Thursday, November 5, 2015

In Defense of Raoul || AVM Blog Party || Part Two

Part one here

Six months later.

The Phantom hasn't shown his masked face since the incident where he dropped the chandelier on the audience. The managers of the opera house are so happy that he's gone, they've let down their guard and are having a party. A masquerade, to be precise. (Which... is pretty gutsy considering they were bothered by a man who wore a freaking mask all the time...)

Masquerade! Paper faces on parade!
Masquerade! Hide your face so the world
will never find you. 
                                 (Masquerade.)


Lalala everyone's happy, singing, dancing... even Christine is enjoying herself, she and Raoul are engaged, and life is looking good---- except for the tiny detail that she doesn't want anyone to know they're going to get married because she's afraid of what the Phantom will do.

 Raoul: But why is it secret, what have we to hide?
Christine: Please let's not fight, wait 'til the time is right.
Roul: Christine, you're free, when will that be? It's an engagement,
 not a crime. Christine, what are you afraid of?  
                                                   (Masquerade) 

I know that's something that bothers people about Raoul, because he should have been more considerate of Christine's feelings there. But look at it from his point of view. It's been six months. They've been secretly engaged for six months (which was not appropriate in society during that time), and the Phantom hasn't shown up once. Raoul thinks he's gone, everyone but Christine thinks he's gone. And sure, he's asking her to actually wear her engagement ring on her finger, rather than on a chain around her neck, but he's not forcing the issue.

He does not make her wear it. He's just befuddled that she isn't.




About halfway through the merrymaking, guess who decides to crash the party. *cue thunder and screaming and earthquakes*

The reason for the Phantom's six month absence is because he holed up and wrote a creepy musical featuring Christine as the leading lady. Said musical is now finished and he makes it clear that they'd better perform it, or he'll do something even worse than destroying the chandelier.

I'd advice you to comply, my instructions should be clear. 
Remember, there are worse things than a shattered chandelier. 
                                                  (Why So Silent) 

He turns his attention to Christine, and rips her engagement ring off the chain around her neck.



"Your chains are still mine. You will sing for me."
                                                   (Why So Silent)


And then he disappears in a poof of smoke because that's just what he does.




And since the owners of the Opera Populare are afraid of what will happen to them if they don't put on this production, they agree.

Firmin: This is lunacy! Well, you know my views.
Andre: Utter Lunacy!
Firmin: But we daren't refuse......
Andre: Not another chandelier..... 
                                 (Notes Reprise) 

During the preparations for the new opera, Carlotta accuses Christine of being behind everything, and everyone jumps on Christine's case. Raoul is the only one who sticks up for her.

Carlotta: She's the one behind this! Christine Daae!
Andre: You have a duty!
Christine: I cannot sing it, duty or not.
Raoul: Christine, you don't have to. They can't make you. 
                                                  (Notes Reprise)

The only reason Raoul asks her to agree to be the lead is because he realizes that if Christine does that, the Phantom will be there. And he knows it's their chance to get rid of this elusive Opera Ghost.

And the only reason Christine doesn't want to is because she is afraid of what the Phantom will do. This is getting to be a pattern, see?


Raoul, it scares me, don't put me through this ordeal by fire!
He'll take me, I know. We'll be parted forever, he won't let me go. 
What I once used to dream, I now dread. 
If he finds me, it won't ever end, 
and he'll always be there, singing songs in my head. 
                                            (Twisted Every Way)

I mean, she knows that the Phantom is the reason why she's had so many chances with her voice, but it's hard to overlook the fact that he murders and threatens people. She knows it's dangerous. But she's also sure that if the Phantom is around, she will not be able to marry Raoul.



Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live?
Can I betray the man who once inspired my voice?
Do I become his prey? Do I have any choice?

He kills without a thought! He murders all that's good.
I know I can't refuse and yet, I wish I could, 
oh what, if I agree, what horrors wait for me?
In this... the Phantom's opera.... 
                                             (Twisted Every Way.) 

 Raoul is quiet for a second, and then he goes, "Christine, Christine, don't think that I don't care--but every hope, and every prayer rests on you now."

