The understudies killed it
I saw the show for the first time yesterday (7/3) and was absolutely blown away. We were scheduled for the 1:15 pulse but I got an email about an hour before the show saying they had to cancel due to actor illness, so they bumped us to the 1:30pm group. I didn't pick our time based on seeing any specific cast members so it didn't matter to me, but I was SHOCKED that our Phantom (Sean) was an understudy! He just had such commanding presence and his final scene left me in literal tears. We also had an understudy Christine (Audrey) and again I was so impressed. As a singer myself, I saw (and heard) how skilled she was. There's no way I would have guessed either of them were understudies based on their performance.
How insanely talented do you have to be to know so many different parts of a such an intense and complex show and be able to own the role like it was yours all along with 1 hr notice!? Amazing.
I also felt really lucky as a first timer. I got picked to dance with a cast member during Mascarade, the Phantom caressed my face during Music of the Night (Sean's blue eyes stared deep into my soul...holy hell that was intense!), I tossed a ring during the Carnival scene, and Christine handed me her letter in the dressing room. It was such an incredible experience I will cherish forever.
I will also say that I know understand why there is a dress code. There are so many scenes where the audience is the backdrop that I cannot imagine what it would look like if people were in flip flops and tank tops and gym shorts. I was really disappointed in a few guys in my pulse who did not follow the dress code. Their purple shorts and vacation Tshirts stood out so badly. I'm typically a very "you do you" kind of person but in this case I see why the dress code is important; it ruins the magic otherwise.
Thank you to all of you in this subreddit for giving me details and context so I was less anxious going into this experience. I feel so grateful to have experienced this show in a new way! I'm already thinking of an excuse to go back to NYC to see it again ❤️