fbpx
Wikipedia

Love Never Dies (musical)

March 01, 2023

Love Never Dies is a romantic musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth, and Slater. It is a sequel to the long-running 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera and was loosely adapted from Forsyth's 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan.

Love Never Dies
The Phantom Returns
MusicAndrew Lloyd Webber
LyricsGlenn Slater
BookAndrew Lloyd Webber
Ben Elton
Frederick Forsyth
Glenn Slater
BasisThe Phantom of Manhattan
by Frederick Forsyth
Characters by Gaston Leroux
Productions2010 West End
2011 Melbourne
2012 Copenhagen
2013 Vienna
2014 Tokyo
2015 Hamburg
2017 US Tour
2019 Tokyo

The plot is not based on the storyline in the original 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux. Lloyd Webber stated, "I don't regard this as a sequel—it's a stand-alone piece."[1] He later clarified, "Clearly, it is a sequel, but I really do not believe that you have to have seen Phantom of the Opera to understand Love Never Dies."[2] Glenn Slater subsequently explained that Lloyd Webber "didn’t view it as a sequel as much as 'a second story with these characters'".[3] The musical is set in 1907,[4] which Lloyd Webber states is "ten years roughly after the end of the original Phantom",[5] although the events of the original actually took place in 1881.[6]

In the show, Christine Daaé is invited by Oscar Hammerstein I for her American debut, until an anonymous impresario contracts her to perform at Phantasma, a new attraction on Coney Island. With her husband Raoul and son Gustave in tow, she journeys to Brooklyn, unaware that it is actually the Phantom who has arranged her appearance in the popular beach resort.[citation needed]

Although Lloyd Webber began working on Love Never Dies in 1990, it was not until 2007 that he began writing the music. The show opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End on 9 March 2010, with previews from 22 February 2010. It was originally directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, but the show closed for four days in November 2010 for substantial re-writes, which were overseen by Lloyd Webber, and it re-opened with new direction from Bill Kenwright. Set and costume designs were by Bob Crowley.[7] The original London production received mostly negative reviews,[8][9] but a subsequent Australian production featuring an entirely new design team and heavy revisions was generally better received, although the show finally closed with heavy discounting to tickets.[10] A planned Broadway production, which was to have opened simultaneously with the West End run, was cancelled,[11] the amount of negative press having deterred potential backers.[12]

Background

I really do not believe that you have to have seen Phantom of the Opera to understand Love Never Dies. I really don’t. But I hope if you see them together, if you wanted to see them back-to-back, that what you would get from them – from both of them – is the extension of where the story goes.

Andrew Lloyd Webber[13]

Andrew Lloyd Webber first began plans for a sequel to his 1986 hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera, in 1990. Following a conversation with Maria Björnson, the designer of The Phantom of the Opera, Lloyd Webber decided that, were a sequel to come about, it would be set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. One of his ideas was to have the Phantom live above ground in Manhattan's first penthouse, but he rejected this when he saw a TV documentary about the Coney Island fairground. Lloyd Webber began collaborating with author Frederick Forsyth on the project, but it soon fell apart as Lloyd Webber felt the ideas they were developing would be difficult to adapt for a stage musical. Forsyth went on to publish some of the ideas he had worked on with Lloyd Webber in 1999 as a novel entitled The Phantom of Manhattan.[14]

Lloyd Webber returned to the project in 2006, collaborating with a number of writers and directors. However, he still did not feel the ideas he had were adaptable into a piece of musical theatre.[15] Finally, in early 2007, Lloyd Webber approached Ben Elton (who had served as the librettist for Lloyd Webber's The Beautiful Game) to help shape a synopsis for a sequel, based on Lloyd Webber's initial ideas. Elton's treatment of the story focused more on the original characters of The Phantom of the Opera and omitted new characters that Lloyd Webber and Forsyth had developed.[15] Lloyd Webber was pleased with Elton's treatment and began work on the sequel.[14] In March 2007, he announced he would be moving forward with the project.[16] When Lloyd Webber approached the lyricist Glenn Slater to join the project, Slater's initial thought was that "it just sounded like a terrible idea".[3]

The sequel was delayed because Lloyd Webber's six-month-old kitten Otto, a rare-breed Turkish Van, climbed onto Lloyd Webber's Clavinova digital piano and managed to delete the entire score. Lloyd Webber was unable to recover any of it from the instrument, but was eventually able to reconstruct the score.[17] In 2008, Lloyd Webber first announced that the sequel would likely be called Phantom: Once Upon Another Time,[18] and the first act was performed at his annual Sydmonton Festival. The Phantom was played by Ramin Karimloo and Raoul was played by Alistair Robbins.[19] However, in September 2008, during the BBC's Birthday in the Park concert celebrating his 60th birthday, Lloyd Webber announced that the title would be Love Never Dies.[20] In other workshop readings, Raoul and Christine were played by Aaron Lazar and Elena Shaddow.[21]

On 3 July 2009, Lloyd Webber announced that Karimloo (who had played the Phantom in the West End) and Sierra Boggess (who had originated the role of Christine in Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular) had been cast as the Phantom and Christine and that the role of Meg Giry would be played by Summer Strallen, Madame Giry by Liz Robertson, and Raoul by Joseph Millson. I'd Do Anything finalist Niamh Perry was given the role of Fleck.

