Edit: Chapter 41 was ever so slightly altered. If you've read it, you may want to go in and see if there's something new. ;)
Chapter 40, it turns out, was the longest chapter of HT I've ever written. It was 8,000 words. I posted it last night and now, for the month of October, the story has almost a thousand hits and it's only the 8th. In past updating periods, I'd be impressed to see a thousand hits at the end of a month, so it's making me wonder just how much feedback I might be able to get if I start updating weekly and the story stays at the top of the lists.
Well, anyway, I'm happy to present to you the next chapter of HT early, which will be shown to the rest of the world next Friday. It's only eight pages, but I found a cliff-hanger that I rather liked. I named the chapter after an ALW lyric, which has been my first nod to the musical in the story in a while. It was the musical that inspired me this time, or (I think, actually) some combination of the book and the musical. My passion was just ignited after I saw the 25th Anniversary performance. I had never, ever, in my life, seen it so clearly or been so close, and I couldn't have been if I'd seen it live anyway. They were as close to the camera as movie actors - I saw everything in their faces, every small reaction - it was beautiful.
I never did like Ramin Karimloo very much. In fact, there's a video on youtube of him singing Music of the Night that I find abrasive and not at all charming, and I think I once wrote that he was a phantom that inspired pepper spray, and I hate how hunky he sometimes looks. But... I admire those who aren't so stubborn that they can change their minds, and I want to be one of those people. So... well, I take back my dislike of Ramin. He's still not at the top of my list, but he did a phenomenal job. Maybe that MOTN video I watched was old and he's learned since now. I know he's been playing the Phantom for at least three years. But yes, I take it back, I take it back! I have to give him some respect because he knows who Erik is. No one gives a performance like what I saw and doesn't know.
That said, the performance also solidified that Sierra Boggess is my #1 ALW Christine. She has a beautiful voice, a beautiful face, and she clearly loves the role. She makes the character very real and likable when it's easy for Christine to look like a vapid bimbo. But even though Christine can be overlooked or seem like a sue, or what have you, I actually give props to anyone who plays her. Everyone's always giving the Phantom the most attention, he's the last at curtain call and gets the loudest cheer, and he's the one showered in roses when its his last performance, but... the truth of the matter may be that the Christines of this show work their asses off the hardest. It's their story. Erik is on stage for about 40 minutes in this two and a half hour production. Christine is there in most every scene. I read that, while Phantoms actors perform 8 times a week, Christine actresses aren't allowed to do more than six because of the high toll the show takes on their voices. It seems to me that being Christine on Broadway is like the theatrical Olympics, every night. I suppose that's why I got a little choked up watching Sierra take her bows.
Anyway, I've been watching this clip over and over again and marveling at how interesting it is. The clip's going to be poor quality after being turned into an wmv and clipped up and...ugh. But here we go:
My favorite part is when he says "this loathsome gargoyle... who burns in Hell, but secret yearns for Heaven! Secretly, secretly..." and he pauses... Is it just me, or does he say "but Christine," just like Robert Englund Phantom does? To me, he was suddenly Robert - it was weird, but I loved it. The next sentence "fear can turn to love" seemed to come off the top of his head.
And then Sierra, the way she looks on and the music clearly shows he's suggesting an odd thing. Right before the shot ends, she's raising her eyebrow.
Ramin's quiet little "no!" after he let his hand fall a little and she was grossed out, that was so perfect, too...
It's hard to say what exactly I put into Chapter 41 that came from this performance, but... it's something. So, finally:
( Chapter 41 - From His Solitude )
Favorite Quotes
Chapter 40, it turns out, was the longest chapter of HT I've ever written. It was 8,000 words. I posted it last night and now, for the month of October, the story has almost a thousand hits and it's only the 8th. In past updating periods, I'd be impressed to see a thousand hits at the end of a month, so it's making me wonder just how much feedback I might be able to get if I start updating weekly and the story stays at the top of the lists.
Well, anyway, I'm happy to present to you the next chapter of HT early, which will be shown to the rest of the world next Friday. It's only eight pages, but I found a cliff-hanger that I rather liked. I named the chapter after an ALW lyric, which has been my first nod to the musical in the story in a while. It was the musical that inspired me this time, or (I think, actually) some combination of the book and the musical. My passion was just ignited after I saw the 25th Anniversary performance. I had never, ever, in my life, seen it so clearly or been so close, and I couldn't have been if I'd seen it live anyway. They were as close to the camera as movie actors - I saw everything in their faces, every small reaction - it was beautiful.
I never did like Ramin Karimloo very much. In fact, there's a video on youtube of him singing Music of the Night that I find abrasive and not at all charming, and I think I once wrote that he was a phantom that inspired pepper spray, and I hate how hunky he sometimes looks. But... I admire those who aren't so stubborn that they can change their minds, and I want to be one of those people. So... well, I take back my dislike of Ramin. He's still not at the top of my list, but he did a phenomenal job. Maybe that MOTN video I watched was old and he's learned since now. I know he's been playing the Phantom for at least three years. But yes, I take it back, I take it back! I have to give him some respect because he knows who Erik is. No one gives a performance like what I saw and doesn't know.
That said, the performance also solidified that Sierra Boggess is my #1 ALW Christine. She has a beautiful voice, a beautiful face, and she clearly loves the role. She makes the character very real and likable when it's easy for Christine to look like a vapid bimbo. But even though Christine can be overlooked or seem like a sue, or what have you, I actually give props to anyone who plays her. Everyone's always giving the Phantom the most attention, he's the last at curtain call and gets the loudest cheer, and he's the one showered in roses when its his last performance, but... the truth of the matter may be that the Christines of this show work their asses off the hardest. It's their story. Erik is on stage for about 40 minutes in this two and a half hour production. Christine is there in most every scene. I read that, while Phantoms actors perform 8 times a week, Christine actresses aren't allowed to do more than six because of the high toll the show takes on their voices. It seems to me that being Christine on Broadway is like the theatrical Olympics, every night. I suppose that's why I got a little choked up watching Sierra take her bows.
Anyway, I've been watching this clip over and over again and marveling at how interesting it is. The clip's going to be poor quality after being turned into an wmv and clipped up and...ugh. But here we go:
My favorite part is when he says "this loathsome gargoyle... who burns in Hell, but secret yearns for Heaven! Secretly, secretly..." and he pauses... Is it just me, or does he say "but Christine," just like Robert Englund Phantom does? To me, he was suddenly Robert - it was weird, but I loved it. The next sentence "fear can turn to love" seemed to come off the top of his head.
And then Sierra, the way she looks on and the music clearly shows he's suggesting an odd thing. Right before the shot ends, she's raising her eyebrow.
Ramin's quiet little "no!" after he let his hand fall a little and she was grossed out, that was so perfect, too...
It's hard to say what exactly I put into Chapter 41 that came from this performance, but... it's something. So, finally:
“You know, it’s beautiful the way you mean that question. I’ve heard it twice, lately, haven’t I?”
“Ladies should sit.”
...I looked down, and he had that sharpness coming back. It made me feel like a gun was pointed at me; expecting something immediate...
"Think of a day when I don't hurry anywhere. Not away from you, not towards you. I'm always with you."
He wanted us both to be lost and gripping to each other. Instead, he gripped to me as I orbited a bigger thing and… he couldn’t quite say directly yet that I should do him a great favor: plunge into nothingness. Orbit him, and him alone. Breathe him, as he breathed me.
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