“I Am Your Angel Of Music. Come To Me, Angel Of Music.”

An Essay on Why David Shannon and Gina Beck Are My Favorite Final Lair Coupling

They are just absolutely brilliant together. And I think it's a combination of bouncing off each other's spontaneous reactions well, but also having a plan and complete synergy in how they understand their characters and the arc of the scene. It all works together to secure the Phantom's transformation and redemption while also leaving the audience feeling like Christine made the right decision, which is such a hard line to walk in the final lair.

I think Gina's Christine genuinely loves Erik in this one, but there was absolutely no way she was going to stay with him after everything he'd done. The decision is questionable for other Christines, but her particular take on the character just wasn't going to allow for that, especially given his Phantom's more aggressive approach to the final lair.

And unlike other interpretations of this scene, both she and David/the Phantom know that and it plays out in their body language post-kiss. Up to that point, David had literally been grabbing Christine at will and throwing her all over the place, all while desperately denying that his actions were dooming their relationship. And now she comes back to return the ring and he literally can't make himself touch her because he knows he's pissed away every claim to that kind of intimacy with her. There's no verbal or physical bid for her to stay; that unfulfilled caress says "I recognize what I've done and that I have no right to ask you to be with me, so I'm letting you go." And even worse is the fact that David also plays Erik with chronic pain, so we can hardly tell if the face twitch/wince he does is literal or figurative (let's just say it's both).

GIVE THEM A DAMN OSCAR, IDC.

"Letters To Milena", Franz Kafka

I have never seen Hadestown but the gifsets constantly convince me that I might not be able to handle it emotionally.

So I took him underneath my wing, And that is where he stayed, Until one day...

Melanie La Barrie as Hermes, Dylan Wood as Orpheus, Hadestown West End 2025: @callmelasagna’s master

SCREAMING.

thinking about that video of hugh panaro being a slut just about about the normal amount!!!! and had to do something about it

-Gregory Orr, “When Eurydice saw him” from Orpheus & Eurydice

Guillermo del toro phantom of the opera remake would fuck so severely

David Thaxton's Phantom is a special kind of unhinged and...amazing?

Slowly starting to discover Phantoms 2018-present as I build my mini archive. He and Killian Donnelly (but also maybe Dean Chisnall?) are carrying the post-Panaro era on their backs.

I think of Immersive Phantom as the random protein/granola bar stashed at the bottom of your purse or bookbag. If you’re super hungry between meals it’ll tide you over, but you’re really just saving your appetite for your favorite restaurant and dessert after work.

And you’re also waiting for the place to release the dang cast list—I mean, menu—to see if Jordan Donica is on it.

I feel like an outlier bc I know immersive phantom is the hot thing rn but I'm actually more excited for the (vastly more accessible) U.S. tour and all the new phans it's going to bring in

The Saturday Stream sent me looking at Anthony Warlow and now between this and JRox I'm no use to man or beast.

Can't decide whether to crawl into fetal position or just cry face down in the pillow atp.

I know the world is a cruel place because Peter Karrie and Anthony Warlow are among the best to ever play the Phantom and yet there's only like 2.5 near-complete boots between them.