So I am very grateful to say that I saw Phantom again on Broadway yesterday (March 15th) for a school trip! I didn't really want to make it a big deal because I really feel like I'm bragging and I don't want anyone else to feel bad at all! But I still want to talk to you guys about it because there were some really really amazing things that I noticed and it was a really great experience again and I am just so thrilled and so happy and so excited so I wanted to give another review! I'm terribly sorry if this makes any of you feel bad at all I truly don't mean it to be I just want to share with people who understand!!!

So at school I am a member and the secretary of French Club! Basically we learn about french culture and play games and such! It's a really fun organization and I'm very glad to be apart of it! I also have a really amazing relationship with my teacher so it's a lot of fun and all of my friends are in it too! So for a couple of years we've wanted to go on a trip to NY to see a show that related to France or to go to the MET Art Museum and when we did a vote most people wanted to see a Broadway show! So my teacher asked me if I could research shows and prices and such so that I could create a list of shows to see and then the club could vote.

So my guidelines were to find shows that related to french culture and weren't super expensive and the only shows that made sense were Phantom in NY or the tour production of Les Mis. The only other show relating to France was Anastasia and at the time the tickets were pretty expensive because it was still new (we ordered these awhile ago). So I work with other Student Officers and I told them this and they got really mad and said they wouldn't see Les Mis and took it off of the list and added a bunch of other shows. So ultimately the club voted on Phantom, Wicked, Waitress, Anastasia, and Chicago based on my brief descriptions and price.

And thankfully, Phantom won the vote!!!!!!!! You guys could imagine my excitement!!!! I think I found this out in October and it was so hard to keep the secret from you guys but I didn't want to appear as if I was bragging I'm so sorry!

So for the trip it was 40 students and my teacher. We left in the morning and had time to walk around the city before we had lunch at a really nice restaurant called Café Un Deux Trois (French for 1,2,3). And then after we had a little more time to walk around before getting back to the theatre at 2:00 for the show!!!

Walking around NYC with just my friends and no adults was truly an amazing experience! I won't go into that too much but it was so nice and I felt so much like an adult!

So skipping to the important part: the show! We had group seats and I sat in Row O of the center orchestra! The seats were really really nice! It was centered and close enough so we could see still! Below is my view of the stage from my seat!

The cast that I saw was Peter Jöback as the Phantom and Ali Ewoldt and Rodney Ingram as Christine and Raoul.

For a little background, Peter Jöback has been one of my favorite Phantoms since the first time I watched the 25th Anniversary DVD... which was six years ago!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe when they announced that he was the new Phantom I was so happy!!!!!!!! I am so happy that I got to see him and he was just so amazing and did amazing with the role!!!!!!

I thought his voice was amazing! Sometimes I like when the Phantom's have higher pitched voices because it adds a different characterization to it which is really really cool! I thought his voice was powerful and pretty and all of the things you need to be a Phantom!

His Music of the Night was gorgeous! A little different than James Barbour and Ramin Karimloo, he seemed very focused on himself and not Christine very much at all which I sort of liked because I can see the Phantom just getting lost in his words and his thoughts and just having her listen. I thought that was pretty cool.

He also tried to play a 'sexy' Phantom but he succeeded in the one instance that I allow this! It was very awkward. It almost seemed as if he was trying to be sexy but didn't know how and was failing tremendously! I'm not sure if that was the goal but I really annoyed that because as a character I can see that the Phantom would attempt to appear 'sexy' but not know how and just come across as a bit odd.

Now my absolute favorite thing that Peter did was in the PONR scene, he acted it completely different than I have ever seen/heard before ever!!!!! I find that most Phantoms play this part the same way since it's also the Phantom acting but once Christine figured out that it was the Phantom she made a move as if she was going to kiss him and then moved away to start 'You have brought me...' and she deepened her voice to appear more sexual. At first I was annoyed about this because I don't believe there is that kind of chemistry between the Phantom and Christine but Peter didn't feed into it. Instead, he seemed to curse himself. He clenched his fists and it almost seemed as if he was writhing in pain, because he was trying to resist the urge to kiss her or to touch her. It was very similar to the original novel and the Susan Kay novel in which he seemed overwhelmed with his love for her and it caused him physical pain. I hope that makes sense and doesn't make it seem weird because it wasn't! It almost seemed as if she was doing that to make him upset and to torture him in a weird way? Which is a really cool different technique for the Phantom and Christine! I really hope I'm explaining it in a way that makes sense because it was a really beautiful and emotional touch! I felt for the Phantom a lot in that moment and it added a lot to his reprise of 'All I Ask of You'. Also it was an interesting touch for Christine to make her appear a little stronger than she already is. It's interesting to see her 'fight back' against the Phantom a little bit.

Another thing that he did throughout the whole show was when something happened that he didn't like he would yell 'no' and hold his heart which I thought was a really wonderful nod to the book!!!!! It was so heartbreaking, especially in the final lair and it was a really cool detail and I loved it!!!!!!

His final lair was pure brilliance and I cried through the whole thing. 'The way he sung Christine I Love You, was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard and my heart broke for him!!!!

Overall, Peter portrayed the Phantom as a very good mix between human and monster whereas I felt both Ramin and James lean more towards the human side and Hugh Panaro leans a little more towards 'monster'. Peter was a really really wonderful mix between both and I tremendously enjoyed his Phantom!!!!!!!

And of course, I can't forget to mention the  incomparable Ali Ewoldt! Good gosh I love her so much!!!!!! She was even better this time than the first time that I saw her and that is saying a lot because I absolutely loved her the first time!!!! Her voice seemed stronger and more articulate , not that it wasn't before it was just better which is unbelievable! I didn't think she could get any better! She plays Christine with such a lovable pep and she's so strong and fearless but also vulnerable and fearful all at he same time and she was just brilliant!!!!!!! Her Wishing was just gorgeous and she made me cry! Thinking of her voice now his giving me chills! It was beautiful!!!

And of course Rodney Ingram was amazing again!!!!!!! Though this is odd maybe to point out, but I thought he did a wonderful job in both Notes and Prima Donna! He really seemed as though he was thinking and figuring everything out and that he really cared! Watching him pace around the office in Prima Donna was really interesting and just in those nearly silent moments, you get a lot of the sides to his character! He plays such a wonderful, loving Raoul and it's hard not to fall in love with him!!!!! His and Ali's kiss in All I Ask of You was of course beautiful and I loved every second of it!!!!!!

The whole cast was amazing once again!!!!!!!! As well as the orchestra! Everything was just amazing and beautiful and from the very first moments that the chandelier rises I couldn't help but smile and cry all at once the whole show!!!!! Another really cool thing was the audience was really great! There were a lot of moments when the whole audience gasped or quickly murmured when something exciting happened and that was a really really cool experience!! There was also a lot of clapping and not even at the moments in which one is supposed to clap, there were other moments as well! It was really just amazing!!!!

I won't go into much more detail because I've talked about most of it before and I don't want to bother you guys but it was truly amazing!

Seeing it this time was like seeing it for the first time all over again and I was just as excited! My heart was racing throughout the entire show just like the first time!!!!!! It truly never gets old and it's just a beautiful beautiful show and I am so grateful that I was able to experience it love a second time!!!! It truly feels like such and honor and a privilege and I truly hope you all get to experience it someday!!!!! So also sincerely apologize for seeming like I'm bragging and talking about it so much! I also apologize for this chapter being so long! I'm probably forgetting something but I really hope you were able to enjoy this!

Thank you all so much!!!!!!!