"Are we going to be late? Are we almost there? Oh no... I have to go to bathroom! I think I'm going to be sick!"
"Calm down, Anna!" Chuckled Ma from the drivers seat of the maroon colored car. Beside Anna, Sarah chucked.
"Have you never seen a live musical before?" She asked the girl who was bouncing up and down in her seat as a five year old would do rather than a thirteen year old girl.
Anna glanced at the beautiful Indian girl with long dark hair and dark lashes, her perfect almond colored skin. And scoffed. "I've seen many... but only community theatre and never BROADWAY TOUR!" The blonde clapped her hands together, reacting Maria's response to hearing she would stay with the Von Trapp family in sound of music. "And," continued the overly giddy teen. "As I've said before, I've seen the phantom of the opera movie- ya know the one with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum-" but Sarah shook her head.
Anna gasped. "So you don't even know what's going to happen?"
Sarah smiled with her pearly white teeth. "Nope!" She popped the 'p'. "But I can't wait!"
"I cried so hard!" Anna laughed and adjusted the half mask she was wearing.
"So, does the phantom wear a blue cloak like that?" Sarah was commenting on the blue velvety Anna had tied around her throat and trailed down the seat of the car.
She laughed, "No, his is Black. I just like wearing it! My best friend Kenna and I always joke that I am the Phantom and she is Christine. Although... it isn't my favorite musical- That's Les Mis- I really like the movie so... I am excited!"
Sarah raised a perfect ebony eyebrow. "I like how this isn't even your favorite and you still dressed up like the Phantom."
"I brought a dress for you if you wanna be Christine!"
"Um... YES PLEASE!"
Ma's gentle laugh rung through the car like a bell. "I knew you two would be fast friends."
The girls shared a look and smiled. "Sarah is awesome. I'm awesome. We like the same books and are going to be dressed up like Christine and the Phantom. Yup." Anna widened her smile into a toothy grin as Sarah chortled softly.
"So Anna," began her grandmother. "You were telling us before that you had seen a news clip about the show...?"
Anna's blueish green eyes lightened up. "Yes! Chris Mann, I think was his name, was being interviewed and he is going to play the Phantom tonight! And he was GORGEOUS!"
"Then it's going to be a little hard to make him look deformed, huh?" Replied Ma, turning the radio station down low. "They must use lots of stage makeup! Oh- looks like we're-"
"OH MY GOSH WE ARE HERE WE ARE HERE WE ARE-"
"Anna calm down!" Cried Sarah, and the blonde felt heat rise to her cheeks as she ceased her excited words.
After a good long twenty minutes, Ma found a perfect parking spot across the street from the Murat, the grand old theatre that the touring company of Phantom would be performing in.
Anna helped Sarah slip the white "Christine" dress over her simple blue knee length one.
Nervousness bubbled inside of Anna's stomach, starting in the pit of her belly and spreading threw her veins and into her head. The sky was a deep blue, the sun creeping lower and lower into the Midwestern sky. The late April air felt calming against Anna's skin as her midnight blue cloak bellowed behind her. Everyone was filling into the Murat, women in black gowns and red pumps to men in button down shirts and slacks.
Many stopped and looked at the teenagers dressed as the main characters of the show they were about to see, some laughed, others raised judgmental eyebrows. Anna didn't feel one ounce of regret, and fixed her crooked half mask so it was straight against her cheek.
Her multicolored eyes lifted to see the black lettering on the light up white background above the Murat.
Broadway On Tour Presents
The Phantom of the Opera!
Anna swallowed. No matter what the musical, she was a sucker for live theatre. There was something magical about real people singing with nothing but the orchestra to mask their flaws in the beautiful arias.... her heart hummed at the thought.
The trio passed through the doors, showing their tickets and filing inside the Murat. Cocktails were served in a corner at a smokey bar, Phantom shirts and other items could be purchased at another corner of the large room. Candles in small chandeliers and red smokey lighting truly made this box office/ parlor look like a modern Opera Populaire from the movie!
"Come!" Ma said, pulling out her phone. "I want a picture of my Phantom and Christine in front of the poster!"
Sarah took Anna's hand and they stood in front of the floor length mask poster with the title and ALW's name printed in gold lettering.
