Saturday 2 August 2014

30 Days of Phantom

I am seriously late for this - apologies. I think I first saw this challenge in June, and it's now August...

Anyway, I'll answer all 30 questions at once!

The 30 Questions


Q1. How you first learned about Phantom
I watched the movie on 15th July 2013 (don't ask me why I remember the date). I was bored, and I saw the DVD just sitting there, so I decided to watch it. There begun the obsession

Q2. Your first ALW show and/or your first Phantom, when and where
London, 22nd March 2014, Gerónimo Rauch

Q3. Your favourite minor character
Meg, probably, if she constitutes as a minor character

Q4. Your least favourite character overall
Joseph Buquet probably. Thank goodness he is only in the show for a short time

O5. Favourite part of the stage version
Think of Me, Angel of Music/Little Lotte, the title song, Music of the Night, the ballet from Act Three of Il Muto, Wishing/Wandering Child, and the Point of No Return

Q6. Favourite Phantom costume (any version)
6.) Stage Show - The Phantom's sparkly cape in All I Ask of You Reprise, West End

Q7. Favourite Christine costume - any version
Stage Show - the Aminta dress in Point of No Return/the Star Princess dress in Masquerade

Q8. Your favourite song from the ALW production
Think of Me. But I also love the title song, Wandering Child, and the Point of No Return

Q9. Your least favourite song
 Magical Lasso. It's one of those songs you can't really listen to on a daily basis because it's about a minute and contains a lot of screaming from the corps de ballet

Q10. Favourite sung line (Act 1)
 'I am there inside' - The Phantom, Little Lotte/The Mirror (Angel of Music)

Q11. Favourite sung line (Act 2)
'I gave my mind blindly' - Christine, Final Lair

Q12. Favourite instrumental potion of the score
The Overture, or the violin part in between Notes II/Twisted Every Way and Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Q13. Your favourite ALW Phantom
Gerónimo Rauch (West End)

Q14. Your favourite ALW Christine
Olivia Brereton (UK Tour; West End)

Q15. Your favourite ALW Raoul
Sean Palmer (West End)

Q16. Line you ALWAYS mess up when singing
I suppose it's not really a line but I always mess up Christine's cadenza at the end of Think of Me

Q17. Whose part do you follow/sing when multiple people are singing?
In Notes I/ Prima Donna I sing Carlotta's part; in Notes II/Twisted Every Way I sing Christine's part. Generally I follow Christine's part

Q18. Song with the highest play count on iTunes 
Probably Olivia Brereton's or Gina Beck's Think of Me

Q19. Have you seen the 25th Anniversary Concert? If so, what was your opinion?
Yes, I own it on DVD and I have the soundtrack. I love Ramin and Sierra, indifferent when it comes to Hadley, I don't like Daisy's Meg, and I adore Wendy's Carlotta. However, I do think it was terribly miscast as it was supposed to be a celebration of 25 years of PHANTOM IN THE WEST END. Daisy, Hadley, and Sierra had nothing to do with Phantom in the West End. Yes, I know Sierra did do Love Never Dies, but that isn't Phantom. I think the cast should have been Ramin/John Owen-Jones/Earl Carpenter, Gina Beck/Sofia Escobar/Rachel Barrell and Simon Bailey/Killian Donnelly. And Sierra shouldn't have had that wig, it was awful and stringy, and she should have done the WEST END CADENZA IN THINK OF ME. I REPEAT, THIS IS THE WEST END CELEBRATION, THEREFORE THE WEST END CADENZA SHOULD BE DONE

