The Point of No Return – Phantom of the Opera

I don’t know if I would have even known that Phantom was nearby if my band conductor hadn’t decided to take us on a trip to see the show. It was a tour, playing in Saskatoon, which is two and a half hours away from where we were. So, for a few months we planned…we played the music, and did fundraising so that by the time we were done, our tickets only cost $20 each. If only every theatre excursion was that inexpensive! 🙂

A flier for the bottle drive we used to raise money to see the show. 🙂

I really had no idea what to expect going into it…I’d never been to a musical before. I had heard some of the music, but only Phantom and Music of the Night (the ones we played in the band) had made any sort of lasting impression. However, from the moment the lights dimmed, I was hooked. I knew this was going to become something very important in my life. I don’t think even *I* knew exactly how important though. 🙂 Because we were there on a school trip, we got to have an informational session before the show, which included watching a promotional video, and talking to two members of the cast, Amy Walsh, who played Meg, and Doug LaBrecque, who played Raoul. They were so nice…I didn’t know enough about the show to ask any intelligent questions, and most of the questions that came from my group (we were the only ones sitting up in the balcony 🙂 had to do with the orchestra. “How many trucks does it take to move the show? … Okay, and how many of those involve the orchestra?” 🙂

Anyway, to the show! I was lucky enough to see a really great cast my first time. Cris Groenendaal was a wonderful Phantom…I fell in love with the character right then and there.Doug LaBrecque as Raoul remains my absolute favourite in that role. He is so sweet and gentle and handsome…it’s easy to see where Christine’s dilemma would lie! And Susan Cuthbert as Christine was fabulous as well! I’d never heard a voice like that in real life before. 🙂 I don’t remember very much of the actual performance…I was sitting in about the 20th row, so I had to borrow my friend’s binoculars to get a good view of Erik’s face at the end. 🙂 I do remember, though, being absolutely convinced that Christine would stay with him. How could she leave?? And when, of course, she did, it absolutely broke my heart. While all my fellow high school students applauded and then got up to get on with their lives, I sat in my seat sobbing, feeling more sorry for this man than I’d ever felt for anyone in my life. I don’t know if, to this day, I’d be able to say why it affects me so much. I suppose it’s because I see Erik in myself and I can feel what his pain must have been. I think he’s in all of us, to some extent.

Anyway, the band continued to play Phantom for a while, even doing a Phantom float for our town parade that year. The conductor dressed up in the mask and cape, and me? Well, I left my flute behind for a day to pound out those chords on the organ. It was great. 🙂

The Quotes:

“You know, I think you’ll really like this show…”
One of my fellow band members on the bus ride.

“Ummm…what size shoes do you wear? You know, for costumes and stuff?”
My friend, after I told her to ask Doug LaBrecque a question.

“So, did you think it was any good?”
My conductor, as I came out of the theatre drying my eyes.

The cast:

Phantom Experience Index