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Dr M Says...

Dr.M here again, phew! ..alive and well and back on terra firma in London...rid of Russian gangsters and wannabe actors but missing the action and adventure of the heist....

After my BAFTA night fiasco I was soon enlisted to present the Oscars in Holllywood as they felt JR was a little “too English” and that Vlad was a more appropriate offering from LondonMICE! Rock on baby...

I HAD TO party hard with all the A-Listers stateside for another week, fly to Paris to see Silvio rehearse and shoot his scenes with Jason Statham in Transporter 3 and then return to the UK for more mad bad Masquerade events... particularly the one which I have made the focus of this column:

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA for Merz and to coincide with their product launch for Xeomin...cool name for a wonder drug eh?

The story please DR.M I hear you ask, eh?...
Read on, and let the words and pictures tell the story of Don Adriano, his band of Masqueraders and a roof raising Masked Ball at Sopwell House that adds a twist of delight to the Phantom’s story; creatively misdirected by the man behind the mask who always says...EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!

The Context:
It is said that the legend of The Phantom of the Dystonia, the famed masked Composer/Singer who stalked the waterways of Venice at night... fighting to break the spell of his crooked neck that stopped him from leading a normal life...traces back to him being betrayed and cursed by the maverick, jealous rogue, Don Adriano di Masquerade. A philandering womaniser and gambler, Don Adriano stole the Phantom’s first love, Lady Paola Lizza and left him impoverished and suffering in an underground lair in the eastern Kingdom of Dystonia, almost to die...dramatic stuff eh?

The Plot:
The Grand Masked Ball and ensuing evening sees the final quest by the Phantom to regain his lost liberty and maybe even reclaim the Lady Paola for himself....all under the guise of Don Xeomin, with his musical Diva and protégé, Christina Xeomina. The duo pose as masked singers during the Royal celebratory Ball in the court of the dashing Prince Luca for Don Adriano’s engagement to Lady Paola. Will the audience and assembled guests from Merz be able to grant the Phantom’s freedom finally and give him the justice he so deserves by the end of the night? It is said that once the spell is broken he will sing in a different voice forever...not opera...but ROCK!

The Build Up:
On the same night we meet Christine for real, as the ‘Opera Diva’ for the new Royal Masked Ball Opera; a production of nobleman and patron of the Merzola Opera House, Don Warren Wills. Don Adriano recognizes Christine as a childhood friend and comes backstage after the performance to escort her to dinner, but Christine tells him she cannot go because her teacher "The Angel of Music," is very strict. The angel is non other than the Phantom, now in deeper crippling pain than ever and dire need of the Merz drug that will rid him of his neck ailment and allow him to remove his mask and once again be free from the grips of the Dystonia curse thrown upon him by the malevolent Adriano and his evil sidekick thug manservant, De Gammie!

The Catch:
Don Xeomin enters the room in search of Christina, who is talking to the guests. He violently snatches her and leads her to his underground lair. She faints, only to be awakened later by the Phantom's music on the organ. Creeping up behind him, she rips off his mask. Horrified, he takes her back to the reality of how he ended up that way in song and verse.. setting the final denouement in place, ready to be acted out after dessert. The room is now buzzing with anticipation and everybody is asked what they think will finally happen. Only Don Stuart has the answer to this, and his lips are tightly sealed...he seems to be one step ahead of everyone else too! BUT NOTHING CAN HAPPEN NOW... not until Don Warren Wills returns from the Venetian Capital where his latest musical comes to an end at 10pm. Only he has the musical arrangement and chords to the last song which will allow the Phantom to sing for his freedom...once this is done, and the Merz audience hear it, the spell is broken.

Dramatic Tension:
Don Warren arrives, tunes up the band, prepares his last choice song and the Phantom returns. The famous intro strikes up with its macabre bass tones. Don Wills takes over to crank it up to a mighty crescendo...his house band are a master collection of cool jazz musos, hand-picked by one Don Steve Trowell -the accapella singer and sax player of noble infamy and magnetic appeal!

The Showdown:
In a final confrontation, the Phantom gives Don Adriano a choice: let the Lady Paola stay with him forever, or he will kill him! He does so as he is a coward at heart and has found a new flighty young thing to focus on and flirt with. His decision to give Don Xeomin the wonder drug from Merz at last brings to an end the story of The Phantom, as Christina administers it, cures his neck, removes his mask and finally, with Don Stuart’s consent, grants him his “freedom”. He finally sings the famous show song...THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA...the finale of the Masked Ball piece of 5 that has been performed specially for this private Merz audience of 40, and conjured up by Dr M.

The Phantom throws off his cloak and, dressed in a dinner suit with diamond encrusted collar, suddenly breaks into a rock number with the band...and his name is now, PETER STRAKER! Even Christina does a number, and her name is now LUCY GARRIOCH!!!

The Result:
FREEDOM PREVAILS!!!! The rest of the night is a big party with music, dance, drink and celebration of Merz’s 100 year anniversary...A most significant achievement!!!

And as for Dr.M...well, even he surprised a few folk with his impromptu rendition of the Blues...and yes, he can sing too!!

Be good
Be wise
And
Be aware...

See you in April!

God bless...

Dr.M