...Wow, I can't believe somebody read all that, lol!
I don't have much experience with theatre either, bar pantomimes at Christmas and Shakespeare productions we were taken to see when at school, but I expected London theatres to be absolutely enormous, certainly bigger than the GOH in Belfast - cos you know, theatre capital of the world and all that. Finding out that they were so... cosy was a bit of a shock.
Thinking about it now, most of the action had to be set to the front of the stage in order for everyone to get a half-decent chance to see it. If they'd placed it too far back, people like me in my corner would have missed half of it.
"Stage-Phantom [...] was a bit *too* unhinged."
Then you remember this is a guy who grew up in an opera house. One does not learn to do subtle from an opera house ^.~ Also, on stage, the actors have to think of the poor sods in the gallery. You have to carry the emotion and action all the way up to them. I suppose that's why extravagent acting is called "stagey".
And my stage-Phantom did a rather nice line in shaking fists :) He could turn on the trembles like *that*, which I had to admire, even as I did wonder where the men in white coats had gone.
"But then there was that stupid swordfight instead of the Phantom throwing explodey-light-balls at Raoul."
Ah, so that's what happened! I knew there wasn't a swordfight in the stage version but I couldn't remember what was there. I like swordfights, plus there was lots of swirly-cloak-y-ness involved which I enjoyed, but yes, it was mundane. They could have allowed the Phantom a few fireballs or to blow up a statue or two. Pirates of the Caribbean and Kill Bill could have taught them a thing or two about staging a thrilling swordfight.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2005-05-13 09:41 am (UTC)I don't have much experience with theatre either, bar pantomimes at Christmas and Shakespeare productions we were taken to see when at school, but I expected London theatres to be absolutely enormous, certainly bigger than the GOH in Belfast - cos you know, theatre capital of the world and all that. Finding out that they were so... cosy was a bit of a shock.
Thinking about it now, most of the action had to be set to the front of the stage in order for everyone to get a half-decent chance to see it. If they'd placed it too far back, people like me in my corner would have missed half of it.
"Stage-Phantom [...] was a bit *too* unhinged."
Then you remember this is a guy who grew up in an opera house. One does not learn to do subtle from an opera house ^.~ Also, on stage, the actors have to think of the poor sods in the gallery. You have to carry the emotion and action all the way up to them. I suppose that's why extravagent acting is called "stagey".
And my stage-Phantom did a rather nice line in shaking fists :) He could turn on the trembles like *that*, which I had to admire, even as I did wonder where the men in white coats had gone.
"But then there was that stupid swordfight instead of the Phantom throwing explodey-light-balls at Raoul."
Ah, so that's what happened! I knew there wasn't a swordfight in the stage version but I couldn't remember what was there. I like swordfights, plus there was lots of swirly-cloak-y-ness involved which I enjoyed, but yes, it was mundane. They could have allowed the Phantom a few fireballs or to blow up a statue or two. Pirates of the Caribbean and Kill Bill could have taught them a thing or two about staging a thrilling swordfight.