Jack Belvedere

I attended a pre-opening night production of "Phantom of the Opera" last night and it was beyond anything I had expected. I mentioned it buried in another thread but wanted to give note in its own thread, because it was truly astounding. Right now, there's no set date for opening night, so I couldn't post it in Events yet, but will keep my ears open.



The event is being held at Jaguar Valley and it is entirely produced and acted by furries. It's about 3 hours long, and uses a Shoutcast stream to produce a 2007 soundtrack from the Broadway show. The actors on stage are meticulously choreographed and costumed, and the sets were very professional and stunning.



The choreography was just amazing, I can't imagine how long and how much practice this all took.



The fireworks were created by my friend Marjan Tomba, who also is the stage manager, "orchestra conducter" and provided most of the scripted content including the falling chandelier.



The audience is going to be a bit limited as it's being held on a homestead sim, though I was so impressed I did offer to host a secondary area perhaps between two full sims so more people can attend if needed.



Contact Alexiel Czaczkes inworld for information if you're interested in joining the group for announcements. Alexiel is the manager and also plays the role of the Phantom.



I took about 70 shots of the action and if you want to see all of them, you can check out my Flickr at:

Furry phantom of the opera - a set on Flickr

Mad Mouse

I'm a huge phan, I'll definitely want to see this! Thanks for posting, it looks amazing.

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Jupiter Firelyte

Thanks for posting this! It looks amazing. I'm gonna check it out.

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Da5id Abbot

Definitely on my list of things to see now - thanks!

Jack Belvedere

YW! I will come back and post here once they know more about date and times for opening shows.

Arwen Hykova

as a slight sideways step to this topic, the 25th anniversery of the phantom of the opera on broadway is coming to dvd, can't wait

pancake

Jack please keep us posted.
I must add this to my bucket list!

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Alexiel Ravenswood

I must express thanks to Mr Belvedere and to everyone else who has expressed interest in our production. We are in the process of moving the theater to another sim in order to allow more audience members to attend, and making plans for our next production, which will be Sunset Boulevard.

Phantom has been a long road and it is wonderful to finally see the show come to life, and the audience response has been incredible.

We will be doing 5 more performances after opening (which makes 6). If you already attended, we invite you to come back, if you haven't... what are you waiting for?

There is a meet and greet with the cast after each performance, and of course you can always ask for a backstage tour.


If you wish to reserve a seat, please give me a message here or inworld.

Alexiel Czaczkes
Managing Director of Ravenswood Theatricals

Alessandra Eberlain

Here is an article I wrote with Jareth Clowes for the show.

~ * ~ * ~

Inspired by the 1910 gothic horror novel by Gaston Leroux, Andrew Lloyd Webber composed his most successful musical sensation to date, The Phantom of the Opera. With hauntingly beautiful music and an aesthetic visual design matching the regal splendor of the original Palais Garnier, Phantom has captivated audiences the world over. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the talented members of the Ravenswood Theatre Company bring this extraordinary event to Second Life!

A History

The origins for this production can be traced back to two talented and passionate individuals: Sylent Phantom and Alexia de Ravenswood. As long time fans of the original novel and the Webber musical, they were moved to bring elements from both works into Second Life, and to seek the creations of others who had done similar.

One significant discovery was that of the Phantom Rose sim, owned and created by Lannorra Sion. It was here that they discovered the possibilities of theater and live performances in Second Life. After attending a performance at the sim's Opera House, the idea of recreating the musical production seemed quite within the realm of possibility.

In early 2010, Alexia became friends with Saros Eclipse, having met through a furry musicians group. As a gift, Saros purchased a re-creation of the Apollo Theater for Alexia. With this theater space in mind, Sylent and Alexia began to make sets based on the Webber stage production. After meeting Alessandra Eberlain in late 2010, she was invited, along with Jareth Clowes, to join in on the development of the show, helping to expand on existing sets, and creating some new additional set pieces with a new theater in mind, CASTLEWORLD's Grand Opera. Due to real life circumstances that arose, followed by the loss of Saros's sim in February 2011, the production soon came to a halt.

Alexia and Sylent soon found a new home in Jaguar Valley. Through the local community, they met Allen Harrington, who agreed to construct a new theater based on Alexia's designs, dubbing it Ravenswood Hall. With Andrew Lloyd Webber's recent adaptation coming out in the West End, Alexia decided to put together her own production of The Wizard of Oz for her company's debut. With sets built by Kelemvor Nostram, and acting and singing recorded by the cast, the preview performances at the end of March 2011 were met with much success. But Alexia felt a yearning to do more with her theater, and decided to return to the production of Phantom.

The Production

From the moment one enters the auditorium up until the final curtain, The Phantom of the Opera is an amazing spectacle to behold. With contributions to scripting by Marjan Tomba and Tursi Jackson, and calculated use of the HORIZONS Holodeck, the settings for the story transition fluidly from scene to scene. Excellent lighting and special effects complete the package. From the rise of the chandelier during the Overture, to the incredible fireworks display during the Entr’acte, the production offers many impressive and captivating illusions.

Allen Harrington, Kelemvor Nostram, and Kefir Lamont aided in upgrading many of the sets to fit the new Ravenswood Hall, drawing inspiration from the Palais Garnier itself, in addition to various productions of the Webber musical, such as the Las Vegas Spectacular, the original London production, the Polish and Hungarian productions, and even the recent 25th Anniversary concerts. Every scene is elegant and grand in design, luring the audience into its conjured world, from the rooftops of the opera to the Phantom's dark realm below.

