Saturday, April 5, 2014

A Decade of Phandom

Greetings, everyone!

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post here -- almost a year, in fact. The reasons for that are mainly due to being rather busy with school and life in general, but there was also a period last summer/fall where I just wasn't feeling it anymore; I couldn't get enthusiastic about POTO the way I had before. I'm not sure exactly what caused it or what brought me back into the Phandom around late November (though I have some ideas on both that I'll get into in a future blog post), but the main thing is that I'm back now!

It occurred to me that this past March marks ten years since I first got into POTO. (The thrilling tale of when and how can be found in my introductory post from way back in the day.) A lot has changed in the world of the Phantom in the last decade, but some things have remained more or less the same. And POTO has led to quite a few changes in my life and how I see myself, as well.

So what's happened in the world of POTO in the last ten years? Well, near the end of 2004, the movie version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical came out and attracted a huge influx of Phans. That and the resulting fanfictions are probably the biggest legacy of the movie, which was certainly polarizing in its day. Productions in Las Vegas, Germany (Essen), Poland, Korea (revival), Brazil, Argentina, and numerous other places around the world came and went, and we bid farewell to the US Music Box Tour and later saw the rise of a whole new touring version after the show's 25th anniversary was celebrated in London. Meanwhile, the productions in London, New York, Japan, and Hungary have been running non-stop since they opened, and Broadway and Japan celebrated their 25th anniversaries last year while Hungary celebrated their 10th. Hugh Panaro is still playing the Phantom on Broadway, just as he was when I first discovered POTO, but he may be leaving the role for good soon. There was also something about a sequel that ALW's still trying to turn into a success. And on the non-ALW front, we had at least three new English translations of Leroux's novel in the past decade, plus a few amateur films and at least two new musical versions. And a few notable actors connected to POTO on screen and stage have passed away.

As for how the Phandom has changed . . . Many people say it's grown more contentious in recent years. I'm not completely sure if that's true, though, as I've heard stories from longtime Phans about the early days of Phan weblistings and forums. Apparently, in those days, some people sent viruses to those who disagreed with them on favorite actors and such -- I've never seen or heard of that sort of thing happening since I became a Phan. But in the time I've been a Phan, there were certainly large-scale disagreements between Phans on things like the 2004 movie, the stage sequel, and non-replica productions, as well as the old standby of occasional disagreements over which actors they like or dislike. There's also some bitterness or antipathy toward ALW, Cameron Mackintosh, and others, which I can understand to some degree even if I think it's sometimes taken way too far. Thankfully, the Really Useful Group doesn't try to force Phan websites to take down pictures of the show's logo like they did in the '90s.

The ways Phans stay in touch seems to have changed, as well; I think it's moved away from message boards in recent years as social networking sites (especially Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr) have become more popular. The POTO message boards I follow generally don't get many new posts, though some still do have regular traffic. (For what it's worth, I'm very much a FB guy; I have Twitter and Tumblr accounts, but rarely use them. Though I sometimes browse those sites to see and 'like' what others post.) It's especially fun when performers in the stage productions have FB or Twitter accounts and interact with their fans. It also seems like because of the openness and anonymity the Internet provides (especially now that social networking is pretty much everywhere), some people tend to post things that are unfiltered, and that (one would hope) they might come to regret in the future, like really over-the-top and creepy declarations of love/lust for POTO actors (a topic I ranted about a while back on this blog). It seems like there are some for whom regrettably, the world of POTO is all about sex . . . Thankfully, though, there are still many people who love and appreciate the story and characters, and who continue to read the novel and watch the various stage and film versions because of the relevance they find to their own lives.

So how has being a Phan changed me? I believe that every story a person encounters has some effect on their being, just like every place they visit and every other person they meet. It's a little difficult to really analyze the specific things that POTO has changed or enhanced about my character. When I was first introduced to POTO ten years ago, I was a high school sophomore, and I didn't really have much of an idea what I wanted to do with my life; I thought about perhaps becoming a film director, but wasn't really certain. Now, I feel like I want to get into the world of theatre. My interests lie mainly on the writing, composing, and directing side, although I'd love to act in a show as well. Getting into POTO also made me a better and more serious music student while I was in high school -- before, I was content to just go to band events and enjoy the music and camaraderie. I didn't understand much of the music theory we were meant to be learning in class, and I didn't practice nearly as much as I should have. After discovering POTO, though, I was much more motivated and got a lot more out of those classes. I credit the musical and the original story with making me want to become a composer and try to gain the skills and knowledge to make that happen; perhaps in some small, roundabout way, the Angel of Music has paid me a visit.

Another way POTO has changed my life lies within the Phan community itself. Getting into the online forums in those early years helped me quite a bit in terms of breaking out of my shell and becoming more social. I made quite a few friends, and some of them have become among my closest friends (to the point of me flying out-of-state to meet them and see stage performances with them in some cases). Two of those friendships even grew into romantic relationships; and I'm thankful that even after the romance ended in those cases, my friendships with those involved have continued on to this day.

In short, it's been a truly amazing decade for me. Thanks to POTO, I've gotten to meet all kinds of great people, travel to places I never dreamed I'd be visiting at this stage of my life, and learn quite a few things about music, theatre, and life in general. I'm interested to know how POTO has changed other people's lives, as well; and also how other Phans perceive the Phan community. Anyone up for sharing can feel free to post their comments! And I'll be posting again quite soon with some exciting POTO-related news.


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

1 comment:

  1. ---A good and interesting summary of the events involving Phantom in the last ten years!

    How has being interested and involved in Phantom changed me? Mostly, it has given me a lot of pleasure and an on-going interest.

    I've also had a lot of experience honing my writing skills, often in "debates" of one kind or another :-)

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