Hey everyone. Names Chris O'Farrell. 26 year old Sydneysider here.
I found this board through the wonders of Google after seeing Phantom in Sydney on the 14th of August this year...and as I am sure most people here who have seen it would understand, being on something of a sugar high for the next 48-72 hours.
So a little about my history with Phantom...and this is going to be an essay, so if you have to go to the bathroom, now's the time ;D
My Father saw Phantom in London waayyyy back in the days for the first time, brought home the original twin CD's -which we still have- and a beautiful, huge transcript of the show with wonderful pictures that I loved. Now I was a kid at this stage in Primary school, but I still thought the music was awesome. I was always into music when I was young, lots of Webber stuff as well, but I would often spend hours listening to the CD's and reading the book at the same time...
Anyway.
When I was in year 4 or 5 way back in the days, I had a surprise, I was taken to see Phantom with my Mother and two sisters (Dad had to work but had brought us the tickets which I am ever greatful for); a Matinee with Rob Guest (God rest his amazingly talented soul) and Marina Prior at Her Majesties Theater. As it happens, Marina wasn't on and her understudy did Christine, not that I noticed at that age of course.
And we had good seats.
No check that, we had f*#(#ing AWESOME seats, middle, front row, right behind the conductor!!!
I was a little young at the time so it gave me a spot of trouble in 'The Phantom of the Opera' as the boat glided across the stage to see what was going on, but hell, it was really a hell of a turning point for me. I LOVED it, I absolutely LOVED it.
Suffice to say, the infamous Her Majesties Theater Chandelier was in full force and my sisters -and probably me but I'll deny it- cringed VERY low as it came THUNDERING down right at us, only to swerve at the LAST possible instant to crash to the stage. And as you can imagine, it was just as awesome going up during the overture.
When the intermission happened -as I had no idea it would- I was REALLY annoyed until I was told it was just 'half time'.
On a slight side note, I wasn't allowed to have any Champagne damn my Mother, got stuck with an OJ...
But I digress.
Anyway, the rest of the performance was just as magnificent. A couple of moments that stick out were how utterly SINISTER I found the Phantom stalking down the stage in 'Masquerade', he was magnificently evil! And my poor little sister giving a startled 'epp!' that earned a tiny chuckle from the orchestra pit when a guy dressed as a French policemen popped up RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER WITH A GUN!!!
I had wanted SO much to see phantom again over the years, but it was just never possible for me. My elder and younger sisters many years later went again with my Father, my Mother went again with my Father. My elder and younger sisters going overseas many times saw it in both London and my elder saw it on broadway as well.
Then we found out it was coming back to Sydney...
My elder sister begged me to come -sister, Mother and Father going with sisters flat mate- but as much as I wanted to, I was going to be between jobs for a month or so and money might have gotten tight, so I couldn't justify it.
As it happens, things went fine and I had the cash to spare, NOT happy Jan.
Still they had an awesome time...
Except Warlow wasn't on, Pryce was.
My two sisters went nuts. My Father, Mother and her flatmate (who had never seen Phantom but was converted to worshiping it without any problems) all LOVED it, but my Sisters at once went to book another sitting -along with flatmate- and they brought me a ticket, as I had expressed my annoyence that I had the money now...
And so on August 14th I went to work, Friday evening sitting, I was in a buzz all day. The guys I work with sort of didn't understand, the girls just glared at me in hate that I was going to Phantom tonight...but they were cool
Anyway, long story short, rocked up -flatmate got HER sister and Father to come as well- and we went in...
And I was just blown through the back wall, across Sydney, across the Pacific and into Low Earth Orbit.
Anthony and Ana were just beyond perfection of course, I don't think I can put into words just how amazed I was.
But so was the rest of the cast. Andrea was PERFECT as Carlotta, she played that role to perfection. O'May and Taylor had such a rapport with each other it was brilliant, miss Komazec had he exact mixture needed to pull off her part...everyone from the smallest background dancer part to the Phantom himself moved in a perfect storm of energy and power. Standing ovation from me for when Nadia appeared and most of the theater got to their feet long before Anthony -though he got by far the most thunderous applause of course.
The absoloute icing on the cake had to be afterwards when Warlow addressed the crowd asking them to donate to a charity for young and aspiring actors and that most of the cast would be outside to ask for donations.
And they were just all so amazingly NICE. I must have given about 15 bucks to the various buckets they were holding out just because I was walking about in a daze, all of them were more then happy to have a quick chat, a laugh, a word. Granted they are amazing actors, but they still all came across as literally happy to be there and happy to talk to you. I had a brief talk with Nadia AKA Meg, sort of asking her in a bemused, dazed state how many more performances she had until a day off and she chearfully thought about it and said like 3-4, then a couple of days, then a whole heap more. Feeling utterly self conscious I congratulated her and said she was amazing, and she thanked me, but in a way that felt like she genuinely meant it...
