lucygold95

[lucygold95]

There was a change in the second act of the POTO Korea performance(1/26 Evening) today! Act 1 was 송은혜[Song Eun-hye] – one of the principal Christine actresses, and Act 2 was 권가민[Kwon Ga-min] – an understudy. Although it was a half performance, it was Kwon Ga-min's second performance in front of the audienc as Christine.

I also heard 황건하 – one of the principal Raoul actors is not in good condition these days. (Korean companies tend to be reluctant to put understudy on stage.)

#the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #poto daegu #송은혜 #권가민 #poto understudy #christine understudy #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연 #김주택 #송원근 #한보라 #황건하

[lucygold95]

Tonight Christine will be played by Anouk van Laake!

(Picture by Ralph Watts)

#poto london #anouk van laake #the phatom of the opera

[lucygold95]

Sarah Brightman

#the phantom of the opera #sarah brightman #old school poto #vintage poto

[lucygold95]

I Saw the Phantom Proshot at the NYPL

Happy 36th birthday to Phantom's first preview on Broadway! I was going to save this post for the actual 36th, but I figure all of us need some more Phantom Broadway "original" content since the official Insta accounts are reminding us today that Phantom is no longer (though it should be) on Broadway. I'm going to post about what I saw, and I'll follow up on January 26 with all my answers!

Some time ago, @or-what-you-will and I went to the NYPL's Theater on Film and Tape Archive, and viewed the archival pro shot of the Original Broadway Cast of Phantom of the Opera, filmed live on May 25, 1988. There is only one copy, and its purpose is artistic preservation (not commercial distribution--the library owns it). It was kept under lock and key during the show's run. All information about how to access the archive is on the website. I can't really tell you anything more besides what's out there because it will become identifying. You get set up in a room with monitors and can pause and rewind, although you can't touch the media.

This was not my first TOFT proshot, but it was the best-filmed. Some, there's a single camera just parked, or there's some generation loss because of when the tape was transferred to digital. This had absolutely vivid colors, a multi-camera shot, and brilliant and clear soundboard audio. I heard lyrics I have never heard (especially during Notes when everyone is singing over one another), the sound balancing was so good. It was as transformative as seeing it live.

These are all the notes we took while there (apologize if they can seem disjointed) More below the cut.

ACT 1 NOTES: 

-Multicam shot

-amazing audio (soundboard), vivid colors

-Raoul/Barton is crying in his voice during the auction

-there’s a “voice” that sounds like a woman singing with the overture (maybe a theramin?) We jumped in shock at this. We've never heard this before, not even on soundboard.

-Sarah Brightman comes on stage during the Hannibal rehearsal, moving across the stage with Meg during “Rome not Roma”--so she dances in the front row during the Hannibal ballet

-Hannibal ballet then has 10 dancers and since Christine is in the whole thing, there is slightly different choreo

-there’s a synth under Meg’s “he’s there, the phantom of the opera” 

-Firmin lights a cigarette and Andre (Future Phantom Cris Groenendaal) stops him right before “Think of Me’ which makes the “Defense de Fumer” on the back of the curtain make even more sense

-Think of Me Gala skirt is not as full (but of note, Carlotta’s Elissa costume is much more ornate than we have now or even at the end of Broadway)

-Raoul sings slightly different notes in Think of Me. Steve Barton goes down a few notes on “young and innocent” (it’s not belted) and is clearly wistful. 

-The think of me cadenza is absolutely effortless

-The “Bravi, Bravi” is haunting and perfectly sound balanced!

-Meg can actually sing and the Angel of Music harmonies work

-Raoul (Steve Barton) is nervous before going into the dressing room. He taps his fingers on the banister and takes a deep breath before going in

-He’s also nervous inside the dressing room–you can see him going from seeing an old friend to suddenly having feelings, being attracted to her. When he’s standing behind her he has a slight moment when he nearly touches a lock of her hair. 

-Raoul is wearing a ring on his right hand (signet?)

-Steve Barton says MY Little Lotte

-Christine (Brightman) is excited about meeting the Angel of music and has a wanting and longing in “Enter at LAST master” (in a way that Lily Kerhoas does now and we haven’t had many Christines who do this) 

-The picture is VERY CLEAR and NO WASHOUT when we see Michael Crawford appear in the mirror for Phantom’s entrance. You see everything

-When the door opens for Raoul to the dressing room after they go through the mirror, it opens slowly (vs banging open). It’s the same tempo that Phantom moves to take Christine through the mirror

-1925 Phantom silhouette vibes at the first “sing for me” 

-Not a particularly aggressive cape twirl, but def a twirl. 

-They get VERY close on “turn your face away”, almost kiss (like, Russians, Panaro/Joseph close) 

- he has a nice portcullis sprawl but she does not press against him, there is visible space between them the entire time

-”Caress” and “hear it, feel it” are explicitly seductive, the former in how it’s sung, the latter because he self-caresses on “feel it”

-the “Touch me” in touch me/trust me is half sung/half spoken order, she strokes her hand over the mask and he does not pull away

-He does have a little panic when she faints and he covers her with the cloak. He’s holding her hair when he sings to her there

-At the unmasking, MC holds for a brief moment before covering his face with his hand so the audience gets a peek of the deformity (before “damn you”) 

-Vixen not viper

-Crawls on knees, not stomach. We get…lots of crying and whimpering 

-Christine sees his face a lot during this sequence. MC lowers his hand as soon as he’s on her side of the stage from “secretly dreams of beauty” to “Oh Christine”, when he turns away–but she is looking at him the entire time. MC is angled right by a mirror shard so we can see a bit of the deformity reflected back

-Right before “come we must return”, MC is about to cup her face with both his hands before changing his mind–she starts to reach for him as well. 

-His Mandarin robe is much longer than we have now (ankle length vs calf length) 

-This Giry has witch vibes

-Steve Barton is playing eager puppy Raoul and it shows even though he looks older (Barton was 35 at the time)

-The sound balancing is so good that you can hear lines you don’t normally hear during Notes 1 and Prima Donna–including the Managers thinking that Christine has just been off with Raoul all night. 

-Sarah Brightman does a different pose on the bed as the pageboy during Il Muto. She crosses her legs vs putting her hands on her hips. 

-Firmin yells “the role of Christine Daae” to the proscenium, clearly directed at Phantom

-Barton Raoul’s “There is no Phantom of the Opera” comes off more as “Christine this is just some dude” vs “he doesn’t exist at all.” 

-Raoul loves Christine so much. He strokes her hair gently to comfort her right before “No more talk of darkness”--his eyes are soft and he’s genuinely caring and concerned (vs trying to be a hero) 

-”All I ask is for one love one lifetime”--different lyrics, she does it twice (This is on soundboards from the time)

-Raoul puts his face to Christine’s hands at the proposal. 

-Christine is clearly kissing his cheek right next to his mouth during the kiss (the final lair kiss is a real kiss) 

-Christine’s “I must go” is not as playful as we often see it later. She really is trying to go. 

-Raoul is nervous at “Christine, I love you”--he lowers his head for a moment worried that he said something wrong. He’s excited when she replies “order your fine horses”

-AIAOY Reprise: Michael Crawford is partially slumped over the angel, he’s holding hands with it to the audience’s right, and arm is slumped over on the left. We get a lot of anguished weeping, and little distressed moans as Christine and Raoul sing, there is rocking and head shaking and then covering his ears. It’s a HUGE difference then when he stands up fully for “You will curse” (he does this again during final lair between “unfeeling scrap of clothing” and “pity comes too late) 

-He also roars before standing

-The Phantom laugh/cackle continues well into the chandelier drop into intermission at the light cut out for about 15 seconds. 

Act II

-Carlotta masquerade costume has no mesh in the skirt–it’s much more of a see-through skeleton crinoline, so the feature is the purple tights

-Not surprising since Sarah Brightman is a dancer, but Christine does the proper choreography during Masquerade--she's the center of attention. Barton also does quite a bit of dancing.

-There’s an organ (almost like a circus organ) underlying the finale during masquerade

-Red Death double doesn’t run down the stairs, he stays at the top

-Giry/Raoul exchange after masquerade–both holding the lantern and super closeup

-Lefevre is clearly gay–coded. Some voice and hand gestures during Sitzprobe

-Wishing–only one “help me say goodbye” (when did the second one get added?)

-”Far-reaching” gaze, Wandering Child is a duet

-Piangi says “conquest” is assured (at some point, this became “congress”)

-Michael Crawford imitates Piangi until “past the point…”

-Sarah as Christine is listening intently to Phantom’s voice and immediately noticed something is off–she doesn’t figure it out right away but she notices something. She is suspicious the entire time. It's not clear when she knows for certain.

-Christine never flees from him, during the first caresses, he hovers over her body, she turns to kiss him, he turns away, her hand lingers on her back, before she gets up to sing her solo part away from the table

-Michael Crawford’s hands are in in his crotch when Christine’s singing on the other side of the stage (“you have come here”)--he’s moving his palms in his lap the whole time, his hands are shaking, we only get glimpses of him, most of this part it’s focused on her

-There is none of the arm waving circling while their hands are held, she takes his hands, he switches his grip to hold one of hers, and they keep them on him

-She figures it out when she reaches down–she’s holding his hands above him and she pushes her left (our right) hand down and he pulls and she notices something–we can only see to his upper waist but her hand disappears and her expression changes, it’s implied he has an erection

-she doesn’t ever feel the mask, either accidentally or on purpose

-She doesn’t actually ever try to escape. It’s not the current West End or the past blocking–but more accurate in that she is aware of the situation and plays along. She keeps going with the blocking

-they both get up and keep singing, neither drags the other to the centre, they move together and keep singing 

-The last “return”--he sings it at the unhooding, she doesn’t

-”Say you’ll share with me”--he is really pleading and almost crying on “say you want me” 

-The managers don’t come out to try to usher her offstage, she doesn’t signal to them to stay

-When Phantom gives her the ring, she takes it, but doesn’t put it on–she just holds it

-He doesn’t scream at the unmasking, he just looks shocked and sad

-Ratcatcher order is different–it’s after Raoul and Giry’s first lines, that’s the indication that Giry needs to turn around, Giry screams

-Phantom is crying at “flesh” and through “unfeeling scrap of clothing”, he’s also hunched over through this sequence, and then stands to his full height at “Pity comes too late.”

