The Heart is Slow to Learn....

I had intended to go through the Love Never Dies cast album tomorrow and do a detailed song by song blog, however, I feel the title song, because of it's history - and the fact that most of the reviews I have read as well as some "phans" seem to be ignorant of it's history - deserved it's own post.  Things have been rolling around in my head about it and I need to write about it.....

I actually fell in love with a song called The Heart is Slow to Learn when it was premiered at ALW's 50th birthday celebration:



Of course, mention was made that this song was written for "Phantom 2" which was then still just rumor, conjecture and "Andrew Lloyd Webber is working on/planning a sequel."

Something about the melody stuck with me.  I loved it and have been trying to get sheet music for it ever since - no luck.  As it pertained to the Phantom story, I wasn't happy with it.  Musically, I thought it fit the show, but, lyrically - as I assumed it was to be sung by Christine - I didn't like what it indicated for the plot.  I am one of those who believe Christine was in love with the Raoul, and not the Phantom.  The lyric here seems to indicate that Christine was never happy with her choice to leave with and (presumably) marry Raoul, and that she was pining for the Phantom.  I DID think this would be a good lyric for the Phantom, but, not a good fit musically.  I had to think of it in terms of a stand alone piece, and not in terms of a Phantom plot.  I was able to relate the lyric to my own life and painful times of lost love.

Well, the Phantom sequel was scrapped - what appeared to be permanently - and ALW moved on to the next project - The Beautiful Game with Tim Rice.  I don't know much about this show.  It never made it to the states, and most of the reports seemed fairly negative.  The one things that is well known about this production is that ALW - never one to waste a piece of unused music - took the melody of the Heart is Slow to Learn and it became "Our Kind of Love" :



Well, I don't have much of an opinion on this incarnation of the melody since I have no idea how it fits into the context of that show.  I still like the melody.  I also kind of like the penny whistle in the arrangement, and the way this singer belts.

This brings us to the current incarnation of this melody as the title song for Love Never Dies - I have chosen to post the music video rather than Sierra's performance here since the lower key makes Katherine's diction a bit easier to understand than Sierra's - although I prefer Sierra's voice and interpretation:



Interestingly, these lyrics are fairly generic as far as the plot goes - general musings on love rather than musings on a specific relationship.  Now, if the lyrics had remained from The Heart is Slow to Learn, I actually might have been alright with Christine singing it since in the context of this plot, this song was written BY the Phantom FOR Christine - therefore, would not have been Christine's thoughts on her feeling, but rather the Phantom's thoughts on his...woah....that was just an epiphany for me.....only in writing this out did I make that connection. *laugh*  I actually see a way that this could have worked for me in a sequel...I didn't think that was possible.

What it comes down to with this song, I do love the music, and I will purchase the vocal selections for Love Never Dies if only for this song - especially since musically, it is identical to the Heart is Slow to Learn.  Those are the lyrics I will be singing in the piano bars.

Phantom of the Opera

This is just a quick start to what I expect to be a series of blogs over the next few days to give anyone who cares to know a bit of my background regarding my association, love, and "Phandom" with The Phantom of the Opera.  This has all started because of the opening of Love Never Dies.  To understand my ranting on that (and yes, there WILL be ranting!) you probably should have an idea where I'm coming from.

My very first exposure to Phantom is a vaguely remembered animated feature.  I've never really discussed this with anyone, and only recently have I looked into it and discovered that, no, I did not imagine this film, it DID actually exist.  I don't remember much about it - in fact, I don't even think I saw the whole thing at the time.  I do remember an opera singer character, and a man in a mask who bore a resemblance to Lon Chaney's Phantom.  I remember a scene where he had Christine in his lair and was showing her different masks, trying to convince her to stay with him - one mask actually modeled after Raoul's face.  I remember being curious about the story, but...I must have been only 7 or 8 at the time (I know we were still living at the house on Atwood Drive) and so didn't make any kind of connection that there might actually be a BOOK that this was based on.

After that, Phantom was in the back of my mind somewhere, but, not a conscious thing.  I do recall hearing about the ALW musical....I vaguely remember seeing Crawford sing Music of the Night on some television program or other, but, again, no real connection made to anything.

Then, in Junior High I sang with the honour choir after school.  There was music on the piano from the regular choir, and one of the girls quickly snatched it up and begged the choir director to play it because she loved the song.  It was the Phantom title theme.  The first few bars hooked me.  I had never heard anything like it.  After that, I would beg the choir director to play it.  Poor man.  He eventually made me a cassette copy of the show...oddly, it started playing somewhere in the middle, and it was quite awhile before I got the continuity of the show right.