Lloyd Webber originally intended for Love Never Dies to open simultaneously in London, New York, and Shanghai in the autumn of 2009.[21] By March 2009, he had decided to open the show at London's Adelphi Theatre, followed by Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre (before transferring to Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre in 2010) and Shanghai. The three casts would rehearse simultaneously in London for three months beginning August 2009. Opening dates were soon announced as 26 October 2009 in London, November in Toronto and February 2010 in Shanghai, with a later transfer to Melbourne, Australia. Plans were then announced for a separate Broadway production to run concurrently with the Toronto show if Toronto proved successful. In May, the debut of the London production was delayed until March 2010 due to Lloyd Webber re-orchestrating the score and re-recording the album.[22] Technical issues with special effects and an automaton version of Christine, and the casting of multiple simultaneous productions also contributed to the postponement. By October 2009, Shanghai plans had been dropped in favour of an Australian production.[23]

On 8 October 2009, Lloyd Webber held a press conference at Her Majesty's Theatre, where the original Phantom has been running since 1986, confirming the casting of Boggess as Christine and Karimloo as the Phantom. Karimloo sang "Til I Hear You Sing" and the instrumental "The Coney Island Waltz" was performed by an orchestra for the journalists, industry insiders, and fans who had assembled for the presentation.[24][25] Lloyd Webber announced that Love Never Dies would begin previews in London on 20 February 2010 and anticipated that the Broadway production would open on 11 November 2010 (this was later postponed[26] and then indefinitely[27] and to date has never come to fruition). Rehearsals began in January 2010.[28]

Score

As with Phantom, Lloyd Webber's score for Love Never Dies also includes original music in the style of the show's time period to accompany character "performances" taking place within the show itself. Only "Bathing Beauty" survived the post-concept album cuts to be performed on stage.[citation needed]

Instead of the operatic passages for fictional "operas", the "stage" music at Phantasma is based on the companion pieces to the Savoy Operas, which were often burlesques and were also sometimes performed at the Opéra Comique. Many of these kinds of burlesques were based on existing French operas. During the Victorian age, nearly every popular opera was turned into a burlesque.[29] The W. S. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan) operatic burlesque "Robert the Devil" is a parody of Robert le diable, a romantic grand opera by Meyerbeer, which is mentioned in the prologue to Phantom of the Opera.[citation needed]

These pieces were very popular among the lower class, but not commonly seen by more sophisticated opera goers. According to W. J. MacQueen-Pope:

This was a one-act play, seen only by the early comers. It would play to empty boxes, half-empty upper circle, to a gradually filling stalls and dress circle, but to an attentive, grateful and appreciative pit and gallery. Often these plays were little gems. They deserved much better treatment than they got, but those who saw them delighted in them. ... [They] served to give young actors and actresses a chance to win their spurs ... the stalls and the boxes lost much by missing the curtain-raiser, but to them dinner was more important.[30]

Like most burlesques, "Robert the Devil" featured women in scanty costumes and breeches roles. In operas, these were always supporting roles. The pageboy role in the second "opera" within Phantom of the Opera is a breeches role, like the part of Cherubino, the Count's page, in The Marriage of Figaro. However, in burlesques, breeches roles could be main parts.[citation needed]

Very little specific information is available for most of these curtain openers. However, the opener for "Pinafore", which had also been performed at the Opéra Comique in 1878, was called "Beauties on the Beach".[31] Meg Giry's grand opening number in Love Never Dies is called "Bathing Beauty".[citation needed]

Productions

West End (2010–2011)

The first preview of Love Never Dies was delayed from 20 to 22 February 2010 due to a last-minute brief illness of Boggess and technical demands.[32][33] The show had its official opening on 9 March 2010. It was directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, with set and costume designs by Bob Crowley.[7] The cast included Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Christine, Joseph Millson as Raoul, Liz Robertson as Madame Giry, Summer Strallen as Meg Giry, and Niamh Perry as Fleck. In April 2010, Lloyd Webber was threatened with a £20,000 fine for illegally painting the Grade II-listed Adelphi Theatre black to promote the show.

In November 2010, Lloyd Webber closed the London production for a few days to rework the show after a poor critical response. The musical was reviewed again (at Lloyd Webber's invitation[34]), with critic Henry Hitchings noting that "Some of the most obvious alterations stem from the recruitment of lyricist Charles Hart to adjust the cadences of the original clunky lines written by Glenn Slater." He further pointed out that "There are also lots of bracing directorial touches; the show is credited to Jack O’Brien, but it is new choreographer Bill Deamer and producer Bill Kenwright who have added the zest."[35] The London production closed on 27 August 2011 after a disappointing run of fewer than eighteen months.[36] In 2012, Lloyd Webber stated that although he was, "very, very proud" of the London production, it did not completely work and also said, "something just went slightly wrong; I had cancer just before the production, and it was just that crucial 5% off-beam".[13]

The hoped-for Broadway production was announced as delayed to spring 2011.[26] Lloyd Webber also announced that Asian and Canadian productions were planned, although these were subsequently dropped.[14] After the poor reviews and negative reaction from some Phantom fans during previews, an executive producer stated that before its bow on Broadway, the show would likely undergo "some changes".[37] On 1 October 2010 it was announced that the musical would not open on Broadway in Spring 2011.[27] To date, Love Never Dies has not played Broadway.

