics and he said no, it just rhymed.

Having never been to New York, everything was new and enthralling. Plus, when you are in an iconic place, suddenly everything becomes iconic to you. "Hey! Look! It's the Omega-1 Barbershop!" Really, we had no idea what was famous and what wasn't. Probably most of it wasn't.

You also think that you see celebrities. I swear that Kenneth Branagh was in front of us in line.

We entered the Hamilton lottery and didn't win tickets, but by happy, serendipitous circumstances, our parking space was right across from the Richard Rodgers. 

I've never gone hoarse from shouting at a football game but I did get hoarse from belting Broadway tunes with my dad in the car and from laughing and squealing. As a piece of trash floated gently through the window of our car in Times Square, I took it as a sign that the city had accepted us and wanted us to come back. 'Til we meet again New York.