Prologue: Sounds like Mme Giry and Fleck talking about the island. Giry’s back after many long years away and is amazed the freaks are still living there. They mention the tragedy, the master leaving with the child, and a massive fire that consumed the park. Mme Giry reminisces about the days when the park was still operating and talks about the magic and the people who were there. Seriously creepy song.
Coney Island Waltz: Well, we've already heard it. Still nice.
That's the Place: Fleck yells at Mme. Giry. Nothing really new - it's short.
Heaven By the Sea: A large group number that basically lists all the cool stuff you see at Coney Island. Not great, not bad. A lot of talk about the amazing Mr. Y and how much he must've spent on all the amazing stuff. They mention that Mr. Y wears a mask but no one knows what's behind it. Mention of a huge concert hall and they don't know what's inside it.
Only For Him: Meg talking to her dancers and wondering if the Phantom is watching. The dancers go on about how he'll be watching and in awe of how great she is at the premier in 2 days. Meg starts to sing about how she'll be dancing only for him. Asks the dancers how she looks and they all preen. God, the dancers sound shrill. Ends with Meg going out to perform and greeting the crowd and saying that it's "only for you!" Totally cheesy song. Meg goes off stage, Fleck comes on to perform. Meg talks to Giry and asks how she did - Giry is her producer and reassures her that she's doing well, and mentions a Mr. Thompson who admires her. Meg asks if he's important. Cue to eerie music.
The Ayrie: Nice melody - really beautiful string part. I guess this is when we see the Phantom for the first time, which is odd since the melody is a lush, romantic sounding one more than the sort of dark and powerful theme we're used to him getting. Oh, wait - here it comes.
Till I Hear You Sing: Opens with a dark bass line, the Phantom complaining about how it's been "ten long years" and he's writing crap. He hears beautiful music in his head, but he can't write it without Christine. The music gets gentle, and it goes into the TIHYS that we've heard.
Giry Confronts the Phantom/TIHYS Reprise: Meg comes in and asks the Phantom if he watched her routine, and offers to change anything that he wants. He's totally uninterested. She offers to wear skimpier costumes and Giry yells at her and starts the "can't you see" bit that was in the preview clips. The Phantom is the one talking to her in that. Giry starts yelling Christine's name, and tells Meg to leave. She mentions that when the mob came after the Phantom it was the Girys who got him out while Christine was long gone. They got him to America and he says it's history. He was hired by a sideshow and put on display, the Girys worked night and day and gave him everything. They helped him finance his scheme, helped him succeed, lured investors, advised him, "loved and idolized you - she betrayed you, shamed you and despised you! She chose Raoul, chose his beauty and youth. It's long past time you faced up -" and he cuts her off, promises to repay her, and tells her to leave. He starts talking about how Christine fled, but "I'll be no longer denied, I'll have you back by my side my sweet Christine" (melody of TIHYS in the background) and "Come what may I swear somehow, some way I will hear you sing once more!"
Christine Disembarks: Basically what we've heard to start with. Christine gets off the boat, "once upon another time" melody. Raoul bitches that her name is De Chagny, not Daae, and no pictures please.
Arrival of the Trio: Starts in on the PR schpiel. They're all very crude, going on about the money and paying off Raoul's gambling debts (roulette in Monte Carlo). Gustave wants to learn how to swim. Ha. The freaks show up with a burst of eerie chime music - Gustave sees the carriage we've heard about. The freaks sing (Beauty Underneath melody) and Raoul's totally offended and yells at everyone. Gustave's excited. Crowd gets distracted by other celebrities.
What a Dreadful Town: Raoul basically bitching about how they're on display, everyone's low class. Interspersed with Gustave trying to get him to play with him. Christine playing the melody, and then she and Raoul argue and he says that none of it's his fault. He's a total jerk. Christine offers to leave that night if he wants, Gustave wants him to see the music box he's got. Christine asks Raoul not to drink. Gustave is sad, asks if he loves him.
Look with Your Heart: Christine singing to Gustave. Pretty song - she goes on about how love is tricky, and hard to recognize. A lot of references to her first love with the Phantom - don't "look with your eyes," "love is not always beautiful, not at the start," "open your arms and close your eyes tight," "love you misunderstand is love you'll regret." Gustave joins in, saying the same stuff. "forget what you think and know what you hear" (MOTN anyone?). It's a pretty touching song, actually. Classic abused wife and son feelings. Nice sweeping strings. The music box plays - it's that opening to Don Juan "you have come here through dropped all defenses." OMG. Burst of music.
