The Phantom of the Opera

딸아이가 미국에서 귀국하자마자, 원래 다니던 느리울 초등학교에 3학년으로 복학했다. 학교에 다닌지 3-4일 정도 되었나.. 어느날 갑자기 쪽지를 하나 들고 왔는데, 영어 말하기 대회에 참여하라는 내용이란다. 미국에 다녀왔다고 하니 간택(?) 된 것 같은데.. 아무튼 부모의 일이 갑자기 많아졌다. 부랴부랴 원고 쓰랴 연습시키랴.. 그렇지 않아도 갓 귀국해서 할 일이 태산인데 더 분주해졌다.

어쨋든 태은이로서는 많은 사람 앞에서 (영어로) 말 해볼 수 있는 좋은 기회를 가졌다. 원고 외우고 연습하느라 무척 힘들었지만 시 대회 서부 지구 결선에서 동메달을 받았으니 나름대로 보람이 있었다. 아래는 영어 말하기 대회 원고인 "오페라의 유령"이다. 나름대로 열심히 쓴 원고라서 보관 차원에서 올려 놓지만, 평소 이 뮤지컬에 관심있는 분들은 한번 보시면 줄거리를 요약 (?) 하는데 도움이 될 것 같다. (음표가 있는 부분은 태은이가 직접 노래했다~^^)

Title : The Phantom of the Opera

Speaker : Taeeun Kim

Hello, everyone!

This is Taeeun Kim. I am 10 years old and in the third grade at Neuriul Elementary School. First, I am very glad to stand here as a representative of my school.

I went to Tennessee, USA, last year with my family. I lived in Knoxville, and I was a second grader at West Hills Elementary. It was very fun staying there. Today, I am very happy to talk to you about one of my best memories in the US.

When I lived in the States, my dad took my family to New York City. I saw many interesting things in New York. The Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and The Phantom of the Opera, on Broadway.

I’d like to tell you about the Phantom of the Opera, because it was very fun and it was my favorite experience. The Phantom of the Opera was the name of the longest running musical in New York’s history. This musical had three main characters; Erik, Christine, and Raul. Erik was a scary phantom of the opera. He was very ugly, so he always wore a mask to cover his face. Christine was a beautiful opera singer. Raul was her friend. Both Erik and Raul loved Christine, because she was talented and beautiful. But Christine loved Raul much more than Erik. Erik was very angry. He took Christine into a secret hiding place and watched her. Erik even tried to kill Raul. But Christine and Raul were keeping their true love. Finally, Erik accepted their true love, and let them be together. So Christine and Raul lived happy ever after.

That is just a small part of the Phantom of the Opera story. After I saw this musical, I felt music was a good way to tell a story. When Raul said he loved Christine, he sang a sweet song, All I Ask of You. (♬ Love me, that's all I ask of you ♬). When Erik took Christine to his secret hiding place, he sang a fantastic song called, The Phantom of the Opera. (♬ The phantom of the opera is here, inside your mind ♬). All the music was so nice and wonderful. The music showed their feelings and emotion very well, and it moved everyone in attendance.

When I think about his character, I believe Erik was a good man. To many, Erik was a scary ghost, but he loved Christine so much. Despite his desires, he freed her to Raul. When Erik let Christine go, I was so impressed I couldn't hold back my tears. Because of this musical, I wish to be a good soul like Erik. I wish to have a kind heart to help other people. If everyone has a love as Erik did, I believe our world will be more peaceful.

I hope you enjoyed my story. Thank you so much.