-Phantom makes a big show of raising the portcullis, hands fully raised

-Raoul swats at Erik with one hand (the other is still on the noose) when Phantom grabs Christine on “start a new life” 

-Phantom is probably the “minimum” amount of rough as we see Phantoms be with Christine in this sequence, as in, he’s definitely scary and menacing but he’s not harming her. He does grab her and spin her around on “start a new life with me.” There are a few wrist grabs (which is book accurate). He’s realizing more that his plan is absolutely crumbling. We get some shots of him on the organ looking panicked.

-Phantom makes a low growling noise before “you try my patience”, which is delivered quickly and almost casually. It is not menacing as some later Phantoms do. 

-”Pitiful creature”..MC’s hand is subtly shaking by his side

-The kiss: the 1st one MC stands with “claw hands” at his side, on the second one, the “claw hands” start shaking

-MC hunches over after he burns the noose

-He stands over the monkey, conducting it with one hand, he is mimicking the symbol clashes, he doesn’t touch it or cover its face

-When Christine returns the ring, his hand shakes as he takes it, he’s hunched over again. 

-She does seem conflicted about leaving, but she doesn’t press her hand back around his, she holds out the ring and his hand shakes as she takes it. She doesn’t linger very long. 

-He says a second “I love you” after she’s gone.

-He’s about to say it a third time, he says “I love…” and then see the veil, and grabs it and screams into it, and then turns and sees the boat leaving

-He sobs and keens a lot

-Raoul bends in the boat to caress Christine’s face on “say the word”)--this is halfway across the stage as opposed to during the stage right exit.

-Deliberately cracks voice on the "can" in “you alone can make” 

-MC Cradling the veil like a baby at the very end

SEND ME YOUR QUESTIONS! You can put it in comments, reblogs, AMA or DM's. I will answer all of them on January 26!

#🥰 #to read #poto broadway #vintage poto #the phatom of the opera #poto original #poto original cast #1988 poto #michael crawford #sarah brightman #steve barton #poto review

[lucygold95]

+From: @moritzstiefel 's post💕Thank you🤍

(* Like their other outfits, their Elissa outfits have different parts.)

손지수[Sohn/Son Ji-soo/Ji-su] & 송은혜[Song Eun-hye] as Queen Elissa❣

#the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연 #think of me #elissa dress #손지수 #송은혜 #poto costume

[lucygold95]

More pictures for you😉

The Phantom of the Opera Poster Book

[lucygold95]

Part 3: 송원근[Song Won-geun], 황건하[Hwang Gun-ha].

Part 4: 이상준[Lee/I Sang-jun/joon] & 윤영석[Yoon Young/Yeong-seok].

The rest of the photos in the poster book (and some similar photos in the program book).

* This poster book is not for sale, but is only gift for re-watching audiences who purchased tickets again in a certain period of time. That's why I scanned this poster book☺️ (+ Thank you, @moritzstiefel ! I reused some of the photos you uploaded.)

POTO (Daegu) POSTER BOOK (2023-4)

Part 1: 조승우[Cho/Jo Seung-woo], 최재림[Choi Jae-rim], 김주택[Kim/Gim Joo/Ju-taek].

Part 2: 손지수[Sohn/Son Ji-soo/su], 송은혜[Song Eun-hye].

#If you want feel free to reuse this picture #the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #poto poster book #poto daegu #poto daegu poster book #조승우 #최재림 #김주택 #손지수 #송은혜 #송원근 #황건하 #윤영석 #이상준 #이지영 #한보라 #박회림 #김아선 #조하린 #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연

[lucygold95]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | October 8-14th, 2023 [REVIEWS]

Wow it's about time I posted these reviews that I kept lying about (this week! tomorrow! in 10 years!) Better late than never?

In this post I'll drop a few general things about the production, but the performances are analyzed in my reviews linked here. I recommend reading those all in order since I revisit points about actors I've made previously along the way to avoid repeating myself. Also leaving a disclaimer that these performances are from October so there are some changes in what the actors are doing now (with the exception of Jeon Dong-seok since he left in November) Apologies in advance for my wordiness, but this is more of a "release my feelings for my sake and if anyone else likes it that's cool too" kind of thing? Listen - I wrote a lot of notes on my performances there. So just go in knowing this is the more coherent version of my insane looking notes app!

Before I start I want to thank a few lovely friends who helped me out with this trip because it wouldn't have gone as well as it did without them!

Thank you to @lucygold95 for helping me so much with planning over the past months and for giving me the best time in Busan. Thank you @capitanogiorgio for all the shenanigans we went through and the most special time going to the 1500th and meeting Yoon Young-seok. Thank you to @fadinglandtragedy for the fun talks and the good advice before my trip! The best part of things like this is making friends of course! : )

PERFORMANCE REVIEWS:

| October 8, 2023 | October 11, 2023 | October 12, 2023 | | October 13, 2023 (M) | October 13, 2023 (E) | October 14, 2023 |

STAGE & THEATER

This was as close to the original staging as possible. So I was able to take it in one more (or I guess 6 more?) times post-Broadway closing. The Charlotte Theater is a lot smaller than the Majestic so every view was pretty solid in my opinion, even the second to last row. I took a video of my view from 4th row under the chandelier during the exit music on October 11th so you can see! The angel and chandelier are shown halfway through. I'd say 5th row was almost the cut off for the chandelier drop (that was my spot next day) Broadway seats in this area were always too expensive for me so I'm glad I was able to grab these spots for this production

There were photo zones you can take pics at which you've probably seen. One was a large rose wall, the other was the cute statue of their mascot 오유령. People also take forever lining up for the cast boards for photos and yes I was one of those people. Here's a comparison of the cast boards from the second season (pictures I found when reading old reviews on Naver) and the cast boards now (I forgot to take a photo of one on the top floor though)

I found this review where someone took more detailed clean photos than I did if you're curious about the layout and decorations!

MERCH AND GIFTS

The tickets had these designs! If you booked on Yes24, you received a special envelope and a ticket holder with the face of the Phantom performing for that show

I only didn't receive a second Ju-taek because that was booked on another site - Interpark (bottom middle ticket). I also received paper masks with printed autographs every day I went to commemorate the 200th performance of the run/100th for Seoul and the 1500th overall Korean performance. We used them for the curtain call photos on those two dates (with Jeon Dong-seok then Kim Ju-taek). There are multiple versions of the program book and at the time of writing this I have all except the Daegu one. The first Busan program book was pretty bare and only had the teaser pictures - the same was the case for my Les Mis program book in Busan. -There are different photos in each one, so to me it was worth grabbing them all. My third version signed by Kim Ju-taek is currently on display as you can see below! (The writing says "내 노래를 날게 해 주오 - Make my song take flight") Once again thank you to Lucy for this! 🥹❤️

Here's some of my POTO merch (including a spare cupsleeve from the coffee shop next door, I also had a keyring, but I forgot to show it) RIP to the second program book I sacrificed for scans I still have the pages stored/displayed though! I'm not wasteful! I'll have more to post soon after sharing these reviews

TRANSLATION

Let me emphasize this: my Korean abilities are limited, so don't look to me as the expert on this at all. But I'll still share my notes and perspective as an outsider who's studying The lyrics have changed quite a bit since 2001-2. There are still lines kept or songs that are mostly similar. MOTN had a lot of similarity to 2009-11 even with its changes, STYDI was identical to 2009-11, but Angel of Music was pretty different from even the last season, etc etc. The Phantoms all have unique lines sprinkled here and there, mainly in MOTN (this happens sometimes in Korean musicals). You get some things like random single line changes in some parts depending on the actor or different order/wording of the same lines as well. Just tiny diversions from the script. This is the case for the Christines and Raoul to a lesser extent. Additionally, actors are often permitted to do some occasional improvisation/ad libs. Some unique lines are pretty normal parts of their interpretations now, some appear depending on the feeling of the performance, some are one time only events. I'll mention some of the actor-specific ones and such in their actual reviews, but I have been trying to mark down all of the differences like these for example

Of course, some things obviously have to be adjusted to make sense because of cultural / linguistic reasons. So one example would be the "Wrote...written" line in Notes I. Firmin speaks rudely and informally, but quickly tries adding a more respectful ending particle 요 after Raoul and André give him a shocked 'what did you just say?' kind of look. So "대체 뭘 썼다고 하는 건데...요!" is pretty much like "What the hell are you saying I wrote?" André would look so embarrassed by this each time 🫣

퇴근길 / STAGE DOOR

Stage door doesn't really work the same as it does in places like New York, London, etc. Most of the time if an actor comes out it's more like a quick greeting or chat with the fans. Some actors (not in this case) might sign or take photos in designated spots, but it really depends and it's not so common. It's gotten more restricted ever since COVID as well. 퇴근길 -> "way home from work" is literally what this is called. Dong-seok did wave at us a few times happily after the 200th performance, Gun-ha briefly came out to thank fans after the 1500th while Ceci and I waited to meet Young-seok who had agreed to meet us. I did not have the time (or strength) for the Seung-woo mob, but he usually greets fans after shows.

I literally asked Yoon Young-seok directly on Instagram if Ceci and I could meet him and give him gifts because I figured it didn't hurt to try! When he agreed, my anxiety was not necessarily about meeting an actor, but more about my ability to express my thoughts in another language. But he was truly the sweetest guy and incredibly patient. I think he got that I understood everything he said, but that replying was a whole other challenge. I'm glad I was making enough sense that he was able to get my points and helped me finish sentences if I looked stressed about it 😂 I basically told him I had been planning this trip since the cast announcement because it was too perfect to miss and that I came for 6 shows. I really like to listen to his Phantom on the cast recordings and I thought he made the shows I had seen so far so much fun.

