Phantom - or what is evil?

Last night Kevin and I had the great privilege of seeing "Phantom" at Hale Center Theater. Both it and the more well-known Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera" are based on the book "Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux.

"Phantom" takes a great deal of literary license by imagining what his early life was like and by taking a look at the events that helped to shape him. BPotO (Broadway's Phantom of the Opera) paints the opera ghost as a mostly evil being. Phantom causes you to truly feel sorry for him and recognize that his actions are only what he feels he must do to protect himself from a cruel, judgmental world.

"Phantom" caused me to once again challenge my definition of evil and to ponder on the nature vs. nurture quandary. Are people born evil or do they become evil as a result of their environment? (The musical "Wicked" also addresses this question beautifully but that's a post for a different time.) I truly believe it is a little bit of both. I have seen children arise from a harrowing upbringing and become wonderful, productive, kind people and I have seen those with every advantage choose a life of selfishness, crime, and degenerative behavior.

The real evil in "Phantom" is our own tendency to judge and to put labels on people and things we do not understand. I see this in the world around me and recognize that I am guilty of it myself far too often. It is so easy to judge others by their actions without ever knowing what has brought that individual to that point. What hardships has he endured? What trials have shaped him? What was the thinking behind the action? Was it good intentioned?

I absolutely loved "Phantom"! I was nervous to see it because I love BPofO and was afraid this would suffer in comparison. It did not! "Phantom" will probably go down as one of my all-time favorites. I was literally brought to tears with empathy for this poor opera ghost and for those whose lives intertwined with his; and I will go on pondering evil and trying to be less judgmental of those with whom I come in contact.