And that is another thing that bothers people about Raoul, that he actually asks her to help them stop the Phantom. Is his plan risky? Probably. Did he honestly think Christine would be in danger? No! He was going to get all the cops to come and protect her. How was he supposed to know the Phantom had other plans?



After Christine agrees, there's a disastrous rehearsal of Don Juan Triumphant, and she needs a break, so she goes and visits her father's grave.

Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing. 
Her father promised her that he would send her the Angel of Music.....
                                        (Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again)

Right here, she's very vulnerable, she's lost, she's afraid, and this is the moment the Phantom catches her alone. (Like... what a lurker he is. It's kind of funny actually, that he's always like, "And this is when I make my big entrance, Christine won't know what hit her.)

Wandering child, so lost, so helpless, yearning for my guidance....
                                                                   (Wandering Child)

She's not sure what he is, he came to her when she was at her father's grave, when she was asking her father for help, so she still sort of believe that he's the Angel of Music that her father promised to send. The girl is so confused.

 Angel or father? Friend or Phantom, who is it there, staring?

The Phantom has this mesmerizing sense about him, and every time he's around Christine, it's like he's putting her in a trance.

Phantom: Have you forgotten your Angel? 
Christine: Wildly my mind beats against you...!
                                    (Wandering Child)

Enter Raoul, who had come to look for her. He sees the Phantom beckoning her towards him, and he instantly comes to protect her. (Like the hawty that he is, MHMMM.)

Raoul: Once again she is his, once again she returns...
To the arms of her angel! Angel or demon?
Still calls her, luring her back from the grave. 
Angel-- or dark seducer?
Who are you, strange angel? 
                                     (Wandering Child) 

 

Raoul: More tricks, Monsieur? 
Phantom: Let's see Monsieur, how far you dare go!
Raoul: More deception? More violence?
Phantom: That's right, that's right, Monsieur, keep walking this way!
Raoul: You can't win her love by making her your prisoner!
Phantom: I'm here, I'm here, Monsieur, the Angel of Death! 
                                              (Wandering Child/Bravo Monsieur)

Let me explain you a thing:

It is not normal to throw fireballs at people who are trying to stop you from talking to a girl.
It is not normal to call yourself the Angel of Death.
It is not normal to threaten to kill a man just because he calls you out on your bad behavior.

In that scene, when both the guys in her life are fighting, Christine runs to Raoul. NOT THE PHANTOM. She always picks Raoul. Every time there's a choice of siding with Raoul or the Phantom, she chooses Raoul.

And in this part, Raoul has put himself between Christine and the Phantom, to keep her safe, to shield her. The only thing that kept him from confronting the Phantom right there, was Christine, who asks him to stop.

When they leave, the Phantom yells that it's war upon them both, *cue thunder and screaming and earthquakes*, and he disappears in a giant fireball of fury. (Drama queeeeen!)



A little while later, it's the night of the premiere performance of "Don Juan Triumphant", and Raoul and the managers of the opera house have brought the police in. If the Phantom shows up to watch Christine perform his opera, his game is up.

Raoul: For if Miss Daae sings, he is certain to attend!
Andre: We make certain the doors are barred--
Firmin: We make certain the men are there! 
Raoul: We make certain they're armed--
All: The curtain falls... his reign will end!
                                   (We Have All Been Blind) 

Except the the Phantom made plans of his own. He kills the leading man so that he can take his place in the show. (In the scene that he's in, the lead character is wearing this big old giant cloak so no one can see his face.)



He did not need to kill Piangi. He could have just knocked him out, Piangi wasn't a threat to him, the only thing Piangi did wrong was have some trouble with the music.

When Christine realizes it's him on stage with her, he asks her to marry him, by holding out a ring.

Say you'll share with me, one love one lifetime,
lead me, save me, from my solitude. 
Say you want me with you, here, beside you. 
Anywhere you go, let me go too. Christine, that's all I ask of--
                                                 (The Point of No Return)

She takes off his mask, revealing him to the police, and he grabs her and they vanish in a flash of smoke. (He's very theatrical, this Phantom.)