We both said where we were from (the US and France) and he was amazed. He was also shocked when I pulled out my original Korean cast recording (I still laugh thinking about the way he said "와, 세상에!" like "Wow, oh my god!" and enthusiastically took it agreeing to sign when I was mid-way asking him haha) I also thought it was funny when he asked Ceci if she saw his Phantom last season. We wish! But she mentioned she had gone to Busan a few times and he looked very touched and appreciative that we went to multiple performances 🥹 This poor man was tired he signed our things with November (11.13) though and he also spelled Ceci's name wrong first time, but it was the 1500th show though okay. And if he says it's November...who are we to question him? Ceci should also legally change names so he isn't wrong. Anyway, ramble over you can find the art we made for him in this post

OTHER

Here's just bonus fun I had that I will manage to connect to POTO despite it not being POTO because I love doing that. I mean I went because I like these musicals as well (otherwise I would've been foolish enough to go see Ben-Hur but I have, uh, standards for my plots sorry to Park Eun-tae 😭), but it's fun to point out these things. I'm happy to share my show experiences in a different post if anyone's interested in my thoughts on those

Rebecca

I went to see Rebecca, mainly focused on seeing a scheduled date for 이지혜 Lee Ji-hye (Ich) and 장은아 Jang Eun-ah (Mrs Danvers). The whole cast was fantastic. Some Korean musicals have special encore bits they do where the leads sing a part of a song from the show during bows so that was really fun. Unfortunately, we don't get to have fun at POTO like that haha

Lee Ji-hye was in Y&K Phantom as Christine in the same cast as Jeon Dong-seok (Erik), Yoon Young-seok (Gérard Carrière), and Lee Sang-jun (Cholet). Two other cast members in Rebecca were in Y&K as well - 에녹 Enoch (Maxim) who was Philippe and 신영숙 Shin Young-sook (Mrs Danvers) who was Carlotta. Sadly, they had such few shows this season due to a busy schedule, so I couldn't see them (when will trot give Enoch back to musicals). Original Korean ALW Raoul and Y&K Erik 류정한 Ryu Jeong-han was also on rotation as Maxim, but I picked another day for my show so I didn't see him either

Les Misérables

I went to opening night of Les Mis in Busan! It was the Dream Theater, same place POTO played at before. As many of you already know, Choi Jae-rim is playing Jean Valjean at the same time as the Phantom.

I could recognize him easily as the Phantom, but honestly when he appeared at the very start of Les Mis it took me a minute to process that it was him! While I did enjoy his Phantom a lot, I think I enjoyed his Valjean performance a little more. It was only opening night, so curious to see how things develop!

The actor who played Javert that night, 카이 Kai (stage name), was a former Y&K Erik for two seasons too. So many Phantoms!

Frankenstein

On the last day I got to see Dong-seok and Ji-hye once more in a concert for the musical Frankenstein which they have been in together. So have some pics I took without a mask blocking his face!

Ending Note

Thinking back to December 2022 when I said: "Maybe I'll go to Seoul and see Dong-seok once or twice and that's it" That was funny. That was really very very funny and silly of me to say. 9 performances and 6 of those were POTO! But I'm so grateful and I have zero regrets about it. This is one of the best experiences I've had even if it might look ridiculous to some people to do something like this...I don't care! I hope my crazy essays can help paint a good picture for you!

#you are welcome #💕 #the phatom of the opera #poto review #poto korea #poto seoul #오페라의 유령 #오페라의 유령 삼연 #poto 3rd korea #poto merch

[lucygold95]

POTO (Daegu) POSTER BOOK (2023-4)

Part 1: 조승우[Cho/Jo Seung-woo], 최재림[Choi Jae-rim], 김주택[Kim/Gim Joo/Ju-taek].

Part 2: 손지수[Sohn/Son Ji-soo/su], 송은혜[Song Eun-hye].

#the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #poto poster book #poto daegu poster book #poto daegu #조승우 #최재림 #김주택 #손지수 #송은혜 #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연

[lucygold95]

길하윤(Carlotta u/s) & 권가민(Christine u/s)

#the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #오페라의 유령 삼연 #poto 3rd korea #길하윤 #권가민 #poto understudy #poto costume

[lucygold95]

12/25 Matinée(MERRY CHRISTMAS🎄):

김주택, 손지수, 송원근 and 이지영.

12/27: 김아선's 500th performance(2001 - 2023(4))

Happy 2024!

손지수 & 황건하 / 1/2 Evening: 조승우, 송은혜, 황건하 and 한보라.

POTO 대구(Dae-gu) has started!

#the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연 #조승우 #최재림 #김주택 #손지수 #송은혜 #송원근 #황건하 #이지영 #한보라 #poto daegu #윤영석 #이상준 #김아선 #조하린 #노지현

[lucygold95]

Sorry for my late reply! My POTO Daegu picture👇🏼

Why so green? Am I seeing Wicked or Phantom?

Did POTO Korean producers S&CO do something to make POTO Korea’s proscenium look so gross and green in order to discourage audiences from taking photos? (You bet this did not happen in NYC, London & China!!)

So S&CO in Korea has these extremely strict rules:

(1) Absolutely no curtain call photos/videos allowed.

(2) No designated day(s) for fans to meet & greet Phantom actors at all. Stage dooring for Phantom in Korea doesn’t exist. Actors either (a) stop to wave and bow and then get into a car or (b) walk quickly while smiling and bowing.

(3) No official curtain call photos/videos were ever released except a few seconds in promotional videos early in the production.

So one day, my phriend @jeremyonthelair and I were talking about POTO’s proscenium and how beautiful the angel statue is. But then he mentioned something that piqued my interest right away.

“Did you notice Korea proscenium in Charlotte theater has a green tint on all the golden sculptures? And the strangest thing is I didn’t see the green tint in person!! Only in photos!!”

Side note: Jeremy saw POTO China this past summer and POTO Korea in the fall, so you could say he had something to compare to in a short period of time.

We proceded to share proscenium photos – Jeremy with his China and Korea photos and me with Bway photos.

↑ Jeremy’s Korea photo

↑ My Majestic theatre photo taken on the day of the last public performance

↑ Jeremy’s Shanghai photo

Please note: I did not edit any photos in this post at all (other than a black oval to cover my phriend).

Here I have compiled some Korea proscenium photos as evidence. And for comparison, I also added some Majestic theatre photos provided by me and a fellow NY phan @flagbridge – along with some POTO China photos.

Jeremy’s Korea photos:

1) ↑ Taken with an iPhone

2) ↑ Taken with a Samsung

The weirdest thing is —

3) ↑ Film camera looks fine

4) ↑ Xiaomi phone is less affected, somewhat

Here are some Charlotte theater photos and videos I found online:

1) ↑ Click on the link below to view the video. Yikes, this does not look good!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz09hP6rh-B

2) ↑ Another one from Mezzanine level

3) ↑ The current Korean Raoul, Gunha Hwang, posted this photo of the stage in Seoul – are these lights what’s turning everything green?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz0ZmborHIj

The same thing is happening in Daegu, Korea right now:

4) ↑ Posted Dec 23 in Daegu – click on the link to view the video

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1L4dEjBTkj

5) ↑ Another video from Daegu

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1OnYyLJ6ry/

Now here are my Majestic theatre photos:

↑ Taken in April of 2023

↑ Here is another Majestic photo from a fellow NY phan @flagbridge

https://www.tumblr.com/flagbridge/728351820760612864/shows-i-saw-in-2023-part-1-phantom-of-the-opera Let’s take a look at POTO China proscenium taken by theatre-goers:

↑ https://weibo.com/1766731021/4959005917580968

↑ https://weibo.com/3965362386/4967561219803733 My question to @lucygold95 @roadtophantom @fadinglandtragedy who have seen POTO in Korea. Did you see the gross green tint on the proscenium in person? Why do you think this is only happening in Korea?

I’d love to hear other phans’ thoughts as well!

Lastly, I want to thank my phriends Jeremy and @flagbridge for letting me use their photos.

#the phatom of the opera #poto korea #green #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연 #오페라의 유령 #poto set

[lucygold95]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 잶팬텀 x 송크리 Review 6/6

October 14, 2023 - Evening

The Phantom of the Opera | 최재림 Choi Jae-rim

Christine Daaé | 송은혜 Song Eun-hye

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 송원근 Song Won-geun

Carlotta Giudicelli | 한보라 Han Bo-ra

Ah, the perfect Phantom to finish my journey and relieve me from my tears after the painful two show Kim Ju-taek/Jo Seung-woo slam the day before! Yes, please erase the poor meow meow thoughts from my mind!

My 6th and final round of POTO and 1st round of 'Choi Jae-rim is a Traumatized French Man Double Marathon'. His only scheduled POTO show during my stay was the day before Les Mis opening night in Busan. So I did not have a spare day like I thought would and I had to hop cities the next morning to see him as Valjean. I originally had a seat up high, but I just had to move myself close on the floor again for my grand finale. Seeing a seat open up during cancellations near my favorite side of the stage, the side with the most action, pretty much sealed the deal. I've always wanted to see a ~scary~ Phantom so let's go out with a bang!

If you're looking for some Erik x Christine, wrong Phantom for you! There wasn't much sugar-coating here. CJR Phantom is the opposite of JSW and JDS Phantoms to me; he's the most like a dark fallen angel. He's dangerous, unnerving, and has a lot more confidence with his actions than the others.