In 2016, five years after the closure of the London production, Paule Constable, the production's lighting designer and member of the original creative team, claimed that working on Love Never Dies almost led her to quit the theatre industry.[38]

Australia (2011–2012)

In 2010, Lloyd Webber announced that the Australian production would open on 21 May 2011 at Melbourne's Regent Theatre. This production, the first outside of the UK, featured new direction and design by an Australian creative team, including director Simon Phillips.[39] Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne were cast as the leads.[40][41] Before the show's opening, Phillips addressed the negative reaction of fans of Phantom to the London production, stating: "''I think the majority of the noise about Love Never Dies wasn't literary. They didn't care that Andrew was creating a sequel to the original story."[42] However, Love Never Dies is not a sequel to Gaston Leroux's original novel, in which the character of the Phantom dies at the end. Phillips additionally addressed the audience's suspension of disbelief with regard to the plot of Love Never Dies: "The central plot idea is that the Phantom and Christine have slept together. If people don't buy that, then they're never going to come onboard with the show, they're never going to respond to it."[43]

Although Lloyd Webber hoped to bring the Melbourne production to Broadway in the future,[44] he told The New York Times that, even with the positive reception of the reworked Melbourne production, a Broadway transfer was probably not realistic. The Melbourne production was filmed on 15 September 2011 and made available on DVD.[45] The recording was originally to be released on DVD and Blu-ray 1 February 2012,[46] but it was later delayed till 29 May 2012 in the United States.[47] In the UK, the DVD was released on 12 March 2012,[48] and in Australia it was released on 8 February 2012. The recorded performance also played in select theatres on 28 February and 7 March 2012.[49] It was then screened again in US cinemas on 23 May 2012.[50] Lloyd Webber stated at the time that, even if a Broadway production did not happen, he felt that he had closed the chapter on the piece, as the filmed version is something he's, "very, very proud of" and it does not really matter to him, "if it comes tomorrow or five years' time".[51][52] The Melbourne production closed on 18 December 2011.

The Melbourne production transferred to Sydney's Capitol Theatre with previews beginning 8 January 2012 and officially opened on 12 January 2012.[53] The show concluded its run on 1 April 2012.[54] The Courier Mail reported in December 2011 that the show "opened to mixed reviews in Melbourne and has struggled with ticket sales, closing after just seven months. It played in Sydney for three months before closing for good, despite earlier plans for a Brisbane season in the second half of [2012]".[55]

Copenhagen (2012–2013)

Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen, Denmark announced that their production of Love Never Dies would open on 24 October 2012[56] and star Tomas Ambt Kofod and Bo Kristian Jensen sharing the role of the Phantom and Danish coloratura soprano Louise Fribo as Christine. It featured a new production design by Paul Farnsworth, new stagings by Daniel Bohr, and new choreography by Hayley Franks Høier. Karen Hoffmann, who translated the score of Phantom of the Opera into Danish, also translated this score into Danish. The production closed 21 April 2013.[citation needed]

Vienna (2013)

A concert rendition, translated entirely into German, was held in Vienna, Austria, in the Raimund Theater in October 2013. It starred Drew Sarich as the Phantom.[57]

Tokyo (2014)

A Japanese production opened in March 2014[citation needed] at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo with direction and designs from the original Australian production.[58] It starred Masachika Ichimura, who performed the role of the Phantom in 1988 Japanese production of original musical, and Takeshi Kaga sharing the role of the Phantom and Megumi Hamada and Ayaka Hirahara as Christine.

Hamburg (2015-2016)

The German branch of Stage Entertainment announced a production of Love Never Dies from fall 2015 at the Operettenhaus in Hamburg. The show's title was translated literally as Liebe stirbt nie. The German production was based on the Australian version.[59] Like the Australian version, however, the show closed prematurely and at a loss, with the producers citing low ticket sales as the reason for the closure.[60]

US national tour (2017-2018)

A touring production, identical to the Hamburg production, but in English, traveled through North America in the 2017–2018 season.[61] It premiered at the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York on 22 September 2017,[62] and ended on 2 December 2018 at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas.[citation needed] The cast included Gardar Thor Cortes/Bronson Norris Murphy [later Bronson Norris Murphy/Michael Gillis] as The Phantom, Meghan Picerno/Rachel Anne Moore as Christine Daaé, Karen Mason as Madame Giry, Sean Thompson as Raoul, Mary Michael Patterson as Meg Giry, Katrina Kemp as Fleck, Richard Koons as Squelch, Stephen Petrovich as Gangle, and Casey Lyons and Jake Miller sharing the role of Gustave.[62]

Tokyo (2019)

Love Never Dies returned to the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo for a limited season in January 2019, starring Masachika Ichimura and Kanji Ishimaru as the Phantom, Megumi Hamada and Ayaka Hirahara as Christine and Mario Tashiro and Ryunosuke Onoda as Raoul.

