Well, this is a little embarrassing. I think I finished stitching the August installment of the Frosted Pumpkin Story Time Sampler in the first week of August, but it has taken until now to make it to the blog. Better late than never?

August’s scene features the Phantom and Christine from The Phantom of the Opera.

The Phantom of the Opera was the first large-scale, musical production I ever saw. I actually saw it twice in Toronto when I was a kid (I believe both in the same year – once with my family and once as a school trip), so it can be credited with helping inspire my love of musical theatre. Sadly, since I’ve now seen many, many more shows, it actually ranks among my least favourite overall. I don’t know why, but the music and the story just do not speak to me.

I also remember reading an adaptation of the novel while I was in elementary school but really don’t remember much about it. I’m guessing it was a version aimed at children and likely had very little in common with the original text. Since I have (so far) read all of the stories in this sampler, and since English translations of the original novel are readily available online, I’m trying to convince myself to read the original. But, I’ve clearly been trying for almost two months and it hasn’t happened yet, so I may decide that the children’s adaptation counts and I’m off the hook! This one is obviously in my “stitching it is way more fun than reading it” pile!