The Craptacular Tumbles!

I know there would have been raised eyebrows at my casting, but, as Kiera Duffy so sagely put it, “I didn’t cast myself”. One is then left with the realisation that you have to do justice to a piece and a character that means a huge amount to a lot of people – but remembering that the reason you were selected in the first places was to made educated and informed acting decisions based upon what you bring to the production and the part. It all happened so quickly that in my memory it’s all a bit of a blur. I was proud to be a part of such a historic occasion, and was welcomed by the extended Phantom family very warmly. My understanding of the character is that Raoul has to be a valid opponent to the Phantom, and a valid choice for Christine. In that way, he doesn’t strike me as a sap (though there is a tenderness and youthfulness to him), rather he is an confident aristocrat trying to wrestle back control of a situation (and control over a woman he thinks he loves) that has spiralled away from him. He is up against another man (I think Raoul knows the “Phantom” is mostly smoke and mirrors); a man who doesn’t seem to be playing by the rules.