Random Phantom of the Opera Stuff

The Age Issue

 I wasn't going to post another chapter so soon, and this might seem like a silly thing for me to be ranting about, but there seems to be some issue with getting the characters' ages right.

 Let's start with the original novel by Gaston Leroux. It's been a while since I read the whole book, but I'm pretty sure Christine and Raoul were both supposed to be in the 20-22 age range, and Erik (the Phantom) was supposed to have been a lot older than them, like his forties or maybe even his fifties.

 As for the musical itself, I don't think age is usually a problem. I honestly don't think it really matters what ages the actors are as long as they can play the characters right.

 For the Phantom, I usually go for older actors, but I'm sure there have been some younger guys who have also done really well in the role. I guess an example would be Ivan Ozhogin, one of the Russian phantoms. I think he's in his thirties, and he's really good.

 Most actresses who play Christine are usually in their mid/late twenties, but there have also been older ones. Take Dale Kristien, for example (one of my favorite Christines): I don't know how old she was, but she looked like she might have been in her thirties when she played Christine. I don't think it really matters, though, because her singing and acting were both superb. And I'm pretty sure Ali Ewoldt, who I think is currently playing Christine on Broadway, is also in her thirties, and she's great in her role.

 As for Raoul, as long as the actor can portray a sweet, loving guy who just wants to help Christine, I don't think he has anything to be worried about. I think most actors who play Raoul are either in their twenties or their early thirties. Steve Barton, who was the original Raoul (and my favorite), was in his early thirties when the show premiered. To me, he looked a little too old to be Raoul, but it was his voice that stole my heart at an early age, so it doesn't really matter.

 That brings me to the 2004 film. I like the movie, but one thing that I don't like about it is the age differences. Emmy Rossum was just a teenager when she played Christine in the movie, so Christine's age was changed to sixteen. But Gerard Butler was in his mid-thirties, and I think Patrick Wilson was also about thirty. So, having these thirty-something guys romantically paired with a teenage girl...yeah, that's just weird. It also didn't help that they seemed to be trying to make things between Christine and the Phantom a little more sexual than was necessary.

 And then there's Love Never Dies. Oh, that accursed Love Never Dies. I am so sorry to keep ranting about stuff with LND, but it's just part of the chapter.

 So, if LND is ten years later, then that means Christine and Raoul would both be in their early thirties, and the Phantom would probably be in his fifties or possibly early sixties. So, like...they can't find a talented actor in his fifties to play him? I mean, it's not that any of the actors who have done are bad, but I feel like it would just make more sense if they had an older man playing the role. Far as I know, the closest they've ever gotten is Gardar Thor Cortes, who I think is in his forties.

 Well, that's about all I can think of for this chapter.

 For the next chapter, I've been thinking about making a new chapter about my favorite Christines. I did it in a bit of a rush the last time, and I've been thinking more about since then, so I'd like to do another one.

 Please, feel free to comment any thoughts.