I have just spent the afternoon watching The Phantom of The Opera. For others this may well be just another movie but for me, it brings tears to my eyes.I hear the music and it brings back the most wonderful memories of my life. Years ago my mother was sitting at her piano and manged to get my little boy to sing her a song. Some time after she came to me and said "you have to take him along to singing lessons, he has a beautiful voice". So along we went to the first of many lessons. This shy little roly poly boy had the voice of an angel that entranced everyone who heard it.I remember the pride I felt when he first sang in front of an audience. He was so scared and thier was an audience of about 800 people, but out he came, a little boy of nine in the middle of a huge stage, he opened his mouth and sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in his soprano voice and the whole room went silent. I was so happy for him. For years he had been make a target by the "popular" kids at school, and made to feel like he was nothing. Well he was something, he outshone them all.
It was the start of many performances, many awards and years of me sitting in the audience knowing that this gentle boy was something special. And then came "Phantom". I took him along to see the show and it sank into his soul. He constantly listened to the soundtrack and learned every song. He sang the songs at home all the time, and eventually was confident enough to try them in fornt of an audience. I wish more than anything you could all have heard him sing "Music Of The Night". He didn't need the props, he didn't need a mask, he just stood on that stage and commanded everyone's attention. It was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard, and Evan never knew that every time he sang it I would be in my seat with tears in my eyes. I can still hear him singing that song.As you all probably know, Evan is now the singer of a jazz band "The Velvet Set", and they are fantastic. He is professional, polished and confident in his singing, but the memory of that dear little roly poly boy is so precious to me.I hope that if as I get older and loose my memory, if everything else vanishes from my mind, the sound and vision of Evan singing "Music Of The Night" is the very last memory I have, and I will probably still fill up at the thought of it.
It was the start of many performances, many awards and years of me sitting in the audience knowing that this gentle boy was something special. And then came "Phantom". I took him along to see the show and it sank into his soul. He constantly listened to the soundtrack and learned every song. He sang the songs at home all the time, and eventually was confident enough to try them in fornt of an audience. I wish more than anything you could all have heard him sing "Music Of The Night". He didn't need the props, he didn't need a mask, he just stood on that stage and commanded everyone's attention. It was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard, and Evan never knew that every time he sang it I would be in my seat with tears in my eyes. I can still hear him singing that song.As you all probably know, Evan is now the singer of a jazz band "The Velvet Set", and they are fantastic. He is professional, polished and confident in his singing, but the memory of that dear little roly poly boy is so precious to me.I hope that if as I get older and loose my memory, if everything else vanishes from my mind, the sound and vision of Evan singing "Music Of The Night" is the very last memory I have, and I will probably still fill up at the thought of it.
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