Q20. Opinion on the 2004 movie
Like many phans, it is what got me into Phantom. I still love watching it, though I see many flaws. I like some of the costumes, some of the set design, and I like Patrick Wilson's Raoul (don't like the hair, though) and Jennifer Ellison's Meg. However, the two lead roles were terribly miscast IMO. Emmy was just too young - she was sixteen/seventeen and, although was trained, didn't have actual university training (a degree), which most, if not all Christines have. This is shown through the extremely dumbed down cadenza, and how her high note at the end was a Bflat5, instead of the C6 that all other Christines do. Furthermore, her final high note at the end of the title song was definitely not the traditional E6; I believe it was a D6 or an Eflat6 six. However, I did like her voice, as it was youthful and that aspect of Christine's personality really shone through. Yet she didn't act much - her portrayal was muted; a lot of the same facial expressions, and she didn't react to the Phantom's utter madness as well as most Christine's do. She wasn't fierce and seemed to just take it. Even after the Phantom killed Buquet she didn't seem all that scared on the rooftop. There's no emotion in her voice. But I still do enjoy watching her, and she's definitely not the worse Christine in the world, at least voice wise. Gerard Butler as the Phantom was even worse; at least Emmy had had actual singing training. The Phantom of the Opera, such an iconic role that most musical theatre actors have to spend years gaining experience before even considering taking on the mammoth part. The West End's youngest Phantom, Ramin Karimloo, was 29 when he debuted as the Phantom - that means he had eight years of experience working in his respective field. Gerard Butler had four lessons. Just four singing lessons. I swear that in parts he goes out of tune, and his voice is quite weak. I don't like how the Phantom was "sexed up", but I know that wasn't his decision. And his last note in Music of the Night was looped. And his deformity. . . But he did act in the Final Lair well, not as much as I would have liked, but I felt he was believable. Really, Emmy had the voice but not the characterisation; Gerard had the characterisation but not the voice. But it's still an enjoyable movie, and the pair - known as "Gemmy" - aren't the worst Phantom/Christine duo.

Q21. Favourite part of the 2004 movie
The Point of No Return scene

Q22. Favourite interview of cast members
(I think this means 2004 cast members, but I haven't read any interviews with them so I've gone with my favourite interview that involves a Phantom cast member)
http://thoughtsofablueeyedgirl.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/blue-eyed-girl-interviews-phantom-of.html (Harriet Jones interview)

Q23. Favourite Phantom GIF
With Gina Beck as Christine and Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom
Q24. Favourite Phantom-related YouTube video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwmS4A8Fjzc (this is so hilarious)

Q25. Your opinion on Love Never Dies
I like it. Probably an unpopular opinion, but I do like it. I think Raoul as a drunk and a gambler was a bit harsh, and that Meg didn't care for Christine at all wasn't fully believable. And some of the songs didn't serve anything to the plot, but all in all, it is enjoyable. I think I'd rather watch the Australian production of Love Never Dies DVD than the 2004 movie (even if I hated LND, I'd still watch it because Anna O'Byrne is heavenly)

Q26. Favourite Phantom item you own
My Phantom pillowcase. Best. Thing. Ever

Q27. Favourite cast member ship
Boring answer, I know, but I don't ship cast members. I used to ship Rierra (Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess) but don't any more

Q28. Your favourite phanart
So beautiful. I wish I could draw
Q29. Your favourite [personal or otherwise] headcanon
I really don't know. After much deliberation, I ship both Phantom/Christine and Raoul/Christine. I don't know why; usually I find phans either strongly ship Phantom/Christine or Raoul/Christine and do not under any circumstances ship the opposite pairing. I also ship Raoul/Meg - never the Phantom or Christine with Meg. And never Phantom/Raoul. . . I see sense in the other pairings (Phantom/Meg because Meg could love the Phantom; Christine/Meg because they're best friends - they could fall in love. I'm not as against Phantom/Meg as I am against Christine/Meg - to me, Christine/Meg is like shipping G(a)linda and Elphaba from Wicked together - they're just best friends. Nothing more.) I think Raoul and Christine, in the stage show, have a lot in common, and were childhood sweethearts; Raoul represents something that Christines craves, and the Phantom could never give her: calmness and security. Although I don't read Raoul/Christine phanphiction, but do read Phantom/Christine phanphiction. It's interesting to see how writers write their relationship dynamic

Q30. Your favourite thing about the Phantom story
How beautifully tragic it is. Every character is tragic, and very real. It's just the most stunning story, and it touches my heart. It will forever be a part of me. I love how many different versions there are of it, I love discussing the subtle differences between different productions. I love Think of Me and Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, and how Phantom has made me want a career in musical theatre. Most of all, I love how you can love Phantom no matter how old you are. It's classically timeless.

