The point of no return

Day 10

--STATS--

Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Genre: musical Broadway

Album: The Phantom of the Opera

Released: 1985

Phantom:

You have come here,

in pursuit of your deepest urge,

in pursuit of that wish which til now

has been silent...

silent...

I have brought you,

that our passions may fuse & merge.

In your mind mind you've already succumbed to me,

dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me.

Now you are here with me-- no second thoughts.

You've decided...

Decided...

Past the point of no return-

no backward glances...

The games we've played til now are at an end...

Past all thoughts of "if" or "when",

no use resisting...

abandon thought and let the dream descend...

What raging fire

shall flood the soul?

what rich desire

unlocks it's door?

What sweet seduction lies

before us...

Past the point of no return-

the final threshold!

What warm unspoken secrets

will we learn...

beyond the point of no return...

Christine:

You have brought me,

to that moment where words run dry.

To that moment where speech disappears

into silence...

Silence...

I have come here,

hardly knowing the reason why!

In my mind I've already imagined

our bodies entwining--

defenseless & silent.

Now you are here with me,

no second thoughts,

I've decided...

Decided...

Past the point of no return--

no going back now!

Our passion play has now,

at last begun...

Past all thought of "right or "wrong",

one final question:

How long should we two wait

before were one?

When will the blood begin to race?

The sleeping bud burst into bloom,

when will the flames at last

consume us...

Both:

Past the point of no return--

the final threshold!

The bridge is crossed,

so stand & watch it burn....

We've past the point of no return...

Wow. I absolutely love this play. I do enjoy many of Andrew Lloyd Webbers plays, but I thoroughly love The phantom of the Opera from top to bottom. It was, obviously, my Dads favorite as well, for he played the cassette of the original cast production often. On long trips in the car, you can almost guarantee it was being played. My earliest memories of hearing & recognizing it would be when I was three. The production first hit Broadway when I was just months old.

By the time I was in fifth grade, I had the whole play memorized. I began introducing it to my friends. We would pretend we were actually going to the Broadway production-- we would get dressed up, put it on the stereo, turn out the lights & lay in bed with our eyes closed, silent the whole time. Wow, what devotion. If I wasn't so prone to stage freight, I probably would have devoted my whole life to the stage, & the chance to play Christine Daa'e, the role as a 10 year old I absolutely believed I was made for. I even tried to put on my own The Phantom, recruiting my classmates for tryouts. It never happened, but I actually did manage to type up the whole script. I ended up turning it into my typing instructor for extra credit. I totally got an A in that class.

I did, in fact, get a chance to see The Phantom of the Opera on stage. Twice. Once, when my father took me in the sixth grade, and another time with my husband, just before my son was born. I was in heaven, although it was hard to watch other cast members, when I had grown up listening to The Original cast recording. No one can quite hold those long & high notes like the great Michael Crawford can. Plus, everyone knows that Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the play for his then wife, Sarah Brightmen. Imagine my difficulty to adapt when the movie came out in 2004. But I did. All in all, I think they did a wonderful job casting for the movie. Gerald Butler is quite easy on the eyes, even as The Phantom, and surprisingly on the ears as well. And the discovery of Emmy Rossem as Christine was simply brilliant. She was only sixteen years old when they started filming!

OK. So I have selected The point of no return, because it is my favorite part in the whole play. just before the climax, there is so much emotion built up in this scene. If you have not seen the play or movie, it is the part where Christine unwillingly plays the leading role in his production of Don Juan to satisfy his request. Meanwhile, the Opera owners and Christines fiance have set up a trap for The phantom, knowing he will be viewing from his box. However, The Phantom knows this, & has other plans. Back stage, he has murdered the actor playing Don Juan & has disguised himself as this character. This song is the song they sing on stage, while the drama is all unfolding in front of everyone. It is very passionate, the lyrics so well thought out ( written by Lyricist Charles Hart), the music desirous. In the movie, the dance moves ooze sex appeal. It is defiantly a fun scene to watch, stimulating to the eyes, and the anticipation of arriving disaster is intense. Of all the scenes, this is the one to watch. But why stop there, the whole musical is worth at least one viewing. Whether you pick the movie over the Broadway production, or vice versa, I highly recommend the romantic & tragic experience. For you men out there-- there is a comedic undertone to the play as well.

Alright, so for all you Phantom fans out there, what does this song mean to you?

P.S. my daughter is into Mama Mia. Can't win them all.