Past the Point of No Return!!!

Background:

A musical that depicts the story the famous Paris Opera House in France during the year 1870. This opera house was known for its star performers, music, dance, and story line as well as its haunting ghost stories of an opera ghost known as the phantom. For this phantom is known for mysterious notes of creative suggestions, letters of payments, and the accusable deaths found within the opera house. The main character Christine Daae, a chorus girl who secretly receives anonymous voice lessons from she thinks is her deceased father’s angel. Christine is mistaken when she learns this person is not from her father but instead a masked musical genius that lives under the opera house due to his deformity. Sacred of the phantom’s obsessive claim over Christine, Raoul her fiancé determines he shall step up a trap in hopes to rid Christine of this living nightmare. He follows the phantom’s instructions of a new opera, and allows Christine to play the role hoping it will lure him into the audience while guards surround the opera house. To everyone’s fears the phantom makes an appearance but not as an audience member but rather a character on stage. In the song “Past the point of no return”, the phantom tries to appeal to Christine through music, to leave him and explore a new life full of mystery.

Past the Point of No Return

You have come here
In pursuit of your deepest urge
In pursuit of that wish which till now
Has been silent
Silent.

I have brought you
That our passions may fuse and merge
In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses
Completely succumbed to me
Now you are here with me
No second thoughts
You've decided
Decided.

Past the point of no return
No backward glances
Our games of make-believe are at an end.

Past all thought of “if” or “when”
No use resisting
Abandon thought and let the dream descend

What raging FIRE shall flood the soul
What rich desire unlocks it's door
What sweet seduction lies before us?

Past the point of no return
The final threshold
What warm unspoken secrets
Will we learn
Beyond the point of no return?

CHRISTINE: You have brought me
To that moment when words run dry
To that moment when speech disappears
Into silence
Silence.

I have come here,
Hardly knowing the reason why
In my mind I've already imagined
Our bodies entwining
Defenseless and silent,
Now I am here with you
No second thoughts
I've decided
Decided.

Past the point of no return
No going back now
Our passion-play has now at last begun.

Past all thought of right or wrong
One final question
How long should we two wait before we're one?

When will the blood begin to race
The sleeping bud burst into bloom
When will the flames at last CONSUME us?

BOTH: Past the point of no return
The final threshold
The bridge is crossed
So stand and watch it burn
We've passed the point of no return.


PHANTOM:(soft and sort of saddened) Say you'll share with me
One love, one lifetime
Lead me, save me from my solitude

Say you want me
With you here
Beside you
Anywhere you go
Let me go too
Christine that's all I ask of…
(Christine tears the mask, showing his face to the audience)

Dilemma:

As the phantom in trying to appeal to Christine he knows that when he sings she becomes paralyzed by his voice. He begins by saying “You have come here in pursuit of your deepest urge. In pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent”. He then states he knows she is defenseless against his voice, “In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses completely succumbed to me. Now you are here with me no second thoughts you’ve decided.” He goes on in his song telling her to come with him and to not look back. Having your dreams become a permit reality instead of a thought. “Past the point of no return no backward glances our game of make-believe are at an end. Past all thought of “if” or “when” no use resisting. Abandon thought and let the dream descend. What raging FIRE shall flood the soul what rich desire unlocks it's door, what sweet seduction lies before us? Christine after hears his offer responses back to him pretending as if she is interested “You have brought me to that moment when words run dry. To that moment when speech disappears into silence, silence. I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why…Defenseless and silent, now I am here with you no second thoughts I've decided, decided. Past the point of no return no going back now. Our passion-play has now at last begun. Past all thought of right or wrong…” We all struggle the emotion of fear, though there are times where the fear tempts us to act without thought. Giving into your desires and wishes at times can be fatal without any thought.

There are Worse things I Could Do...

Background:

Grease the original high school musical so to speak. The story of two teenagers Sandy (a goody two shoes, Austrian transfer) and Danny ( a smooth talking bad boy who is the leader of the T-Birds)trying to break Rydell’s high school status quota and association of friends so that they can finally be together.  Like any high school there are the social clicks, in Grease there are two main clicks the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies. Both known for the bad reputations and association with each other. A member of the pink ladies Rizzo is the tough one of the group drawn to boys. After she skips a period she believes she might be possibly be pregnant. As she confides in her friend rumor gets around until it reaches Kenickie right hand man of Danny and the T-Bird crew. When he confronts Rizzo about helping her she bluffs him off, claiming he is not the father which is a lie. After that conversation she does her best to avoid Kenickie at all costs trying to hide her feelings towards him. After over hearing girls gossip about her reputation of being a bad girl, she begins to think about her situation as she sings “There Are Worse Things I Could Do.”

