Opera-ting

I think we all had a good time at The Phantom of the Opera this afternoon. Fi Fi seemed to be singing along at some points, but thankfully not loud enough to attract attention. It's by no means my favourite show, but it's got some great tunes, really big ones, great singers are guaranteed, and there's enough spectacle to keep you wondering exactly how the set works. What I think it lacks is a real heart, though I caught a bit of a celebratory documentary on the making of the original a few weeks ago which claimed that this (possession of said heart) is precisely what brings audiences flocking in. I can't see it myself, though the phantom himself has got a certain something. In fact, it's a puzzle why he doesn't get the girl as he's the only interesting guy around. The show's also a bit short on anything approaching a theme. It plays with melodramatic conventions without saying anything about them. Imagine what someone like Sondheim might do with the same sort of ideas! But then he did do something with them, in the brilliant Sweeney Todd, a show that's never likely to make it to these shores, sadly.