American Patriot Awards

So I was asked to participate in the Navy League's American Patriot Awards this year.

One of the main reasons is that my father-in-law, Lt. General, Hank C. Stackpole, US Marine Corps (retired) was one of the recipients along with our family friend Jim Nabors. It was an incredible evening with some amazing people in attendance.

The former Governor of Hawaii, Ben Cayetano , was there and spoke on behalf of Jim.

And seated at our table was Captain Gerald Coffee, US Navy (retired) who was a prisoner of war for 7 years at the Hanoi Hilton (2 of those 7 years in solitary confinement).

Captain Coffee spoke for my father-in-law.

Captain Coffee has written a book about his ordeal called Beyond Survival which is an incredible story.

And my father-in-laws story would in itself carry tombs of writing. His own survival in the face of death...quite literally coming back from the brink gives me pause to be thankful.

Had he gone my daughter would never have seen either of her grandfathers. And since my own father has passed in 1999, I am eternally grateful to the fortitude of the human spirit and to those men who saved Hanks life on those fields in Vietnam so many years ago.

I was humbled to say the least by the magnitude of the individuals in attendance. Being around such people who have incredibly diverse backgrounds is not only educational but reminds me of why service is so important to me. To give back...or more simply put...to give.

From left to right Lt. Gen. Hank C. Stackpole, my incredible wife Dana, Captain Gerald Coffee, my mother-in-law, Vivien Stackpole, Me (James Barbour) , Susan Page Coffee.

Piangi

I've had this blog since January of 2008, published my book in May of 2009, and not once have I written about Ubaldo Piangi, the principal tenor at the Opera Populaire. Frankly, up until now, I didn't know what to write nor did I think much about his character in the Phantom of the Opera.

This past week at Phantom Fans Week in Vegas I had the opportunity to meet Larry Wayne Morbitt, who plays Piangi in the production. He is a friendly, warm, and cheerful individual, and his presence made me pay particular attention to his interaction on stage with the other characters. As a result, I saw Piangi in an entirely new light as a character who exudes comedy and loyal support, but unfortunately experiences a tragic end.

Piangi, as most of you know, is not in Leroux's original work. So who is this fellow? What does he portray and what lessons can we learn from his short, but important participation in the story itself?

First, it's quite obvious he's part of the comic relief in the opening scenes of Hanibal as he attempts to crawl on top of that elephant! We learned during the costume session in Vegas his cape weighs 70 pounds! It's no wonder the guy has trouble!

Later in the scene, we see him standing by Carlotta watching her sing, comforting her after the accident occurs, and eventually storming off the stage behind her telling everyone we are a bunch of "amateurs." In every performance I've attended, the audience laughs, and I'm sure you have too.

What struck me while watching Piangi's interaction during the song Prima Donna, was the few words he spoke to the managers regarding Carlotta: "You don't deserve her!" What a friend!

Let's face it, at this point, poor Carlotta is struggling to maintain her position as lead soprano, feeling a tad bit slighted over Christine's stellar performance, and thinking she's really not needed any longer. Though the managers assure her she is valuable and want her to stay, you really doubt their sincerity.

Nevertheless, there stands faithful Piangi by her side as a friend/lover, watching over the woman he cares about, and supporting her in any way he possibly can. Of course, at the Point of No Return, we know he meets an untimely death at the hand of the Phantom. (sniffs)

What lesson can we learn? I think all of us need a Piangi in our lives! They are the friends that stand by us through thick and thin, support us when others dislike us, and encourage us when things are going rough. If you've ever had a Piangi-type friend in your life and lost them, you know how devastating that can be.

Why it's taken me so long to see Piangi's value in this story is beyond me! I can only say, bravo, to Ulbaldo Piangi for being the prime example of a faithful friend who stands by and supports the the one he loves.

Your obedient servant,
The Phantom's Student

Phantom Fans Week Las Vegas

Well, this is not going to be your typical post. I am, however, going to share with you my experience attending the International Phantom Fans Week at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas from September 16 - 20, 2009. It truly made all my nights!

This was the first year that Phantom Las Vegas hosted a fans week. Hopefully, it won't be the last either. The entire event was spectacular. It consisted of three full days of events, with a few optional ones. The main schedule was as follows, including seeing the show production as many times as you wanted:

• Meet the Phantom - Anthony Crivello - Q & A Session
  
• Meet the Cast - Q & A Session
• Masquerade Ball with Cast/Crew
  
• Phantom Costume and Makeup
• The Chandelier Experience
• Phantom Custom Theater
• Keynote Address: Hall Prince

What was the best part? Well, I have to give kudos to the cast for their overwhelming warm welcome of fans and their willingness to rub shoulders and be up front and personal with everyone - from speaking to us personally, giving us autographs, posing for pictures, and expressing their appreciation. It was wonderful.

Of course, the Vegas show is spectacular....just like they advertise. Here are a few fun Phantom facts to ponder:

• $40 million cost of the theater at The Venetian
• $35 million cost to mount the production
• $5 million cost of the chandelier
• 29,444 individual crystals in the chandelier
• 2,000 pounds of the chandelier, named Maria
• 32 number of winches used to operate the chandelier
• 6 months to construct the chandelier
• $4.25 million cost of lavish costumes
• 100,000 weight, in pounds, of scenery hanging above the stage
• 1,800 number of seats in the theater
• 500 number of costumes
• 222 number of candles that rise from the Phantom’s lair
• 250 automated effects
• 80 life-sized, front-of-house mannequins filling the opera boxes
• 41 number of cast members
• 142 number of cast, crew and orchestra members combined
• 22 life-sized mannequins on the “Masquerade” Staircase
• 11 number of costume-changes for Christine

Having attended this event gave me a deeper appreciation of the work, genius, and talent that makes up a stage production of this size. Each of the cast members are excited to be part of Phantom of the Opera. They love their roles, and appreciate the fans. In addition, they are seasoned and talented professionals.