Beneath a Moonless Sky: The Phantom enters on a burst of music - it's sort of that theme from the journey to the graveyard from the movie. Christine does her "I should have known" thing. She's a little pissy about it at first - "how dare you try to claim me now" and such. The Phantom mentions how she came and found him the night before her wedding - "you came and found where I hid, don't you deny that you did. That long ago night. That night... once there was a night beneath a moonless sky too dark to see a thing, too dark to even try." "I strode to your side, to tell you I must go. I couldn't see your face, but sensed you even so. And I touched you (and I felt you, and...)" and so on. A lot of suggestive lyrics about singing in veins, touching, embracing, sighs and such. "I felt no longer scared, I felt no longer shy. At last our feelings bared beneath a moonless sky." Talk about souls seeing souls, "I looked into your heart and saw you pure and whole." "Cloaked under the night with nothing to suppress - a woman and a man, no more and yet no less. And I kissed you, and caressed you and the world just fell away - we went into the dark we never day to say." And more like that. *fans self* I love it - "again and then again beneath a moonless sky." WHOAH, Erik. He mentions that before the sun rose that he was "ashamed of what I was, afraid to see your eyes, I stood while you slept and whispered a goodbye and crept into the dark beneath a moonless sky." She says it - "I loved you" says she would have followed him and would have told him that morning. E/C fans, eat your hearts out! Christine tells him he's too late to get her back. Dramatic orchestral music ending - I bet he's pissed.
Once Upon Another Time: Christine says that they made choices, but that it's in the past and they have to move on with their lives. The Phantom comes in, says that "maybe I was wrong but now the moment's gone." It actually sounds like he's going to give her up before he finds out about the kid. Sierra's a little shaky on the last note.
Mother Please, I'm Scared: Gustave has a nightmare that someone's trying to drown him and comes in, Christine comforts him and introduces Mr. Y. Cue the dramatic bass music (a la 80's Phantom). Phantom offers to show Gustave around the park the next day and Christine sends him back to bed. Sad clarinet music.
Dear Old Friend: Starts with rehearsals for bathing beauty. Meg and Giry talk about how the Phantom is writing new music and Meg hopes it's for her, wants to impress him. I guess they don't know Christine's here at this point. She and Gustave are wandering around backstage and run into Meg, who Christine doesn't recognize at first. Meg kind of freaks. A little awkward of a reunion - pretty formal and stilted. A lot of comments about how wonderful the other looks. Christine mentions she's singing and Meg's a little freaked and asks who hired her. Raoul sees Giry and both freak out, and he demands more money although it's already astronomically high. Raoul asks who it is and she just says, "it's HIM." Meg and Christine start arguing about how she's performing the next time when Meg's supposed to sing, and Raoul is starting to freak out. Giry points out that Christine probably knew. He confronts Christine, who starts getting nervous and he promises to "Deal with you later." Awkwardness all around. Ouch. It's actually pretty funny. Reminds me a little of notes, the way it all works together. They all part with very polite goodbyes which are totally insincere. Musical ending is a little like the ending to Prima Donna - a little dark undertone. Christine goes off to look for Gustave.
Beautiful: The freaks have showed up to take Gustave to the Phantom. They introduce themselves. I like the melodies, but it's all a little stilted. You can hear that Don Juan music again when the Phantom enters. The Phantom tells Gustave to look around, and he plays on the piano (the Beautiful melody). The Phantom asks him what it is and Gustave says he wrote it and yes, says beautiful A LOT. Ugh. But the kid sure can sing. "This boy... this music... he plays like me... he's just 10 years old - 10 years old! My God! MY GOD!" There's that AH HA moment! I'm so going to cry here.
Beauty Underneath: OK, way creepy Kiss style opening. Doesn't fit at all. Gustave interjects a few times to agree that he does, in fact, feel the beauty underneath. The lyrics are pretty weird, though. Very gothic sounding. Interspersed with the "beautiful" melody. And the Phantom goes on about how "he's so beautiful - perhaps too beautiful. What I suspect can not be, and yet somehow we both see the very same things." Gustave does the Beauty Underneath melody for a while - weird father/son moment. I kind of like the rock and classical melody combination, though. It seems like a touching reunion although Gustave doesn't know. It sounds like the Phantom is trying to convince him to see past appearances, and there's a big climax building up until he pulls off the mask and screams.