World Tour (2021)

In January 2020, it was announced that the Australian production would embark on its first ever World tour.[63]

The tour was due to open in the UK on 26 September 2020 at the Curve, Leicester where it would play until 10 October. After which it would visit Manchester Opera House from 14 October to 24 October. Further UK dates were due to be announced.[64] This would have marked the first time the Australian production has been performed in the UK and the musical's return to the UK for the first time since it closed in 2011. The production was since postponed.[65]

The tour was subsequently due to open at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto on 1 December 2020 and play until 31 January 2021.[66] However, in April 2020 Lloyd-Webber mentioned in a video posted on Twitter that the production would likely be delayed, as the theaters would be closed until January 2021 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[67] The filmed Australian production of Love Never Dies was made available on Webber's "The Shows Must Go On!" YouTube channel for a limited time, along with other shows by the composer.[68]

Synopsis (original London version)

Act I

Madame Giry walks alone at night on a desolate pier, reminiscing about an amusement park called Phantasma, Coney Island's former "City of Wonders". The ghost of Miss Fleck, a freak show performer who once worked with Giry at the park, appears out of the darkness ("Prologue"). When Fleck urges Giry to recall the "good old days" and blames her for "what happened", the audience is suddenly transported back in time as the old, tattered billboards are restored, the lights of Phantasma are illuminated, and an assortment of the park's performers appear in a dreamlike sequence ("The Coney Island Waltz/That's the Place That You Ruined, You Fool!").

It is now ten years after the events at the Paris Opera House and the setting is Phantasma on Coney Island in New York. An excited group of vacationers arrive, overwhelmed at all that Phantasma has to offer. They speculate about the park's reclusive, masked owner and creator, a wealthy tycoon known only as Mr. Y ("Heaven by the Sea").

Meg Giry, Christine Daae's friend from the Opera who was somewhat more intrigued by than afraid of the Phantom in their youth, is now a headlining burlesque performer at Phantasma. Madame Giry, her mother, and the Opera's former ballet mistress is now a business manager and choreographer for the show. Both Meg and her mother are eager to curry favor with their employer to secure their future; as Meg prepares for a performance as "the ooh la la girl", she wonders whether it will please him ("Only for Him/Only for You"). After the show, Madame Giry informs Meg that she has arranged for her to meet an important client, suggesting that Meg has been covertly performing sexual favors for key individuals, in the interest of political and financial expediency for Phantasma.

In a dark, private lair in a tower high above the park, the Phantom (now revealed as Phantasma's owner and mastermind) interacts with an automaton that resembles Christine ("The Aerie"). In spite of the years that have passed and his many successes, the Phantom still longs to be reunited with her ("Til I Hear You Sing"). Meg intrudes and presses the Phantom for feedback on her performance, but he is distracted by his thoughts of Christine and dismisses Meg as an annoyance. Madame Giry is irritated that the Phantom still seems to think only of Christine after all that she and Meg have done for him over the years. Giry recounts how she and Meg helped smuggle him out of Paris and to a ship departing from Calais, on which they escaped to America. Ignoring her, the Phantom summons Miss Fleck, who appears with two other freak show performers, Dr. Gangle and Mr. Squelch. The Phantom has them dispatch a letter to Christine, inviting her to come and perform at Phantasma ("Giry confronts The Phantom/Til' I Hear You Sing (Reprise)").

Three months later, Christine arrives in New York with her husband Raoul and their son Gustave, where they are greeted by crowds of paparazzi at the dock ("Christine Disembarks"). Remarks from the onlookers suggest that Christine has not performed for some time and Raoul has lost much of their fortune to drinking and a fondness for gambling. The Phantom's trio of freak show performers (Fleck, Gangle, and Squelch) arrive in a strange carriage pulled by a "ghost" horse and whisk Christine and her family away to Coney Island ("Arrival of the Trio/Are You Ready to Begin?").

In their rooms, Raoul expresses disgust that their host would send circus freaks to receive them ("What a Dreadful Town!..."). He upsets Gustave by refusing to play with him and storms out to find a bar, leaving Christine to explain his behavior to their son ("Look With Your Heart"). When Gustave goes to bed, the Phantom enters and reveals to a stunned Christine that it was he who summoned her to sing at Phantasma. Initially outraged, Christine eventually succumbs to the memory of a clandestine evening the two shared before she was married. As they recall their one night of passion, it is revealed that Christine was prepared to abandon Raoul for the Phantom, but awoke in the morning to find herself alone. The Phantom explains that he fled out of fear that she would reject him again when she saw his face in the morning light ("Beneath a Moonless Sky"). Both concede that they once thought their love had a chance, but the circumstances of the present day make it impossible ("Once Upon Another Time"). They are startled by a scream from Gustave, who awakens from a nightmare and rushes into the room ("Mother Please, I'm Scared!"). Christine introduces the Phantom as an old friend named Mr. Y, and he promises to show the boy around Phantasma the next day.

