I had the amazing opportunity to go see the play, “Phantom” last night in the most amazing theater. We are talking floors that come up from the basement and down from the ceiling, huge chandeliers, and talent worthy of broadway. My niece was in the cast, and I wasn’t terribly informed about the play before I went. I have never seen, “Phantom of the Opera” and didn’t realize until intermission that they were two completely different plays. Different, but both of them are based on the same novel.
In “Phantom,” there is apparently more backstory about the Phantom and why he did the horrible things he did. His mother, who was the only one that ever saw his face without revulsion, died when he was young and her singing was mostly all that he remembered. Christine’s voice sounded just like hers. His father, who had been married to another woman, recoiled from his face and was the one who fashioned a mask for him and kept him deep underground, never telling him that he was even his father.
Near the end, Christine begs and pleads to see his face, erroneously believing that she knows his eyes and his heart and will be able to love him without a mask. He agonizes over the decision. He wants so badly for someone to truly see all of him and love him, yet he is afraid that she too will reject him if she fully sees who he is. Finally, in a moment of courage, he removes his mask. She screams and runs from the room. This man, who was already broken from being unloved, crumbles into pieces.
Later in the play, his father expresses his love and regret for the way he treated his son. Christine expresses her regret for her reaction and tries to make amends as he lies dying. And the Phantom, this broken man who had been starving for love and acceptance, expresses his regret for his actions as well.
I wasn’t expecting to be moved to tears, but I was. It was such an incredible portrayal of the universal and eternal need by every human being to be fully seen and loved. We all have “ugly” things about us. Weaknesses, flaws, mistakes….ugly parts of ourselves we attempt to keep hidden. We want to be loved so badly, yet we all walk around so fearful that if others truly saw our “ugliness” they would quickly abandon us just as Christine did. It is so scary to reveal these parts of ourselves to others, and yet we can’t feel truly loved if we don’t feel truly seen.
Everyone in this world needs more love. More compassion. More understanding that we all do things we regret when we feel unloved and alone. I want so badly to be someone that can offer love, compassion, and acceptance for people when they have the courage to reveal their “ugly” parts. And I deeply appreciate the people in my life who have done that very thing for me.
Work In Progress 