In This Labyrinth: Getting to the Heart of The Phantom Of The Opera

In this episode, in honour of COP25 (the climate negotiations that just took place at the UN) and the students striking for climate justice, I discuss the amazing Phanfic When All Is Lost by Quiet2885. I talk about what environmental justice is, and explore how it’s thoroughly woven into the plot and characters of this epic Phanfiction thriller! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2942105/1/When-All-is-Lost https://www.fanfiction.net/u/731205/Quiet2885

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Links:

• Read When All Is Lost!
• Wikipedia article on Environmental Justice. — Note: you'll need to scroll down a considerable way to get to the actual start of the article, but there's lots of good, solid info there!

Happy belated Halloween/Samhain everyone!! In this slightly belated (Oops, sorry about that) Halloween/Samhain episode, I talk about haunting in POTO! I explore what it means when the haunting isn’t by the ghost or spirit of a deceased victim of injustice, but a living, breathing human-being. I also give a shout-out to my newest Patreon supporter! :-) Thanks hugely for your contribution!! http://www.patreon.com/phantomfemme

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Wow!! This is the first episode of the second year of the podcast!! Is that not cool? Anyway, in this episode, I discuss the recent U.K. and U.S./Canada touring productions of the ALW Phantom directed by Lawrence Connor. I discuss some of the changes he’s made from the original, and why some of those changes are down-right problematic! And on that note, content warning for mild references to kink and to violence against women.

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A tribute to Phantom’s legendary director Hal Prince, who sadly passed away on July 31 2019 at the age of 91 after a truly awesome and ground-breaking career that spanned nearly seven decades, winning him 21 Tony awards and transforming the modern musical stage! The whole music-theatre world, and especially the entire Phantom family, mourns this loss! #RIP #HalPrince #TheBrilliantOriginal #PhantomoftheOpera

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Sharing some very sad news. Kevin Jackson, co-founder and co-organizer of the Toronto Disability Pride March @TDPM, has recently passed away very suddenly. RIP Kevin, and huge condolences to all the friends, family and colleagues he leaves behind, especially to his fiancee! Also, his fiancee is raising funds to cover the cost of his burial and celebration-of-life. So if folks can contribute, that would be a wonderful way to show support and solidarity to her at this really sad and difficult time! You can donate at https://fundrazr.com/e1XIM6?ref=ab_18EqWJTutyC18EqWJTutyC

Support In This Labyrinth: Justice From the Heart of The Phantom Of The Opera

In this episode, which marks the 1-year #podiversary of the show - Wow!!, I celebrate both that and #Pride2019 by exploring how the ALW stage-musical of Phantom actually contains a lot of Queer Crip sexuality and desire! I also run a little non-competitive contest for folks to win a poster-version of the podcast artwork, just to do something a bit special for the occasion. Happy 1-year podiversary everyone! Thanks for listening and making the show awesome this past year, and I can’t wait to see what year 2 brings!!

Support In This Labyrinth: Justice From the Heart of The Phantom Of The Opera

In this rather overdue episode (Oops, sorry about that), I finally review The Angel’s Flight by Louise Anne Bateman - the sequel to The Angel’s Shadow and second book in her Angels of Music series. In particular, I review the really superb full-cast dramatized audiobook of the novel! Btw, correction, you can find the info on where to get Bateman’s first book in the show-notes and blog-post for episode 9, not 10. Sorry about that! And you can, of course, find The Angel’s Flight in print, ebook and audiobook formats at any of the following: https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Flight-novel-Phantom-Opera/dp/1729545076 or https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NYBR1H6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550951092&sr=8-2&keywords=Louise+Anne+Bateman or https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Flight-Novel-Phantom-Opera/dp/B07NW4WNWJ/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= to enjoy!

Support In This Labyrinth: Justice From the Heart of The Phantom Of The Opera

In this awesome, extended episode, I interview local Toronto author and activist Bridget Liang about their recently released young-adult novel What Makes You Beautiful, all about a bunch of Queer/Trans youth and a highschool production of Phantom! We talk musicals, gender, Queerness, surviving teenagehood, and, of course, Phantom as we talk about what inspired their writing. We have a really fabulous chat, and share some ideas for Queering up Phantom, both in Phanfics we’d love to see written, and in things we’d love to see tried in stagings of the story! Bridget’s book is available at http://www.lorimer.ca/childrens/Book/3083/What-Makes-You-Beautiful.html and also at: https://www.amazon.ca/What-Makes-Beautiful-Bridget-Liang/dp/145941411X https://www.amazon.ca/What-Makes-Beautiful-Bridget-Liang-ebook/dp/B07NLDGRRM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=What+Makes+You+Beautiful&qid=1555442351&s=digital-text&sr=1-1 :-). Plus, you can find info on their recent book-launch at: https://www.facebook.com/events/331900397679832

Special Guest: Bridget Liang.

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In this (slightly belated - LOL Oops) episode in honour of International Women’s Day, I talk about gender in Phantom. In particular, I explore what the Leroux novel, the ALW musical and the novel by Susan Kay do with femininity, and how they all present subtle but powerful critiques of the dominant division of women into “good girls/women” and “bad girls/women”. #IWD2019 #InternationalWomensDay And on an unrelated note, here’s that GoFundMe link I mentioned for my moving. Thanks in advance for any and all support! https://www.gofundme.com/gun7z-help-me-move

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In this first episode of 2019, because it’s Valentine’s Day, I talk about romance in Phantom! I explore how the ALW stage-musical contrasts two distinct versions of romantic relationship, one decidedly heteronormative, and one more daring and potentially radical. P.S., Heads-up for very mild references to kink around power dynamics!

Support In This Labyrinth: Justice From the Heart of The Phantom Of The Opera