Hopefully, next year they will do another Phantom fans week. If they do, I wholeheartedly encourage you to attend if at all possible.

Also, tune into our show from Vegas on BlogTalkRadio. Brianne Kelly Morgan, who plays Meg, as well as Andrew Ragone, who plays Raoul, were kind enough to join us to express their thoughts on Phantom fans week. Both will be coming back on the show sometime in the future. In addition, we are blessed to have Anthony Crivello, the Phantom himself, join us too! I'll keep you updated.

Your totally, blessed, and happy....
Phantom's Student

Post Script: Here is a great article on Broadway World giving a recap of Phantom Fans Week.

New Site

So I've finally updated most of my site. We've still got some work to do on it.

We're going to add some photos and a bit of music, change some things around here and there but it's up and running.

Take a look, sign up for updates (which will be coming soon) and let us know your thoughts.

www.jamesbarbour.com

"My Big Fat" Friends and Colleagues

My dear friend Joel Zwick (director of My Big Fat Greek Wedding) has a new musical he's working on and will be directing as well once it's complete. It's a fun take off on an old story. I've been helping him with it a bit and enjoying the process. I'll tell you the title later on.

Aside from being one of the most prolific directors of Television, Joel also directed Hershey Felder's "George Gershwin Alone" and Hershey's subsequent projects not to mention the show that Hershey and I did together "Back From Broadway."

Here's a link to his amazing body of work at IMDB.com: Joel Zwick

I'm so very grateful to have people like Hershey and Joel in my life. Not only are they amazingly talented but they also have two of the biggest hearts in this biz. I've learned a great deal from both of them not only in our collaborations and but also from simply from watching them work their magic one their own onstage and off.

When I've spoken to young actors about taking class or studying a particular "acting style" I always say that nothing beats practical experience. You can read all you want but until you get up and try it out you won't know viscerally what works and what doesn't.

That's what's amazing about watching Hershey work. He's fearless when it comes to the choices he makes but he's also incredibly analytical about making and implementing changes to his work. I think he quite literally can feel the audience response (as most of us do in onstage) but he's in a unique position to make the changes necessary to his script that only a writer/performer can be in. Then of course there is Joel, standing objectively back and advising whether or not those changes are warranted.

To me I look at their relationship with envy. It's rare these days that you have a team working together seamlessly to create project after project. It's almost like a rep company of two.

Anyway...I'm glad to call them both friends and colleagues and look forward to many future adventures.

All Things Phantom Broadcast From Las Vegas on September 19 @ 5 p.m. PST

I am happy to announce that my Internet Talk Radio show will broadcast live from Las Vegas, Nevada during the International Phantom Fans Week to be held at the Venetian Hotel from September 16-20, 2009.

My co-host and I will broadcast on Saturday, September 19, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

The show will focus on the Phantom Fans Week event, and we will be taking calls from attendees to share their experiences at the convention.

Tune in at BlogTalkRadio to listen live on 9/19 or catch the archived shows on our show blog All Things Phantom Show.

If you are attending and wish to be one of the callers to share your experience, contact me at vicki@lessonsfromthephantomoftheopera.com, so we can make arrangements and give you instructions.

Also, if you haven't listened to our shows before, we hope you'll tune in and join the fun. Can't make a live show? No problem. They are archived and available for listening at a later date from our audio players located on our show page and blog.

The Phantom's Student

Poker, Runway, Babies and Bubble Wrap.

OK so how many of you parents out there look at the clock and notice that hours go by and you didn't even realize it. Well...I do.

Hence the fact that I have yet to watch any of the Tivoed Poker or Runway shows...heck I haven't seen any TV (OK maybe a little preseason football with my father-in-law) but other than that...nothing. And thus have not begun my compare and contrast of the aforementioned television shows.

So in lieu of that I give you the crawling, cruising, standing, almost walking but not really... highlights of following a one year old around the house.

I want to invent clothing made of bubble wrap just in case...a little hat with the face and ears open but everywhere else...bubble wrap. Pink for girls, blue for boys. We can even make the individual bubbles different colors or even fill them with some sort of colorful soft material and accessorize with bubble purses or bubble baseball caps.

I digress.

Everyone tells us...don't worry...she'll be fine, kids are resilient but I don't want that theory tested. I'm like this hovering helicopter following her around with outstretched hands just in case she flops over. She never does...kids are pretty smart but heck...I'm a dad...and dads look out for their little ones.

I was going through some old boxes as we consolidate our "things" better known as "junk we haven't used in 10 years to take to Goodwill" and found old birthday cards my mother had saved from my first birthday...YEARS AGO. I found them just a few days before our baby girls first birthday last week (which I must say was quite a fun day).

Anyway, as I looked through those cards my mother had saved it brought back a rush of memories of my parents who sadly did not live to to see our beautiful child born. But in those cards and the other memories I have of my childhood and parents, my daughter will get to know them in their absence.

So...I cherish every single second I have with this amazing little creature who laughs constantly just out of the blue. This little one who only months ago couldn't lift her own head now has a vocabulary of over 20 words and a sense of humor that would rival even Nick Wyman's. (I'm doomed).

Here's to laughter and language and humor and love. And...bubble wrap.