The Phantom Confronts Christine: Christine shows up and sends Gustave away. The Phantom asks her how she could think he wouldn't guess and Christine starts absolutely freaking out and then admits that Gustave is the Phantom's son. It's actually very sweet - the Phantom keeps saying "our son" in this very plaintive voice. He gets upset that his own son couldn't look at his face "just like his mother." Christine begs forgiveness (TIHYS melody) even though she shouldn't. Ugh. Promises to sing tomorrow night, "for you again then we'll go." The Phantom spends a lot of time waxing poetical about how out of ugliness came something good but the kid "loathes me just the same." "If I must hide from him, I must, yet he shall be my saving grace. For Christine, my Christine, if it's true I've no reason to love." and such. Promises to give Gustave everything. OK, I absolutely love Ramin's voice - he's great at the angsty songs. Mme Giry was watching, and sings about how he's betrayed her and Meg in a total Darius moment. "All would be ours if that bastard had never been born!" WHOAH, Mme. Giry is totally pissed. I don't think she's every anything else, really.
Entr'acte: Nice enough. Just repeats of the melodies, as usual for intermission music.
Why Does She Love Me: I guess this is the bar scene. Raoul is totally wasted. It's weird - there's this saxaphone jazz moment which is pretty out of place. Raoul has a really tender song, actually, where he talks about how badly he treats Christine. It's totally opposite of what we've seen so far, so it's a little weird. A lot of talk about how she needs music and things which he can't give her - he only brings her down, and decides he needs one more drink, "leave the hurt behind." Some more bad rhyming - mention of "beneath this mask I wear there's nothing of me." Subtle. He addresses the bar tender a few times, without getting an answer. Meg comes in with faster music - Raoul's totally slurring - it's hilarious. Meg apparently has had some hard times too - the bar is near THE pier and she comes here to swim and wash her sins away. Echo of the melody she sings to Gustave in the finale. She tells Raoul to leave and he balks at losing money and losing to HIM.
Devil Take the Hindmost: Raoul goes on about how if he saw the Phantom he could beat him - sounds like the Why So Silent intro with the short bursts. The Phantom is totally sarcastic. LOVE Ramin in this song. They make the bet that Raoul will leave if she sings, and if she won't the Phantom will pay all their debts. Raoul talks about how he won her long ago, and stuff like that.
R: We've a son - our bond's secure!
P: Are you sure? Are you so sure?
R: What do you mean?
P: Such a child, strange to see. Different - musical. Is he more you or me? Which one do you find most?
R: You lie!
HAHAHAHA. I love it. The music escalates, a lot of card playing and gambling metaphors. Great song. Ends with Raoul saying "My God, what have I done? Look at me - the concert's only hours away."
Heaven By the Sea (Reprise): Another crowd number. Basically the same as the first one, talks about how it's the last day of the season. The hot air balloon enters and the crowd reacts - that still seems totally weird to me.
Ladies, Gents/Coney Island Waltz (Reprise): The freaks inviting everyone to the last performance. They basically highlight Christine's performance. I notice they're still calling her Christine Daae despite Raoul's correcting them at the beginning of the show
The waltz plays again.
Bathing Beauty: So it's basically a song about going to Coney Island and taking too many bathing suits - I guess Meg starts with all of them on and takes them off gradually. No wonder the Phantom thinks she's not as good as Christine. Her backup dancers are still totally shrill sounding and it gets on your nerves after a while. Meg mostly doesn't sing, so I guess she must have a great dance part. They keep yelling out what pattern is on each suit and it's really lame. I can see why people think this song doesn't fit - it's totally out of place and kind of ruins the slowly building tension.
Mother, Did you Watch?: Meg is totally hyper at first and her Mom has to keep trying to shut her up to tell her that the Phantom wasn't there. They still call him the master and it's a little weird. What bothers me is that Meg is upset but it still doesn't seem like she's to the point of murder or suicide - I mean, she cries but I still don't buy her change.
Before the Performance: Gustave singing his "beautiful" song. Raoul's actually trying, you can tell. He's apparently sobered up and gotten dressed up. They remember how they looked back on that night of Hannibal. Gustave goes off to explore (ha) and Raoul basically apologizes and then says "if you love me as I love you don't sing the song, dear." Christine still doesn't seem to intend to leave him - she doesn't know about the bet. But it's a sweet song - Raoul promises to change if they leave now. Note he's calling Gustave "the child" now, not "my son." The music is actually very beautiful - it's mostly Gustave's melody, and then Raoul leaves. Then the Phantom comes in to talk to Christine, tells her she deserves better (TIHYS melody reprised). I feel really bad for Christine - they're both totally wheedling her and you kind of feel like no one's telling her everything. OOH Twisted reprise - "Twisted every way, what answer can I give? (orchestral continuation of the melody) I know I can't refuse, and yet I wish I could. Oh God..." and then it's the Phantom and Raoul saying, "Christine, Christine don't think that I don't care but every hope and every prayer rests on you now." Same finish as in the original with the Prima Donna melody.
