Introduction Thread + Game :)

[ErikaLeroux]

Ok here goes nothing. This is the thread to introduce yourself to the forum. The introductions have a couple of rules though but they're fun rules though honest they are!

1. Introduce yourself by your username OR your first name OR both.
2. Tell us a little about yourself.
3. Tell us how you came to be a part of the Phantom of the Opera phandom/fandom.
4. Let us know which side you're on { the pro Love Never Dies, the anti Love Never Dies, or the undecided Love Never Dies Phan/fan }. This part is important for the next step.
5. This part is the fun part. If you are FOR the sequel you have to list your LEAST favorite thing about the sequel { extra points if you list a plot point instead of, for example, Christine's arrival dress }. If you are AGAINST the sequel you have to list your MOST favorite thing about the sequel { again extra points if you list a plot point instead of, for example, Christine's "aria dress" }. If you're undecided though let us know whether you think you'll like the sequel or not AND why you think that.

Don't forget to put at the beginning of your reply to this thread to check the first post in this thread to see the introduction rules so we can keep this little game going.

Since my particular introduction to POTO is kind of long winded I'll post my introduction thing below

[ErikaLeroux]

Remember to check the first post on this thread for the rules of the "introduction game." Just because I make the rules doesn't mean I don't have to follow them all because I'm higher up on the totem pole in this particular forum.

1: My username is ErikaLeroux but you can call me Erika on this forum even though that is not my real name.
2: I like playing music as much as possible and I'm sure my iPod has paid for its self a million times over by now. If I see something I like that can be easily made and wouln't rape my wallet paying for the materials to make it I will at least make a half arsed attempt to make the item myself { being a college student does that to you sometimes lol }. I'm a huge dork and I'm darn proud of it. If you don't like that don't expect me to change for you or you'll be sorely disappointed when I don't.
3: I was introduced to POTO through the 2004 movie two years ago. Then I found the Charles Dance one and watched the Yeston & Kopit stage version soon after { at an opera house of all places }. This year I found the original POTO novel by Leroux online and read it and there's no turning back for me now { if my interest in something grows in two years instead of leveling out or completely disappearing practically it's pretty safe to say I'm in for the long haul }. I've also seen the Lon Chaney, Cartoon, Claude Rains, Herbert Lom, Max Schell, Robert Englund, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and William Finley versions and I've read Susan Kay's Phantom and Frederick Forsyth's Phantom of Manhattan.
4: I did NOT like Phantom of Manhattan and I also do NOT like Love Never Dies. If the plot were different then I would like it but until then I am an official member of the Love Should Die Phandom.
5: Fleck is cool { though the Phantom opening a freak show is not -__- }. She's a little creepy at times I suppose but other then that she's pretty cool. I like the whole half human half bird thing she's got going on though I don't understand the leg brace thing { if it even is a leg brace }.

The following I'm adding just for fun but if you do it as well I recommend applying the same rules to it as apply to number 5. Favorite song: Till I Hear You Sing { as long as I forgot it's from Love Never Dies }. Favorite costume: The NEW outfit "Mister. Y" wears for when he's singing the previously mentioned song { MUCH better then that pirate shirt thing }. Favorite plot point: "Mister Y's" having written a song for Christine { it would have been adorable in the ALW original but in the sequel after she's already married to Raoul and everything no just.... no }.

Now I think I'm done.

[TransylvanianRose]

I am TransylvanianRose, fan of POTO and Dracula and Hammer films. I first read Leroux´s novel, then I saw musical, then 2004 movie! I am anti-LND. My favorite points? Hm, lyrics are sometimes very pretty, dresses are stylish, it is set in Edwardian times and not modern world...

[droney]

I'm Droney. You can call me...well, Droney. I ago my "Disconnected Drone" and/or "DD" on other Phantom sites, though.

I'm a very artsy-craftsy kind of person, and am into costuming. I even have a small business of sorts for costuming (link to blog: www.garnier-enterprise.blogspot.com/). I adore Phantom (obviously) and have multiple black belts in several different martial arts forms. Random fact about me? It is physically impossible for me to frown.

My first introduction to the Phantom world was about 5 years ago. My friend made me watch the 2004 film (which is still her favorite version). I became extremely interested in the storyline, and did a lot of research. I then read Gaston Leroux' book and decided that the film wasn't nearly as good as that. I started to listen to the original cast recording of the stage show, and scoured youtube for videos. I watched all the different movie versions I could get my hands on, and finally, in 2010 got to see the stage show for myself on Broadway with Hugh Panaro as the Phantom (and eventually saw it again in London just last week!). And that's how I became a Phantom Phan.

As for what side I'm on. I really don't want to take sides because, like this site is proving, there is a flame war between those who love LND, and those who don't. While I think I lean more towards not liking it, I admit that it does have it's pros. I wouldn't say I'm undecided; I just don't want to take sides at the moment. I listened to the soundtrack, watched videos and looked at pictures, read articles, and finally got to see the real thing last week on stage, so I can have a solid opinion on it.

My favorite part/thing about Love Never Dies (apart from Ramin Karimloo, that is...!) would be the renewal of the Phandom it is bringing. Much like the 2004 film, Love Never Dies (whether we like it or not) is bringing more attention to Phantom of the Opera, which is always a good thing. The bad thing I don't like about Love Never Dies is the fact that they have made Raoul a complete drunken idiot.