That's cold, Christine


(Incidentally, I find it kind of interesting that when the Phantom tries to ask Christine to be his wife, he uses Raoul's words, like he knows that Raoul did it right, and he wanted to emulate that. Just a thought.)


This is the finale.

The Phantom has brought Christine down to his lair again, she's now wearing a wedding dress, (the same wedding dress that the Phantom had on his life-sized Christine dummy), and he's trying to explain why he is so messed up.

Phantom: This face which earned a mother's fear and loathing.                  
A mask. My first unfeeling scrap of clothing.

aw yiss for the best Christine


Pity comes to late, turn around and face your fate!
An eternity of this before your eyes!


Christine: This haunted face holds no horror for me now. 
It's in your soul that the true distortion lies.
                                    (Down Once More) 


I think that is the most ignored line in the whole musical. Christine isn't afraid of him because he's ugly, it's because there is something broken inside him. He is not stable! He's not a good guy! He's a distraught mad-man, but a villain none-the-less.

Raoul at this point has finally found where the Phantom's been hiding, and he's coming to get Christine out. (A heeeaaart fuuuulll of loooove-- oh wait, wrong musical.)

Since the lair is protected by a portcullis and he's stuck on the outside, things get heated because he's not happy to have this gate blocking his way, when all he wants to do is throttle the Phantom and get Christine out.   



Raoul: Free her! Do what you like, only free her! Have you no pity?
Phantom: Your lover makes a passionate plea.
Raoul: I love her! Does that mean nothing? I love her! Show some compassion!
                                                              (Down Once More)

The Phantom eventually lets him in, after some mocking and laughter, and when Raoul's distracted, puts a noose around his neck, like "You didn't see that coming?? Mwuahaha." (It's a cool magical lasso that hangs by itself, because the Phantom has nothing better to do than to invent things that do what he says.)



Nothing can save you now, except, perhaps, Christine!
 

Start a new life with me-- buy his freedom with your love!
Refuse me and you send your love to his death.
                                                              (Final Lair)

So here, we have Christine, who is at this point an emotional basket case due to the fact that the man she trusted for years, has the guy that she loves literally choking to death. And now she has to chose between living the rest of her life with the Phantom, who's frikken weird, or let Raoul die. Guys. Come on. This is not healthy.



The tears I might have shed for your dark fate,
grow cold... and turn to tears of hate!
                         
 And then! Raoul actually apologizes for putting her in that situation! HE'S DYING AND HE'S SORRY, AND IT'S SO CUTE.

Christine, forgive me. Please forgive me. 
I did it all for you, and all for nothing! 

In fact, the whole time Christine is pleading with the Phantom to led Raoul go, Raoul is still trying to protect her.

Phantom: So, do you end your days with me? Or do you send him to his grave?
Raoul: Why make her lie to you to save me?


Whenever the Phantom starts moving towards Raoul, Christine always steps between them, like, "Nooooope. Nope nope nope. Just baaack it up."



Phantom: His life is now the prize which you must earn. 
Christine: Angel of Music, who deserved this? Why do you curse mercy?

Raoul actually tells Christine to say no. He knows the Phantom is going to kill him if she doesn't agree to marry him, and he still tells her to say no. So if you don't believe he was willing to die to set her free, you're wrong.

Raoul: For pity's sake, Christine, say no!
Don't throw you life away for my sake!
I fought so hard to free you... 

Phantom: You've passed the point of no return.

Christine: Angel of Music... you deceived me. 
I gave my mind.... blindly.

Phantom: You. Try. My patience. Make your choice.




There's this breathtaking silence, the turning point of the musical.

Christine: Pitiful creature of darkness... what kind of life have you known?
God, give me courage to show you, you are not alone.

Her choice is made and she's going to stay with the Phantom, because she loves Raoul.



The only reason she agrees to stay with him, is because he will kill Raoul, and she's willing to make that sacrifice, so long as Raoul can live.

It is not because she would rather be with the Phantom, it is not because she doesn't love Raoul, it's because the Phantom of the Opera did not give her a choice. If she'd chosen to say no, he would have killed Raoul, and probably forced her to marry him anyway.

