Tag: Michael Crawford

Favorites Friday: Phantom of the Opera

On By cherylmahoneyIn Favorites Friday8 Comments

This seems to be the month for anniversaries.  Yesterday, January 26th, was the 24th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera opening on Broadway.  Just recently they had the 25th anniversary in London.  And I’m using the Broadway anniversary as an excuse to examine probably more versions of the Phantom than you ever knew existed.  Indulge me just this once.  🙂

I’m fascinated by all the different versions, by how different people and different mediums can start with the same story and tell it so many different ways.  And how they all interpret the character of the Phantom differently–terrifying or romantic, heartbreaking or horrifying.  I have read or seen at least twelve versions of The Phantom of the Opera (which is why I’m mostly keeping this brief!)  I don’t regret even the bad ones, because I’m interested to see HOW they did it.  So here we go–in chronological order, because that’s how my brain works.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (1909) is the original, and I don’t think he quite knew what he had.  It’s a pretty straight-forward monster story, and the Phantom is an almost irredeemable, terrifying figure.  He’s the most interesting one in the story, but still terrifying, and completely off his head.  It’s a good read, but don’t expect it to much resemble the Webber musical.  If you do read it, try to find the version edited by Leonard Wolf; it’s a particularly good translation and has some useful (and sometimes amusing) footnotes. Continue reading “Favorites Friday: Phantom of the Opera” →

Favorites Friday: Christmas Songs

On By cherylmahoneyIn Favorites Friday6 Comments

I have a complicated relationship with Christmas music.  I like my Christmas music–I have several CDs I enjoy putting on this time of year.  On the other hand, there are some standards that have been so played into the ground, I can’t listen to them.  I blame the radio stations.  I have nothing personal against Andy Williams, but hearing him sing “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” makes me want to scream.

But I do like some Christmas music, so I thought I’d highlight a few favorite songs.  Continue reading “Favorites Friday: Christmas Songs” →

Songs About Pursuing Your Dreams

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations1 Comment

Since the subject of pursuing your dreams came up yesterday, I thought I’d do a follow-up post, about two of my favorite songs.  They haven’t come up before because, well, they’re not books!  But since they’re both about dreams, they’re appropriate to the theme.  They could even be a response to one of the questions essay writers answered for Living the Life of My Dreams.

What is your favorite audio material, and what do you enjoy most about it?

Michael Crawford is my favorite singer; he’s best known as the original Phantom of the Opera, but I have his other CDs as well and they’re amazing.  He’s a wonderfully talented singer who puts so much emotion into songs, and can hold notes for ridiculous lengths of time.  My favorite song is “A Piece of Sky,” which is all about following your dreams.  In essence, it’s about realizing that from your window you can only see a piece of sky, stepping outside and seeing that the world is so much bigger:

What’s wrong with wanting more?
If you can fly, then soar.
With all there is, why settle for
Just a piece of sky?

I can’t find a clip online anywhere of Crawford singing this one.  You can listen to Barbra Streisand sing it (although, with all due respect to Streisand, I like Crawford’s version better) or you can find it hiding as the second half of “Papa, Can You Hear Me,” on his concert CD and available on iTunes.  Or you can do what I did, and buy his CD, A Touch of Music in the Night, which has the best version.  Just for a sample, here’s another of Crawford’s songs.  And I swear I’m not being compensated for recommending his music! 🙂

My other favorite song about following dreams may be from an odd source…Newsies is a live-action Disney movie about a newsboy strike.  There’s one song, “Santa Fe,” that’s sung by the lead character (a very young Christian Bale!) and is all about his dream to go to Santa Fe.  Santa Fe becomes symbolic about pursuing a new life:

When I dream, on my own, I’m alone but I ain’t lonely,
For a dream o’ nights the only time of day,
When the city’s finally sleeping, and my thoughts begin to stray,
And I’m on the train that’s bound for Santa Fe.

And I’m free, like the wind, like I’m gonna live forever.
It’s a feeling time can never take away.
All I need’s a few more dollars, and I’m out of here to stay.
Dreams come true–yes they do–in Santa Fe.

I hope you all get the chance to see how big the sky is–and to find your Santa Fe.