I was obsessed.  I make no apologies for this.  Like many other people my age. Phantom was my introduction to musical theatre.  It was also  the catalyst for my pursuit of a career in musical theatre.  From the time I was 4, I knew I wanted to be a "singer and an actress on the stage." I had no clearer vision than that.  Finding Phantom gave me my direction.  I now knew what Broadway and musical theatre were, and THAT is what I wanted to do.  I would come home from school, immediately put the cast album on, and perform the whole show in my living room (usually singing both Christine and Carlotta) from beginning to end.  I think this may be the point where my younger sister really developed a dislike for me.....

In the years since my introduction to Phantom, I have read the original novel - several times - and consider myself a Leroux purist.  My opinions on the characters and their motivations are seen through the filter of Leroux's writing - the most important of these opinions for the purposes of this blog and my feelings about Love Never dies are that Christine was NEVER in love with the Phantom - or Erik - she WAS in love with Raoul. I will be expanding on this in future blogs.  I have seen the show 15 or 16 times (and, with the bad taste in my mouth from all the LND press, I am preparing to get tickets for the original ASAP to reaffirm WHY I love this show) and have had several private auditions for it (they have issues with my height, of all things!). 

I think this gets everyone up to speed on the basics of who I am when it comes to Phantom.  I love the story - and do enjoy other versions of it - and the show - but, I'm sorry, Love Never Dies bears little to no resemblance to the story and show I fell in love with.

The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck

Over this past summer, I was made aware of something called  "The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck" (BGICT).  What the heck is BGICT you ask?  BGICT is...well...it's your basic ice cream truck like you would see on any street corner in the summer time - only this one is run by Doug Quint, who is a bassoonist when he isn't selling icecream.  What sets BGICT apart from other ice cream trucks is that Doug comes up with all kinds of fun and unusual toppings for his ice cream like sea salt and vinegar, saba and blueberries, ginger syrup, etc...and, of course, the most amazing thing -which I haven't been lucky enough to get my hands on yet - the Choinkwich!  An ice cream sandwich topped with CARAMELIZED BACON...how can you possibly say no to that?

Doug will occasionally run a contest for free ice cream, and it was one of those contests that made me aware of BGICT and got me down to Union Square.  My friend Sierra Rein (A Californian Hippie in New York) sent me a message saying that Doug was running a contest - the first person to get down to the truck and sing Glitter and be Gay from beginning to end would get free ice cream.  Who am I to say no to free ice cream?  So, I called a couple friends to go with me, packed up my iPod and speakers, and off we went to sing Glitter and be Gay on the corner of 17th and Union Square!  Wouldn't you know, Doug's partner was also there, and pulled out his iPhone to video tape...be kind!  It was hot...I had no idea this would be preserved for posterity, and I am NOT dressed appropriately... :^P

Now, obviously, this was great fun, and I got my free ice cream.  Sadly, although I planned for it several times, I never made it back to the BGICT this summer.  Very disappointing, because I never got my choinkwich. :^P 

About a month ago, I got an email from Doug asking if I would be interested in working on the truck this summer.  Seriously?  I was thrilled!  I'd been following Doug on Twitter (@biggayicecream) and on his blog (The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck).  This sounds like too fun an opportunity to pass up!  Also, since I generally pay my bills working for a catering company, work can be pretty dead between July 4th and mid Sept, so, I was looking for something to fill in a bit.  What could possibly be more fun than selling ice cream and singing a little opera here and there as I do?

I am now in the midst of taking the food service training to get my vendor's license so I can work on the truck....this part is not fun....but, at least I can do it from my computer and just stay in my pj's. :^P  Much nicer than trekking down to the Wall Street area for a two day class....

I am really looking forward to the summer....to spending time on an ice cream truck...hanging out by Union Square...watching all the interesting New York characters go by....serving ice cream...and throwing in an aria or two.  If you are looking to cool off with ice cream this summer, come see us at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck!

Blogging

Well, I've given in and decided to try and blog.  There have been some things happening in the theatre word recently that I kind of needed a place to vent about - if I can ever get my thoughts into a coherent order - and so many of my friends have really good blogs....so...why shouldn't I?  I imagine there will be no cohesive theme to this, nor any regularity of posting, but...eh...let's just see what happens, shall we?