The Point of No Return – Phantom of the Opera

The front of the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts

This was my first time seeing the show by myself, and I had to admit then that I really was obsessed, as I had flown out to Vancouver to see the show, alone. 🙂 This was also the first time I started writing reviews of the show for my friends, so I have a lot more details of shows for the next few reviews! 🙂 The cast was wonderful…my main reason for taking the trip was to see Peter Karrie as the Phantom, and I was definitely not disappointed! It was Teresa de Zarn as Christine, who I’d seen four years earlier! 🙂 And Kip Wilborn was a decent Raoul, as Raouls go. 🙂

Peter’s entrance in the mirror scene was fabulous! Very powerful. Since I’d just seen the show a couple of months earlier in Toronto, I really noticed some differences about the touring production. First, they didn’t go down INTO the stage at the beginning, but just walked off the side. And secondly, the candles were nowhere near as impressive as in Toronto. There were far fewer of them, and they didn’t come up as high. The stage looked really empty. It was probably like that the first 3 times I saw the show too, but I didn’t notice ’cause I had nothing to compare it to.

One of the many beautiful displays along the front of the theatre

The side of the Ford Centre

Music of the Night was lovely, and Peter’s angel scene and final scene were both enough to bring me to tears! When Christine sang, “the tears I might have shed for your dark fate grow cold and turn to tears of hate!”, he was at the organ, and the look on his face was heart-wrenching. He kept repeating the word to himself…”hate?”…and shaking his head. So you’re probably wondering, what I DIDN’T like about Peter’s performance. Well, I think the reason I still like Ethan better is ’cause Peter played Erik as a little too insane in the final scene. And I firmly believe that Erik is not insane. But otherwise, I just loved it!

I had a couple of wonderful stage door experiences here…I spoke to Teresa briefly, and then, I got to go backstage with some people from the Phantom list and talk to Peter in his bathrobe and makeup! (long story! 🙂 He explained a bit about the makeup, and then he turned to me and said, “Would you like to touch it?” So I was like, “Yeah!!!” So I reached out, and just as I was about to touch his cheek, he turned his head and pretended to bite my fingers!! 🙂 It was soooo funny! Everyone else was laughing at me, ’cause I jumped! 🙂 But he DID really let me touch it too, and it’s so cool!! Then he explained how they made the mold for his mask and everything…it was so interesting!

Me and Peter Karrie!!

The next day just happened to be his birthday, and since my flight didn’t leave Vancouver until about 6:40, I decided to go back to the theatre and give him a gift. I got to the theatre at about 4:30. The show ends around 4:45. I was supposed to catch my bus to the airport at 5:11. 🙂 So basically, Peter had 20 minutes to come out. Which, of course, didn’t happen! 🙂 So I had a
decision to make…should I leave the gift with his limo driver, or should I miss my bus and take a cab to the airport? Was there really any decision?? 🙂 So I asked the limo driver how much a cab to the airport would be, and he told me he could get me a limo for the same price! 🙂

My limo! 🙂

So the driver said he’d wait till Peter came out…but only till 10 after 6 at the very latest. So it was 6:00, and I was starting to get really sad that I had waited there all that time for nothing, when Peter finally came out! He looked kind of startled when he saw me, and said, “You waited all this time for me??” Then he looked at me again, and said, “You didn’t go see the show again today, did you?” So I had to admit that I didn’t, but I just had to give him his present! He was so surprised! I got a big hug in return, which definitely made up for having to run across the airport to board my plane about 3 minutes before it took off. 🙂

The Quotes:

“But dear, you knew what was going to happen!”
The kind lady next to me, trying to console me after the show.

“Wow! The voice of God!”
One of the girls from the Phantom list, as a voice came on the intercom outside the theatre telling us Peter would be right out.

“You can eat with that lip??”
Me, to Peter Karrie when he was talking about his makeup.

The cast:

Phantom Experience Index