It's very bittersweet, this musical, because there's always this part of you that wishes the Phantom could have a happy ending-- even people like me, who firmly believe that Raoul and Christine are SOUL FREAKING MATES-- wish that something could have happened to give the Phantom a happy ending.

But the Phantom's redeeming moment is right there, because, even though he was twisted, and insane, and violent, he did love Christine, and when she sacrificed her happiness to keep her fiance alive, he loved her too much to make her stay. He loved her too much to hold her against her will.

Giving her up was his redemption.*
*And that's why LND sucks.


So he cuts Raoul down.



You can hear the angry mob coming down to the basement to find the Phantom. He pushed them too far, and he hurt too many people, and they're out for blood. (His blood, particularly.)

Take her, forget me. Forget all of this. 
Leave me alone, forget all you've seen.
Go now! Don't let them find you. 
Take the boat leave me here, go now, don't wait. 
Just take her and go, before it's too late. 
Go now! Go now and leave me! 


Christine gives him back his ring.
Christine, I love you.

He lets Raoul and Christine go, and he can hear them while they're leaving.

Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime
Say the word, and I will follow you. 
Share each day with me, each night, each morning. 

After they're gone, he says to himself:

You alone can make my song take flight.
It's over now, the music of the night! 

He sits down in his throne and disappears, and by the time the mob finds his lair, all that's left is his mask.




The end.


So here's the thing, I know I've portrayed the Phantom as the villain in these posts, but I don't want you guys to think I hate him. I don't. I agree that his life was hellish, and it wasn't his fault that he turned out to be a madman. I'll be the first to tell you that the finale kills me, because it's so sad that he is still going to be unhappy. It is sad that his redeeming moment was giving up the only thing that could have made him happy. He is the saddest potato! He really is!

But the fact of the matter is: he was crazy, he was a murderer, and he could not have made Christine a good husband. The fact that he tried to force her to marriage screams bad relationship. There is so much more wrong with the Phantom than just his face!


Let's get one thing straight. Raoul is not a wimp. Raoul was brave, and strong, and everything he did was motivated to protect Christine. Just because he didn't string up and murder people who got in the way of his romance doesn't make him a wimp. He was ready to die for her, to keep her safe. He is not a fop, he is not a loser. He's one of the most underrated characters on stage, because everyone sees only the charismatic and sympathetic side of the Phantom, they never acknowledge what Raoul does for Christine. They jump on the "he's a pathetic Vicomte" aspect of the fandom, and never give him a chance. 


I'm not saying the Phantom is evil, I'm saying he was someone who's hard life had pushed him to insanity.

I'm saying that if it was any of you, you would have all chosen Raoul.




Anyway,  sorry this is so long, I had way too much to say.

By the way, am I the only one who's irritated that the only high quality gifs of POTO on Broadway are of the 25th Anniversary Performance? There are other freaking productions! Better casts than Sierra, and Ramin! Come on! (Also, if I could, I would have used all Original Broadway Cast pictures, because that cast is the best. It was gold.)

Comment what you thoughts! Let me know!
Who do you ship? ( I will not spear you if you still ship PhantomxChristine)
Are you fonder of Raoul now? (please say yes.)





25 comments:

  1. Waaaal, you know me. This is MY musical, and Raoul and Christine ARE the OTP of it. Just sayin'. Raoul for the WIN! (Yes, Hadley, you are one of my more favourite Roauls - and pretty tuneful, too, in this oh-so-pitchy world!) I am sorry for the Phantom. I wish he could be happy. But, as you said so blandly, who would REALLY choose to live in the lair with the Phantom? Let's see the hands...

    Yes, it irritates that Sierra and Ramin are the only really good gifs out there. IMHO, Sarah Brightman, Michael Crawford and Steve Barton did it best. They have that nice musical quality about their voices, the more classic opera style that I desperately look for in musicals and never find. Musicals these days go for the lusty-voiced, hearty-vibratoed style that makes my eardrums cry. And the pitchiness! I can't STAND the pitchiness! Yes, I realize you want the audience to SEE your PASSION... but can't we do it ON TUNE?! For the record, I can't listen to the 25th Anniversary Edition. I like to watch it (though they should have had the chandelier fall, and given Christine a proper dressing room, and showed the creepy doll dressed up in the Phantom's lair, and had the Phantom tear Raoul's ring-on-a-necklace off Christine's neck, and other things which I thought, for the 25th, they should have DONE and didn't), but I cannot listen to it. Puts my teeth on edge.

