The Music of the Night

A few years ago, Marina and I watched the 25th anniversary performance of The Phantom of the Opera. Ever since then, she has been dying to see it performed live. In the meantime, she has often listened to and sung along with the soundtrack.

About six months ago, I learned Phantom would be coming to town and Marina was excited to finally see it. We had to wait three months from when I bought the tickets to tonight, when we finally got to see it.

We arrived at the theater before the ushers were seating people. So we got drinks and Marina picked out chocolate covered pretzels for a snack. We also looked at a display of costumes designed for the show. We went to our seats fairly early and sat to wait for the show to begin. The curtain was up, so we could see the set on the stage. To pass the time, we talked with people around us.

When the show began, Marina grabbed my arm and held it tightly. She said, “Thank you for bringing me here!” as the overture played. During the entire show, she watched intently. Occasionally she leaned over and made a comment about the show. She was particularly excited when the title song started. At the end of the first act was startled by the dropping of the chandelier.

We stayed in our seats during intermission and when the second act started she was excited again. She was particularly interested in the costumes and dancing in the song ”Masquerade.”

Once the show was over, she said she loved it. I asked what her favorite part was and she said, “That’s hard. All of it!” At home I had trouble getting her to settle down for bed. Apparently she was filled with too much excitement.