Twitterive Draft 1
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I have a paralyzing fear of loss of control. I get panic attacks when riding in a car that I'm not driving, on airplanes, and on trains. However, sometimes I feel that things are worth getting the panic attacks for, and Phantom is one of them. Hugh Panaro is my first and favorite Phantom, and he was leaving that day to pursue another show.
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The feeling I felt here most was panic and anxiety. I was scared from the train, but I was also really excited to see the show and my favorite Phantom.
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I was admittedly more excited than my sister-in-law, because I've always loved Phantom. The city above the transit station was bustling with activity. There were cabs mulling around awaiting their passengers. People were everywhere, running back and forth to catch their train and cabs.
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I felt like I was home, because I love being in the city. I also felt like I was suddenly filled with energy because of the energy which the city exudes.
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I was walking down Seventh Avenue as people pushed and shoved around me. Even though I had my sister and friend around me, people were still able to push hard enough to make me stumble.
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I felt a lot of anger and aggravation, because I have trouble walking as it is, and everyone kept pushing and shoving me. I also choose to use the word gimpy because it makes light of my handicapped condition.
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We stood outside of the Majestic staring up at the sign for the show. Beside us are the promotional stills from the show depicting the various stars of the show. The Phantom of the Opera has been at the Majestic for over 25 years.
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I am always excited to see the show, but it is also sad to know that I will most likely never see Hugh as the Phantom ever again.
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The seats were cold beneath us as we sat on the bench awaiting Hugh Panaro's arrival. It was about 11:30 in the morning, and we were chattering back and forth to each other as we watched the people going in and out of the large metal door in front of us. There was an intercom and buzzer on the wall which allowed employees to be buzzed into the alleyway behind the large metal door which then lead to the stage doors.
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I was extremely anxious as I was waiting for him to get to work. I knew what I would say, but I was still extremely nervous.
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Looking down the alleyway towards the entrance, I see a man with a leash in his hand attached to a medium black dog. I recognized the dog even though I had not seen it for almost ten years. It was the adorable black labradoodle of Hugh's named Soot. Hugh looked very good for having been sick for almost two weeks.
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Happy to see him. I had worried that he might not show up because of the fact that he was sick for so long, and had been sick two weeks prior when my parents and I had gone to see the show (to see him, but he wasn't there).
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I sat down on the bench again, staring at the two playbills in my hand. One of them was from 2005 when I saw Hugh Panaro as the Phantom for the first time. The other was from the performance I saw with my parents. Both were signed by Hugh, and were very precious to me. They were playbills from my first and last time seeing him as Phantom. I was excited to hear of his next project, which I cannot disclose, but I learned that he was to portray my hero in a musical.
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Excitement, shock, and awe. I couldn't believe that I had gotten to see him and that he remembered me. I was also happy because I finally had my playbill signed by Hugh, since I hadn't ever gotten one signed by him before.
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After seeing Hugh, we went to the pizza parlor across the street from the theater. They do not allow you to order slices, so we got an entire pizza pie and shared it amongst ourselves. While we were waiting for the pizza to arrive to our table, we talked excitedly about having met Hugh and the show we were about to see.
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Excitement, yet relief. I was happy to have seen him yet still excited to see the show.
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Sitting in my seat and looking down onto the stage, I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement. I sat in the second row of the mezzanine and could see the chandelier on the stage, covered by a cloth. The rest of the stage had other items covered with cloths which will later be removed as the show begins.
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Anticipation and excitement mixed with sadness. I felt happy to be able to see Hugh play the Phantom after not having seen him in 10 years in the role, but also sad because I know that I will probably not see him in the role ever again.
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We could hear the orchestra tuning up as they were preparing for the show. Everyone was getting settled into their seats and I was bouncing in my seat. I made sure that I had at least three travel-sized packs of tissues in my pocket because I knew that I would be crying a lot.
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I was feeling excitement and anticipation. I knew the show by heart and knew that once it started and I heard the overture, I would become even more excited.
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After the first half of the show was over, I had already gone through three tissues from crying. As I was watching the title song and Music of the Night, I was sobbing because I knew that it would be the last time that I would see Hugh perform. He did not disappoint.
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Bittersweet, heartbroken, overjoyed.
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I was there standing with almost the entire theater as we gave Hugh a standing ovation. He certainly deserved the applause, and many people were cheering for him, since most were there to see him specifically. He made me sob during the Final Lair, especially when he sang "It's over now, the music of the night," because for me, it truly was over. I wouldn't see him in the role again, outside of bootlegs.
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Sad, happy, excited. I remember feeling so happy that I had gotten to see the last matinee.
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I have an obsession with the Phantom cups. Many people leave them behind even though the drinks and cups cost $10. I like to stay behind and collect a bunch of cups so that I can take them home and use them, since they're quality cups with lids.
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Happy that I was able to find a bunch of cups, because I hope to have a cabinet full of the Phantom cups one day.
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It is a tradition of mine to wait at the opening of the alley which leads to the stage door. Often, the actors will come out the door to sign things and take pictures. I was surprised that one actor spent a great deal of time with us, but he said many people don't care about him because he has a minor role, but I thought that my interaction with him was better than those of the actress who played Christine. However, she was very nice to me and my friend, being extremely gracious and signing anything we asked her to sign and taking pictures with everyone.
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Exhausted and hurting were the feelings which dominated my thoughts. It was raining and my knee was in so much pain because of having to walk the whole day.
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Sitting on the train, I kept petting the poster which I had been given. It was signed by the entire cast, and they usually cost over $50. My knee was hurting very badly, and my head was hurting from a sinus headache. Even though the show had not meant as much to my sister-in-law as it did to me, she expressed her enjoyment of the show. However, I was very glad to get back to my car and then to get home to rest.
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I remember lots of pain by the end of the day. I was happy and reliving the memories of the show, but I was still exhausted.
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