I Thought Gary Mauer And Marie Danvers's Final Lair Kiss Was Special But After Watching (more Than) A

Filing An Emotional Distress Claim Against Earl Carpenter's Phantom for:

How softly he whispers "sing" during the title song.

Nearly putting his arms around Katie Knight Adams while singing "soooarrr" during MOTN but chickening out.

The emphasis he puts on "lead me save me from ~my solitude~"

Hands (see items 5-9):

Directing Christine (and honestly the music) during the title song like he's literally pulling the melody/sex out of her.

Doing that wrist twist thing during the cape twirl and MOTN.

Doing all the things during PONR.

Always holding Christine's head/hair during the kiss and sometimes even putting his hand on her cheek. [Melts.]

Reaching for Christine when she returns because he thinks she's coming back for him only to try to refuse the ring when she gives it back.

Falling to his knees during the ring return and offering the ring to her AGAIN?!?! This is very intentional infliction of emotional distress wtf!!

Going all the way to the floor like a baby during the whole "go now and leave me" sequence.

Reaching through the damn portcullis with the damn veil in hand while singing "you alone can make my song take flight."

The fact that he came back to the West End for a limited run in 2023 and destroyed us all over again.

And then ended that 2023 limited run with the ultimate sad wet cat "noooo" after the ring return in the final lair. Who let this happen?!?

So honestly this is a respondeat superior case bc the producers of POTO allowed Earl Carpenter to victimize us all in the 2000s and then brought him back aged like fine wine just to find devastating new ways of milking our tear ducts all over again.

This has to be actionable. My lawyers will be in touch.

It’s Monday and I’m still thinking about that Cudia boot.

What I love about theatre is that no matter how many times you’ve seen a show or even a particular actor’s performances, there’s always room for surprise. I always liked John Cudia, but that boot was distinct from all his other performances. He just walked into work that day and said “I feel like being more feral than usual.”

Same. SAME.

still not over that boot actually

Look, I'm very excited to see Jordan Donica in the Gilded Age, but all I know is THIS BETTER NOT INTERFERE WITH MY DARKEST DREAMS OF HIM PLAYING THE PHANTOM FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR. Listen to the voice. Look at the hands. Imagine the pants!! This man was made to play the Phantom. He is the second coming of Davis Gaines or Howard McGillan in the making.

Whoever is in charge...whoever I need to contact, petition, or pray to...MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

Can I please open my door to this?

Franz Kafka, from a letter to Milena Jesenka featured in "Letters to Milena,

GIANMARCO SAURINO as  PROCURATORE FOURNEAU on "The Law According to Lidia Poët" | Season 2

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.

The chandelier rises one last time.

This Week's Phantom Spotlight: Marcus Lovett

He's not everyone's cup of tea, but after going back and forth about this a few times with different watches I've decided he's mine (oddly enough).

Detractors call him stiff (and he is) and aloof (I get it), but those are choices that make sense when you understand the logic behind his portrayal. "Unsocialized" doesn't [always] have to look like "unhinged;" it can also look...detached, hyper-rationalizing, wheels turning in head at all times.

^^^ And that would get old were it not for the fact that Lovett plays that vision very methodical and consistent so that it can all be undone in the final lair. His Erik's arc is calculating/processing by imitation -> learning how to feel organically. His tension: "Oh shit, I'm actually feeling things. I wasn't supposed to feel things."

Slightly hard to tell bc of the glare in the boots, but 95% sure he embraced Christine back (hesitantly) during the kisses/hugs and also held AO'B's hand, and that decision matters for his portrayal (saves it from being too stiff and consistent and he plays it like he's embracing her despite himself--stopped thinking, started to feel).

Also has to be paired with the right Christine, which he was with Anna O'Byrne. She got it; they played off each other well.

Forget Raoul, that veil is Lovett's real antagonist in the final lair.