& Wednesday, April 25, 2007

In sleep he sang to me...

in dreams he came

that voice which calls to me...

and speaks my name

If you ever feel inclined to go for a musical, you should start with no other but The Phantom of the Opera.

Word of caution - going for this first might cause you to be disappointed if you watch other musicals, simply because there is no other musical as breathtaking and heartstopping and fantastic and haunting and unforgettable as this!

Their voices are still ringing in my head. The hauntingly beautiful music and lyrics... I was mesmerised. Transported into a different time and place, even. Starry-eyed and gawking, mouth-wide-open, and probably looking really stupid. But no one in the Esplanade theatre that day would've noticed, because they were doing the same. These songs, especially Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, and Phantom of the Opera, were composed to touch your heart and stick in your head. I've been humming these songs silently these few days (Ha! Betcha didn't notice)... That is the impact they've left on me.

And the sets! Allow me a moment to rave about the sets (hmm I guess no one has to allow me to since it is my blog, and you could just choose to stop reading. But please don't! Hehe. =p Okay end of crazy self-talk). Where was I? The SETS! There was this scene, this unbelievable scene, where the Phantom takes Christine to his lair, set in a candle-lit underground lake... You almost don't believe it is a stage - you think it HAS to be a lake, for the 'water' seems so real, and the light from the candles reflect so beautifully off the 'water'... and the boat just seems to glide right through. Truly magnificent. And the CHANDELIER! Hey how cool is it that they have an interactive stage? The rusty old chandelier morphed into a brightly lit one and was transported from the stage UP to the ceiling of OUR theatre! It's like WE were in the Phantom's theatre, that the Phantom inhabited this very theatre, with voices coming from behind us, and the chandelier later FALLING from our ceiling...... WAH. Sheer amazement.

Okay, enough raving. Pictures! (Not mine, since we weren't allowed cameras)

In his lair: Phantom and Christine. Passion, mystery and obsession... oh the drama!

Masquerade! A myriad of colours, I didn't even know where to look.

No more pictures! :(

Go watch the musical. You have to be there to experience it. It's still showing in Singapore till the end of May! Speaking of Singapore, my family and I had quite a unique experience. After arriving in Singapore, our first stop (after driving blindly for dunno-how-long) was Geylang, the infamous red-light district (don't ask me why we ended up there). I went to top up my dad's cash card in 7 eleven, and had the weird experience of seeing a middle-aged prostitute with a HAIRY EUROPEAN MAN! UGH. Dirty. And then, the day after that, we watched Phantom. And after that, we walked the streets of Little India, among lots of Indian men, looking really out of place coz 1: We were Chinese. 2. We were in formal clothing! Haha. Anyway we were looking for dinner lah. And had some very yummy cheese and garlic and butter naan from the Banana Leaf restaurant. Yumyum! Diverse experiences huh? :D

I have babbled on for too long. Shall leave you with pretty Phantom song lyrics! This is Music of the Night.

Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation,
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination
Silently the senses abandon their defenses

Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendour,
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender,
Turn your face away from the garish light of day
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And listen to the music of the night

Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams!
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before!
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!
And you'll live as you've never lived before

Softly, deftly, music shall caress you,
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you,
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The darkness of the music of the night

Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world!
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!
Let your soul take you where you long to be!
Only then can you belong to me

Floating, falling, sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night!

You alone can make my song take flight
Help me make the music of the night

( 9:10 PM )

* welcome aboard

the little ship of hope
taking you wherever you want to go
where the future is bright and full of promise.

* this is me

girl * 26 years of age * working * a bit of a dreamer * foodie

i love * クリス　アレン
food | chocs * shrimp paste chicken * garlic butter prawns
tv | glee * big bang theory * heroes * v mars * gilmore girls
japanese dramas | one litre of tears * ryuusei no kizuna
hot actors | nishikido ryo * ninomiya kazunari * milo
anime | kenshin * furuba * saiyuki * tsubasa * ouran
fictional characters | kenshin * sirius * remus * jasper
travelling | venice * australia * japan * the world
sad songs * the ocean * sunsets * the australian night sky

* playlist

josh groban - si volvieras a mi / february song
jay chou - yi lu xiang bei
james morrisson - you make it real for me
dashboard confessional - stolen
sick puppies - all the same
kris allen - i need to know / red guitar
imogen heap - hide and seek / come here boy
snow patrol - run
casting crowns - who am i
sister garden - xie xie ai
ninomiya kazunari - konseki / niji
glee - keep holding on
chris colfer (kurt on glee) - defying gravity
ben folds - the luckiest