My night was filled with music.   And I think my true calling is opera.   At least that's my feeling after "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Paramount Theater last night.

I waited for my soul to stir in the first act.  But something was missing.  Turns out it was the upper register of the Phantom.   When he bowed out after the first half, and was replaced,  the soul awakened.  Who was that masked man?  The Phantom was a Phantom to us all.

The regular understudy was already employed in the role of Raoul. And they couldn't risk changing 2 roles in one night.  So, the 3rd string understudy was brought in.

Or was he the third string?  I never quite caught the name.  It sounded like a single syllable for the first name.  I found no such name in the program.    Who was that masked man?  My God, he had the role down as if he had lived and breathed it for years.  The pathos.  The heartbreak.  The yearning.  The agony.  It was all so real.  It was as if his inner core had been longing to release itself for ages.   Was he a Phantom of years past, brought in to fill a void at the last moment?  Was he an attendee in the audience who knew the role?  Stay tuned.  This question needs to be answered.

Who was that sweet, tortured soul?  I must know!!!