The excitement was eating away at Anna's insides as they meandered into the theatre.
She gazed up in wonder at the beautifully painted ceiling decorated with Angels of Music surrounding a breath taking chandelier. Her eyes trailed down to the velvety red chairs rimmed with golden metal, and they slid down into a row on the right hand side.
Anna looked at the stage... she recognized the chandelier covered in a tan colored tarp with brown letters: Lot 666.
"What's this?" Sarah asked Anna, bringing the girl down from the floating reality of masked men and music she could never dare sing.
"What's what?" Anna looked at Sarah and the beautiful girl pointed at Anna's arm where litters of red scars traveled up the soft flesh of her left forearm.
She froze. Memories flooded back like a hurricane. Her father... what he'd done... and Lucille Jane.
"Ah.... my cat. Charlie... he bites sometimes. His teeth are sharp." Anna lied quickly.
Sarah nodded and flipped through her playbill. Anna's eyes remained on her scarred arm before shaking those horrible thoughts away. But even as she glanced at the pages with Sarah, her mother's voice echoed in her brain. " "Why do I hate him? You know nothing. You don't know what he's done."
"Ah! Look, honey, it's the Phantom!"
A voice broke Anna out of her trance and she turned to look at who'd spoken. An older man smiled kindly at her, and winked. A woman beside him, presumably his wife, just gave him a 'Hmm'.
Anna giggled. "Yes. I am the Phantom."
The man's grin widened. "So tell me... er, Phantom, how do you feel watching your own show?"
Anna pretended to think a moment. "Well, I decided to see what humanity thinks of me. And between you and I, if this 'Chris Mann' starts ruining my music, I simply go up and sing for him."
"Bravo!" The man laughed and turned to face his wife.
Anna smiled and pulled out her phone. "I wanna get a picture of the stage!" She whispered to Sarah, as the lights hadn't gone down yet.
Her friend giggled and posed for a picture when-
"NO PICTURES ALLOWED!"
Anna nearly jumped in her seat, and her phone fell onto the floor beside her feet.
A woman with a gray bob hair cut and white and black outfit on yelled this phrase over and over again to the audience. Sarah and Anna covered their mouths to refrain from bursting out into girlish laughter.
Just then, the lights dimmed and Anna gasped. Sarah smiled at her a huge, toothy smile and faced frontward. Anna couldn't help but grab her new friend's hand and squeezed.
It began... and Anna could understand the auction scene much better since she'd the movie once or twice. She recognized Raoul instantly... and Madame Giry.
Then suddenly- the overture began to play.
Anna's heart stopped and her spirt soared as the tarp was ripped from the lovely chandelier... and rose up slowly as the lights flickered and the music played loudly in her ears, echoing in the beautiful theatre.
The first thing Anna realized was how beautiful the woman who played Carlotta was.
The costumes were unbelievable and perfect.... every detail her eyes and ears hitched upon and studied as if she were in class rather than seeing a Broadway musical on tour.
"I wonder which one is Christine..." Sarah whispered, and Anna nodded. "I'm guessing the talk brunette in the back."
But Christine was the pale petite one.... and Anna narrowed her eyes in attempt to see the actress better...
As soon as Christine sang the first bars of Think of Me, Anna wasn't impressed. She was okay but not-
Oh.
It was the most glorious music Anna had ever heard. Emmy Rossum didn't hold a flame to what this woman was capable of!
Anna fell in love with Christine. Every mannerism, every note, and lyric. Even Raoul grew charming to her, with his handsome dark hair and lovely tenor voice.
But suddenly.... Chris Mann began to sing.
Anna was gasping and she slapped Sarah's knee around forty some times before Sarah prided her hand away.
Every song was heard anew, every movement and every dance was wonderful and right! It was the most glorious thing Anna had ever laid her eyes upon on heard on this planet.
But the Don Juan scene... Anna would never forget that. The way Christine stood on the table and slammed her high heeled ebony boots into the wood which echoed through the theatre. The way she seduced Phantom in her absolutely fabulous costume....
And then when Christine kissed him at the end... willing to be his bride... Anna was weeping.
Not once did she remove the half mask she wore proudly on her face.