Hannibal Rehearsal / Think of Me

The audience seemed especially hyped today lol. Park Hoe-rim always holds Piangi’s note in Hannibal for a very long time and people applaud him for it. The cheers were loud today though even though audiences usually didn’t make much noise to avoid being disruptive! At the end of Song Eun-hye’s ‘Think of Me’ there was also a very excited reaction from the audience. Love this cast showing off where they can heh

First Lair | MOTN/STYDI

He's the only Phantom to sing "넌 이곳에 오직 나만을 위하여 / You are here for me alone" as "넌 이곳에 오직 한가지 이유로 / You are here for only one reason" at the organ because he's just different and not like other girls okay During MOTN, he was was confidently luring and hypnotizing her with no hesitation or uncertainty. The way he moved his entire body, especially his arms and hands (huge hands goddamn dude), was very flashy and dramatic. He's "overdoing it", but in a way that's very fitting for his Phantom's eccentric personality. I think you can already tell something is off about his Phantom as a person here. You can hear it in his voice a bit too. It had a sort of unearthly mesmerizing quality to it. This is the closest to a mysterious dark angel out of the Phantoms. He's especially possessive, but it's more in the way you might expect and different from KJT Phantom. The way he draws her to him with his hands, the way he touches his lips when he comes around the organ towards her 👀 He even tugged her along a bit when he led her to the bride in the mirror and urged her to look at the gift. With SEH Christine it was interesting to see her slowly unwind throughout the song since she's the more hesitant of the two. A Christine like SJS is definitely easier "prey" for him

Here's a little taste of his Music of the Night. Some of his more dramatic movements are actually a little bit similar to how he moved as the Phantom in this song, but he has a specific strange aura when actually in character.

I Remember / Stranger Than You Dream It

...SEH Christine is a little too curious and innocent maybe. Because wow if I saw a big weird masked man looking like that while working I simply? Would not want to mess with him at all, not getting anywhere near him. While the music box played, he was breathing (almost grunting) very audibly and heavily in frustration. He was very tense and focused. She was very playful and even mischievous-looking as she tried to swipe at his mask. It was like a game to her. Right at the moment he seemed to find his flow, playing the music in the air with his eyes closed, she succeeded. He's the scariest one during the outburst! His voice sounded venomous at the start and his eyes were wild as he covered the side of his face with both hands. The way he tilted his head watching her was very off-putting. Actually rather than becoming sadder, he almost seemed even creepier as he got closer. My seat was very close on that end of the stage and as I saw him approaching I wanted to back away myself! But at the end, I did start to feel sorry for him. It was really pitiful seeing this magnificent and seemingly magical genius be reduced to...this. The other Phantoms appear more human here, but he truly did look like some dark being trying desperately to be like a regular human, trying to be a part of this world. The angel of music is not, in fact, an angel, but....well who knows what he is. When she returned the mask, he looked like he couldn't make sense of what was happening. I could see his eyes glistening a little like tears were threatening to fall. I think he felt especially uncomfortable looking so weak in front of her. His Phantom felt like he had everything completely under control, but he managed to be disarmed so suddenly. His face was now revealed as well as the hidden dark part of himself

AIAOY Reprise

Kinda upset that my angle made it difficult to see him because the angel wing was obstructing him the times he wasn't leaning forward enough. But also how does he even fit on there. And also how did he manage to be the one who moved the least? He must be folded like an origami piece up there. Anyway oh boy. When saying Christine's name the first time, he sounded broken and small while looking down. But the second time he slowly lifted his head giving a cold dark stare ahead and spoke in a low and threatening voice that faded off. He had this rage building up and spreading through him and began his final lines in a harsh growling voice. He's extra intimidating because he kind of just fully gets up making himself as big as possible. I was laughing during intermission when I was heading to the lobby and two girls ran by me in the aisle going "EEEEE 무서워요!! / I'm scared!" So true, girlies, so true

Why So Silent?

JDS/KJT Phantoms lift up Christine's chin when they finally address her, but he pulled her a little roughly towards him. Not a big thing but definitely got a yikes from me when I saw it!

Wandering Child

Oh he is so weird and freaky somebody's gotta push him off that mausoleum I don't like it (no I love it as an acting choice though I just mean it's uncomfortable) 😭 The way he moves his entire body so much is so creepy? How do I even describe those movements. He would crouch or lean forward in a lunging position, but also made these big gestures with his arms again and looked like he was trying to use some power to pull Christine towards him He used an odd sarcastic tone mocking Raoul like he barely even viewed him as a threat.

The Point of No Return

The trap is set and waits for its prey! ...But also, Christine, Piangi just grew like 10 feet taller turning into a brick wall of a man and you don't find this.... suspicious maybe? No? Okay... He opens that curtain and it's like:

ANYWAY He had such an eerie way of singing to me. There was this hypnotic energy again like in MOTN. Once again the hands...when he tips her head side to side with his fingers under her chin in his last lines of his verse it's like he's putting her in a trance. She actually looked a bit disoriented for a moment, but her expression was slowly changing like she was suspecting something was wrong even before she turned to him. He was scarily calm looking throughout the song. You mostly just saw his shoulders moving from his slow steady breathing. Occasionally he would slowly take a look at her to see what she was doing, but it was more like he was preparing himself than getting stressed. She touched him and he only flinched very slightly before reaching up to her completely ready to join their hands. He was practically pulling her down actually to touch her more. I think he was sure that he was succeeding. When she had discovered him, he closed in like a beast about to pounce with his hands in position to grab her in case she tried to flee. But when she threw the hood off he was taken off guard During the AIAOY Reprise "언제나, 어디든, 영원히 / Always, anywhere, forever" -> "Anywhere you go let me go too" was a painful cry as well as the word "어둠에 / (into) darkness" in "또 다시 지옥 같은 어둠에 / Once again into darkness like hell" later for Down Once More and he delivered his next lines in a terrifying voice. It was similar to the AIAOY Reprise on the angel. I have to admit it partially concerned me (just because here and Les Mis he had a few slight rough moments, he cracked a tiny bit at the very end of 'Who Am I' after an otherwise very solid note). Overall though I think he has amazing ability and it's just wear from the rough schedule he has unfortunately. The choices did work either way!

Final Lair

He is so unhinged and unstable. Now he had this rough vicious villainous tone and sometimes he used that mocking voice again like he did in 'Bravo Monsieur'. He practically hissed out the line about the world never accepting him. His gestures with his arms were so theatrical and huge and the way he moved about was so heavy, jerky, and unsettling. When he threw the noose on Raoul he had the most terrifying laugh and jumped a little spitting out his taunts loudly He stood up fast and leaned in close to her face to whisper “날 시험하지말고 / Don't test me” so very quietly before he screamed for her to choose. He said it with spite in his voice, but he was actually holding back tears when he turned around. He had been so dangerous before, but Christine managed to disarm him once again with her words. Christine dropped lower from her position on her knees with a sob. It wasn't out of fear, seeing him like this just seemed to hurt her. This kiss was an interesting one to analyze. Some people thought this part tends to make him seem unmoved? But I disagree with the conclusion some people had made around that time that his Phantom didn't change or develop. He wasn't very openly reactive to the first one, he was completely frozen. The second time he clenched and unclenched his fists until he pulled her hand away quickly and rushed off staggering and holding his head. I saw reviews saying he would simply repeat his actions over again based on his reactions. I personally just think his change is different. I think CJR Phantom thinks he knows everything and that he can control everything that will happen so it scares him when he faces something unexpected. I think this is why he started to finally unravel at the very end. He cannot predict anything Christine will do, she always does the opposite of what he would think. Love and compassion were the last things he would ever expect. I don't even think he knew what kindness looks like. But he finally understood in that moment and he also understood that he couldn't force her to be there with him now. Something I noted during this performance in particular: HGH Raoul tried to urge Christine that they need to leave, but SWG would seem a bit confused in the moment and look at the Phantom like he was trying to understand what just happened. It just especially stood out to me across from CJR Phantom because of how much of a threat he had been. He was trying to process this because of the way the Phantom was just moments before and almost looked like he maybe even pitied him in a weird way. Christine came back pretty early this time to return the ring and watched the Phantom while covering her mouth in disbelief. It was as if this was the one moment he finally showed his real human side to her. She could really see him as a regular man now. When he realized she was there, he was really startled and practically jumped away like he was bracing himself for something (perhaps thinking the mob had arrived for him?). He went over to her wondering why she had returned, but once he realized he softly sang that he loved her. She nodded knowingly trying to hold back her tears. He looked so small suddenly when she left him alone there

Please when I tell you Jae-rim got the loudest screams out of every curtain call I experienced lol. He was goofing off, but at one point the shrieking was so loud he looked a little embarrassed about it heh. Even louder than that though was his Les Mis curtain call where everyone just about lost their goddamn minds seeing him pick up and spin little Cosette (I was one of those people, I'm weak)

Anyway it's promo time! Here's some bonus videos for you to enjoy

POTO Medley in English from 2013 (Wandering Child -> MOTN -> Think of Me -> All I Ask of You -> - he could easily be in English POTO honestly since he speaks English very well. He sings the actual show pretty differently and his vocals have improved, but it's still very nice and interesting to listen to after all this time.

Ah next one is cursed I know I know...but he almost convinced me this show can be good like a very talented scammer. Please stick to only covers of this though... He's sung the English version before a few times, but here's the Korean one:

And some non-POTO promo to show off his range because he's kind of crazy

And that's it for all my Phantom reviews! 6 out of 6 shows yay! If you made it to this point thank you for reading and enduring. I hope my insanity brought you some kind of joy and entertainment. I just wanted to share everything I could so other people could have a taste in some way and so I could relive and document my memories. It was truly a dream experience for a longtime POTO fan to be able to see the show done in so many ways over just a few days.

#오페라의 유령 #the phantom of the opera #poto korea #최재림 #송은혜 #송원근 #poto review #poto seoul #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연

[lucygold95]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 집팬텀 x 송크리 Review 5/6

October 13, 2023 - Evening / 1500th Korean performance

The Phantom of the Opera | 김주택 Kim Ju-taek/Julian Kim

Christine Daaé | 송은혜 Song Eun-hye

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 황건하 Hwang Gun-ha

Carlotta Giudicelli | 이지영 Lee Ji-young

Oh another incident of me making excuses to see this show again...

@capitanogiorgio really wanted to go and how could I miss the chance to go with a great friend

it was the 1500th Korean performance

I wanted to see Ju-taek with a completely different cast rotation

...it's King Ju-taek, that's reason enough

It was meant to be because when I checked in with her after ticketing, I had bought a seat right in front of hers without even trying. I was just aiming for the general area. So yeah I'm justified! The stars aligned! No regrets, because this was another performance that blew me away and oh boy I cried again somehow what is this dark magic being done to me

I'm so dumb and I left my binoculars in my hotel room so I literally had to run to grab them and my art print for Yoon Young-seok during intermission. Like I said before though, the Charlotte is very small. The view from the last two seats genuinely doesn't feel that far away like it might at the Majestic. It's just difficult distinguish expressions. Any pair of binoculars and opera glasses can easily rectify that.