Monday 28 July 2014

UPDATED Five Favourite Christines

So I've ignored this blog for a while (sorry about that!) but now it is summer holidays I shall get back into blogging. My first post of this new era is an updated version of my five favourite Christines. Some have stayed in the same positions, others have moved down, others have moved completely off, and there are some new entries. I'll link my first version of Five Favourite Christines at the end so you can compare what I feel now to how I felt six weeks ago.

5. JULIA UDINE (US TOUR)
Think of Me (US Tour)


4. HARRIET JONES (WEST END)
Music of the Night (West End)


3. GINA BECK (WEST END)
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again (West End)


2. RACHEL BARRELL (WEST END)
Masquerade (West End)


1. OLIVIA BRERETON (WEST END)
Think of Me (West End)

So that's it! Comment your favourite Christines!

(On this list there have been three new entries, one Christine has dropped from 2nd to 3rd and another has remained at the same spot.)

OTHER FAVOURITE CHRISTINES POST:
http://galindaful.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/5-favourite-christines.html

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/miniginabeck




Monday 16 June 2014

5 Favourite Christines!

Hi! So today I thought I'd share with you my five favourite Christines from The Phantom of the Opera, my favourite show (and favourite thing ever.) I adore these actresses, and admire them so much; I also aspire to play Christine one day. So, here they are! Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

5.)  SAMANTHA HILL (Principal Christine, Broadway)








4.) KATIE HALL (Alternate Christine, West End; Principal Christine, UK Tour)








3.) ANNA O'BYRNE (Alternate Christine, West End)








2.) GINA BECK (Principal Christine, West End)








1.) OLIVIA BRERETON (Alternate Christine, UK Tour; Alternate Christine, West End)





~*~*~*~*~

I hope you enjoyed this insight into my favourite Christines! I loved collecting the pics and writing this post.

Au revoir,

India Galinda xoxo

~*~*~*~*~

 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:



TUMBLR:

PINTEREST:


EMAIL: 

THIS BLOG:




Sunday 15 June 2014

Welcome/Opinions on Christine's Costumes

Welcome to my new blog! My name is India and I'm a teenager living in the UK. I love musicals; my favourites are: Phantom of the Opera (my most favourite!), Love Never Dies, Wicked, West Side Story, and Les Misérables. I saw PotO live in London on 22/03/14, the West Side Story UK Tour 24/05/14, and shall see the Wicked UK & Ireland Tour on 28/06/14. I aspire to be a musical theatre actress one day, and play, in particular, Christine Daaé, and G(a)linda Upland. My favourite actress is Olivia Brereton (the Christine I saw in PotO), followed by Gina Beck, Katie Hall, Savannah Stevenson, Anna O'Byrne, Sierra Boggess, and Claire Lyon. I take lessons in singing, ballet, and piano, and enjoy reading, watching black and white movies, being with my amazing mates, and tweeting incessantly on Twitter. This blog will consist of reviews (books, movies, and theatre), opinion pieces, and the occasional procrastinations (or rants, for lack of a better term). My first piece, which is below, will be about my favourite costumes which Christine wears in Phantom. Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

This is a question I ask myself frequently: What is your favourite Christine costume from Phantom? I can agonise over it for hours on end, desperate to come to the conclusion that's always evaded me. Therefore, in attempt to solve this perplexing puzzle, I shall order the Christine costumes from favourite to least favourite. However, this is today's opinion - it will have probably changed by tomorrow.


1.) Star Princess Dress - Masquerade

My all-time favourite. How can you not love this costume? The pink and purple contrast beautifully with Christine's brown curls, with the silver detailing really making the costume pop. However, my favourite part of the costume is the silver boots - I. Want. Them. So. Freaking. Much.