    I ALSO prefer when Christine gives the Phantom back his ring and basically turns and runs the h*** out of there. I despise utterly this new trend in having Christine almost unwilling to give back the ring and sobbing dramatically as she turns away. C'mon. Sarah Brightman did it best. Let's not have that heinous LND influence our acting, please. Please?!

    End of rant. This is my musical, and I love it, and find myself so bewildered at Phantom/Christine shippers and Raoul haters. Guys. The man is psycho. Do you really want to pair the heroine with a psycho? Really? We'rd.

    Bye. :-)

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    1. Wow, look at you, commenting twice in a row. :)
      They are the OTP of Phantom, it's just the way it IS. And yeaaaah, Hadley is probably the best Raoul out there today, a lot of them give up on the character because no one likes him. BUT HADLEY is almost as good as Steve Barton, so...

      Mhmm. The Original cast was perfect, they blended so well. And their Final Lair is always the best, because they are the tightest when it comes to all the different counter-melodies. (But I will say Maria Kessleman was freaking amazing and her high notes were like diamonds. And Rebekka Luker definitely comes in close too.) AND as I've said before, I think the reason for the different sounds in broadway then and now is because singers then were trained classically, whereas now, they train specifically for broadway and it's not as nice.

      PITCHINESS DEGRADES MUSIC, OKAY? OKAY. I can't just listen to the 25 anniversary either, because I'll try to jump in and sing, but it clashes because people *coughsierracough* sing consistently sharp. And don't even get me started on the stuff that should have been in that production, because I will go OFF on you lol.

      LND is the reason for the new trend in reluctant Christine's because most of them are Christine in LND first, and she ultimately chooses Erik over Raoul, (Because Raoul got poor and basically turned into Francis from Poldark) So they use their experience in LND to play Christine in POTO. AND IT'S OBNOXIOUS.

      I love it when you rant. lol. ;)
      I know right? You'd think with the way the world is so anti-abuse and Women Empowerment, they would hate The Phantom but noooo. He's just ugly, but his soul is beautiful. (Or at least that's how they see it lol.)

      bai

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  2. I do love a good analysis. You did a good job of picking POTO apart and putting it under a microscope. I liked how you called out the phantom's bad behaviour for what it was, but also recognized his humanity.

    I'll admit that POTO reminded me of YA novels:
    -One girl
    -Two boys, one brooding and one gentler,
    -Crazy relationship(s)
    -Fighting, people die
    But that could just be me.


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    1. Aw yiss. Thank you! I felt like I got a little carried away, but I couldn't figure out what to edit, so I may have just left it lol. AND THANK YOU FOR NOTICING THAT I WAS AWARE OF THE PHANTOM'S HUMANITY! THANKSSSS.

      ... Well... POTO was written before the YA novels now...

      But love triangles have been a thing for a while, like Jane Austen...

      But yeah, I see what you mean, I just think Phantom did it better than YA novels. XD XD

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  3. I didn't read it, I will make Jack read it, but I'm just a baby hedgehog and long posts make me want cookies.....which Jack doesn't have for some reason.

    But I already liked the Raoul one, even if his name is weird. At least he didn't come out behind mirrors. Which you can't do, because I tried it. There aren't rooms back there, only tooth paste. The guy with the mask LIED! Unless he lives in Narnia.....

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    1. Well you should have read it, I worked hard on it. lol. :) That's true, make Jack make some.

      Raoul is the best, that's why. He's so awesome that he makes up for the fact that his name is Raoul and people call him Ra-oool. The masked guy LIES that's what he DOES! ....

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  4. I don't understand the tension in this. The Phantom is totally evil, and it is his fault. There is no such thing as NOT being responsible for your own sanity: you always have a choice.