Backstage | Little Lotte / The Mirror

Quoting Ceci's notes "XOXO Gossip girl André" I just needed to note his dramatic "WoOoOw~!" and silly teenage girl giggling as they left Raoul to be alone with Christine. So scandalous! We both especially liked his delivery in The Mirror this performance. Even with such a powerful commanding voice he's able to make himself sound gentler and a lot less intimidating in response to Christine. Her words clearly have an affect on him, softening him. He called to her more quietly and eerily this time, but oh that nice little build up again in the final words telling her to come closer? Chef's kiss. Very nice range.

The Music of the Night

As with Dong-seok, SEH Christine was more curious about him and is not the fully obedient student like SJS Christine. It makes it interesting when she's paired with the more controlling Phantoms like KJT or CJR. Even so, these two had some interesting chemistry. He actually got a bit too caught up in the moment, leaning in very close to her (the almost kiss). There was a little bit more urgency when he quickly backed away even though he immediately pretended to be composed again. So maybe she hadn't fully given in yet, but she definitely was getting a little too curious. Both shows it did look he kept getting pulled by small stirrings of something from the intimacy, but he was always quick about brushing it off. This night for the line, "마침내 내 것이 될 순간 / The moment you'll finally be mine" - he put the whispered emphasis on "be mine" By the end, she was definitely more convinced by him and open to listening. But of course, getting jumpscared by a bride replica of yourself might be a bit of a vibe killer so hm that progress kinda dropped

Stranger Than You Dreamt It

Like I said, I left my binoculars for Act 1 so this part was kinda agonizing because I couldn't see facial expressions. But he really sounded more exposed and hysterical after his unmasking than before. He ended his outburst with loud gasps and even the first half of STYDI which was clearly meant to sound intimidating and harsh felt shaky. Once again, SEH Christine didn't take her eyes off of the Phantom when he came near. She began to reach for him when he was close like she had done with JDS Phantom, but he turned away too quickly...

Why Have You Brought Me Here? / All I Ask of You

Side-eyeing the hell out of HGH Raoul again, but extra this time. Until he's just about to start AIAOY, he just comes across as judgmental and irritated with her. Although I definitely prefer him over Hadley, he's a little too much of that type of hot-headed for me. I found it funny that Ju-taek talked about HGH Raoul always being angry. Like even directing his anger at Christine (he noted his way of shouting "이쪽으로 와요 / Come this way!!!" at Christine before she takes him to the rooftop and the way he shouts at Madame Giry). It's too accurate 😭 Anyway, not technically a bad performance, just not my preference with personalities for Raoul. I think he would suit the role of the Phantom a lot more when he’s older 👀 To more briefly summarize this I'm quoting Ceci's notes again: "Tiger big douche tonight?" I will give him that he is very cute during AIAOY and I wish he would continue to be this cute. He was romantic and very passionate about it! I just have a radio performance to share so sadly you won't get the real feeling, but it's at least a little taste?

Wandering Child

I know the Phantom's murdering and kidnapping and whatnot but this is in his top crimes like he's a real bitch for this. He made himself sound so safe and inviting in 'Wandering Child' like leave her alone you weirdo!! And SEH Christine responds with "아빠 - Father?" whenever the Phantom calls for her to come closer at the end of the trio's singing. No, girl, no! 😭 His voice made a complete transformation after being interrupted by Raoul. Suddenly, he had a strong terrifying authoritative presence.

The Point of No Return

I loved how he gently tilted her chin with his fingers during the beginning of his half of the song like Dong-seok had at my first performance 🤭 His voice felt really strong, he really seemed determined and confident, but once again he was absolutely on edge when they get to the bench and struggling to grasp for that "control" he thought he had. They ended the song very close!! He wasn't even able to finish singing the final word. The adrenaline rush was gone. He was scared now. Despite being so intense before, his voice and the way he went to take her hand for the ring became so gentle, but also desperate and rushed at the same time. ...but why did the rooster NO!! get funnier to me. I'm so sorry!

Final Lair

During ‘Down Once More’ she tried to touch him, but he grabbed her angrily to stop her. I think she tried to reach to him or touch him a few other times like when she said she didn’t fear his face anymore, but this only made him panic and lash out more. He was really agitated and on edge! There were a lot more aggressive responses as attempts to suppress his doubts about his actions. Deep down he knew he sensed what he was doing was wrong, but he kept clinging to this feeling of betrayal and the excuse of his face to justify pushing forward. But we're past the point of no return, we can only go full speed ahead now. The way he mocked Raoul seemed so calm, but when HGH Raoul started snapping at him he matched his energy a lot more viciously than when interacting with SWG Raoul. He pounded his chest during the line "이 모든 건 이미 결정된 것 / All of this has already been decided" with a pained emphasis on 'decided'. I think deep inside he already might have known what the ending would have to be Ohhhh when Raoul asked why he would force her to choose a lie this time it enraged the Phantom so much he grunted loudly and looked like he was about to actually strangle him when he lunged at him. SEH Christine was brave about blocking his path and he stormed off again because he couldn't hurt her. But it's kind of funny to me that Ju-taek said the aggression from HGH Raoul triggers more anger from him (that was clear), but when facing SWG Raoul he almost feels bad for him. He also said putting the noose on SWG Raoul is easy, but then HGH Raoul is kinda scary and angry. Personally, I think that putting a noose on HGH Raoul is the equivalent of putting a chihuahua leash on a tiger and hoping it'll hold. The way he gave his "믿었다... 날 믿었다고... / Trusted...you trusted me" reply was sharp, almost sarcastic and he shouted for her to make her choice looking seriously anguished. She looked wounded and sobbed before she began to respond. The kiss was similar to the one with SJS and SEH Christine really didn't want to leave him either. She was trying to stretch her hand out to him while HGH Raoul kept insisting they needed to leave. When he called himself the angel of death she was shaking her head. Hadn't she just expressed something different to him? It looked like it hurt her to still hear those kinds of words from him. But the weight of his guilt was really crushing him so much that he couldn't take it. He fell to the ground crying hard when he chased them away. Upon seeing Christine return, he sighed a little. She was whimpering and sobbing as he told her that he loved her and she nodded slowly in return. He really tried hard to make it look like he was at peace with letting her go, but it was clear he wasn't ready. The moment her hand left his, he let out a shaky sigh like she was his very breath being taken away from him when she ran off crying. But he didn't try to stop her in any way. He just kissed the ring softly and walked picked up the veil on the ground. He quietly repeated her name into the veil over and over again lovingly before he did the same action with the veil singing his final lines. Even though SEH Christine doesn't look at her Phantoms, she sounded mournful and shaky on the way out. I don't think she'd even be able to handle looking at him again

Here's yet another special commemorative audience photo woo! Ceci and I stretched into the aisle so we could find ourselves later and not just be a blur in the crowd and well...there we are. I think he took like 3 different poses before deciding the last one was the right one heh

I think in general the cast was on fire! There was a lot of good energy since it was another special performance. Part of the multiple reasons I chose to attend! After this I could say with confidence that Kim Ju-taek has now ended up being in my top favorite Phantoms. I know he had performance experience from opera, but I still can't believe he's been able to come up one of the most unique perspectives I've seen for this role for his first musical. Now my friends and I have all sorts of future role ideas, so I hope he continues to do musicals in the future! Just one more review left now~

It's promo time enjoy some performances to cleanse your ears!

#the phantom of the opera #poto korea #김주택 #송은혜 #황건하 #이지영 #오페라의 유령 #poto review #poto seoul #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연

[lucygold95]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 조팬텀 x 손크리 Review 4/6

October 13, 2023 - Matinée

The Phantom of the Opera | 조승우 Jo Seung-woo

Christine Daaé | 손지수 Sohn Ji-soo

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 송원근 Song Won-geun

Carlotta Giudicelli | 이지영 Lee Ji-young

Final boss of ticketing, Jo Seung-woo! The last one I snatched out of the four in one single ticketing after an hour of suffering. He's a pretty big actor who sells out shows quickly and has also been in dramas and movies. By the time you make it into one of his schedules' seating charts, the seats are all grayed out. So I had to keep refreshing and playing fucking whack-a-mole with the single color specks for any released seats that would pop up. One time I even even made it all the way to confirming payment and it said someone else took it. I actually thought I was about to turn into the Joker. But I am stronger! I won! And after seeing his performance in person? It was worth the fight.

I'll start this off with this tweet:

Shoutout to the guy next to me that was in shambles crying through his binoculars I hope he lived. Admittedly I did get teary-eyed myself! Which is quite an accomplishment even if it wasn't full blown tears like when seeing Ju-taek because I thought I was immune to this show after so long! But this is like uber sad pathetic wet cat man. My seat was actually a great unobstructed view with lots of space in the aisle. The Charlotte is so small that absolutely any view here is a good one especially if you have a pair of opera glasses/binoculars. Also I was safe from the piercing screams of the ballet girls! Hurray!