Devil Take the Hindmost (quartet): We've heard basically what it sounds like. LOVE the counter-melody. Both men tell her to "do it for our son." It's interspersed with sounds of the crew setting up. Mme Giry comes in and saying that she'll get what she deserves and hoping Christine chooses not to sing. Really feeling bad for Christine now - no pressure or anything, jeez! Giry makes a snotty comment to the Phantom. Meg ends it, saying, "devil take the hindmost."
Love Never Dies: Starts with the melody in the strings - I guess poor Christine's standing there and freaking out. Talk about a public forum to make such a choice. But then again, the show made it pretty obvious who she really loves. So it's a duty-or-love thing, from what I can tell. It's a nice enough song, I guess, and Sierra sings it well. She sounds pretty emotional about it. What bugs me is that it hasn't been made clear that she realizes that by singing she guarantees Raoul leaves alone, so she could just be singing and thinking that she can still leave with him afterward. And it seems weird - after all the fuss that's been made about the world's greatest soprano singing an amazing song, it's almost a let down. But the end is very dramatic.
Ah, Christine: Basically the Phantom congratulating Christine, and then Christine joining in to say that she felt beautiful again (ARGH BEAUTIFUL AGAIN) and they both sing about how amazing it felt. Raoul has left Christine a note, sung using the Little Lotte melody, to tell her that he's no longer her childhood sweetheart. "May your angel of music watch over you now and give you what I wish I'd give you somehow."
Gustave, Gustave: Christine freaks out when she realizes Gustave is gone. The Phantom thinks Raoul has kidnapped him but Squelch tells him the Vicomte left alone. I love listening to seriously pissed Ramin - he basically screams at Giry and threatens to "tear her limb from limb." Giry's totally indignant, with reason - she's never done anything to indicate she'd hurt a child. OMG hearing the Phantom scream Gustave's name is scary. Fleck says she passed Meg's room and the room was empty, mirror smashed, and saw Meg leaving with Gustave. Giry is horrified but doesn't think she'd hurt Gustave. It's really tragic - this track captures the frantic fear of parents whose kid has been kidnapped, so it's a little upsetting and that definitely comes across in the music. You hear Christine and the Phantom running through the crowd trying to find him, Giry trying to plead with Meg and they go to the pier...
Please Miss Giry: Gustave asks Meg to take him back to the auditorium. Meg's totally lost it - she keeps going on about sinking into the water, forgetting the past, washing everything away and such. Totally creepy. Enter Phantom and Christine. Meg actually sings the Bathing Beauty melody which is really weird and it's got eerie undertones. She says that she basically prostituted herself for the Phantom to get money, get permits through, buy time when bills came and more. So that's where the pimp idea comes from. She pulls out the gun and the Phantom tries to talk her down by taking the blame and actually using her name for once. He uses the Beauty Underneath melody to tell her that he understands and Meg is actually listening until he says "we can't all be like Christine." IDIOT. She freaks, the gun goes off. "No! I didn't mean to!" and mass confusion. Phantom screams for Giry to get help, Gustave screams for Papa.
Christine: your father - your real father. Look with your heart and not with your eyes. The heart understands, the heart never lies. Believe what it feels and trust what it shows. Look with your heart, the heart always knows. Love is not always beautiful, not at the start
Gustave: So open your arms
C: And close yor eyes tight
G: Look with your heart
C: And when you find love...
G: NO (HEARTBREAKING)
P: Once upon another time our story had only begun. I had a taste of joy, the most I ever knew. Now there isn't any time, and somehow our story is done. And what about the boy? What am I to do?
C: Just know, just live, and give what we can give. And take the love that you deserve.
Both: Just love, just live and give
P: all that I have and take what little I deserve
C: Come close, I beg you. Closer still... Remember love never dies. Kiss me one last time.
Christine dies and we all die a little. TIHYS melody plays. It's amazing how long it takes her to die, actually. I thought she died when Gustave screamed no, but she kept singing after that so I guess not. I guess this is where Gustave takes off the Phantom's mask and touches his face. There are several minutes of instrumental music after Christine dies, so it definitely does stretch out a lot. You can kind of hear the ocean in the background too, as the "Beautiful" melody plays again.
