Phantom

The show Phantom has been on my mind alot for a few days. I guess maybe since I love to act, I relate to theatre in ways some might not. When something happens in my life, rather than immediately thinking of a song or a poem to relate to, I think of a show. This time it’s Phantom.

If you haven’t seen it, let me explain. (In my words, of course, and I’m not a critic.) The Phantom is a deformed, hideous man who lives in the walls of an opera house. He was placed behind these walls so that no one would have to see “the ugly.” Hide it, and it doesn’t exist, right? So, he lives his solitary life behind these walls, hiding the ugly, until something comes along that changes things. Someone comes along that changes him. Christine. Suddenly, with the entrance of this one person into his world, he’s not so content hiding behind the walls anymore. Although he slowly begins to creep out from behind the walls to be with her, he still keeps the ugly hidden away behind his mask. He just can’t let her see him. Not yet.

Time passes. Love grows. And finally. Finally. He feels like the time has come. They’ve spent time together, she knows the ‘real’ him….so why not show her the rest? He summons up the courage to remove the mask and show her ‘the ugly.’ Surely all the good and not-so-ugly things that she has seen up to this point will outweigh what lies beneath, right? Surely she will accept and love him for the whole self, and not just the self that keeps portions hidden behind walls and a mask. Surely if he reveals all of himself – the bad together with the good – she will still love him for the person she has come to know. Won’t she?

Well, guess what. She doesn’t. She takes one look – one look – and she’s gone.

Oh, Phantom. I feel ya, buddy.