Day Two: A Musical You Have a Love/Hate Relationship With
The Phantom of the Opera
Yes, it may seem strange, but The Phantom of the Opera is a musical that I love and hate at the same time. I love it for the incredible music and costumes, no doubt about that. I hate it for the love triangle! And yes, the love triangle is the whole crux of the story, but it just seemed so bland and boring. Although Erik and Raoul may have had Christine's best intentions at heart, neither one of them really seemed to care about what was truly best for her and what she really wanted.
And that leads into the Team Erik/Team Raoul debate. While Erik is a mystery man with a deformed face, but brilliant mind, Raoul is wealthy, handsome and charming. Both men are deeply flawed as well. They are both severe control freaks who push and pull Christine into every direction they think is best. While Raoul is probably the better of the two men and there would be no way that Erik could be a proper family man, Christine is, quite frankly, better off without the two them!
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| Top: Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in the original Broadway production Bottom: Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler in the 2004 motion picture |
Being a product of her time, Christine would eventually have to marry and settle down with a family and so the obvious choice would be Raoul. However, what life of loneliness may she have lived if she had stayed with Erik? I really don't understand why it was such a hard decision if she was seeking a happy life. While Erik acts on immense power and control, Raoul thinks on reason and understanding. Erik treats Christine like she is some prophesied goddess put on earth for his use and control and Raoul handles Christine like she's a child who has no understanding of reality.
Now, I know that this whole story is a romance and without the romance there would be no story at all. I would have just like to have seen both men give Christine the benefit of the doubt and not wait until one is at the end of a rope to finally let her have the final decision. I always felt that Christine was more of a pawn than a player in this warped love triangle and that she was always made to act on passion and not think reasonably in order to save both of these men.
Now, I know that this whole story is a romance and without the romance there would be no story at all. I would have just like to have seen both men give Christine the benefit of the doubt and not wait until one is at the end of a rope to finally let her have the final decision. I always felt that Christine was more of a pawn than a player in this warped love triangle and that she was always made to act on passion and not think reasonably in order to save both of these men.
This is fascinating, Ivy! As I think you know, I personally quite like this musical, but the points you discussed here are certainly valid and should probably be considered more often. I think it's very easy--for me, as well--to get caught up in the music and sheer emotionalism of the story, while neglecting to really dig deeper into it. I was especially struck by what you said here: "I always felt that Christine was more of a pawn than a player in this warped love triangle and that she was always made to act on passion and not think reasonably in order to save both of these men." That's rather startling, but the more one thinks about it, the more it's true. Now, I'm not amazingly attached to either Erik or Raoul, but…I really liked this post. Let's leave it at that:)
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