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I know I have posted here
before, but I thought I would post the entire thing this time... This is
more parts to my college report!
Michael Crawford's Performance as The Phantom of the Opera
And it's Influence on My Life
By:
Aneesa Darlene Barge
"Aneesa~Raku"
"That voice which calls to me... And speaks my name..."
~Christine Daae from ALW's
"The Phantom of the Opera"
I have always loved theater and the performing arts, especially
Broadway, ever since I was a very young girl. The performing arts became
my passion and I vowed that I would be part of the aerial sounds and
beauty that I saw. I would be awed by the costumes and sets of the plays
and musicals that were performed and I became lost in the beauty of the
performers' voices. So it was with my introduction to Andrew
Lloyd-Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera."
I was only nine years old when a friend, my teacher, who knew how much I
loved theater, gave my a copy of the highlights of Lord Webber's
"Phantom of the Opera." Since my teacher gave it to me, I thought, at
first, that it had to be terribly boring! She told me I had to take it
home and listen to it. She had this smile on her face that I will never
forget. I sometimes wonder if she knew I would fall in love with it and
would spend my life working to do it myself.
Well, I took it home and put it in my tape player. I was immediately
astounded by the beauty of what I heard. I had never heard something as
glorious as what I was hearing then. I fell head over heels in love with
The Phantom and, I swear, it was then that I gave up part of my soul to
my Angel of Music. Even at such a young age, an age when most girl
wouldn't even dream of such things, I felt myself responding to The
Phantom's voice. I wanted him to come through my mirror and take me with
him. From that moment on, my heart belonged to The Phantom and the man
who brought him to life. Alas, at the time, I did not know who had given
life to the man who inspired me and the school year had ended, so I had
no one to ask who this man of such splendor was. So I waited till the
next year to ask my teacher...
But, unfortunately, I found out she was leaving to get married and
moving to teach at another school. I was once again alone and had no one
to turn to. For years I listen to the copy I had and dreamed of the man
who lived beneath the Opera. I wanted so much to be Christine. I tried
with all my young might to match the beauty of the woman who portrated
Christine, who I later learned was played by the amazing Sarah Brightman.
I would stand in front of my mirror, with my arms out stretched, singing
to the top of my little voice. Unfortunately, the man with the gorgeous
voice never came through my mirror to take me with him. These were just
foolish, childish dreams... Were they not?
"In sleep he sang to me... In dreams he came...
That voice which calls to me... And speaks my name..."
~Christine Daae from ALW's
"The Phantom of the Opera"
However foolish and childish one might have thought my dreams, I could
not get the voice out of my head. I had heard it and could not escape
it's powerful grasp. Over the long years I finally gave myself up to its
power and continued dreaming about the voice and the man whose face I
could not see. I longed to know who the man who sang The Phantom was,
just as Christine had longed to see the face of The Voice.
"Who was that shape in the shadows... Whose is the face in the mask..."
~Christine Daae from ALW's
"The Phantom of the Opera"
Finally, a new English teacher came to the school I had moved to. She
loved literature, Shakespeare, and "The Phantom of the Opera." She told
me that the man who played The Phantom was an Englishman named Michael
Crawford.
I finally had a name for the voice! She told me that, though she did not
know what Michael himself looked like, that there were pictures of The
Phantom in the music book. So I ordered the book and finally had pieces
of the play to picture and the face of The Phantom.
Mrs. Moye, the wonderful English teacher, gave me her copy of Leroux's
The Phantom of the Opera. Little did I know that fours years later, in
my enior year of high school, that I would perform pieces of the work
for the state!
Michael's portrayal of "The Phantom" inspired me so much that, when I
was eighteen, I decided I would perform for state. However, my drama
teacher said that it would be almost impossible for me to perform the
section I had picked out. He said it would take an undescribable depth
to reach that level of anger, sadness, selfhatred, panic and fear
seemingly all at once. Thus, I began practicing night and day. I dreamed
that Michael, my Phantom, was with me, guiding me and helping mold me to
become the actress I needed to be to portray this work. At the
performance,I did so well, that my friends and students from other
schools were crying. And I truly feel that it was my Angel that helped
me become what I needed to be to portray those roles.
During those four years, my family acquired internet. I immediately set
out to find out more about my Phantom. My efforts were very highly
reward. From the information I recieved I was able to create a notebook
dedicated to my Phantom of the Opera and the man who brought him to
life... Michael Crawford.
"Angel, oh speak... What endless longings... Echo in this whisper..."
~Christine Daae from ALW's
"The Phantom of the Opera"
It wasn't until May of 2001, when I went on my Senior Trip, that I was
able to buy the entire London Cast soundtrack. Whatever feelings the
music and voices had invoked in me when I first heard the music of "The
Phantom" paled in comparison to what I felt when I heard the entire
soundtrack, seemingly the entire play! The desire for Michael to take me
in his arms and carry me through the mirror were even strong before, I
burst out in hysterical laughter when The Phantom made Carlotta croak,
and I cried when Christine stood on the roof and The Phantom heard her
betrayal. When I heard the "graveyard" scene, I wanted so much for The
Phantom to kidnap Christine and keep her and when Christine left the
final time, I could not stop crying. My heart broke into for The
Phantom.
I truly believe it was Michael's voice, that has an undescrible power,
that invoked these feelings. I don't believe that reaction could be
caused as deeply with someone else. His voice reaches beyond all barries
and wraps itself around you and holds you within it's passionate and
loving grasp.
"But his voice filled my spirit with a strange sweet sound...
In that night there was music in my mind...
And through music my soul began to soar...
And I heard as I never heard before..."
~Christine Daae from ALW's
"The Phantom of the Opera"
Finally, on September the second of 2001, I saw "The Phantom of the
Opera" for the first time. Nine years after I was first introduced to
this wonder, I saw it! Although The Phantom was not portrayed by Michael
Crawford, I still felt myself wanting to jump from the balcony, crawl
over everbody, climb on the stage and throw Rebecca Pitcher, who played
Christine, off the stage so I could have Ted wrap his arms around me and
sing to me. However, if Michael had been portraying The Phantom, I can
guarntee you that I would have done exactly that!
I was a little disappointed that the first Phantom I saw was't Michael,
but I knew before I went that he would not be the one I saw. And, though
he isn't the first Phantom I saw, he's the one that owns my heart. It's
his voice I hear in my mind and it's his spirit I feel at night. It is
Michael that inspires me to be the performer that I am. And, though I
doubt it will ever be, I can only pray that one day when I stand on the
stage as Christine Daae that my Phantom will be the one who owns part of
my heart and soul in the palm of his hand... Michael Crawford.
"You alone can make my song take flight...
It's over now... The Music of the Night..."
~The Phantom of the Opera
from ALW's
"The Phantom of the Opera"
As stubborn and, I will admit, childish as it is, I will not go see the
movie if anyone but Michael is cast as Erik. I have petitioned all my
friends to not see it either, if Michael isn't cast in the title roll.
Michael Crawford's Phantom has touched so many lives and gave them a
glance of heaven and beauty. I cannot think of anyone better than him to
portay Erik in the new movie.
~Aneesa
"I and a very good friend of mine have come to the conclusion that
Erik's spirit still walks the earth, and at night he comes to the women
who truly love him and fulfills their deepest desires." ~Aneesa Raku
"Love isn't just a simple game... It's an intricate and strange dance.
Sometimes the dance is slow and easy, other times fast and fun... But
some times you dance to the mournful and haunting tune of 'The Music of
the Night'..." ~Aneesa Raku |