The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall

A much better representation of the original Broadway show than the 2004 film, since it returns the proceedings to where they belong - the stage. The cast is uniformly excellent (though Sierra Boggess is rather old for the virginal Christine, but that's a minor quibble).

Opera is one of the most snobbishly inaccessible mediums out there and I appreciate ALW's attempt to modernize it by combining it with rock and Broadway musical tropes, but I feel mixed as to the result. Some great songs, some beautiful Gothic horror aesthetics, but it's full of Edwardian melodrama and with some long boring stretches and the gender politics are... weird. Christine is forced to choose between a fuckboi and a murderous fuckboi, and still everyone praises this as a great romance?

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I don't care for Andrew Lloyd Webber's music.

Phantom, locking himself away from the world because of resentment, adopted a girl and raised her, wishing she could stay with him forever, but gave up the wish after realising that, with her love despite all his shame, he didn't have to hold on to his resentment, and gave his girl's hand to a man who denied and hated paternal imprinting under the cover of "protection", "love" and "justice". A symptom of general withdrawal from real questions of sexuality with empty ideas like freedom and love.

It's impossible to compare this with a movie, and nothing can compare with actually sitting in the theatre hall - when that is said - this version was amazing and truly worth the watch. *Very good.

A must-have for any fan of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic musical, 'At the Royal Albert Hall' features an elaborate and appropriately ostentatious design and some gripping performances--notably from Karimloo as the eponymous Phantom.