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    1. The tension? Did I have tension? (I did not mean to have tension.) Well yeah, the Phantom is evil, but I don't think he's intrinsically evil. You can't control your sanity, it's a chemical imbalance, that, especially in those times, you had no control over. I mean, yeah, he made bad decisions, but he never learned good from bad, no one cared enough to teach him. lol. So I can forgive him a lot, because I've had some experience with mentally ill people, and I know they don't mean to be the way they are. :)

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    2. :-P I meant I don't understand why people would think Christine should love the Phantom (fandom tension, if you will).

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    3. the fandom tension actually amuses me, because it's like guys... why are we so weird about this?? :)

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    4. I love this I love this I love this I love this I love this I love this I love this I love this I love this

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  5. *swoons over all those adorable Raoul pics and gifs*

    ALKGHSDGKLHS. SERIOUSLY WHY IS HE SO ADORABLE. Too much cuteness right there. Those pics and gifs were enough to convince me lol

    But yas I ship Raoul and Christine so hard. NO. I don’t ship them. I FREAKING TITANIC THEM.

    But I still feel sorry for Phantom. Because he’s a sad crazy person like that.

    I LOVED THESE RAOUL POSTS BTW! They made me happy. Because Phantom of the Opera. AND RAOUL. So yup. :)

    -Evie

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    1. AW YISS, because Raoul is a cute patootie.

      A;DLSKFJADSKFJASLDKF I do not knoooooow! Haha, thank you. (Hadley Fraser is my favorite Raoul to watch. Steve Barton is my favorite to listen to-- I don't know if he's awesome to watch because YOU CAN'T FIND HIM ACTING RAOUL ANYWHERE.)

      GOOD I'M GLAD YOU SHIP THEM. (But don't Titanic them, you should like... Noah's Ark them, because the Ark didn't sink, but the Titanic did, and I do not want RaoulxChristine to sink. MKAY?)

      He's such a sad crazy person.

      THANK YOU! THEY WERE HARD BECAUSE I WANTED TO SAY SO MUCH MORE AND I JUST GOT... STUCK. XD

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  6. I always thought it was ironic that they would have a masquerade to celebrate, because the Phantom always wears a mask. It’s like this metaphoric "in your face" kind of moment. I really do like the Masquerade scene though. Because THE MUSIC!
    I like how you point out the rationality of why Rauol is confused that she wants to keep their engagement a secret. Because from his side, it's almost like she's been afraid for so long, that it's hard for her to put it away. She doesn’t know how to not be afraid. And now, or as Rauol believes, the danger is past. Understandably, Christine will have her doubts, but if she wants to be free of her fear she needs to stop acting out of fear. In light of that, I've always thought him wanting her to actually wear her ring was more like a gentle prodding to move on and be brave. To overcome her fear.
    I happen to like that he asks her to help them catch the Phantom. He's sensitive about it, he understands that she's scared, but he also knows they can't do it without her. So he takes every step he can to protect her. But he's not afraid to ask for her help. He believes in her. He knows she's bigger than her fears; she just doesn't know that yet. Again, it's like that gentle prodding, "You can do this. And I'll be there beside you." I cannot stand the romances where the guy is all like, "No. You can't do this. You're not strong enough/ emotionally stable enough/ smart enough/ you are just NOT ENOUGH to do this. You are useless. Let me do it all while you go hide in the corner and sob big wet tears while I get hurt alone." It makes me even more upset that some movies even show the girl making the fight scene worse when she tries to help because the guy is losing. WHAT KIND OF A MESSAGE ARE THESE PEOPLE TRYING TO SEND, HUH?! Sorry. But it irks me to no end. So I really like that Rauol believes she can do this. He's not forcing her to do it. The Phantom always limited Christine. She had to do what he wanted and be who he wanted. Rauol is not putting limits on her. Rauol is helping her. Because--
    Promise I was leading up to this all along. Well, aside from the Masquerade detour.

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    1. Same here, it's always amused me that they would be like... LET'S THROW A MASKED BALL. I love the tightness in the lyrics in that song. "Flash of gold, splash of puce fool and king, ghoul and goose.." like yass.

