If you've lived your life this far and haven't heard of Andrew Lloyd Weber's The Phantom of the Opera, you must have been living under a rock, and not the one from the 2017 Broadway hit Come From Away. The Phantom of the Opera is the 3rd highest grossing musical of all time, pulling in around $1.1 billion dollars since it's premiere on West End in 1986. As one of the 80's prolific mega musicals, which is a show that is nearly all the way sung through with just as much emphasis on the flashy set and lighting as the content, this show was one of the first big things to come out of Broadway after the Golden Age. This show, originally produced by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, was one of the first set up to bring in loads of sheer revenue. This prolific creation has been referenced, showcased, and even parodied more times than the average human could possibly imagine, leaving a musical legacy that will surely last a millennium. Why Do We Still Hear About the Phantom of the Opera so Much?We hear about this show so much because so many people recognize it as one of the biggest and best shows of all time. Phantom is a show that many people, specifically those between the ages of 40 and 60 right now, were first exposed to musical theatre by in the 1980's. It's flashy set, wonderful lighting, and mysterious nature were advertised brilliantly by the Phantom marketing team and caught the attention of people everywhere, musical addict and normal Joe Shmo alike. These people are now the ones that have larger positions of power in today's society. The age group of 40-60 year olds are people who have influence over us, such as our parents, large scale advertisers, and even our directors. That is why we hear so much about The Phantom of the Opera these days, over 30 years after it's debut. The people that were first exposed to it will forever fan over one of the first musicals they ever knew. Does Phantom Really Live up to All the Hype It Gets?If you ask one of the previously mentioned adults, the answer would most likely be a immediate yes. But I'd say they're just being blinded by something I like to call FSS, or first show syndrome. What's first show syndrome? First Show Syndrome is when you have a deep love and immediate respect for one of the first musicals you were ever exposed to. For me, that show is The Lion King. When I was about seven years old, my grandmother took me to see it at the PAC, and it's been close to my heart ever since, despite what many critics might say about it's lack of meaningful motive. Many of the people who rave about Phantom most likely had the same experience I had with The Lion King, it was one of the first shows they saw and it stays close their heart: classic FSS. In all reality, The Phantom of the Opera is a rather bare story covered up by flashy lights and expensive sets; the equivalent of a Porsche with the engine of a Yugo. The plot is very thin, and the dialogue between vibrant songs is rather dry as if it were frail string holding together glimmering gems. Also, as far as moral values go, the main theme is love. Though love can be a very strong theme to play with, all we really see is how far The Creepy Basement Guy (The Phantom) will go to have the woman he desires. It really is a bit creepy if you think about it. So How Does One Respond to All the Hype?Although my point of view is very clear, I'd definitely advise you to give The Phantom of the Opera a listen, or to even go see it if it comes to your area. After all, the fact that The Phantom of the Opera is overrated is opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion when it comes to art. But, if you do know anyone with a terrible case of FSS for The Phantom of the Opera, just make sure to remind them that there's lots of other shows that they should consider listening to. Who knows, they might fall in love with a new musical all over again. Have a wonderful day, y'all,
~Dylan Ford
2 Comments
Alesha
4/24/2018 01:12:45 pm
I really enjoyed your beginning lines, you definitely did a very nice job on getting the readers attention. Once I read the first couple lines of your blog, I instantly wanted to read more. Maybe you could look over your blog and double check the spacing between lines as some are more than one space away.
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Vinline
4/25/2018 07:04:26 am
I like how you ended it by saying this was still an opinion. While the opinions of others are definitely important when it comes to judging something like this, it shows that you want to inform people but still have them think for themselves in the end.
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