The Phantom Lives Here....

In 2004 Hollywood and Andrew Lloyd Webber came out with a fantastic rendition of the classic hit show Phantom of the Opera.  In case you have not seen it before, it comes with a very handsome all-star cast that includes, Gerard Butler, Patrick Wilson, Minnie Driver and Emmy Rossum.  I went and bought the DVD right after it came out.  It was expensive (I think almost $30) and to be honest I really couldn't afford it, so for almost a whole month after that, when I wasn't working, I was at home watching my most favorite indulgence.

In 2004 Rhiannon was a whopping 4 years old.  

I'm pretty sure her favorite movie was some sort of Strawberry Shortcake, Finding Nemo or Barbie's Swan Lake.  However after watching this one time with me she was HOOKED.  It made my heart so happy to know that she loved a part of musical theatre, even if it came as a big box Hollywood sensation.

You gotta start somewhere, right?  And who was I to judge?  I loved it too!  

That year the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis had The Phantom of the Opera come through.  I bought the best tickets I could afford and made a Mama/Daughter date out of it. 

(Babies, I tell you!)

I have to be completely honest, I was worried.  

Rhiannon was only four years old.  I didn't want her to  

A. Hate it and ruin any chance of her going with me to see theatre again, or...

B. Have a meltdown and have us ruin the experience for the other patrons.  

I'm happy to report that she did beautifully!  

She was so attentive and into the storyline the entire time. 

She gasped, jumped and grabbed my hand when the chandelier fell.  

And, (one of my most precious memories of Rhiannon) at the very end, when Christine Daae is being rowed away from the Phantom, I looked down to find my sweet little baby silently crying.  

When the lights came up she looked at me and said, "I know I'm supposed to be very quiet and I'm not supposed to cry, but the Phantom was just so sad."  

What do you say to that?  All I could do was hug her tight as my heart melted.  

After that day it had became her favorite movie.  She burned through 3 DVD's before she moved on to her next phase.

Fast Forward to 2012.  The Mister and I have Amazon Prime.  A few days ago I was browsing through the free movies, desperately trying to find something else besides Diego and Dora the Explorer for Clara to get into, and wouldn’t you know it?  There was The Phantom of the Opera!  

I took a chance and told Clara that we were going to watch Mama's singing movie instead (with hopeful fingers crossed.)

 

Today we watched/had it on in the background for the fifth time in three days.  When she asks to watch it she says, can I watch mama's singing opera show?  Once again, this Mama's heart is happy.  (Even though I am shushed by a two year old when I try and sing along.)

(Clara's favorite part.)   

Snow, Mama!  It's snowing!

(Seriously, I think it might be mine too.  That cape is FANTASTIC!!!!!)

  

Happy Happy Tuesday To You All!