Hannibal Rehearsal

I really thought "I'll only use my binoculars for the major scenes with the trio because it's too tiring to hold them up", but that was a lie because I loved observing the supporting cast and ensemble too much. This time I watched for the smaller details like Christine quietly singing along to herself on the side while Carlotta was singing 'Think of Me'. Both Christines do it, but I remembered to look for it this show :') Kim Ah-seon had been clearly still recovering from being sick the previous performances, but I think she finally had her strength again this show. I love how elegant and dignified she is and her strong line delivery

The Mirror

Hearing Raoul's voice made the Phantom shoot a dark glare towards the dressing room door. Then, with the slightest smirk, he invited Christine into the mirror. Is somebody proud they managed to swipe the girl from the pretty young rich boy tonight? Ha

First Lair | POTO / MOTN / STYDI

Even if he's like...the most sad sewer creature-y of the Phantoms he's still got his charm okay! His voice isn't very strong, but I think he was able to handle it well enough during my show. He sounds older than he is actually is to me. How do I elaborate without making it sound backhanded? Even though he struggles in some areas with his singing, I think his vocal color is still suited for the energy his Phantom has. I'm just going to have to hope you understand me 😭 Whatever he lacks in that department, he certainly makes up for it in acting. It seems like he never stops onstage, like he's always making so many little choices at every moment. So it was a bit hard to keep track of everything he did because he was constantly doing something and was really immersed. I liked the sort of dreamy delivery of the beginning lines like the whispered way he sings "어둠...속에 - in the darkness". Halfway through the song he seems to build a little more enthusiasm seeing how open she is to him. He used more soft hand movements to act out certain parts of the lyrics like both his ear and then his body when he sang 들어, 느껴 - hear it, feel it". It's like really wanted to paint a clear picture of his mysterious beautiful dark world of music for Christine. I liked when he did a gesture with his hands like energy bursting free when he sang his big note in “네 영혼 다시 태어날 순간 / The moment your soul will be reborn” (let your soul take you where you long to be). This version of the line is unique to his Phantom. He smiled a lot and although he had a bit of a slight odd nervous energy, he still managed to maintain eye contact with her most of the time. Once he finally held her, he rested his head on her shoulder and whispered his words into her ear. 👀 He looked really worried and tried to catch her when she fell. After putting the cloak on her, I think he went to touch her, but stopped himself feeling a bit nervous. He put his hand on his chest instead to finish his final note

"Fake it til you make it" was working so well until it wasn't. Whatever confidence he built up during MOTN...bye. He's a little scary at the end when he shrieks out the 'Curse you!' and an extra 'No!' But most of all he's just really sad. When he asked her "what did you hope to see?" while chasing her, his voice sounded hurt and there was fear in his eyes. Like why, why did you have to be curious when I actually had it under control somehow? He slid slowly to the ground in defeat halfway through the song when he began the crawl. He eventually stopped making an effort to cover his face on his way toward her. Maybe he was so destroyed he didn't have the energy to. I liked how natural his acting felt here. It was tragic without being over the top. But I felt this about a lot of his choices in general

All I Ask of You (Reprise)

What a sad little man, completely a wreck. He covered his ears pleading "그만 제발 그만 크리스틴 다에 ! - Stop, please stop, Christine Daaé!" There should be a Christine Daaé name drop counter for Jo Phantom. He loves to say her name!!

Why So Silent? / Notes II

Taking focus away from the main roles for a moment, André is sooo extra stressed by this point. He fumbled the score when the Phantom tossed it to him. He does this every show, but this time I only just noticed him quickly doing sign of the cross during Notes II when they were opening up letters. He got super jumpy Also, Firmin and André start laughing to each other and making silly gestures making fun of Piangi when the Phantom starts attacking him in his note, but as soon as he addresses them, oh it suddenly really wasn't funny anymore!

The Point of No Return

Somebody help this man he already got jumpy simply just hearing her start to sing. 🤭 JSW Phantom seemed like the weakest one here across from Christine. He’s writhing terribly and gripping himself He was startled the most when she was close behind and he began to tremble. But when Christine finally touches him he moaned a little. It wasn't very loud, but it definitely was there and he threw his head back. His hands reached up to his face as he looked up before he finally held hers. This proposal was a mess. He got down on one knee at one point, but then he got too freaked out and shot right back up again as if he realized it was too vulnerable of a position to be in. When he was unmasked, he didn't scream and it was actually really heartbreaking to me. Like I do love a good scream, but ouch. His face dropped and he froze in complete shock looking like he'd been stabbed in the heart. His eyes darted around for a moment seeing everyone watching him like a trapped animal. It took him a moment to snap out of his daze and run off with her.

Down Once More / Final Lair

After throwing Christine, he almost looked regretful like he realized he was too hard, but then tried to push forward. Because he was fueled by anger, he didn't hide his face away as much like usual. It was still clear he was very actively disgusted by it. He touched his face for a moment after he let go of her and then immediately wiped his hand on his thigh. This performance he was actually able to look into her eyes when giving her the bouquet instead of looking down in shame. When he picked up the mirror bride to toss her he sang his lines into her ear in a whisper and actually very gently just plopped her on the ground instead of throwing her. I love this weird little detail I won't lie...it was kinda cute and silly that he had to hop a little to reach Won-geun's neck with the lasso haha. It's not supposed to be cute but I find it cute okay. He covered his ears while crying when she was coming over to him before the kiss :( After the first kiss it looked like he put his face in her shoulder for a moment, but still didn't have his hands on her. He seemed to give in a little for a second, but then took her hand off his head, looked at it for a moment, and gently wiped it with his sleeve like he couldn't let her have his filth taint her... When he approached Raoul with the candle, he could almost barely be heard whispering "Raoul de Chagny..." slowly in a chilling way before releasing him and turning away. I think he harbors the most bitterness towards Raoul out of the Phantoms. He's the most insecure one, and Raoul is everything he'll never be. He fell and pressed his head into the ground roughly while shaking when he screamed for them to leave him. And his scream was so painful and raw I don't know how he lets that out. He stayed like this for a while before he crawled clumsily and quickly towards the monkey in desperate need of any kind of comfort. He put his forehead head against it, closed his eyes tightly and held it so closely while he sang Masquerade. Christine came back and he tried to fix his hair and clothes before going to her I think SJS Christine was a good match for his interpretation of the Phantom because of how unconditionally compassionate she is. He was very fragile and she's very caring and gentle. I think she really did view JSW Phantom as her guardian and guide and had a very pure deep kind of love for him. Maybe not romantic love, but it was very strong either way. She watched him closely in the boat as she left, but he was facing the other way gripping her veil, repeating her name over and over. He turned at the last moment and called out "Christine Daaé!" one more time to her running over to take in the sight of her one last time. His final lines are actually different from the other Phantoms. It only just hit me the other day that they're the same as the lines from the original production in 2001-2. No idea why it took me that long to make the connection, but I found it interesting enough to note!

I really want to do musical promo time, but I really don't think what's on youtube does him justice. So let me just say his 2019 Jekyll/Hyde + Sweeney Todd and his Hedwig? Incredible. There's a reason for that ticket selling power he has and I say that completely unbiased!

Also lol at the person in front of me on the plane to Seoul that was watching his movie 'The Classic' because I was like "oh hey it's you I'm seeing you in a few days"

#오페라의 유령 #조승우 #손지수 #송원근 #poto korea #poto review #poto seoul #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연

[lucygold95]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 동팬텀 x 송크리 Review 3/6

October 12, 2023

The Phantom of the Opera | 전동석 Jeon Dong-seok

Christine Daaé | 송은혜 Song Eun-hye

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 황건하 Hwang Gun-ha

Carlotta Giudicelli | 이지영 Lee Ji-young

Round 2 of Jeon Dong-seok! Ah let's see what my excuse was this time... "How could I possibly let go of a center 5th row seat that I snatched? And a different Christine, Raoul, and Carlotta means it's a different experience!" Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, Elisa. But hey it was very different!!!

Here's my second silly little Dong-seok ticket holder because I booked both of his seats on Yes24. I was 5th row center this time, which was almost out of the chandelier's range and just ever so slightly more to the left than my previous seat. But this is still an incredibly close view …and I still brought my binoculars to stare everyone down despite that.

Hannibal Rehearsal / Think of Me

I'm really in love with Lee Ji-young Carlotta. She definitely acts like a very classy and elegant normally, but she's really cute and dramatic when she gets angry. She leans more into the Italian accent and the stubborn demanding diva attitude. I thought she fit very well with Park Hoe-rim's Piangi because of her personality and voice.

I like the detail right before 'Think of Me' starts when Song Eun-hye's Christine does this little throat clearing and nervous swallow. Her eyes were wide like a deer in headlights. Ji-soo acted more timid like she was about to melt on the spot, but she was about to bolt I think this is one of her best moments in the show. She's radiant and truly looks like a new soprano making her debut. Despite her voice still being a little strained from illness (you may or may not recall she was out a few days which resulted in the understudy Kwon Ga-min's very eventful debut), I still enjoyed her vibrant enthusiasm that shined through. Her cadenza is beautiful and she holds her last notes for such a long time before she gives the cutest proudest bow to complete the song. Hwang Gun-ha's Raoul is so funny when he gets up to cheer for Christine because he's really loud and boisterous. He's probably especially embarrassing for the managers to sit with bless his heart Unfortunately, you can't appreciate the full acting and extension of her notes with this video but you can still at least appreciate her voice:

Angel of Music/Little Lotte/The Mirror

She has lots of little girlish mannerisms in addition to the cute awkwardness before 'Think of Me'. When Meg wanted to know who taught her, Christine opened her mouth excited like she was about to speak, but then paused looking like she was very stumped about how to even begin explaining. After hugging Raoul, she was particularly flustered by the closeness and looked around nervously. She also looks at her hand and touches it in surprise when he kisses it on the way out of the dressing room. Gun-ha's voice is very unique and quite deep for a Raoul. His Raoul definitely has that charismatic aristocratic feeling. Some people find it strange, but it doesn't bother me honestly. My grievances to air are about other things that I'll explain later. I had a much closer view and better angle of 'The Mirror' this time both with and without binoculars (yes even that close I was pulling those out okay) so I was able to see the Phantom's face a lot clearer in the mirror. At one point he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply with his hand to his chest like he was really satisfied hearing her plea to him. I think SEH Christine's reacted to the Phantom like she finally needed to understand who her Angel of Music was. She was nervous, but looked slightly excited as well.

