EARTHQUAKE INTERRUPTS PANTAGES SHOW... AND IMPROVES IT.

For two days in a row, Southern California has been plagued with Earthquakes and over 1700 aftershocks. The community of Ridgecrest, CA feels the worst of the damage where the two massive Earthquakes were centered and followed by countless fires and other unspeakable damage revolving around July 4th weekend. Our prayers go out to the people affected by these disasters. Let us also pray that last night marks the end of these frightening shakes.

Quakes that could be from Ridgecrest through the Antelope Valley and Hollywood where the Pantages Theater's production of the Phantom of the Opera had only begun. The timing was nothing short of impeccable as Carlotta begins her rendition of "Think of Me". Seconds before the Phantom (aka Eric) drops a sandbag in her direction with the intention of interrupting the show, the entire theater began to shake. All I could do was hang onto my seat and wait for it to end. Some people panicked and ran from the theater. The entire cast disappeared from the stage so fast, I didn't see them run. Ushers called instructions from the isles: "Remain calm." Then, the curtain dropped.

Above the inclusive experience, the production was the most incredible I've ever seen. The vision of Director Laurence Connor is unique and meaningful. He included subtle changes in the characters' behaviors that provides new meaning to the overall story. Below are the five changes that made last night's production better, four as intentional and one as an act of God.

Then again, "these things do happen."

The quake was brief and small. Soon, the remainder of the audience found themselves in a quiet, still, and dark theater. Many of us nervously eyeing the Pantages' swinging chandelier.

One question plagued my mind more than any other: Would the show be cancelled? Would I be sent home without the incredible immersive experience that only a theater can offer? Fortunately, not. After an exhaustive safety and systems' check, the show continued. Carlotta begins her aria once more, the Phantom attacks, the cast panics, and Carlotta walks out nearly causing the show to be canceled.

The audience having just been through it all erupted into laughter. Our sensitivities heightened and our empathy strong with the story. Thus, a new level of the immersive experience was born, and the show became beyond remarkable. A one-of-a-kind experience.

Christine's abduction leads to a series of traumatic experiences. Most of all, she learns that deity she trusts is a crazy, old man. Before meeting him in person, she believes he is an angel sent by her father from the beyond. He lies to her to earn her trust and promises to make her dreams come true. And he does. She becomes a star, which should be enough.

Instead, he kidnaps her. He delivers her to a dark place, his lair. Worse, she sees his monstrous face. She learns his darkest secret and he abuses her for it. Though he returns her to the opera house, that darkness remains in her. It haunts her so much that she nearly jumps off the roof of the opera house. Even after her success with Hannibal and with the promise of another starring role, her fear of Eric overrides her desire for stardom.

Only love saves her from suicide. Raoul saves her. He protects her. He promises to eventually remove her from the opera house and thus darkness. He offers her love.

Isolation is a top tool for abusers, which is exactly what Eric does to Christine. Rumors of indecency with Raoul already plague her reputation. As she stardom rises, so do the rumors. She is eventually accused of conspiring with the Phantom. His control steadily grows worse until she has no one left. Not her best friend Meg. Not her fiance Raoul. She ends up with no one except the memory of her dead father.

Just before her trip to the graveyard during her rendition of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", the entire cast shuns her during rehearsal. She reaches out to her best friend, but Meg walks away. At that moment, she knows she is alone. Not even Raoul supports her. Her fearful cries for protection fall on deaf ears. He is too wrapped up in revenge against Eric to understand how Christine feels. She becomes nothing more than a bargaining chip, an "ace".

So, she cries out to the spirit of her father and nearly falls prey to Eric's manipulation again.

Fear eventually turns to hatred. He abducts her for a second time with no intention of letting her go. Then, he threatens to kill the man she loves. She has nothing left to lose, but he does. Eric loves his music more than he loves her. So, she rips up his music. She destroys what he loves most the same way he threatens to destroy what she loves most. In the end, he clings to those pages and releases her.

In the Sequel Love Never Dies, his song "'Til I Hear You Sing', he laments over the loss of Christine. Not because he loves her, but because she was his voice. She represents the embodiment of his music. That is his greatest tragedy of all.

Eric suffers incredible tragedy all of his life. His monstrous face limits his opportunities in life. He is exploited, humiliated, and beaten for half of his life. The second half of his life is spent in the basement of the Opera House. He is isolated, alone, and ashamed. Meanwhile, he struggles with the tragedy of an unfulfilled purpose. He can compose, play and sing. However, he never knows the warmth of the limelight.

His desire for Christine is not love or lust. She is instead a glimpse into the world of which he is consistently deprived. Yet, he wants it desperately.

• Beauty
• Acceptance
• Love
• Glory

His divine purpose can never be fulfilled, because the public would never accept him. the world never teaches him affection. He cannot give it, not receive it. He doesn't know how. At the moment that Christine kisses and hugs him, the affection is too much for him to handle. He recoils from her, spares Raoul, and releases her.

He despairs over the loss of her, the embodiment of his music. His music dies without her, because he realizes he can never merge with the world.

The Phantom of the Opera is hardly a romance. It was never meant to be. It is about a helpless girl struggling for freedom from a dark influence and the tragedy of an unfulfilled purpose. Director Laurence Connor succeeds in showing this dark story-line with incredible accuracy. The Earthquake served as nature's way to enhance an already brilliant production.