So my sister pulled me away at this point and I wandered a little looking at some of the souvenirs and thinking what I would buy...and though pure chance suddenly found myself face to face with Ana Marina and Alexander Lewis.
Yeah, 'Deer in headlights' suddenly makes a lot more sense to me.
I dropped a couple of dollars into Ana's bucket and as she thanked me I blurted out something stupid like 'How can you possibly find the energy to do THAT every night?'
She and Lewis sort of looked at each other with a laugh then he, with a perfectly straight face said 'I COULD tell you, but we would have to kill you'.
Alright not much of a joke, but again it just made me feel totally at ease.
At which point my Sisters and flatmate returned and yanked me outside to star city, at which point we found my sisters flatmate winning spectacularly at craps...but thats another story.
So naturally on monday when I had my head back on, I booked another ticket. Thinking my best chance would be the last show that's where I went. Alone, but I just didn't give a damn. I thought my Sisters wouldn't want to see it a THIRD time, but boy did I get a beatdown when they found out...
And something tragic happened towards the end, in the phantoms lair at the very climax of the whole thing.
Anthony's microphone started playing up.
It was utterly skin crawling, like a train accident about to take place you can't look away from as it kept on cutting in, then out, then overloading with a building sequel of feedback until they had to shut it right back down, leaving him utterly inaudible as Ana and Lewis continued just fine...
And this was in front of a crowd of Phantom -Warlow really- Nuts for the record, you can tell by the way they clap and cheer and when...and the cheer squad for Meg AKA Nadia when she come out at the end, this cluster of girls at the front all leapt to their feet and she was kind enough to grace them with a smile and bow...
But what I remember most?
He. Did. Not. FLINCH.
You can only dream of how horribly distracting and off putting this must have been for him, his sound going in and out and in and out, then feedback, then in, then out, then up, then down...
And he continued to perform and sing as if utterly NOTHING was happening, he didn't miss a note, an action, didn't drop the intensity of his performance on iota as far as I could tell.
And so could the crowd, after he sung the last note of 'Its over now, the Music of the Night!' the crowd just exploded into aplause and kept going without stopping, the standing ovation was just deafening.
Okay, we've reached intermission now, go and take a break and get a drink and I'll continue in a few lines
Well not much more to say really
So that was the last Sydney show and that was that, right?
Hell no.
The planning and plotting soon started between my older sister and myself, younger sister sadly can't really afford to go and see any more Phantom, things to pay. I have been saving for several months, scrimping everything I could for the remote possibility of a Perth trip next year or something when I found out it was going to be over there early next year, with my Sister - some friends are phillistines, others just couldn't afford it, but its all good.
Unfortunately, my Sister is going up to the NT early next year and really wanted to be settled in by early Feb, so that didn't really work.
And then we noticed it would be in NZ later THIS year and its really not that much more expensive when you get down to it...not that we really looked at it THAT seriously, wondering if we were getting a little obsessive.
Until my Father shot us an email he had gotten from Qantas as a 'valued frequent flier' even though he hasn't flown anywhere for many many years now, spam is good. Because it had a special offer for frequent flyers; premo seats...and a backstage tour after the show.
Yeah, you can see where this is going.
So my Sister who IS a frequent flyer from Qantas booked us two tickets, I've applied for a passport -first trip out of the country!- which should be delivered early next week, we've booked the airline tickets and accommodation.
We're all set for the 20th of November in Auckland to see Warlow one, last time.
If there is anyone else going from here to that particular event, feel free to say so!
Well thats my Phantom history in a nutshell. I've also been buying all the Warlow media I can since that August 14th performance and only becoming more and more impressed by him...and glaring at Lloyd Webber for not releasing THIS cast as a soundtrack, damn him...
And slightly funny note to end this on:
Sisters were over in Vegas before they came home and saw Phantom this year. They had seen Phantom was on, but as they were coming home to see Warlow they didn't see the point...boy my elder sister was PISSED when I explained the Vegas Phantom is an especially customized version of the musical in a custom built theater. She had flown thousands of kilometers over there without realizing it, walked right past it....
Hope to get to know you all on the forums over the next few weeks!
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)...oh, I LOVE karaoke haha but I'm definitely not a singer, not by a long shot...though one can always pretend, right? ;D
Anyways im sure you'll have a ball here
May 14, 2018 0:20:41 GMT 9.5
May 14, 2018 0:20:41 GMT 9.5
Nov 30, 2015 20:59:32 GMT 9.5
Please feel free to introduce yourself in the Introducing thread in the General board, also to contact myself or anyone here if you have any questions. We hope you enjoy your time with US!
Jul 15, 2014 9:17:01 GMT 9.5
Please feel free to introduce yourself in the Introducing thread in the General board, also to contact myself or anyone here if you have any questions. We hope you enjoy your time with US!
Jul 15, 2014 9:17:01 GMT 9.5