Compilation of thoughts from the brief notes I made to myself in Notes from Saturday (6/30) and Sunday (7/1).

Thoughts:

• The Strip: All the hotels on the Strip are so glitzy. Nothing feels real. It’s as if the entire city is a mirage and I don’t know whether to be disgusted by the illusion or be awed by how humans can construct a masterpiece out of a seemingly useless desert. Whose idea was it to build a bunch of casinos in the middle of nowhere anyway? In a way, I feel extremely unsatisfied by Vegas’ emphasis on physical pleasures, but at the same time, I’m excited by it. How strange. So many people on the streets can be so interesting and so meaningless at once.
• Shows: I watched most of the free shows. I’m determined that Sirens of TI is one of the most vapid things I’ve viewed.
• Phantom: It was very good, but not amazing. I loved the sets, the live orchestra, the cast, but parts of it fell short of my expectations. Crivello was disappointing. I didn’t like his portrayal of the Phantom in that he was much more flamboyant with his gestures. I felt like the Phantom should have a stronger voice as well. However, Ragone completely blew me away with his Raoul. Absolutely stunning performance and it’s the first time when I’ve actually sided with Raoul instead of the Phantom. A lot of the show seems Vegas-fied though—gestures overdone, props redesigned, plot shortened. “The Music of the Night” and “Il Muto” were more sexualized (at one point, Crivello was against the gate in a “my body is ready” pose. I don’t understand.), but the musical also seems more like a horror story. It’s very weird. But in all, ~$100 well spent. The guy next to me came all the way from Thailand! Guau. I wonder if he was disappointed by Crivello.
• Weather: Have I mentioned how ridiculously hot it was in Vegas? Well it was too hot. And the weather was much hotter than any guy I saw.

I’m not sure if I liked Vegas (that probably has to do with my not being able to drink, gamble, and splurge). It seems all fake to me. Everything. The people, the lights, the money. Everything seems so insignificant. People mill around and mob the hotels like ants crowding around the anthill, doing seemingly important things. And all this money goes into putting together several attractions that actually don’t serve much purpose and will end up getting destroyed in a couple of years. I wonder if the higher being(s) watching this sight think we’re misguided creatures. Interesting experience overall.

1. stopdontfollowthisblog said: my body is ready.
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3. irisistable posted this