The Phantom of the Opera

I got to experience Dong-seok's third boat failure. That's four if you wanna include him crashing his Y&K Phantom boat (yes I'll always bring it up and make fun of that it's funny) I was wondering why the boat hadn't come out yet and I thought maybe it'd be okay when I saw the front peeking out a bit even though it was oddly coming out from the side rather than the back...and then I saw him uselessly rowing without moving until he just gave up. Anyway, Jesus miracles were performed once again! He very sweetly guided Christine, lighting the way for her and showing off the view. They looked at each other when they sang the "fantasies/secrets" line and he lifted her chin up to meet her eyes. He smiled when he nodded once with SJS, but because of the unique situation here, it seemed even sweeter. :') Also, since I was so close, I could see the doubles they used for the walkway above with my binoculars

The Music of the Night

SEH Christine takes a bit longer to warm up to the Phantom. She started off more hesitant and wary yet still curious. I wouldn't say she's afraid, just uncertain. JDS Phantom was especially awkward and inexperienced, even more than the last time. He felt like a younger man experiencing his first love. I just think he feels and tries to be seductive, suave, romantic, etc, but he gets so overstimulated easily that he ends up fumbling. It was like she was an alluring fire that he was drawn to, but he kept foolishly burning himself getting too close. Like before, he touched her shoulder lightly and briefly, but pulled back nervously with a wavering voice before using his other arm to wrap around her. But you could see a bit of subtle relief when she relaxed in his arms. I remember Christine sort of nuzzling in closer to him which gave him more confidence to lean in as well. He was still a little shaky though trying to hold in his emotions By the end of the song SEH Christine a lot more at ease with the Phantom and actually captivated by him. She was finally starting to understand the beauty of this music of the night that he was trying to show her. Both Christines would get very moved at the end with watery ears, but I think this is the show I actually saw the tears falling from one of them. I could see him wiping the tears from her face gently when he had put his cloak over her at the end

Stranger Than You Dream it

I'm trying not to laugh typing this, but I think the pose he had here when he turned to face her looked so...here I'll leave this:

It was this, but he was angry and covering his face with the hand that's not holding him up and leaning forward more. Everyone else was on their knees, but he had to stick his long leg all the way out for some reason which is really not important or notable I guess, but I found it amusing okay SEH Christine always watches the Phantoms while SJS looks down until the end when she starts to feel bad for him. He and Christine had a moment where they reached out to each other at the end of the crawl almost touching before he turned away quickly. I don't think she was really fully afraid of his appearance. It seemed more like his reaction was what upset her. She looked disappointed that she couldn't reach him

Notes I/Prima Donna

LJY Carlotta is so perfectly expressive and she matches so so well with Piangi. I love how she started off Prima Donna so pouty-faced. It seems like she's slowly warming up, trying to hold back from showing that their words are sort of pleasing her because she's still mad and stubborn (and maybe it's also so they can continue showering her with praise)

Il Muto

SEH Serafimo is so sassy. She just makes the silliest most exaggerated looks like pure disgust at the kiss or huge goo-goo eyes at the Countess. She puffs out her chest with her hands on her hips making a pouty face like she's this little charming tough guy. Words don't do it justice honestly. This is my favorite version of this scene

LJY Carlotta also kills me. The way she still tries to act put together, but clearly cannot keep her shit together. She lets out "말하지말고 / Don't speak" as a loud growl like she's emphasizing what she just said to her out of character before. It was hilarious watching Monsieur André's interaction with the conductor below when he was pushing for the ballet to start from this close. He was seriously about to lose his mind.

Masquerade / Why So Silent?

Sitting in a much closer seat, I think I can understand what people mean about hearing Dong-seok sing during Why So Silent. It's not so loud, but it was definitely there under the pre-recording. Under the skull his mouth moved in a much more natural way rather than the exaggerated way needed for the skull to move (which meant the mask didn't move much)

Twisted Every Way

SJS Christine looks so tired of everything during this scene, but SEH Christine is a lot more shaken up whenever she's in distress. I think it's another way her Christine feels a bit younger? But by 'Wishing' you can clearly see the growth she's gone through (although it was stronger in the second two performances I saw because she still seemed a bit ill this one) LJY Carlotta develops some more sympathy towards Christine at this point so when she says she's crazy, it sounds more like she's genuinely concerned for her mental state HGH Raoul. is so loud at the end I thought my ear drums would explode in the 5th row. You can accumulate severe ear damage between him and the ballerina screams. (Although I also just think the sound in the theaters I went to was incredibly loud because Rebecca Act 2 almost burst my eardrums as well in 2nd row)

The Point of No Return

And again, the more he's around Christine, the more destructive it is for him. You're just hurting yourself, king! He was extremely anxious around her, back to his usual route. Rather than the frustration he had before, he had quickly rising anxiety. He clutched his chest during the same line that KJT Phantom had mimicked Christine's movements at his performances. As he reached back for her on the bench, he was shaking and not brave enough to lean closer to her. This proposal he was a spineless disaster. He could barely get near her to put on the ring when he had been so forceful about it the previous performance. It didn't feel inconsistent though. It just seemed like a different branch for his Phantom, an alternate outcome for the same characterization.

Final Lair

SJS Christine was so afraid looking around and clinging to the edge of the boat when she would get taken down to the lair in 'Down Once More'. SEH looked frightened as well, but then in response to the Phantom's words she turned cold. Every performance SEH Christine would plead "잠깐만! 잠깐만! 잠깐만!" (- Hold on, hold on! or Wait, wait!) til he let her go. JDS Phantom was especially childish this performance. Or I guess in a different way? The previous show he had his angry tantrum, this one he was a complete wet mop of a man. When he said his face is what poisoned his love reaching out to her, she rejected him, turning away bitterly. But when she told him she wasn't afraid of his face, she tried to touch him and he gasped and started hyperventilating a little The energy JDS Phantom and HGH Raoul had when arguing though like oooo the girls are fiiiiightiiiing~ It was a little funny Most of his reactions to Christine's rejections like the veil throwing were actually chipping away at him this time instead of building an icy wall. I also think since SEH is the "stronger" more independent Christine these responses were maybe rougher to this more sensitive version of his Phantom When he was on the throne at the end, he reached to touch her face, but stopped and began to stutter out "날...날..시ㅣ험...하지마..." ('Don't test me") trying to stop himself from crying. This performance he opted for one of his occasional line changes - "선택해 - Choose" to "날 선택해 - Choose me!" Tears were pouring from his face and he was pulling at his collar again like he was struggling to breathe while sobbing. The kiss was similar to the one before, but I think he looked sadder When he sang "사랑해 / I love you" the first show, it was so soft you could barely hear it and the end was barely audible. This time he was choking on the word while SEH also struggled not to cry. She tried to reach out to him from the start, but because he was so stuck in his self-hatred and insecurity, they were never given a chance. So this is where they ended up. After Christine and Raoul got into the boat, he picked up the veil smiling before he slowly began to sob intensely into it. He looked like he had completely fallen apart

I think I preferred the October 8th show just because it felt so unique, but I felt so happy I could see Jeon Dong-seok twice (well three times on the trip, but twice as the Phantom) and get such different experiences out of it each time. I'm also really glad he was able to achieve his longtime dream role ❤️ I'd like to hope that in another decade-ish whenever POTO comes back he can return to the role and give us an new version with even more skills he's learned overtime (also because I think he'd be the perfect age then)

I feel like I should now mention they already had the Dracula video ads up in the theater since he made a u-turn back to the Charlotte for the show. He'll be on one of the 3 CDs for the new Dracula cast recording (why couldn't they do this for POTO) So there was double Dong-seok all over the theater. What a nice sight for me 😌

I will drop promo just because I can! He is now unmasking himself to reveal a pretty face instead of unmasking to reveal uh...well what the Phantom has going on?

Since there's not really official content of his ALW POTO, you can also have a taste of his Y&K Erik (there is also a version of the live cast recording with him as Erik with Kim So-hyun as Christine) Come join me as I pray for him to return to the show for the 10th anniversary in 2025 so I can go see him.

#the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #전동석 #송은혜 #황건하 #이지영 #poto review #poto seoul #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연

[lucygold95]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 집팬텀 x 손크리 Review

October 11, 2023 - Evening

The Phantom of the Opera | 김주택 Kim Ju-taek/Julian Kim

Christine Daaé | 손지수 Sohn Ji-soo

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 송원근 Song Won-geun

Carlotta Giudicelli | 한보라 Han Bo-ra

Walked out of the theater, face in my hands, soul in pieces, etc etc. Listen, I've been a POTO fan most of my life and after a while you become used to (?) not easily moved anymore by (?) things in this show even though you still love it deeply. You love and enjoy new casts, but it's pretty difficult for some to stand out enough to squeeze their way into the top tier. So tell me why I haven't cried watching it in at least over a decade and I left this performance with full tears streaming down my face? I need therapy Actually, this pair needs to use their POTO paychecks to pay for my therapy because this is their fault!

My favorite performance and my favorite seat right under the chandelier (things that were way too expensive on Broadway)! Let's pretend I didn't arrive just 7 minutes before the performance after over-estimating the time I had to get there after seeing Rebecca because I was not expecting to have 500 disasters happen to me on the way. But I lived!

Admittedly, at the time of casting I was a bit unsure seeing an opera singer with no musical experience taking on the role. It's not that I automatically assumed the worst, it's just that this brings its own obstacles (the type of singing, acting, etc). But he has really been able to turn that experience in addition to his passion for music into an advantage for himself. He brought such a fresh new interpretation to the role that was so nice to see after being a fan for so long. 🥹 So now I've ended up with a new surprise favorite Phantom in my top ranks. I was very impressed, I'm a big fan now

The Mirror/Angel of Music

KJT Phantom had such a powerful entrance that it gave me chills hearing his booming voice. It sounds crazy. But I loved how clearly his tone shifted after hearing Christine respond to him SJS Christine seemed very worried about disappointing him. I think she tries really hard to gain his favor because she holds him in such high regard.

The Phantom of the Opera

His Phantom is possessive and mentor-like. Already in the title song he's looking at her like he's so proud of the student he's created. At "In all your fantasies-" he sings "I gave you all of those fantasies, all of those secrets-" and when she finishes the line "-you gave them to me" his gaze feels strong and he nods approvingly. Like - Yes, I taught you well. I gave you all of this. When they get off the boat he really turned into a strict teacher with the way he commands her to sing I know title song is pre-recorded, but wow...opera singer pair is so healing for your ears actually. Both Kim Ju-taek and Sohn Ji-soo studied at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, Italy so this was a pair that was meant to happen 🙏 My soul was happy, I was ascending.

