Luckily, however, the stage lights wouldn’t be out forever. A while later everything came back to life but it is still to this day not the same.
The reality struck a lot of Theatregoers only a while back when the longest-running show was officially announced to close. “The Phantom of the Opera.” In less than twenty-four hours after announcing its closure, the show had made two million dollars! Some shows, however, have only gained from Covid-19 (e.g., Hamilton, Chicago, Wicked etc.) as many lighting issues and repairs were fixed. Damaged costumes were upgraded and made even brighter and shinier!
Even though it is true Broadway will never return to its former glory, many people are taking steps to bring in more shows and keep that magic of music alight. But whatever way the ‘Great White Way’ turns, one saying will always stay true.
“The show must go on”, and will.
Emilie Kouatchou is a personal hero of mine. Not only is she the first black woman to play my favourite female musical theatre protagonist, Christine Daae, but she also opened new doors for casting directors' minds with her stunning approach to the show.
Before she could get cast in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, she auditioned tirelessly for two and a half years, before taking her first steps onto the stage on October 11th 2021. Oldest of three, she began her journey through acting at the age of nine. She was previously an understudy, and for some people who aren't into theatre, she could seem like just another soprano. But the truth is, behind the scenes, she is inspiring girls like me to take that step and change who's on the stage and not.
She is twenty-five years old, and she can speak fluent French. She loves fashion and her family.
To quote her in an interview she said "I think people had a very specific idea of who Christine was. She was a white woman with brown hair. The beauty of me stepping into this role is that Christine lives in the spirit and how you tell her story. It's not the way she looks. I'm an advocate for anyone who can embody Christine's spirit and bring something new to the table to be able to inhabit the role."
What inspires me about this, is that it shows what theatre should be about. Telling a story so we can take away lessons and morals and a smile from it. When casting, directors shouldn’t look at the outside of the actors and give roles based on that. They should hire them because of their ability and talent, and that is what happened with Emilie.
I believe Emilie should be talked about in school classes this month because we often hear about people from history who would achieve bigger things. What I mean by that, is we often don’t bring up those black people who are into the arts, but who break world records and come up with scientific discoveries. Those things are all very good, but people like Emilie, who is more relatable, can sometimes teach us that we don’t have to do something huge to be inspiring. We can simply share our talents and spread joy by doing what we are passionate about.
Though the show is, unfortunately, coming to a close after 35 amazing years, we will all remember Emile as the last, and one of the most influential Christines who played in the Majestic theatre. And who knows, it may come back, breaking more records and inspiring more fans around the world.
