譯/陳曉慈
歌劇魅影落幕 專屬樂手揮別伴奏歲月
Last fall, as show No. 13,781 of "The Phantom of the Opera" came to a close, the applause overpowered the thundering music. The members of the orchestra, packed into the pit under the stage, could not see the crowd, but they could hear and feel them.
去年秋天，第13781場「歌劇魅影」落幕時，觀眾掌聲比如雷的音樂還要響亮。管弦樂團成員坐在舞台下的狹小樂池中，看不見觀眾，卻能聽見並感受到他們。
The standing ovation brought Kristen Blodgette, the show's associate conductor, to tears. She held her red-nailed hands in prayer, in gratitude to the musicians.
全場起立鼓掌場面，讓助理指揮克利斯汀布洛姬特不禁落淚。她擦有紅指甲油的十指緊扣，向樂手們致意。
Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash hit — the longest-running musical in Broadway history — is scheduled to give its final performance at the Majestic Theater this month. These days, since the announcement of the closing last September, the musical "feels more like a rock concert," said Kurt Coble, a violinist with the show.
這齣韋伯的暢銷名作已是百老匯史上上演最久的音樂劇，即將於本月在美琪劇院迎來最終場演出。該劇小提琴手之一科伯說，自從去年9月宣布將停演以來，這齣音樂劇「感覺更像搖滾演唱會」。
Coble is part of Broadway's largest pit orchestra, which will disappear along with the show. It holds 27 full-time musicians, 11 of whom have been with "Phantom" since it opened in the late 1980s. The consistent work has allowed many of the longtime musicians, who have essentially grown up and older with the show, to build comfortable, even lucrative lives. And that is no small feat for any artist seeking stability in New York City.
科伯隸屬於百老匯最大的伴奏樂隊，隨著這齣音樂劇停演，樂隊也將解散。「魅影」伴奏樂隊由27名全職樂手組成，其中11人甚至從「魅影」1980年代末開演便擔任樂手至今。安穩的工作，讓許多資深伴奏樂手和這齣劇碼一起成長變老，也讓他們擁有舒適甚至豐厚的生活；這對任何想要立足紐約的藝術家而言，實屬不小的成就。
Unlike the principal actors who have short-term contracts with "Phantom," full-time members of the orchestra and ensemble get a "run-of-show" agreement, which guarantees their jobs until the production closes. In 1988, when "Phantom" first opened, "there were some wide-eyed optimists who thought the show could run as long as five to six years," recalled Lowell Hershey, a trumpeter who has been with the production since the beginning. "And I remember thinking, 'Wow, that would be really good.'"
與主要演員簽下的短期合約不同，「魅影」管弦樂團及劇組全職成員拿到「演出專屬」合約，確保他們的工作直到這齣戲停演。自「魅影」上演以來便擔任小號手的赫雪回憶，1988年首演時，「有些單純的樂天派預期這齣戲大概能撐個5、6年」，「我記得當時心想，『哇，能這樣就太好了』」。
"Phantom," of course, surpassed that prediction. During its 35-year run, the musical has created more jobs and generated more income than any other show in Broadway history, according to Michael Borowski, its press representative.
「魅影」當然是遠遠超出預期。該劇公關代表博羅夫斯基表示，上演35年來，這齣音樂劇創造的工作機會和帶來的營收超過百老匯史上任何戲碼。
The security of the "Phantom" paycheck has helped many of its musicians start families, send children to college, buy property, save for retirement. "Broadway was never meant to be a steady job, but for us, it was a steady job," said concertmaster Joyce Hammann, who has been with "Phantom" since 1990. "I can't overstress how unbelievably lucky we have all been for all these years."
「魅影」的安穩薪水，幫助許多樂手建立家庭、送孩子上大學、買房、攢下退休金。自1990年起便參與「魅影」的樂團首席喬伊斯哈曼說，「百老匯的工作從來都無關安穩，但對我們來說，這是個安穩的工作」，「我們度過了這麼多年，要說何其有幸絕不誇張」。