In the rehearsal studio at Phantasma, Meg is unexpectedly reunited with Christine, who surprises her with the news that she was invited there to sing. Similarly, Raoul encounters Madame Giry and discovers that it was the Phantom who brought them to Coney Island ("Dear Old Friend").

Later, the freak show trio takes Gustave to meet the Phantom in the Aerie, where the boy is enthralled by the many curious inventions and creations on display. When Gustave plays a haunting melody of his own composition on the piano, the Phantom is once again reminded of his one night with Christine and he is struck by the possibility that this musically gifted child could actually be his son ("Beautiful"). The Phantom questions Gustave about his talents and passions, finding that they are kindred spirits. Believing that Gustave will be able to see past the surface to what is inside, the Phantom is emboldened to remove the mask that hides his deformity ("The Beauty Underneath"). To his dismay, Gustave is horrified and screams at the sight, but Christine enters just in time to calm the boy. When the Phantom confronts her with his suspicions regarding Gustave's paternity, Christine confesses that the child is indeed his son, prompting the Phantom to vow that all his life's work will henceforth be for Gustave ("The Phantom Confronts Christine"). Unbeknownst to them, Madame Giry has overheard their conversation and is enraged, fearing that everything she and Meg have done for the Phantom over the years has been for nothing.

Act II

A drunken Raoul is sitting alone in a gloomy bar, contemplating the evolution of his relationship with Christine ("Why Does She Love Me?"). Meg enters and warns him that New York isn't a suitable place for his family, and she urges them to abandon Christine's performance contract and leave that night. Raoul refuses, citing their need for the money; he boasts that he is not afraid of the Phantom, unaware that his rival has since slipped in and replaced the barman behind the counter. When Meg leaves, the Phantom confronts Raoul and intimidates him with veiled remarks that cause him to question his paternity of Gustave. The Phantom also offers Raoul a bet: if Christine fails to perform tonight, the Phantom will pay off all their debts and allow them to leave together, but if she sings the aria he has written for her, Raoul must go back to France alone. Raoul accepts the Phantom's dare and then experiences a moment of panic at what he has done ("Devil Take The Hindmost").

Out on the beach, the people are enjoying the last day of the summer season ("Heaven By The Sea (Reprise)"). A hot air balloon lands, carrying the Phantom's trio of freak show performers who announce the evening's entertainment lineup ("Ladies...Gents!/The Coney Island Waltz (Reprise)").

That night, Meg performs a comedic burlesque routine about her choice of swimming costume ("Bathing Beauty"). Afterwards, Madame Giry informs her crestfallen daughter that the Phantom was not there to watch her performance and it had all been for nothing ("Mother, Did You Watch?").

In her dressing room, Raoul implores Christine to reconsider her decision to sing and asks her to leave with him at once if she still loves him. When Raoul leaves her alone to think, the Phantom enters and tells Christine that Raoul knows his love is not enough, and that she must sing for him once more. When he departs, Christine recalls the fateful night at the Paris Opera House when she had to make the difficult decision between the respectable and comfortable life offered by Raoul and the passionate rush of the Phantom and his music ("Before the Performance").

Backstage, Raoul, the Phantom, and Madame Giry each wait anxiously to see whether Christine will flee or sing, while Meg entertains Gustave ("Devil Take The Hindmost (Quartet)").

The stage manager calls "Curtain" and Christine takes her place on stage. The orchestra begins to play and, after a moment of pained indecision, Christine succumbs to the Phantom's music and sings his aria for the appreciative crowd. Her performance is watched from the wings by the Phantom and Raoul until Raoul resigns himself to the decision she has made ("Love Never Dies").

Afterwards, the Phantom joins an overwhelmed Christine in her dressing room and the two share a rapturous moment ("Ah, Christine!"). Christine finds a letter from Raoul stating that he has left for good and she begins to panic when she realizes that Gustave is missing. The Phantom at first assumes that Raoul has taken the boy, but Miss Fleck reveals that she earlier passed Meg's dressing room and saw a smashed mirror and Meg leaving with a small figure. A worried Madame Giry announces that she knows where they were likely going ("Gustave! Gustave!").

On a desolate pier, the Phantom, Christine, and Madame Giry find the distraught Meg seemingly about to drown Gustave in the ocean ("Please Miss Giry, I Want to Go Back!..."). Meg brandishes a gun to make the Phantom finally pay attention to her as she describes the lengths the Girys have gone to over the years to ensure the success of Phantasma, including Meg's offering herself to men in high places to "grease the wheels of [the Phantom's] high-flying deals". The Phantom apologizes for his failure to truly see Meg and her contributions, but when he unthinkingly mentions Christine, Meg becomes enraged and accidentally fires the gun, shooting Christine. The Phantom rushes to Christine and orders Madame Giry to go for help while Meg looks on in stunned horror at what she has done. Christine reveals to Gustave that the Phantom is his real father and she tells the Phantom that her love for him will never die. The Phantom and Christine share a final kiss and she dies in his arms. The Phantom has Meg hold Christine's body as he moves to comfort Gustave, who unmasks him without fear.

