Nov 3. At the intervals of plays, young theatre employees come into the audience with trays of ice cream to sell and audience members traipse down the aisles to purchase a treat. Not me though because I’m allergic!!! Such a party pooper. This evening the young blond woman near me is yelling “Ice cream available to buy here!” and I am tempted as it is warm in here and the aisian women in front of me are sharing a lite tub of choco icecream that looks lovely. They eat it with a little plastic paddle. In other news, there are two asian ladies sitting in front of me at this performance, which means I can see over their heads to the stage. I am grateful for this.

It has been nearly twenty years since I last watched Phantom. (I realized this with a pang of horror before the performance began.) I have changed a lot since then. For example, Mr. Phantom makes me a little uncomfortable with his domination and power over Christine. Contol freak asshole. Get back in your hole. I did not think this way when I was 13. I just thought he was cool and romantic. I was thinkig that maybe I’d switch theatres at intermission and go to the end of the ballet for which I have an unused ticket. My secret adoration of melodrama and a cool riff shall keep me here, however.