Various forms of animation also help to bring the performance to life. Gestures, AOs, HUDs, and pose balls are all utilized to the fullest extent. Notable among these are Sylent Phantom's poses, newly redesigned and animated for the production, as well as two major animated sequences created by Electra Karsin. Combined with months of dedicated rehearsals, the cast are able to effectively express reactions and emotions with practiced movement.

The choice to have the characters portrayed with furry avatars was inspired by two sketches drawn by Sylent Phantom in the 1990's, which had been shared with Alexia in 2001. When asked about the furry cast, Alexia stated, "I find that furries are some of the most heartfelt and deepest people I have met, not to mention some of the wittiest and most talented critters. Doing it with furries adds a sort of tenderness to it that most people who are not animal lovers would not see. I think that animals are in some ways more sensitive than people."

The cast is made up of a collection of friends from the Phantom community and Second Life. Each member successfully conveys the thoughts and feelings of their characters to the audience with surprising ease. Through the cast's efforts, the audience is moved to laugh at their humor, cry for their sorrow, and feel warmth in their hearts for their love and tenderness.

Alexia had originally considered having the cast record their voices as with the Oz production, but felt that the recordings would not be completed by the initial deadline of August 2011. Thus, the current audio is a recording of the 2007 Australian cast, with edits by Alexia to improve quality and tone, and to fit some revisions to certain scenes. It is an excellent supplement to the production, blending well with the cast and sets to create a truly authentic theater experience.

The Phantom of the Opera is a truly unique production, redefining live theater with an experience that will amaze and astound you. Brought to you by the Ravenswood Theatre Company, Phantom is a musical masterpiece that should not be missed! Seating for the performance is limited, so please contact Alexia de Ravenswood (née Alexiel Czazckes) for reservations, or join the Ravenswood Theatricals Fans group for information on upcoming performances.

Performance Date: November 16th, 2011 at 6:30pm SL Time
Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes with a 15 minute intermission

Lance Corrimal

... 6.30pm SL time...

that is 3:30AM my local time. on a weekday. and I was looking forward to seeing this.

Are you planning some more shows at "euro friendly" times?

I sure hope so...

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pancake

I spoke to Alexiel last night and have joined the group for updates.

I can't wait for this!

Now... what to wear...

Alexiel Ravenswood

There will be several performances, but it does depend on the actors availability, I can try to hold a Eurofriendly performance time, but I cant make promises.

Lance Corrimal

sounds good enough to me, as long as you don't forget us euros over here

that being said, on weekends you could be a little bit less euro friendly

just keep in view, we're SLT plus nine hours here.

pancake

I just got back from the Opening Night performance with about 50 pictures on my desk top and staring at my blog wishing I was a better writer so I could tell you guys about it... but nothing is coming to me yet.

Hopefully tomorrow I can think of something other than "Most incredible thing I've ever seen in my entire Second Life. Ever."

If they get more dates published I recommend everyone go see this.

I may have to experience it a second time.
Incredible.

I also have an accidental crush on Alexial now

Alexiel Ravenswood

Please post the pictures and the blog. I really want to know what you think!

pancake

Here you go Alexial,

The Ravenswood Theatre Company Presents Phantom of the Opera « Renoobed

I capped myself about 15 pictures, but really I needed to film this to do it any justice.

I can't wait to hear about future dates so others can go experience this.

Once again, bravo and well done to your whole team.

Misty Harley

I don't think I've ever wanted to see an SL play before. Now I do, this sounds absolutely amazing on so many levels.

Pancake, your write up was excellent.

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Jupiter Firelyte

Awesome write-up, pancake.

The night before last, I contacted Alexiel about getting a ticket for the show and I ended up getting a sneak peak of the show, which I blogged about. It looks really wonderful. I can't wait to see it.

Alexiel Ravenswood

I thank you for all the wonderful comments! We are further revamping the show to make it better and better, come back! We would love to have you. We are beginning work on our next production, which will be Sunset Boulevard. If I may provide a short synopsis of that..
*****************
Impoverished screenwriter Joe Gillis stumbles upon the stuffy mansion of faded filmstar Norma Desmond by chance. She initially employs him to edit her script for a movie of Salome, which she plans to use as her comeback vehicle, demanding he reside at her home whilst he works. She soon falls hoplessly in love with him, and persuades him to stay on as her live-in lover, much to the shock of her loyal butler (and ex-husband) Max. Joe finds himself torn away from his old lifestyle and friendships. Meanwhile, Norma has proceeded with her plans for her return to the screen, and visits Paramount studios to seek Cecil B. DeMille's help. Away from Norma's glare, however, Joe collaborates in secret with young studio employee Betty Schaefer, and they soon declare their love for one another. Torn between his life of luxury supplied by Norma, and his genuine affection for Betty, Joe decides to leave Hollywood and start life afresh in his native Ohio. Norma, in a fit of shock and rage, shoots Joe as he leaves her home on Sunset Boulevard. In the final scene, she descends into insanity as press and police invade her home, and, believing herself to be back on the set of one of her movies, descends the grand staircase in ger mansion with the immortal words: "and now, Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.

Alexiel Ravenswood

PHANTOM - Next show. Wednesday December 7th 2011 at 7PM SL Time.

Lance Corrimal

that's 2am for me...

Alexiel Ravenswood

Sadly, it's the only time the actors are available this week.

Lance Corrimal

Doesn't have to be this week at all as long as there's one eurofriendly showing...

Alexiel Ravenswood

It all depends on the actors and the tech's ability to be there. I wish I could offer more consolation there, but I cannot at this time.

Jack Belvedere

Ravenswood will be showing another production of Phantom of the Opera on December 7th at 7:00 PM. Curtain rises at 7:30 PM SL TIME. This is a Do Not Miss event!

I will leave it up to Alex to post in Events, I don't want to mess up the SLURL if it's changed. The sim is Jaguar Valley.