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mortimers-cross · 1 year ago

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*Just adding to this thread because...

I finally read The Infamous Phanfiction Book on which the Infamous Phanfiction Musical is based. And since this is where I threw all my thoughts on the show, might as well paste the book review here too (WARNING: MANY SPOILERS AHEAD):

Well, well, well... after thirteen years of saying 'Someday I will read the phanfiction that inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies, purely out of spite and expecting to gain nothing but a bit of entertainment,' I finally got around to it. And wouldn't you know, I didn't hate it. On the contrary, it gets a solid three stars...really, more like 3.5, if only GoodReads allowed such things. Below, find a bit of a rambling attempt to explain my reasons...

Apart from a few awkward bits, The Phantom of Manhattan is quite well-written. Aside from its being both an imagined sequel to a classic novel and an imagined sequel to an existing adaptation of said novel (and therefore a fanfiction of two works), it can stand alone as a solid piece of historical fiction. I have never read any of Forsyth's other novels, but Phantom has intrigued me enough to look into them someday.

Where Forsyth Does Well:

Telling the story from various characters' perspectives, but under no circumstances writing from the perspectives of Christine or her family. Like Leroux, he uses outsiders as the audience, thus saving himself the pressure of attempting to explain everything going on in the chief players' minds and lives. We only get to know what can be witnessed or overheard. Not only does this method preserve the air of mystery over the events, but it keeps at bay the chief objection when it comes to fanfiction: 'That character would never say/think/do that!' Speaking of which, it's too bad Forsyth didn't apply this same caution to all Leroux' original characters... more on that next...

Where Forsyth Errs:

1. Attempting to get into the minds of two of Leroux' characters. Most of the story is told by Forsyth's own invented characters (outsiders), but he does briefly write from the perspectives of Mme Giry and (the worse mistake) Erik himself. In doing so, he necessarily contradicts his source material in order to fit everything into his own narrative. Best to have treated Erik and Giry like the others and kept them at arm's length. Viewing them through the eyes of outsiders also would have saved Forsyth needing to do so much explaining, which was one of the awkward bits. And speaking of contradicting his source material...

2. His other chief mistake was attempting to make Phantom a sequel to both the original novel and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical. The two are not very much alike apart from the overall premise, and this led to a number of awkward moments within the text.

3. That end scene! I can't really call this a 'mistake,' but something I personally found just...messy writing, for lack of a better term. After seeing Webber's (or rather whoever staged it) incredibly awkward take in Love Never Dies, I was looking forward to having it slightly better arranged in the novel... Nope. Still the most awkward death scenes ever. It's meant to be tragic and moving and just...isn't. Because of how awkward it is. Forsyth even forgets whether Raoul is standing or kneeling. Speaking of Raoul...

4. He's hardly in it. Not only did he have an unmentionable tragedy happen to him as a teenager that turns out to be very convenient later, but he's also conveniently absent for almost the entire story? Talk about a cop-out.

If all of this sounds incredibly nit-picky, it's only because I can't resist pointing out every little thing when it comes to an attempted sequel to one of my alltime favorite novels. (Which, by the way, Webber called 'not great.' Rude little fellow that he is.)

But here, let me leave you with a few more positives:

-Meg didn't do it. Thank goodness! Worst choice ever, ALW. -That final moment between Erik and Pierre (Gustave in the show). Incredibly sweet. -Father Joe. What a great character! -Cholly Bloom. Ditto! -That Epilogue. What an unlikely but fantastic turnaround for poor unhappy Erik.

I suppose the only natural follow-up to this is to read that other famous Phanfiction, Susan Kay's Phantom.

