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Nylon
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Nylon
The Phantom of the Opera Review: A classic musical that still haunts and captivates the soul
My fascination with the theatre started when I was a little girl, perusing my parents' library of CDs until I found the curious cover of the 1988 West End recording of The Phantom of the Opera; which later became the soundtrack of my 10-year-old days. While I never had the privilege of being amongst the first to watch its very first staging in Singapore, I did catch its subsequent run in 2007 at the Esplanade, and have since watched it more than four times — if you count the film version. Image courtesy of Base Entertainment Asia. For those unfamiliar with this classic, the Phantom of the Opera is based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L'Opéra by Gaston Leroux which tells the tale of a disfigured musical genius who haunted the depths of the Paris Opera House. Mesmerised by the talent and beauty of a young female soprano, he makes her his protégé and falls fiercely in love with her. His obsession ultimately takes a turn for the worst when he finds out that she is love with another; setting in motion a series of events where jealousy, madness and passions collide. As with every opening of the Phantom of the Opera, the chandelier scene remains one of the core highlights of the musical because it is one of the climatic moments that pulls you in to the story. Unfortunately, during my performance, the scene lost its magic due to the disjointed feel of the overture and the chandelier, especially when the chandelier was supposed to rise to the ceiling to begin the turn back in time. Instead of an immediate ascend, the chandelier was kinda awkwardly floating on stage for 30 to 40 seconds before it very slowly made its way to the ceiling, which instantly brought me back to reality instead of 1800s Paris. Image courtesy of Base Entertainment Asia. The awkward technical difficulty also seemed to have repeated itself during the boat scene in the song, 'The Phantom of the Opera', where there was an empty stage despite the actors singing. During that 30 to 40 seconds, I could see heads craning just to see if they had missed something on stage, and some even turned behind, thinking that maybe the actors were in the audience. This seemingly buffered event happened yet again at the climatic end of Act One, which could be attributed to the weight of the chandelier, but instead of a slow descend of the chandelier, it would have been great if an alternative setting was used to relay this crucial moment in the musical where the audience is already expecting something frightening to happen. So, instead of an at-the-edge-of-my-seat moment, I felt the anxiety and fear of a crashing chandelier dissipate as I waited for the lights to come on for intermission. Though the staging was slightly disappointing because of the hiccups I witnessed, the show redeemed itself in its performers who did a fantastic job. From the principal cast to the ensemble in their supportive roles, everyone was outstanding in their own ways, giving the audience something to look at in every scene, especially during Masquerade. Image courtesy of Base Entertainment Asia. The ones who stood out for me though, were without a doubt the two leads, Grace Roberts and Ben Forster, who played Christine Daaé and the Phantom respectively. As someone who looks to Sarah Brightman's portrayal as the golden standard of any Christine Daaé, I have never found anyone quite as similar to her until I witnessed Grace Roberts performed 'Think of Me'. Now, I've heard variations of this song which had been modified to complement the various performers' vocal range and it was always disappointing to hear as the song, to me, was a way to showcase the vocal prowess of Christine Daaé (but also I'm just a stickler for the OG version). So, when it came time for the vocal trills in 'Think of Me', Grace knocked it out of the park with an almost identical rendition of Sarah Brightman's performance, which turned me into that awestruck 10-year-old who was listening to the soundtrack for the first time. Needless to say, she impressed me even more when she easily tackled that insanely difficult portion of 'The Phantom of the Opera', which I dubbed the dolphin octave, and even gave me goosebumps during the process! When it came time for my favourite song, 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again', Grace performed it with such softness and emotion that it truly captured this profound longing in Christine Daaé for her father's support and guidance in this rather complicated time of her life. Image courtesy of Base Entertainment Asia. The first time we were introduced to Ben Forster as the Phantom, I am not shy to admit that I did not initially like his portrayal. This is largely due to the fact that I've been more accustomed to a calmer Phantom (shoutout to Michael Crawford!) that had more control in his voice, but Ben's Phantom came across more manic and emotional, especially during 'Music of the Night'. Instead of singing to Christine calmly and melodiously, I felt it came across a little frightening, almost like he was singing at her and not to her. I held on to my reservations about Ben's Phantom and only let it go when it finally came time for Act Two, when I finally understood why his portrayal came across so intensely. Though I may never know if this was a creative choice on his part, I definitely liked what Ben did with the Phantom; taking a more raw and human approach with the character that showcased the fragility of the Phantom and the desperation he felt to feel wanted and accepted by his muse. This was evident in the nuanced way Ben controlled his vocals, going from gentle to forceful, and in how he acted on stage, from belly-crawling on the floor like a crazed stalker to his shaking hands that mirrored his bursting emotions — all of which added a new layer to the Phantom that I have not seen before. With that said, I'm glad that the Phantom of the Opera is back on stage in Singapore again and despite the technical issues I experienced, this is definitely a good musical to catch and I hope it will help to entrance the next generation of Phantom fans.
