My wife and I bought the tickets early to get the seats we wanted. We planned to be seated at the lower box this time so we can have a better view, better than where we were seated when we saw Cats. Aside from that, since she is now at her 5th month of pregnancy, we want to have the best seats where we will not be elbow fighting with a sea of people in the balcony area. Yes, the tickets are expensive, but the hell with it! One of the reasons why you are working hard is to reward yourself in times like this.
Today is the day!
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| Cover page of the show's marketing material |
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| The expensive tickets... |
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| The centerfold |
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| Back page of the show's marketing material |
As usual, we came in early. The show is at 8:00pm but we reached CCP Complex at 6:46pm. The first thing we did was to take pictures outside the theater. From what we have experienced when we watched Cats, we didn't dare bring camera anymore because we know that this will just be confiscated. We took pictures only using my iPhone. Not the best quality that I expect in a picture but it's the best one that we can bring inside.
When we reached the frisking station, I immediately informed the guards that my wife is undergoing guarded and complicated pregnancy and she can't use the stairs to get to the theater. I didn't expect what happened next. The guard led us to a small cubicle that looked like a glass-paneled electric chair room, and let my wife in. I was surprised to see it was actually a lift. It's used basically for folks who are wheelchair-ridden or physically disabled or with complications and issues just like my wife, as explained to me by the guards. I took the flights and waited for my wife at the top of stairs.
We went straight to the main entrance and grabbed the souvenir book of the show. Surprisingly, there were a lot of people already in, taking pictures, rubbing elbows with the rich and dirty, there's association of old folks spending their pension, and people pretending to understand what they are about to see in a while. We roamed around the hall while waiting for the signal to get in the main theater.
At last, the usherettes started to call in to queue and we hurried down to look for our seats. The ushers were very accommodating and they all looked very concerned on my wife, holding her tummy, having difficulty getting into the hallway. Finding L29, Seats 1 and 2, was not difficult but what was tumultuous was the way going there because we had to take the flights. No ramps and lifts for pregnant women just like what they had in the entrance hall. We had no choice but to take one step at a time through the carpeted stairs while being escorted by the ushers.
At 7:40pm, the whole theater is not full yet. People are coming in one by one.. slowly and posh... in all its grandiose fashion. I took pictures from my place to the people below me. I see only 60% of the place filled up so far. My wife and I had our last few minutes of picture-taking before the show starts. And at exactly 8:00pm, the theater signaled the start of the show. And everyone swallowed their tongues, trying all the best not to make a single noise so you can hear a pin drop!
Act 1 started with two shadows emerging from the moving backdrop, Delia Hannah and Michael Cormick opened the stage with Love Changes Everything, one of the famous tracks in Aspects of Love, which is my personal favorite among all Andrew Lloyd Webber songs. The song ended with an enchanting scene while all other casts suddenly came appearing from everywhere singing The Jellicle Ball from Cats. Just like how they suddenly emerged into the stage, the performers disappeared one by one leaving Alinta Chidzey at the center stage and started singing Take That Look Off Your Face from Tell Me on a Sunday, which is also one of my favorites. Shaun Rennie, who played Munkustrap in the Cats Now and Forever tour last year, came out soon after and sang On This Night of a Thousand Stars from Evita, which was followed by Blake Bowden with And the Money Kept Rolling In, Michael Cormick with High Flying Adored, and one of the most applauded number is Deliah Hannah's rendition of Don't Cry For Me Argentina, a performance at par with Elaine Paige's original version.
The stage's backdrop suddenly transformed into Starlight Express when Cormick, Rennie and Bowden came out singing One Rock n' Roll Too Many and was followed by the catchy upbeat tune of Light at The End of the Tunnel led by Andrew Conaghan. The orchestra slowed a bit and played Unexpected Song from Song & Dance with Kirsten Hobbs' rendition. Chidzey came back at the center stage and turned the whole theater to a mournful I Don't Know How To Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar, which in my opinion, the best rendition I have heard so far since Yvonne Elliman popularized the song in both the movie version and the original Broadway cast recording.