[RoseOfPhantom]

I'm RoseOfPhantom, or "Rosie" which has become my internet name. You may have seen me on the Phantom Reviewer's board. I'm a regular on there.

I am a huge nerd. I don't like video games so much but I love books and knowledge, and learning, and analyzing. I love to write and one day I hope to become an author.

I become a phan through the 2004 film. After about a couple years I had been curious about other versions, saw the show when it came to Minnesota and I could never look at the 2004 film the same way. I got into other versions and became a Leroux phan. I've been a phan for almost five years now.

You will probably very quickly learn how much I hate LND. Like I think I'm one of the top haters of it. I see Twilight as having more value in its plot than LND does. I seriously hate it. And people who know me know how often I rip on it and make fun of it. However, despite all this, I would never ever flame someone for liking it and actually respect that support people have for it. As much fun as it is to argue with someone over Love Never Dies, I do not like the hate and division it has given to phans.

If I were to like a part about LND (except for Ramin. I LOVE HIM) It would probably be the Til I Hear You Sing scene. That part is RAW PHANTOM. That is the purest part in the whole musical and despite my hate for LND, I watch the video for that over and over because it's true Phantom.

[amzalot]

I'm Amy. Friends call me Amzalot. I have no idea why. But it stuck. You can call me either

I'm 25 and a lifelong theater geek. I have an Associates degree in theater arts and I'm going back to school to finish my BFA. I've been a stage manager, assistant stage manager and spot light operator. I also worked for a theater education program for two years and it was quite rewarding.

When I was five years old, my sister brought home the London cast recording that her teacher let her borrow. (This was the best teacher! I never had her, but all the boys in her class would dress up as the Phantom for Halloween because this woman was an avid Phantom fan herself.) So...I've been a "Phan" ever since. I've seen the show once in London and many times on Broadway. I stopped counting around thirty. I live close to New York, so I have seen plenty of other shows, too. I love the Susan Kay novel and the original by Gaston Leroux. But my favorite version of the story is Webber's Phantom of the Opera. (Though, I'm not too fond of the 2004 movie.)

I'm an undecided fan. Split 50/50. I think it's the story that bothers me the most, but I'm still intrigued. It's complicated

If the show doesn't come to Broadway, I will never be able to see it. My brother has seen it in London and raved about how much he loved it. I've listened to the cast recording many times and I've read as many unbiased accounts as possible. But I still don't think I could say for sure if I'm totally for or against Love Never Dies.

SO, one thing I like about the show is the score, especially the melody for "Til I Hear You Sing." The thing I dislike the most is Raoul's characterization. That's not him. I love his character in the original. I can understand him growing bitter, suspicious, jealous...I do not believe for one second he would become a drunken gambler. I think that's the easiest way out for the writers to justify Christine being in love with the Phantom. I could go on and on and on about it and given the opportunity, I probably will. But in short, music: good, Raoul: bad.

[IamErik771]

1. Hi, everyone! I go by IamErik771 here and on several other POTO communities, but you can all call me James.

2. I'm now a college student, and I love music of all types as well as film, live theatre, classic literature, computers and video games. I'm also pretty big on sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and superhero comic books, and am now trying to create my own musical (non POTO-related, but employing some things I learned from the various versions of POTO as well as other shows I liked or thought could have been better).

3. I first discovered POTO when I was a sophomore in high school. My school band was planning a trip to see the Broadway production (I couldn't go, unfortunately), and so to get us acquainted with the music and story, our teacher played the original London recording for us in class and showed us photos from George Perry's book on the show. I fell instantly in love with it and really regretted not being able to go, so I started seeking out all versions of the story I could find, starting with Leroux's original novel. Eventually, I began to wonder if the ALW musical had ever been filmed... As I found out, a film version would be coming later that year, so in order to find out more about it (and also learn about other versions I hadn't gotten to see yet), I joined a Phantom forum called PhantomFans.net. That site is sadly long gone (and the '04 film ended up not being very satisfying to me), but through those, I discovered many other POTO communities and made some great friends, several of whom I'm still in contact with today. ;D

4. I'm pretty vehemently against LND. I don't see the need for a sequel to the ALW musical in any context, and I find the story and lyrics of LND to be so poorly done that it took quite a while for me to get through the album because I had to stop several times to laugh at certain plot points and rhyming attempts. I'm a member and supporter of Love Should Die, and the way that group has been blamed for everything that's gone wrong with the show strikes me as incredibly sad and immature. That said, I don't have anything against people who like LND, and I have no personal vendetta against ALW or any of the cast or creative team of the show (though I think their talents would have been better served on a more worthy project).

5. Most favorite thing about LND... I think it would have to be the dynamic between the Phant- I mean, "Mr. Y" and Raoul during "Devil Take the Hindmost" (at least the original version -- I've not kept up with what was changed in that scene for the revised version of the show). As unlikely a scenario as that scene is, I do like the continued animosity between those two characters and found it to be the only thing about the show that comes close to my perception of the Phantom in the original.


Whew... Think that's all for now!