LND Post 3 of 3

Act II Entr'acte Scene 1: The Bar “Why Does She Love Me?” Apart from “‘Til I Hear You Sing,” this was the first song from the cast album that became a favourite of mine. At the same time, it’s infuriating because it’s Raoul Getting Drunk once again. Still, Sean performed it beautifully, can’t get enough of his voice. And someone give a medal to whomever handles that Saxophone Solo. It was perfect! “Devil Take the Hindmost” Not only is this such an epic Confrontation Song, the scene itself is just plain entertaining. I can’t quite take it seriously because it’s odd seeing Erik actually deigning to come down to earth and confront Raoul directly (I still envision him hiding behind tombstones and throwing fireballs in Raoul’s general direction). Still, it’s so fun to watch: Raoul bangs on the counter to demand another drink, barman turns around and - GASP! - it’s Erik. They proceed to have an Epic Insult Battle, though Erik gives actual legitimate reasons for Raoul’s being a lowlife, whereas Raoul just throws bar-stools around and says “You’re ugly!” That agreement they make is still one of the dumbest things. “If Christine decides not to sing, I’ll pay off your debts and leave you alone, if she decides to sing, you leave her with me.”? Okay… Erik just taking advantage of Raoul’s dulled-from-drink wits to trick him into senseless bribes, I suppose. Scene 2: The Invitation “Invitation to the Concert” Cheesy, but got to love The Trio. Scene 3: Bathing Beauty “Bathing Beauty” I will never truly believe Erik would have composed such twaddle… And those lyrics?? What even… Still, this scene was not nearly as painful to sit through as “Beneath a Moonless Sky.” In fact, it was quite entertaining seeing everyone goof around in old-fashioned bathing suits; I can’t help thinking this is some cast-members’ favourite scene to perform because it’s so silly. And one can’t help but be impressed by the harmonies, the lifts, and all of Meg’s quick-changes. Scene 4: Madame Giry’s Office “Mother, Did You Watch?” “Giry Throws a Tantrum, Meg Finally Flips Her Lid.” But seriously, you do have to feel badly for Meg in all of this. What-Forsyth-Did-to-Meg is right up there with What-Forsyth-Did-to-Raoul. She also becomes completely terrifying. Scene 5: The Dressing Room “Before the Performance” This is the last time Christine and Gustave really speak together - and Christine and Raoul, too, for that matter. As such, it’s quite a sweet little family scene, with Raoul having one of his few Kind Raoul Moments in the show. And then Christine is presented with The Choice, without even realising she’s being presented with a choice. Infuriating! And so ridiculous. Still, Gardar’s delivery of the “You know his love is not enough…” section is one of the most beautiful vocal performances in the show. And (again with the expressive arms) he stretches out his arms like a bird when he sings, “Set the music in you free” - fits with the words beautifully, and is also adorable. Scene 6: Backstage “Devil Take the Hindmost (Quartet)” How do you make one of the most epic Confrontation Songs even more epic? Make it a quartet, of course, with four different parts going on at once and an adorable child singing “Oooh” as part of the accompaniment. Brilliant. Scene 7: Love Never Dies “Love Never Dies” I’ve never been very fond of this song - mainly because Andrew Lloyd Webber has used this tune for at least two other songs, my favourite of which is “Our Kind of Love” from The Beautiful Game. Compared to that powerful piece, “Love Never Dies” has such boring and cheesy lyrics. Still, one can’t deny what a vocal challenge it is, and Meghan performed it beautifully. Scene 8: The Dressing Room “Ah, Christine!” Another favourite bit - Erik’s solos are just the best, all right? And it’s difficult not to be excited just listening to Erik and his protegee simply revel in music once more. Then she finds Raoul’s note, and the happiness is deflated. But that’s not all… Gustave is missing… Cue Concerned Daddy Erik, Crazy Meg, and transition into another of the most epic sequences in the show… Scene 9: Streets of Coney Island “Streets of Coney Island” Here was another of the surprises: as Erik, Christine, and Giry push and shove through the crowds in search of Gustave and Meg, the ensemble is performing a brilliant (and terrifying) reprise of the new Beauty Underneath. Adds so much to the whole scene. Scene 10: The Pier “Please, Miss Giry” “Conclusion” This remains one of the problem scenes - which is unfortunate, as it’s the final scene. Partly it can’t be helped - not much you can save about an ending in which Forsyth has Killed Off Christine. But it seems like something could at least be done about the awkward staging. Up until the actual gun shot, it’s all right; after that, it goes a bit haywire. The most awkward aspects: Meg has to run away, shocked and devastated by what she has accidentally done. Unfortunately, she has to clamber over the dying Christine to get away. Giry really can’t find any help in time? Where did the crowds go? When Christine tells Gustave that “your real father is here,” and he runs away screaming “NOOOO!”, Christine jumps up to try and stop him - then remembers that she’s meant to be dying, and falls back down. Once Christine has died, and Erik has walked away so Raoul can hold his dead wife in his arms, Gustave walks over and joins Erik at the end of the pier. Unfortunately, Gustave has to clamber awkwardly over his dead mother to get to the end of the pier. In short, the scene that should be so moving is merely embarrassing. My sister was dying next to me trying to suppress her giggles. But thankfully, That Moment is what the audience will leave remembering: Erik reprising “Love Never Dies,” hugging Gustave, and then - Gustave removes Erik’s mask and gently touches his face. That Moment was perfect. But one has to wonder: Who is going to raise Gustave? So much for the show itself. Apologies if this was confusing - it was very much Stream-of-Consciousness. Some Further Random Thoughts: Even with its flaws, Love Never Dies on tour is far superior to the current version of The Phantom of the Opera on tour (if it is the same new touring production that also ran in 2014 - can anyone confirm?) for set, spectacle, awe-factor, and the overall experience. The Phantom of the Opera touring production has become almost a concert-version compared to what it once was - there is hardly any set now, and the staging is minimal. In short, it is pathetic. It can still be enjoyed for the story and the talented cast, but the grand spectacle of lights and magic is gone. Love Never Dies has an absurd storyline, but what saves this particular production is its “grandness” - the sudden flashes of light, the colorful set pieces that appear out of nowhere, the surprise entrances, the tricks - in short, precisely all the things that are now missing from Phantom. In short, I won’t say Love Never Dies is completely repaired - that’s not really possible, given the premise. But I will say it’s an enjoyable production, worth seeing at least once. It’s taken several years, but I can finally accept that 1. This is just another show, and is in no way a “threat” to any existing Phantom adaptions (of which there are plenty), 2. It changes nothing about how the story really goes - see Leroux for actual Phantom canon, and 3. Despite its many strangenesses and flaws, I enjoy it.

***Oh, and apart from the show itself, I’d be remiss in not mentioning that the best part of the evening was meeting Sean Thompson (Raoul), who I saw a few months ago in the Sunset Blvd revival, and Dave Schoonover (ensemble), who I saw in 2007 as Tugger in the US Tour of CATS! How wild is that!

#Love Never Dies #Paint Never Dries #Shovel the Fries #Self-Reblog #The Phantom of Manhattan #Phanfiction Fun

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