Every Twisted Rant

Do You Want to Be Christine Daaè?

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Do you have dreams of playing Christine Daaè on Broadway one day?

Well, so do I!

So I've done my research and to all those lovely women who wish they could play one of the most (if not the most) famous soprano role ever written, here is what you need to know:

When Casting Christine, it is all About the Voice.
"The vocal demands are very specific," she continues. "There are many young women who have beautiful soprano voices, but they aren't particularly suited to singing the role of Christine. There's always that search to find that beautiful soprano voice that's very light and yet dramatic. Within the role of Christine, we also look for actresses who bring a strength to that part. We look for actresses who can, more or less, grow up before our eyes, as the character does—as the character finds her voice, literally and figuratively, and becomes a strong person on the stage."
                    - Rubin, Playbill.com

• So, as I've said before, voice color is very important. Christine must have that almost operatic sound, yet her coloratura must be lighter and more of a broadway"ish" vibrato.

The Ballet Girl
(Hopefully the video at the top works: watch it and if you can do that dance- you are all set!!) At the beginning of The Phantom of the Opera, Christine is a part of the corpse de ballet before she becomes the shining Prima Donna we know her to be. Many girls (myself included at first) worry that because they have had no prior ballet experience they cannot play this role. Wrong!!! You can! Sarah Brightman, the original Christine, was also a ballerina and so she did dance to the full extent. But nowadays, Christine does not. In some productions, she dances a minimal at the beginning or end of the Hannibal ballet. And even then, the choreography is not to complicated. As long as you have some dance experience, coordination, and a graceful presence on stage, you should be good to go! I recommend you stretch daily or do yoga, which I have found helps before any production.

Costumes
Ladies... the dresses that Christine wears in the show can way up to and sometimes more than 40 pounds! That is heavy! And she gets thrown around quite a bit on stage, especially in that wedding gown for the final lair. Many actresses see a physical therapist just to relax their bodies and keep themselves loose after dragging those huge (yet extremely beautiful costumes) around!

Different Kinds of Christines
There are all kinds of different Christine roles.
• the Principal: the "main" Christine, she performs 6 shows a week.
• the Alternate: performs under the principal, performs 2 shows a week. The mattanuays and one night out of the week.
• the Standby: she usually doesn't perform, or at least often. Is called in if the Principal and Alternate are both unable to play.
• the Tour: Christine on any of the tours, usually a younger woman plays her. (Has Alternate and Standby)
• The West End: Christine in London (has Alternate and Standby)

The High Notes
Christine is famous for her high C's and her High E. The actress must be able to sing these notes easily or surpass them. Although, it is commonly known scandal that the high E at the end of the title song is recorded so not to strain the actress's voice.

The Cast
Supporting characters in Phantom:
"That's one of the thrilling things about being around actors—finding people who can create a supporting character, but also have the talent and ability to take on a principal role when called upon," she says. "Also, I think that one of the most original things about Phantom of the Opera was the physical production... We need to look for people who feel like they're denizens of that world."
- Rubin, Playbill.com

This is such a beautiful and amazing role for anyone to play! I hope this was informative to you all and I encourage you to never give hope for your dreams, especially if it is truly something you feel called to. If anyone has any questions or want to learn more, I will totally help!!