Egypt Today
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Egypt Today
Egyptian mezzo-soprano Farrah El-Dibany serenades Dalida's song alongside French President Emmanuel Macron
A night to remember, Farrah El-Dibany serenades one of Dalida's songs, joined by President Macron, music, elegance, and a touch of French charm. Acclaimed Egyptian mezzo-soprano Farrah El Dibany celebrates a moment of pride as she accompanies French President Emmanuel Macron on his historic visit to Egypt. She said: 'Honored to be once again part of the official French delegation for this historic journey to Egypt, traveling alongside President Emmanuel Macron. Deeply grateful to contribute to the strengthening of the bond between our two nations, united as strategic allies.' In 2022, El-Dibany sang La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, as large crowds celebrated the re-election of Emmanuel Macron at the Champ-de-Mars. Egyptian mezzo-soprano Farrah El Dibany sang the French national anthem in the World Cup grand finale. Dibany performed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Dibany participated in the Beirut Chants Festival on December 14, 2021. On June 24, 2021, Cairo Opera House organized in cooperation with the French Cultural Center, a concert for El Dibany which was held under the title 'Mediterranean Journey' accompanied by the orchestra 'les cordes croisées', which included a group of Egyptian and French musicians. The concert's program included unique selections from the most famous Arab lyrical works by great singers, including Asmahan, Fairouz, and Dalida, in addition to excerpts from the most famous French and Spanish operas, which were redistributed by musician Ahmed el-Mogy and directed by musician Mostafa Fahmy. El Dibany participated in Global Hope Festival's initiative by performing a live concert on her official Instagram account on April 8, 2020. Global Hope Festival's initiative was tailor-made to donate to the Solidarity Response Fund of the World Health Organisation. El Dibany received the Hassan Kamy Award from the Manial Palace Festival in November 2019. She was the first ever to receive this award. She took it after giving a recital with Egyptian pianist Seif Mohie at the festival. "Truly honored to be the first ever to receive the Hassan Kamy award after giving a recital with Egyptian pianist Seif Mohie at the Manial Palace Festival, and even happier to have been handed the award by Prince Abbas Helmy and internationally acclaimed Egyptian pianist Ramzi Yassa. "Thanks to the Festival for putting this great festival together," Dibany previously wrote on her official Instagram account. Dibany is the first Egyptian to win the Prix Lyrique de l'AROP, the best opera singer award from the Paris Opera House, according to Opera de Paris. This important annual international award is dedicated to uprising opera singers and is granted to one female and one male soprano. She sang a song from 'Carmen' by Bizet at the awards ceremony in the presence of Egyptian and French officials. Dibany joined the Paris Opera House in 2016. She is the first Egyptian resident of the Paris Opera House. In 2017, Dibany performed alongside Opera singer Jean-Francois Marras in a concert to celebrate a partnership between the National Paris Opera House and Huawei. She went to different classical institutions to represent the venue, including the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, the Biennale dell'Arte at the French Pavilion in Venice, the Cairo Opera House, and the Alexandria Opera House. Also, she was awarded the Wagner Prize for excellence in opera. On her official Facebook page, Dibany said she feels honored to appear in a trailer that celebrates her partnership with the National Paris Opera House. The trailer was directed by a team led by Audrey Mascina. Her mezzo-soprano performance in "Carmen" in 2015 got her the 'Best Upcoming Young Opera Singer' title, based on a survey generated by the 'Opernwelt' magazine yearbook.