Synopsis (2011 Australian version)

Act I

Ten years after the events at the Paris Opera, the Phantom is now a well known tycoon and the mastermind of Phantasma, a Coney Island amusement park. Despite his success, he is tortured by the absence of Christine Daaé in his life and longs to hear her sing again ("Til I Hear You Sing"). At Phantasma, a trio of freak show performers (Dr. Gangle, Miss Fleck, and Mr. Squelch) introduce the wonders of Coney Island ("The Coney Island Waltz"). Meg Giry, Christine's friend from the Paris Opera, has become "The Ooh La La Girl" in The Phantom's vaudeville show, which Madame Giry produces. Meg and the Phantasma cast win the crowd over with their performance ("Only for You"). Madame Giry has read in the newspaper that Christine is coming to New York to sing for Oscar Hammerstein I at the opening of his new Manhattan opera house. She expresses concern that Meg has lost the attention of the Phantom and reminisces about how she and Meg smuggled him from Paris, France to New York City ten years ago. Meg ignores her mother's warnings, and looks with joy towards her old friend coming to visit after such a long time ("Ten Long Years").

Christine, Raoul and their ten-year-old son Gustave arrive in New York and are met by crowds of paparazzi ("Christine Disembarks"). They are greeted by Gangle, Fleck and Squelch, who arrive in a horseless carriage, to take them to Coney Island ("Are You Ready to Begin?").

Raoul is angry at the reception ("What a Dreadful Town!") and upsets Gustave by not playing with him. When Raoul departs in response to an invitation to meet Hammerstein in the hotel bar, Gustave asks Christine why his father seems not to love him. Christine encourages Gustave to look past the surface to try to help him understand ("Look With Your Heart"). When Gustave goes to bed, the Phantom appears on the balcony and Christine faints in shock, having believed him dead. He carries her to a chair, where she awakens and the two recall a night of passion before Christine's wedding, and the Phantom explains why he felt compelled to leave her side afterwards ("Beneath a Moonless Sky"). Moving to the balcony, the pair sadly remember how they once thought their love had a chance of succeeding ("Once Upon Another Time"). The Phantom offers to pay Christine twice Hammerstein's price if she will sing just one song that he has written for her, but Christine refuses. Gustave wakes up screaming from a nightmare and interrupts them ("Mother Please, I'm Scared!") and Christine introduces him to the Phantom for the first time. The Phantom promises to show Gustave all of Phantasma the next day. After Gustave returns to bed, The Phantom threatens to abduct the boy unless Christine agrees to sing for him again. A shaken Christine relents and the Phantom leaves her with the sheet music for the song he has written.

In the rehearsal studio for Phantasma, Meg is dismayed and hurt to learn that Christine has been assigned the "leading lady slot" in the show. Raoul encounters Madame Giry and discovers that the Phantom is the mysterious Mr. Y for whom Christine will be singing now ("Dear Old Friend"). Gangle, Fleck and Squelch bring Gustave to the Aerie, where he is greeted by the Phantom. Child prodigy Gustave sings and plays a melody on the piano ("Beautiful") that leads the Phantom to suspect he is Gustave's father ("He plays like me! He's just ten years old...ten years old"). The Phantom questions Gustave as he shows him around the dark wonders, illusions, and freaks of Phantasma and discovers that they are kindred spirits. He unmasks himself, believing Gustave will accept him, but Gustave screams in horror and flees ("The Beauty Underneath"). Christine comforts Gustave and then asks Meg to take him back to the hotel. When pressed by the Phantom, Christine confesses that Gustave is his son ("The Phantom Confronts Christine"). The Phantom makes Christine promise to never tell Gustave that Raoul is not his real father. Christine gives her word and vows to sing for him once more, and then leaves him alone. Stunned by what has transpired, the Phantom declares that everything he creates and owns will be inherited by Gustave. An eavesdropping Madame Giry becomes enraged at the realization that all she and Meg have done for the Phantom over the years has been for nothing ("Ten Long Years").

Act II

In a gloomy bar, Raoul contemplates his relationship with Christine. He is joined by Meg, who tells him she swims each day to wash away the stress of working. She tells Raoul that he must leave with Christine and Gustave and runs out of the bar ("Why Does She Love Me?"). Raoul says he is not afraid of the Phantom. Suddenly, the Phantom reveals himself to Raoul and they make a bet that if Christine sings, the Phantom wins and if she doesn't, Raoul wins. If Raoul wins the bet, the Phantom will pay his debts and Raoul can leave with Christine and Gustave. However, if the Phantom wins, Christine and Gustave will remain in America with him and Raoul must return to Paris alone. The Phantom also leads Raoul to question Gustave's paternity ("Devil Take the Hindmost"). Fleck, Squelch and Gangle appear to advertise Christine's appearance at Phantasma ("Invitation to the Concert"). That night, Meg performs a strip-tease about her choice of swimming costumes ("Bathing Beauty"). She successfully impresses the audience, but Madame Giry reveals to Meg that the Phantom did not watch the performance, saying it was for nothing ("Mother, Did You Watch?").

