The Phantom of the Opera

I chose this topic from BBC website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/features/lucas_phantom.shtml


When I was young, I went to Her Majesty's Theater at the Piccadilly Circus station with my family. Then I watched the musical“THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” for the first time. At that time, I was not able to understand a meaning of the conversation at all. However, I remember that I could almost understand the story by from their performance. The music that Andrew composed is in particular impressive. I went to watch the musical with my family many times afterwards. Therefore, the musical “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA”is unforgettable for me.

I intend to introduce the musical a little this time.

If we hear “THE PHANNTOM OF THE OPERA”, many probably visualize the great hit musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. He is a genius in composition who launched the hit musical “CATS” “EVITA” into the world. He recognized the musical “ THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” as the best of his own.

But true original is that of mystery story by Gaston Leroux in 1911. Webber read it, and the story moved him. Then he determined to produce the stage of it. Originally, the story by Leroux was written as mystery, horror and revenge pray, but Webber distilled pure and romantic love story from it, and weaved the musical with his first splendid music.

The musical “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” was performed in London in 1986. It received high praise, and is a great hit long run in 18 country 100 city in the world. In Japan, national performance by “Shiki Theatre Company” mobilized 4 millions of people. Then, the immortal　masterpiece in the history of musical became a movie perfectly in 2004. The dream looked forward to by the world was reproduced in the perfect shape by hand of Webber.

In this story, a red rose have the most important meaning. On the cover of pamphlet, it was always drawn with mask of phantom. The red rose is, in a way, a symbol of “true love”.In the last scene of the movie, a red rose is put on the Christine’s grave. It means phantom’s true and eternal love for Christine.The sad and mad love that Phantom who has an ugly face give to Christine who is beautiful song stress, the change that Christine awake from innocent respect and love to affection as adult woman presently, and the waver of her mind that is attracted to the fresh love from Raoul who a young nobleman.

If you want to know more detailed content, please look at the above website of BBC.
Thank you for listening!

BBC NEWS1

I am interested in the U.K. I choose an article from BBC news, and intend to introduce the article in this blog.

This time, I chose this news.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7018055.stm


I love chocolate. There are many chocolates in Japan. It is said that polyphenol included in chocolate is good for health and we can see the chocolate product with conscious of healthy in a convenience store and supermarket recently. However, it is not well known to people what kind of effect there is in chocolate. I don’t know, too. Therefore I found one interesting article about the chocolate.

According to the article, it is said to be effective in reducing the symptom of the chronic fatigue syndrome in chocolate. One day, a patient in a pilot study reported feeling much better after swapping her normal milk chocolate for dark chocolate with a high cocoa solid content. Then Study leader Professor Steve Atkin, an expert in endocrinology, decided to see if other patients would benefit and carried out a trial of 10 patients who received a daily dose - 45g - of dark chocolate or white chocolate dyed to look like dark chocolate for two months. The result was the contents which the professor have been surprised at. When the patients stopped continuing eating dark chocolate, they felt fatigue more. In addition, the effect that dark chocolate reduced fatigue was bigger than the white chocolate. It is because a lot of polyphenol in dark chocolate. Professor Atkin said polyphenols is able to activate the serotonin, which is included a lot in a brain, and it brings a big effect in chronic fatigue syndrome. Of course it may cause the corpulence to take in surplus. However, it can become good medicine if I continue taking in the chocolate of the appropriate amount.

My mother said " You should eat chocolate when you are tired" in old days. I thought it was superstition. However, I knew an effect of the chocolate this time and understood that mother didn't say random thing. I am really glad if I can send healthy daily life by eating delicious things. Not only chocolate, but also every food has the unknown power that is not yet known to the world. By a future study, maybe we can send healthy life more easily. I will continue eating chocolate from now on! （Of course it is an appropriate amount）