When I first saw how it was staged -- as opposed to how I'd always imagined it from the soundtrack and the photos I'd seen -- I couldn't believe why anyone would be that sadistic towards the characters :-(
I mean, I've got a nasty mind, but it wouldn't have occurred to me to have Christine addressing Raoul directly with lyrics about how you go on loving even after your heart is broken, in complete innocence of the fact that he is under an obligation which will do exactly that if she does so.
And then having her break off at the moment he (quite understandably!) turns away...
From what I've read about the original West End staging, that break in the song was used there to indicate upset when the Phantom leaves the stage -- Christine falters and looks around a little wildly in the absence of his support -- so in the general reworking of Raoul somebody presumably had the idea of introducing some extra sympathy for the husband instead. Or so I can only presume.
But if you look at it from the point of view of the people involved, the implications are horrible... and I've used them as such :-(
(And -- although I've deliberately written here the finale when considered as Raoul's tragedy -- I don't imagine Lloyd Webber intended the show to be viewed that way, so the cumulative effect of the changes to the last act clearly wasn't thought through.)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-10-31 10:04 pm (UTC)I mean, I've got a nasty mind, but it wouldn't have occurred to me to have Christine addressing Raoul directly with lyrics about how you go on loving even after your heart is broken, in complete innocence of the fact that he is under an obligation which will do exactly that if she does so.
And then having her break off at the moment he (quite understandably!) turns away...
From what I've read about the original West End staging, that break in the song was used there to indicate upset when the Phantom leaves the stage -- Christine falters and looks around a little wildly in the absence of his support -- so in the general reworking of Raoul somebody presumably had the idea of introducing some extra sympathy for the husband instead. Or so I can only presume.
But if you look at it from the point of view of the people involved, the implications are horrible... and I've used them as such :-(
(And -- although I've deliberately written here the finale when considered as Raoul's tragedy -- I don't imagine Lloyd Webber intended the show to be viewed that way, so the cumulative effect of the changes to the last act clearly wasn't thought through.)