As Chidzey exits the stage, the phantasmal montage of the Phantom's white mask appeared in the stage while the instrumental Coney Island Waltz of the musical Love Never Dies played in the air, followed by the appearance of Christine Daaé in a black gown singing Love Never Dies as performed by Trisha Crowe. My wife instantly fell in love with the song, and she can't help applauding and giving Crowe a standing ovation after her number. Bowden, in a mask as The Phantom, appeared in the bridge and gave out a powerful number with 'Til I Hear You Sing, which he sounded more like Joseph Millson than Ramin Karimloo who originally played the role in the original London cast. Crowe was joined by Conaghan as Raoul soon after and they both sang All I Ask of You from The Phantom of The Opera.
The sad, melancholic song was suddenly overthrown by a series of Cats numbers played by Rennie, Bowden, Hobbs, Chidzey and Cormick with a medley of Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, Macavity the Mystery Cat, The Rum Tum Tugger and my daughter's favorite Mr. Mistoffolees. They all exited the stage and came back Delia Hannah and ended Act 1 with Memory.
The curtains went down after a deafening, unstoppable applause from the crowd and we were both left mesmerized, catching our breath and eyes fixated at the dimmed center stage. It was breathtaking. It was like a dream. We were still standing when we suddenly realized that we are still applauding and we had to stop so we can take our seats and get ready for Act 2.
After a few minutes, the theater signaled the opening of Act 2, and people again swallowed their tongues, trying all the best not to make a single noise so you can hear a pin drop. At the center of the stage came our Rennie on a staircase, with a backdrop of the mountains of Judea, started singing Heaven on Their Minds from Jesus Christ Superstar. Conaghan and Chidzley were joined in the stage afterwards and gave out their soothing rendition of I Believe My Heart from the musical The Woman in White. Hannah emerged from the backstage and sang Tell Me on a Sunday from the musical of the same title, one of my other favorites from Andrew Lloyd Webber, which was made popular by Marti Webb. The walls of the stage suddenly changed to a Sunset Boulevard scene as Cormick sang the title song, Sunset Boulevard. The two belters Crowe and Hobbs joined forces and wowed the audience with their enchanting soprano voices as they rendered Pie Jesu from Requiem.
One of the audience's favorites in the show was the No Matter What number from Whistle Down the Wind musical, as performed by Bowden, Rennie and Conaghan. The original West End play featured kids in this musical number but tonight's show was a parody of Boyzone's performance since the track was popularized by the boyband when the Concept Album was released, owning the song and even winning Record of the Year. It was followed by Hobbs by singing the title song Whistle Down the Wind, which also became my favorite when I heard Lottie Mayor's original version in the Original London Cast Recording. Finally, Conaghan and Chidzey joined the Company and all sang The Vaults of Heaven. Hannah came back to the center stage to bring another favorite come to life, and sang With One Look from Sunset Boulevard.
As she exits, the eerie sound of the organ playing the overture of The Phantom of the Opera was played in the air and from the backstage came out Crowe as Christine Daaé and at the bridge was The Phantom played by Cormick. Everyone was surely waiting for the part where The Phantom lures Christine to sing and Crowe hits the high note and she collapses, the scene froze and the lights went out. It was the most applauded part of the show. The next number can't go on as people were on their feet giving out another standing ovation (after Love Never Dies in Act 1) while applauding uninterruptedly. The performance went on when both Cormick and Crowe came back in the spotlight and finished the number with The Music of the Night.
The finale was led by Rennie with his number from Jesus Christ Superstar as he sang Superstar with the Company. It was a very well applauded number and people didn't move an inch as they waited for the encore. Soon after, the Company emerged again from the backdrop and gave out their final song Love Changes Everything.
As we were walking down the theater towards the exit in the hall, we promised to ourselves that we will come back. In one way or another, we will be seeing another big stage musical in a few months or after a year. Would it be Les Miserables? Phantom of the Opera? Evita? It wouldn't matter. We will be back to see more...