      I'm so tired of people being like, "Raoul should have been more understanding." because NO. He was good for her! AND YES FOR THE 'SHE WAS SO USED TO BEING SCARED SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO NOT BE SCARED" thank you! Exactly. He never forced her to do anything. She did it because he believed in her and it's so cuuuuute.

      Right? I always thought it was kind of brave of both of them to have Christine help with catching the phantom, because it would be closure for her and good for Raoul to protect her. (lol, gentle prodding. I like that lol) BUT YES, I HATE IT WHEN THEY MAKE THE GIRL WIMPY TOO! But I always hate it when they make the girl too macho. So when they have the couple as equals where the guy IS stronger, but the girl isn't helpless. THAT'S GOOD. (ahaha, girls making it worse bugs me so much. )

      *fist bump* for complete agreement. ALSO YES, THE PHANTOM IS SO CONTROLLING!

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  7. Yes, the Phantom is way messed up. But so is Christine. Not in the same way or to the degree that the Phantom is. The Phantom manipulated her when she was a young girl after her father died. She was way too young to know any different. Her emotions were everywhere because of her dad's death. And she hears this voice in the dark of her room saying he's an angel (like her father said he'd send her) and so she immediately befriends this voice in the unfamiliarity of her new surrounds. To her, the voice is like her father in a way. It connects her to him. And then the voice gets controlling and abusive and again she's too young to know better. She may even think this is normal. In the musical she's always talking about how the Phantom sings songs in her head. The Phantom really messed with her psychologically and that's what's really sick about it. Whether he meant to or not. Now that Christine knows the truth about him, it's still difficult to gauge between reality and the fantasy she once knew. It's probably still hard to believe that this guy who kills people is the same voice that she used to equate with her father's supposed angel. She probably doesn't even know that she shouldn't have to be afraid of the Phantom, that if he really was her friend or lover or whatever then she wouldn't fear him. The sudden change makes her emotional and vulnerable again like when she was a child and her father died, because in a symbolic way to her, it's kind of like he's dying all over again. (Hence she visits her father's grave for clarity.) But you know something? Rauol is so awesome. He sticks with her through it. And with him asking her to help catch the Phantom, it's like he's asking her to face her fears. She wants him to face her fears for her. But he knows it doesn't work that way and he's knows she strong enough yet he's not going leave her to go it alone either.

    Sorry. That comment was shamefully long. *hides face*

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    1. Actually, yeah you're right. Christine is messed up emotionally because of the Phantom. Emotional manipulation is one of those things I have *no tolerance* for.

      BUT YEAH EXACTLY, Christine only trusted the Phantom because she literally thought he was an Angel of Music from her Dad. The only kind of love she had for the Phantom was platonic, either like the love for a mentor, or the love for a father. Not boyfriend!

      It IS kind of sick that he made her so sure that he was her angel, because like... no. That's just mean to mess with people so much that they have a hard time distinguishing reality from fiction.

      Right!? Can you even IMAGINE the amount of betrayal she felt in the final lair? LIKE SHE TRUSTED YOU AND YOU'RE STRANGLING HER FIANCE!!!!!!!!!!

      It's like the scene from the graveyard kind of makes Christine revert back to her childhood self, because it's her DAD. (You should look up Wandering Child/Bravo Monsieur from the Original Cast on youtube, because it has the lyrics that I posted.) RAOUL IS SO GOOD for Christine, because he's so warm and caring and he actually brings up instead of pushing her down, you know? He's like, "No no, you're awesome and cute, and I love you and soon we'll be free and have a lovely life." and it's just SWEET.

      NO NO I LOVE THAT YOU TOOK THE TIME TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT. ALL YOUR COMMENTS WERE LIKE, 'OH YEAH, I AGREE SO MUCH. WITH EVERYTHING."