"There are worse things I could do
Than go with a boy or two
Even though the neighborhood
Thinks I'm trashy and no good
I suppose it could be true
But there are worse things I could do

I could flirt with all the guys
Smile at them and bat my eyes
Press against them when we dance
Make them think they stand a chance
Then refuse to see it through
That's a thing I'd never do

I could stay home every night
Wait around for mister right
Take cold showers everyday
And throw my life away
On a dream that won't come true

I could hurt someone like me
Out of spite or jealousy
I don't steal and I don't lie
But I can feel and I can cry
A fact I'll bet you never knew
But to cry in front of you
That's the worst thing I could do"

Dilemma:

Rizzo scared of being pregnant begins to sing about her so called reputation of being a bad girl. She begins to say there are worse things she could do like flirt with boys and tease them or waste her life wishing for a perfect guy. Rizzo goes on to say “I could hurt someone like me out of spite or jealousy. I don’t steal and I don’t lie but I can cry. A fact I’ll bet you never knew, but to cry in front of you that’s the worst thing I could do.” These lines refer to breaking down with emotions in front of the one she loves Kenickie. How often do we hide the feelings from the ones we secretly love? So often we pretend we have no emotion and that nothing bothers us, but on the inside we are desperately hurting. Instead of expressing how we feel towards that person or situation we commit foolish acts. An example would be telling them we don’t care or that everything is ok.

The Show Must Go On!!

Background:

Best aspect of musicals is singing along with your favorite songs. Only problem is if your not familiar with the musical you can’t sing along. The Moulin Rouge is a fantastic musical due to the fact it is devised of preexisting pop songs you already know. The story takes place in the year is 1899, Paris France. Where a young English poet by the name of Christian, comes to the city to create change in the Bohemian revolution. Christian gets mixed up with the famous night club known as the Moulin Rouge. There he falls in love with the star courtesan Satine. Sadly the two lovers have to keep their affections a secret due to the Duke being the new club owner having a possessive love for Satine. The two plans to runaway but the plans are scratched after Satine learns if she leaves the Duke, Christian will be murdered, and the Moulin Rouge will be shut down forever. Zidler the former owner informs Satine in order to have her love Christian she must break his heart and hers my telling him their love is no more. In the song “The Show Must go On”, explains the pain of being in a show.

  

The Show Must Go On

Zidler (spoken): The show must go on, Satine. We're creatures of the underworld. We can't afford to love.
Satine (sung): Today's a day...
Both (sung): When dreaming...
Satine (sung): Ends.

Zidler (spoken):
Another hero
Another mindless crime
Behind the curtain
In the pantomime
(sung): On and on
Does anybody know what we are living for?

Zidler and Chorus (sung):
Whatever happened
We leave it all to chance
Another heartache
Another failed romance
On and on
Does anybody know what we are living for?

Zidler (sung):
The show must go on
The show must go on

Zidler and Chorus (sung):
Outside the dawn is breaking on the stage
That holds our final destiny
The show must go on
The show must go on

Satine (sung crying):
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile
Still stays on

Zidler and Chorus (sung):
The show must go on
The show must go on

Satine (sung):
I'll top the bill
I'll earn the kill
I have to find the will
To carry on with the
On with the
On with the show

Zidler (spoken):
On with the show
On with the show

Chorus:
The show must go

Zidler:
The show must go on

  

Dilemma:

          The song begins with Zidler speaking to Satine; he talks about the show must go on, referring not only to the production they were putting on but also life itself. How often at times many do not see what happens behind the scenes, as he states “Another hero, another mindless crime. Behind the curtain in the pantomime.” He then goes on “Whatever happened we leave it all to chance, heartache, and another failed romance. On and on does anybody know what we are living for?” Satine gets ready preparing herself to be able to lie to the man she loves she begins to cry as she sings “Inside my heart is breaking, my make-up may be flaking. But my smile, Still stays on…I'll top the bill, I’ll earn the kill, I have to find the will, to carry on with the, on with the, on with the show.” Have you ever had to lie to a person thinking it could save them? How about telling someone you don’t love them so they will break up with you and move on to something better. As flawed people we tend to make poor decisions with the best intentions in mind, which leads to complicated situations. Satine though it kills her inside to lie to Christian she does this so that the Duke will not kill him out of a jealous rage. Whether she is right or wrong for doing this is debatable. Never the less her intentions are good. We can all relate to facing difficult situations in our life but the point of the song is to do what you need to do and move on living your life. Despite the pain, and all the challenges ahead you must keep living your life and not allow trials to stop you.