In Christine's dressing room, Gustave helps his mother get ready for the show. Raoul arrives and Christine asks Gustave to wait for his father backstage. Raoul begs Christine not to sing, and to leave New York with him if she really loves him. Christine asks for some time and Raoul leaves. The Phantom enters and tells Christine that Raoul's love is not enough, and that she must sing for him and embrace her destiny ("Before The Performance"). Christine recalls the events at the Opera where she had to decide between Raoul and the Phantom. ("Twisted Every Way") Madame Giry, Raoul and the Phantom wonder whether Christine will sing ("Devil Take The Hindmost" (reprise)). The curtain opens on Christine, with Raoul and the Phantom watching from the wings at either side. As the long musical intro comes to its end, Christine makes the decision to sing. Raoul leaves just before Christine finishes to thunderous applause ("Love Never Dies"). Backstage, Christine is greeted lovingly by the Phantom and the two share a kiss. She then finds a letter from Raoul informing her of his departure ("Ah Christine").

Suddenly realising that Gustave is missing, Christine recalls that she had asked him to wait backstage for Raoul, but she does not want to believe that Raoul may have taken the boy. Furious, the Phantom vows to kill the "drunken fool", but Squelch informs him that he saw the Vicomte leave alone. The Phantom then suspects Madame Giry, because of her attitude towards him before Christine's number, and proceeds to threaten Giry when she is brought to him by Squelch and Gangle. Madame Giry confesses that she knew about Gustave's true parentage, but denies abducting the boy. Fleck reports that she passed Meg's dressing room, where she saw that the mirror was shattered, and Meg is now nowhere to be found. Christine fears for her child's life, but Madame Giry assures her that Meg would never hurt Gustave. The Phantom believes he knows where Meg has gone ("Gustave, Gustave").

At the pier, Meg prepares to drown Gustave, who cannot swim, when the others arrive to confront her. She reveals to the Phantom that the resources Madame Giry has afforded him came from Meg's working as a prostitute to influential men. She expresses her hurt and resentment that the Phantom never took any notice of her or appreciated her singing and dancing. After sharing her feelings, Meg decides to let Gustave live and releases him. She produces a gun and holds it to her head, intent on ending her misery. The Phantom tries to apologise and console her, but when he unthinkingly mentions Christine's name, Meg becomes agitated once again. When the Phantom tries to take the gun from her, Meg accidentally shoots Christine ("Please Miss Giry, I Want To Go Back").

After Madame Giry and Meg are dispatched to find help, Christine reveals to Gustave that the Phantom is his real father and the shocked boy flees ("Look with Your Heart" (Reprise)). Christine tells the Phantom that her love for him will never die, then they share a final kiss and she dies in his arms ("Once Upon Another Time" (Reprise)). Gustave returns with Raoul, who looks on silently and sadly, and Gustave lays his head on his mother's lap. The Phantom surrenders Christine's body to Raoul, then moves to the edge of the pier and collapses to his knees in grief. Gustave goes to the weeping Phantom, who sings a line from the song his mother just sang to console the boy, and Gustave embraces his real father for the first time ("Love Never Dies" (Reprise)). Gustave then removes the Phantom's mask and gently touches the Phantom's face in an act of acceptance. Gustave and the Phantom gaze at one another as the curtain falls.

Characters and original cast

The following is a list of the principal roles and original cast of Love Never Dies.

Character Original London cast Final London cast Original Australian cast Original Danish cast Original Japanese cast Original German cast Original North American cast
The Phantom Ramin Karimloo
Tam Mutu 		Ben Lewis Tomas Ambt Kofod
Bo Kristian Jensen 		Masachika Ichimura
Takeshi Kaga 		Garðar Thór Cortes
Mathias Edenborn 		Garðar Thór Cortes
Bronson Norris Murphy
Christine Daaé Sierra Boggess Celia Graham Anna O'Byrne Louise Fribo Megumi Hamada
Ayaka Hirahara 		Rachel Anne Moore
Jazmin Gorsline 		Meghan Picerno
Rachel Anne Moore
Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny Joseph Millson David Thaxton Simon Gleeson Christian Berg Mario Tashiro
Keita Tachibana 		Yngve Gasoy-Rondal
Robert David Marx 		Sean Thompson
Madame Giry Liz Robertson
(Sally Dexter on the cast recording) 		Maria Mercedes Marianne Mortensen Ran Ohtori
Tatsuki Kohju 		Masha Karell
(temporary replaced by
Maaike Schuurmans) 		Karen Mason
Meg Giry Summer Strallen Haley Flaherty Sharon Millerchip Camille-Cathrine Rommedahl Mao Ayabuki
Rena Sasamoto 		Ina Trabesinger
(replaced by
Maria-Danaé Bansen) 		Mary Michael Patterson
Fleck Niamh Perry Tracey Penn Emma J. Hawkins Kirsten Norholt Mizuho Abe Lauren Barrand
Sandra Maria Germann 		Katrina Kemp
Squelch Adam Pearce Paul Ettore Tabone Kristian Jensen Tomoaki Tatsumi Paul Ettore Tabone Richard Koons
Gangle Jami Reid-Quarrell Charles Brunton Dean Vince Simon Duus Arata Hino Jak Allen-Anderson Stephen Petrovich
Gustave Jack Blass
Harry Child
Tyler Fagan
Alexander Hockaday
Richard Linnell
Charlie Manton
Kaisun Raj
(Charlie Manton on the cast recording) 		Edward Bracey
Jack Costello
Daniel Dowling
Connor Fitzgerald
George Littell
Harry Polden 		George Cartwright Bush
Trent Heath
Lachlan Kelly
Jack Lyall
Kurtis Papadinis
(Jack Lyall in the pro-shot) 		Oscar Dietz
Carl-Emil Lohmann

