3/09/00 I have seen the breathtaking musical, "The Phantom of the Opera" twice. Both experiences left me a fan of the musical. The costumes were extremely intricate and beautiful. The music and songs were excellent! BUT, I would have to say that the very best came from the second performance I saw, a couple years later, when I saw Ron Bohmer as the Phantom. :)
Okay, let me back up a bit. When I was in eight grade (now I'm a senior) my class went to the Providence Performing Arts Center in Rhode Island. Thomas James O'Leary starred as the Phantom. At the time I thought his performance was very good, and overall loved the show. One thing I knew though was that if I saw Phantom of the Opera again I would try not to get "stuck" in the balcony.
In March of 1998, after begging my mom for some time to let me see my favorite show again, I returned to Providence to see POTO. We had fifth row seats, almost dead center behind the orchestra! I was thrilled to be up so close. Ron Bohmer starred as the Phantom and Marie Danvers was Christine Daae. They were awesome together!!! Ron exuded such tremendous passion and is an extremely talented actor. He also has the most amazing voice. At the end of POTO, Mr. Bohmer received a well-deserved standing ovation.
The friend I saw it with (I also went with my family) and I were singing "Phantom of the Opera" and "Music of the Night" over and over again the whole ride home to CT. It was a very special moment. I had really wished I had met Ron after the show. I wrote him an email a few months later and was (pleasantly) surprised to get a reply. I thought it was really nice of Ron to take the time to write back to a fan. Since then, I have written him via email several times, and when I told Ron earlier this month that I would be coming to New York City to see him in The Scarlet Pimpernel he invited me to meet him after the show at his dressing room. I was thrilled to meet him! And let me say that he is truly one of the nicest, most gracious people I have ever met.
Well, I loved Ron so much in his performance in POTO, that I bought his CD, "Everyman." It is one of those rare CD's where each and every song is excellent! Ron is just an incredibly exceptional guy I guess. :)Now that I've seen him in The Scarlet Pimpernel as well, I must say that there is no end to his greatness, on and off-stage!
Please visit my brand new Ron Bohmer page!
Please note: this is a fan site. But if you would like to visit Ron's official website, visit: The Official Ron Bohmer Site