Sierra Boggess
Rachel Barrell
2.) Aminta - Point of No Return

This could also be considered my favourite - but today, this comes in second. The light pink colour of the costume is gorgeous; the sleeves are just divine. Also, I love the way it swishes when Christine walks. It's a bit risqué for Christine usually - I think the costume (and the song) help Christine come out of her shell a little. I want an Aminta dress made for me so I could wear it all the time.
Olivia Brereton
Mary Michael Patterson
3.) Elissa - Hannibal/Think of Me

I'll combine both costumes into one as they are very similar. Starting with Christine's Hannibal costume, I adore the way it swishes and moves when Christine dances. The bodice is a perfect mix of colours, which compliment every skin type and wig colour. It doesn't look very comfortable though. I also love the Elissa skirt, with all the fancy patterns - yet it apparently is quite heavy, and sometimes the patterns do look gaudy and slightly ostentatious.

Harriet Jones
Sofia Escobar
4.) Notes II/Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

This was originally fifth, but I've decided to move it to fourth. It's not in my top three, though it is VERY VERY close. The dark blue contrasts magnificently with the bright red scarf, though the scarf sometimes seems uncomfortably placed around Christine's neck in a very unnatural position, instead of being draped around her neck with care; after all, this is supposed to be her red scarf. Furthermore, sometimes I feel the Wishing dress is a little plain and doesn't make as much as a statement as the top three, but they are supposed to be costumes made for her, instead of being her own clothing.

Gina Beck
Samantha Hill
5.) Angel of Music/Title Song/Music of the Night

My thoughts remain the same on the bodice (see above) but I do love how the white negligee covers most of the bodice, leaving a small piece of it peeking out, which really pops against the white. I love all the ruffles on the negligee, and again, it suits everyone. However, even though I know the negligee is meant to be plain, I still wish it had a few more embellishments, though that is really down to personal preference.

Anna O'Byrne
Sofia Escobar
6.) Wedding Dress - Final Lair

I don't hate this costume, but it's not my favourite, yet it still is a stunning wedding dress. I love the button detailing and the flower detailing on the bodice (though I've only seen the flowers on the West End costume). I think, in certain positions, it looks very uncomfortable. Again, I don't despise it, but there is a reason why it's not in my top five.

Tabitha Webb
Gina Beck
7.) Serafimo - Poor Fool He Makes Me Laugh/Il Muto

This costume is a bit meh for me. I know it is supposed to be a costume which Christine wears to look like a boy, but I don't like it. I hate the cap; it always looks as if it's going to fall off Christine's head. The mint green trousers are awful, and the positioning of Christine's hair looks very uncomfortable. I love the Il Muto scene, and the costumes are that way for a purpose which it fulfils, but I don't particularly like them.

Sofia Escobar
Anna O'Byrne
8.) All I Ask of You

I actually do like the song (although I am a Phantom/Christine shipper as opposed to Raoul/Christine shipper), and again, the pink/purple/whatever colour costume is supposed to be gaudy and expensive-looking, but I loathe the way it clashes terribly with Christine's mint green cloak. The cloak hangs unnaturally, presumably because the dress is so big. Also, I hate how it ties and it does look, in some instances, quite cheap. I prefer the way the 2004 movie one is, because the red doesn't clash as badly with the pink dress as it does in the stage show.
Elizabeth Loycano & Tim Martin Gleason
Emmy Rossum & Patrick Wilson
So, that's the end of the piece! I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments, please send me them. Also, suggest what other pieces you'd like to read! I want to post a review of Wicked, and of The Fault in Our Stars Movie. I've really enjoyed writing this. Lastly, if you want to ask me a question, contact me via the comments section, my Twitter, or email (all social media links are down below).

Au revoir,

India Galinda xo 

~*~*~*~*~

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/indiagalinda

INSTAGRAM:
http://instagram.com/thechristinediary

TUMBLR:
http://galindaful.tumblr.com/

PINTEREST:
https://www.pinterest.com/galindaful

ASK.FM:
http://www.ask.fm/galindaful

EMAIL: 
galindaful@gmail.com

THIS BLOG:
http://galindaful.blogspot.co.uk/