      You're awesome

      kai bai

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  8. Love this post too! Raoul is just awesome, very protective and honorable. On that note, another reason Raoul might have wanted to announce their engagement is because he's so straighforward, he probably hates the underhand dealing. Or maybe he wanted to clear her name; earlier, the managers suspected the two were lovers, and nobody thinks it odd that they spend the masquerade together.
    Yeah, I agree that literally no one expected the Phantom would show up on stage. He did so much complaining about his usurped Box Five, that Raoul assumed he would show up there, and Raoul stationed the policeman where he had a clear view of the box. And even after all that happened, Raoul says, "Shoot only if you have to," implying that they would simply capture the Phantom first.
    It's funny that Raoul is accused of being a fop (though maybe the silky locks in the 2004 film started that) when it's the Phantom who has such elaborate costumes, hats, and cloaks.

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    1. Aw thanks! Raoul is the bomb-diggety. lol.
      You're right! He probably did hate the underhand dealing of lying to everyone about him and Christine. (Yeah, the managers are nasty about that whole thing. I mean they're like, 'a chorus girl who's gone and slept with the Patron." like... why?

      Exactly. Raoul thought that having Christine on stage, where he could keep an eye on her AND box five at the same time would be the safest place for her. Who knew the Phantom had practically written fanfiction about him and Christine? (And yeah, he didn't want to kill the Phantom, he just wanted him to leave them alone! lol)

      It's annoying to me, because he's so not. ( I mean, yeah, the long long hair in the film was a giant freaking mistake, but people thought he was a fop before that. I found some behind the scenes of the original cast on youtube, and even then people thought Raoul was boring and foppish. HAVE THEY WATCHED IT!???) But yeah hahaha, the Phantom is the one with the cloaks and hates and wigs... haha, he's so drama obsessed. XD

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  9. So just found this blog and I can't say I'm a huge fan of raoul but I don't dislike him. I've listened to the original cast seen the movie and the 25th anniversary recording. Just have to say I thought Ramin was fantastic as the phantom. I did like raoul a little less in the 25th anniversary just cause there were little things that made him more unlikable. And the reason some of the things were left out is because the concert hall they were in wasn't really set up for that type of production, just saying. But you do take it and give him a really good defense

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    1. Haha, well..to each his own lol.

      No no, I don't think Ramin was terrible, I just get frustrated because a lot of the newer Phantoms are losing sight of the Phantom's character in an effort to make him attractive. He spent his life in hiding, he's not going to be loud and aggressive, he's going to be kinda quiet and sneaky. So that's my only real problem with Ramin. That and the fact that has a tendency to be pitchy. :)

      I like a lot about Hadley's Raoul, but yeah, he was too aggressive, Raoul is supposed to be gentle and make Christine feel safe.

      oh I know it wasn't set up for that type of production, but then again, neither are highschools, and they manage to drop the chandelier...And there was absolutely no reason for them not to have the dummy of Christine in Music of the Night. It bugged me that they left that out, because it looks like Christine fainted from the sheer force of the Phantom's awesomeness lol.

      But thanks for commenting!! :)

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    2. Yeah they should have used the dummy Christine it would have made more sense. As for the chandelier I think they only did like 3 shows so maybe they thought the extra work to rig it to fall wasnt worth it? Or maybe they weren't allowed to?

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    3. Yeah lol.
      I don't think they weren't allowed too, I think they just thought it was too much work for only three shows. Which would have been fair if it hadn't been the 25th anniversary. IT was a big deal, you know?

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  10. It simply would not have worked if Christine went with the Phantom. Real love is willing to let go. And Christine showing him probably the first real act of kindness anyone has ever shown him moves him enough to let her go, however painful it is. Sometimes life does not have happy endings.

    Speaking of which, I think the ending is brilliant with the Phantom disappearing and leaving behind only his mask. In the book he commits suicide, but this ending leaves it open to interpretation. We don't know what happened to him. But whatever his fate was, him purposefully leaving his mask behind is him shedding himself of that identity.

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    1. no, it definitely wouldn't have worked, I agree. The Phantom is a toxic person, and whether he loved Christine or not, he would not have treated her well, because all he really knows how to do is manipulate.
      I think it's great that he kind of redeems himself by letting her go. It's not a happy ending for him, but it's a good one.

      YES EXACTLY. I LOVE that he left the mask behind, it shows that he's actually done being the Phantom.

      Thanks for commenting! Although I apologize for not seeing the comment until just now. :D

      Delete

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