Still the one* - Shania Twain

I did say that i will blog about this (see here).

After watching so many musicals, i still think that the best is Phantom of the Opera!

I have always thought that Phantom was the best!!! It was wonderful in all aspects - the music, the story, the props. I tell people that if they could only watch 1 musical, let it be Phantom!

I had such a wonderful experience watching it. I had to queue up on 3 separate Saturdays in the winter before finally getting tickets to watch it. And even then, we were the last 2 who got the tickets before the show started. Mind you, it also happened to be the best seats in the theater!!!!

Front row, royal circle, smack in the middle - when the chandelier came falling down onto the stag, i believed that if i had reached out, i would have been able to touch it!

So maybe the fact that i got the tickets the hard way made me appreciate the musical more! But i doubt it.

So I have to admit that i was in such a dilemma after watching Wicked. It really blew me away!!! I was beginning to think that perhaps, it was better than Phantom. *gasp* Sacrilege!!!!!

A fren who was a fellow Phantom fan actually gave in and said that Wicked is better than Phantom!!!!

It took me a while - but after much deliberation, i came to the conclusion that Phantom is still the best!

Wicked may have been funnier in a lot of parts and was a visual spectacle and a feast for the eyes too - but Phantom was just as good, altho not as colourful. The storyline in Wicked was so clever and interesting - but i love the tragic account of the Phantom!

But what helped me in my decision were the songs in Phantom. These can be considered classic!!! The music and songs in Phantom was clearly superior. Most of the songs in Wicked were nice and enjoyable - but nothing really special, save for that one song which moved me to tears. But the songs from Phantom - those songs are classics!!!!

The pounding introduction of the "Phantom of the Opera" (the overture), the emotional love song of "All I ask of you", the touching simplicity "Think of me", the grand "Masquerade" and the moving "Wishing you were somehow here again", the exciting "Past the point of no return", and the hilarious "Notes".

The strength of a musical IMHO should be in its music - and altho Wicked was so brilliant in so many ways, it just wasn't as good as Phantom when it came to what mattered.

p/s - for a list of all the musicals i have watched, see here.

*One of my all time fav songs!