The Phantom of the Opera is - over there, unfortunately

[nineveh_uk]

To be precise, in Helsinki. If I were the sort of person who obsesses about things in an organised way, I would be spending a long weekend in Helsinki this spring in order to see German vampires in Finnish, and the Finnish National Opera's original production of The Phantom of the Opera.

I was thinking en route to Cotswold Outdoors this morning* while listening to the music of Love Never Dies and trying not to listen to the words**, that it's good thing that I had no internet access in my teenage years or I would have embarrassing teenage PotO fic hanging round me neck, but then I remembered that I did in fact write a piece of PotO fic. In French. In graphic novel form. I've probably still got it somewhere. I was rather proud of it and showed my French teacher, who photocopied it for the class (good) and pointed out that French doesn't use 's for the possessive (less good).

Anyway, for those who wonder what Phantom looks like when not produced by Cameron Mackintosh, here it is. I can't help feeling that the Phantom looks rather like Bryn Terfel as a lank-haired Scarpia.

"Oopperan kummitus / The Phantom of the Opera (Suomen Kansallisooppera / Finnish National Opera)" (Watch on YouTube)

Of course, the best Finnish version of PotO remains Nightwish...

"Nightwish "The Phantom Of The Opera" with lyrics" (Watch on YouTube)

Not taking up a last-minute Nightwish concert opportunity because I had a cold remains one of the less-good decisions of my life, in that they broke up shortly afterwards.

*Socks, sock liners, and an impulse-purchase laundry bag. Yes, I could make some, but I haven't done so far...

** I have mentioned their direness before, but really they are so, so bad. There is some terrific music, but the book does a "Ron the Death Eater" on Raoul, and the lyrics are unspeakable. Beneath a Moonless Sky is so bad that you'd probably do better to pick a PotO fic at random off FFN and set it to music. I think the only way I could face seeing it live would be in Japanese and prepared to close my eyes when necessary.

Comments

[antisoppist]

It sounds much more prosaic as "The Opera's Ghost", but that's Finnish for you.

The only thing I have seen at the Finnish National Opera was Madame Butterfly (because it was happened to be on). The building was nice though.

[nineveh_uk]

That's definitely less glamorous.

"Because it happened to be on" is probably the best reason to see Madame Butterfly. I don't know how Puccini managed to write an opera with only one decent tune in it, and yet he did.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, I was such an embarrassing PoTO fangirl (or should I say Phangirl?) when I was a teenager. And I did write terrible fic and post it on my ancient and thankfully defunct Geocities page. So many terrible relics of my teenage years have thankfully been swept away by the sands of time and interwebz.

I love the Nightwish version so much. And, ye gods, "Love Never Dies" is dreadful. I remember being appalled by the awfulness of the book, and although the music is predictably lovely, the lyrics really are painful.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

or should I say Phangirl?

Not if you wish to retain any self-respect, and I speak as someone who dragged her family to it for her 18th birthday (they should count themselves lucky they aren't going to be getting dragged to German vampire musicals for my next significant birthday). I rather hope that my student days on Usenet are long dust.

LND infuriates me because some of the music is really gorgeous, but why couldn't be in the cause of a musical that was actually good instead of cringe-making?

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

LND infuriates me because some of the music is really gorgeous, but why couldn't be in the cause of a musical that was actually good instead of cringe-making?

I guess our best bet is to hold out for a symphonic suite?