The Music of the Night

Even though he put himself in this teacher position with her, I think at this point in the run he had softened up a bit. By the time he started his last lines before MOTN, his eyes were brighter and filled with adoration and fascination. He worships her, but his feelings aren't quite romantic yet (something Ju-taek said himself about his interpretation). KJT Phantom has hidden himself from the world and buried himself in music to keep himself safe. So it's everything to him, his biggest priority, the most important thing in the world. So Christine is precious to him more as his muse, as the key to making his music - his whole purpose - come to life. He has to shape and tune her into the perfect instrument. I have to talk about his voice more god he really had fantastic control. I think he sounded heavier and leaned into the big full operatic voice most of the time in the early Busan days, but there was more nuance here. His stability in his higher register had improved and it didn't feel like the light notes got shaky or were cut off too soon. I got chills after his big powerful note in MOTN because of the gentle way he sang the next line. "마침내 내 것이 될 순간 / The moment you'll finally be mine - he put the whispered emphasis on "finally" this performance. He finally had what he needed to complete his music. The way he acted when he came close to her was like she was a precious treasure he had handle very carefully. SJS Christine has fantastic chemistry with him. She's more trusting and swayed by the Phantom more easily. His passion for music really seemed to draw her to him. At times though, it felt like he was under a spell himself as well. He had a lot of power, but getting close to her you could sense he was a little bit overwhelmed with the slightest hand trembling. There were moments of "distractions" to his lesson. He doesn't act overly flustered, but when Christine almost kissed him he gasped a bit when pulling away. Like "Okay wow! Uh, time to move along, learn how to redirect that passion elsewhere~" I cannot blame her for being so very into his whole thing though. Regardless of his real intentions, if someone was looking at me and treating me like that I'd definitely be like "what are we" If I'm forgetting something (feel free to correct me, I have the worst memory sometimes) but I noticed that the Korean lyrics actually don't have the Phantom mentioning "love" in Act 1? I believe the first time he actually used this was when he was plagiarizing Raoul proposing to Christine after PONR. So it made his interpretation work pretty well in my opinion. But also, king...then what the hell kind of weird artistic (?) symbolism (?) are you going for with this bride replica for your student. Christine, this is a symbol of...uh...you devoting your life to music with me? : ) Yeah okay that's normal!

You can listen to a TV performance of Music of the Night here for a little taste! It's amazing, but I think he sounds even better now. Some of his gestures and expressions here are a little similar to his actual performance, but obviously not fully like it

Stranger Than You Dreamt It

So he definitely has a frightening temper, but you can tell his outbursts are very fear-driven. The beginning of STYDI sounded threatening and cold, but halfway through that wall he put up started to crack and reveal this vulnerable insecure side of him. Throughout the show, he basically acts like a wounded animal that lashes out in defense, but then cowers and shrinks in fear immediately after. He would snap, but then be close to falling apart moments later. Quite a rollercoaster! Christine had been looking away at the ground, but she finally slowly turned to face him with teary eyes. As soon as he met her eyes he started realizing the position they both were in and looking a little regretful. She moved like she wanted to go comfort him after he turned around, but stopped herself and reached for his mask instead. It was after receiving the mask that it seemed like his feelings actually began to shift into something new. ...Oh well! Time to smack whatever the hell this feeling is away, I'm taking you back upstairs!

All I Ask of You (Reprise)

To him, he gave her the most beautiful gift and instead of devoting herself to him and his music, she was ungrateful and used it against him. Just threw it away for some stupid boy! He has no idea he actually just wants to be in the stupid boy's position! You have feelings for her now! Anyway he's mostly very fragile in this part and I thought his transition to rage during Christine and Raoul's singing was very smoothly done. Honestly though first moment I saw him I just thought of him saying he has to be really still or else the angel starts swaying and then everyone's paying attention whatever the hell is going on up there instead of Christine and Raoul because it was making some slight movement above me 🤭

Wandering Child/Bravo Monsieur

Oh, I loved the difference between these parts. He starts this off so warmly and delicately. It's after Raoul demanded him to stop that he became hostile with a very stern, dark, and deep voice. The way he growled Christine's name when calling her before 'Bravo Monsieur' was harsh and commanding like he was getting impatient. Major temper issues! He sounded like he was scolding them for disobeying him at the end in scary teacher mode. The audacity trying to act like an authority figure so much...

The Point of No Return

Once again he tried really hard to be controlling, but he was fighting being controlled by her himself (something that she doesn't realize of course). "The moment my fate is about to be sealed - I won't regret this" he sings as the last lines of his part. Ohoho, I think he is definitely regretting it from the start though, let's not lie. He already was kind of wriggling and having difficulty facing her before she reached for him I really like the detail where he mirrors Christine when she entwines her fingers together for the choreo (singing "내 곁에, 내 품에 / beside me, in my arms" -> “defenseless and silent”). It looked like he was trying to keep himself composed and focus on everything playing out exactly as he planned so he could ignore that he had just cornered himself. Always, always trying to push his feelings down with distractions or anger!! He kept reaching for his face and cloak when he wasn't sure what to do with his hands. He's very restless and sort of glanced to the side nervously a few times too like he needed to know what she was about to do at any moment Poor Ji-soo struggled getting his hood off. You could hear the mic getting smacked loudly on the first attempt. I actually got kinda worried she would knock off the mask early, but it was fine! But lol what could the Phantom be thinking in universe Anyway it felt like this was finally the moment he started to understand what this feeling he had was all along. He wanted her for more than his music. And since he had no idea how to express his feelings because he barely even understand what the hell they were until now...uh...shit quick! Let's steal lines from the guy who did know what he was doing! Okay, but I have to admit that the way he screams "안돼! / NO!" is really funny. He sounds like a possessed rooster. Dinosaur? Eh, same thing

Final Lair

Category 10 emotional disaster no survivors and the ground is radioactive after. You can really see the internal conflict in the smallest of changes on his face. There was so much uncertainty about his actions and a weird guilt creeping up. He hesitated and had a panicked look for a moment when she said she didn't fear his face anymore. Quickly, he snapped out of it and continued in a rushed sloppy manner like he hadn't heard her. He couldn't believe her rejection was for any reason other than his face. Or maybe he couldn't allow himself to believe it. Every rejection she gives him, every cold word made him look more and more doubtful which only made him increasingly desperate. He actually can't handle upsetting her now. If he doesn't shout and unleash his emotion as rage it seems like the only other way to do it would be with tears. Oh man and he lunged at Raoul when he asks him why he should force her to choose a lie like he's trying to strangle him and shut him up. He was so frustrated growling loudly when Christine got in the way. When Christine tells him "음악의 천사 위선자여! 믿었는데 그댈 / Angel of music, you hypocrite! I trusted you!" -> (“Angel of music you deceived me! I gave my mind blindly!”) he usually replies with “믿었다... 날...믿었다고... / Trusted...you trusted me“ in disbelief. When he looked at her you could see in his tearful eyes - You trusted me? Did you really? So then why all of this, why not me? - In this moment he looked like he already knew what his choice would have to be in the end. So when she told him he wasn't alone, he was shaking his head just before she turned him around. No, I will have to be alone in the end because I have to let her go During the second kiss, he almost fully surrendered. His expression was so calm for just a moment and his hands hovered so close to her back before one strayed up quickly to gently but quickly pull her away from his face. He couldn't let it continue. He looked at her hands then quickly covered them both with his when he registered what she had just done. He then reached up to his own face as he stumbled away. When he looked between Christine and then Raoul his face actually looked so mortified and ashamed at the situation he had created. His eyes were wide and his hand reached up to his mouth for a moment like the truth of the situation hit him, like he had finally woken up. I think now he was more disgusted at his own actions than he was of his face. He realized in the end what the problem really was. While he sang that he loved her smiling, SJS Christine shook her head like she wasn't ready to leave him forever. She kissed his hands and they took a long time to separate. He was trying to show her that it was okay, that she needed to leave, but they practically needed to peeled away from each other with how long they dragged it on. He kissed the ring when she was gone. Actually, Ju-taek said he wishes the way he could say "I love you" could be "I'm sorry" in this moment. Like "I'm sorry for being selfish, I'm sorry for only using you and not treating you like a person. Now I know I love you, so you have to go" Oh, I was going to be sick!!! I think her line here ("share each day with me, each night, each morning") is like CHRISTINE: 말해줘요 그대 단 한 사람 / Tell me you’re the only one RAOUL: 결코 변치 않을 한 사람 / The only person who will never change CHRISTINE: 세월 흘러도 나를, 나만을 / Even as time goes on, me, just me alone (-> followed by "Love me" in AIAOY) So when she watches the Phantom it looked like she's asking him to keep loving only her forever. She does this with every Phantom, but because he actually turns around and locks eyes with her as she does it, it was extra painful. He really did hear it, he wasn't too lost in his crying to miss it. Singing the last lines of the show, he held the veil up slowly letting it unravel at the level of her height. It seemed like he was imagining her there before he let it go.

I was sitting there destroyed, but at least curtain call was cute! After Ju-taek kissed Ji-soo’s hand he paused like he realized something and turned around to face Won-geun. He looked at his hand and then back at his eyes and stretched out his hand hoping for Won-geun to put his there. ....But Won-geun is a jerk and slapped his hand away lol. Accept the love! Don't be rude! There's different ways this has gone it's so silly. After Ju-taek kept blowing tons of kisses into the crowd

Anyway to conclude this half of his Phantom reviewing, I'm grateful for Lucy's recommendation to me (to see this pairing specifically). I had been tempted to see him with both Christines because I had grown attached to his Phantom during my wait and it pushed me into giving in and adding this performance to my schedule. It was so wonderful to have my live experiences end up exceeding expectations! ❤️ But this means there's one more KJT Phantom show review too! I can wrap up my thoughts there

#the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #김주택 #손지수 #송원근 #poto review #poto seoul #poto 3rd korea #오페라의 유령 삼연