Asbjørn Metz Mørch

Seishiro Kato
Tsukito Matsui
Eru Yamada 		Rim Benedikt Jake Heston Miller
Casey J. Lyons
Christian Harmston

Musical numbers

The Concept Album

The Original Concept Album was released in March 2010. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart, No. 1 in Greece, No. 8 in New Zealand and No. 15 in Denmark.[69] The musical numbers appear in the following order on the original album.[70]

London

The Original London production opened with all the songs from the Concept Album. However, the show went through several rewrites and many of the songs were rearranged and some were removed from the production. Charles Hart, one of the original lyricists from The Phantom of the Opera, was brought in to help with the rewrites.[71] Below are the musical numbers as they last appeared in the London Production.

Notes: ✝ denotes new lyrics by Charles Hart.

  • denotes new song; lyrics by Hart.

Melbourne and subsequent productions

The Original (reworked) Australian production opened with many of the songs from the reworked London production with new staging. The reworked libretto is the one currently used by subsequent productions. New lyrics by original The Phantom of the Opera lyricist Charles Hart. Staging and musical numbers for the Australian and subsequent productions:

Notes: ✝ denotes new lyrics by original The Phantom of the Opera lyricist Charles Hart.

The Copenhagen and Tokyo productions have translated the libretto from English to Danish (by Karen Hoffmann) and Japanese (by Ryu Machiko).

Recordings

Singles

The first song released to the public was "The Coney Island Waltz", on the musical's official website as part of a Love Never Dies' teaser trailer video in September 2009.[72][73] The teaser trailer combined clips from the 2009 London EPK video of The Phantom of the Opera (featuring Gina Beck, Ramin Karimloo, and Simon Bailey)[74] with black-and-white film footage of immigrants arriving by ship in New York City and shots of Coney Island. The official site later released "The Coney Island Waltz" as a sample track in 2009 and as a complimentary music download for customers pre-ordering the Love Never Dies studio recording album. The music video for "The Coney Island Waltz" is set to archival film footage of Coney Island.

"Til I Hear You Sing", sung by Ramin Karimloo, was the first single from the musical and previewed on 20 February 2010 through The Mail on Sunday website. It previewed elsewhere on 22 February 2010.[75] It is a love ballad about the male narrator expressing his longing to hear the voice of his beloved after many years. The promotional music video was an excerpt of Ramin Karimloo's live performance at 8 October 2009 London press launch and made viewable the same day, with Karimloo singing in a blue-lit set while Sierra Boggess sits quietly on a throne. The official music video features Karimloo undisguised in a flat with a backdrop of projector images and floating appearance of Boggess.

On 26 January 2010 the title song "Love Never Dies" was first publicly performed at The South Bank Show Awards, sung by Sierra Boggess and accompanied by Lloyd Webber and Louise Hunt on two grand pianos. The show was broadcast on ITV1 on 31 January 2010.[76] The tune is identical to Lloyd Webber's other musical numbers "Our Kind of Love" from The Beautiful Game in 2000 and "The Heart is Slow to Learn", which was intended for a Phantom sequel, sung by Kiri Te Kanawa in 1998 at the Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration.[77][78] "Love Never Dies" also has a very similar melody to Charles Williams' composition "Jealous Lover" from the 1949 British film The Romantic Age. "Jealous Lover" was later retitled "Theme from The Apartment" for the 1960 Billy Wilder film The Apartment.[79][80][81][82][83]

Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins was approached by Lloyd Webber to record her version of "Love Never Dies" in late 2009.[84] The song appears as the first track on the special edition of Jenkins' album Believe, which was released on 29 March 2010 in the UK. Jenkins performed the song with Lloyd Webber on the ITV1 show Dancing on Ice on 28 February 2010. Lloyd Webber has stated that Jenkins would not fit the score of his musical Love Never Dies because her vocal range is a mezzo-soprano, not a soprano like Sierra Boggess.[85]

Japanese singer Ayaka Hirahara was chosen to record "Love Never Dies" in Japanese for a bonus track of the soundtrack album's Japanese release.[86][87] "Love Never Dies" was also recorded in Mandarin by Liping Zhang and in Korean by Sumi Jo.[88]

Discography

The concept album of Love Never Dies was recorded around 2008–2009, using an 80–90 piece orchestra.[89] Lloyd Webber did not like the orchestrations in the second act, so he had half the album re-recorded.[90] John Barrowman had originally recorded the part of Raoul on the concept album but was replaced by Joseph Millson, who had been cast as Raoul for the stage production at the time the album was re-orchestrated and re-recorded.[91]Sally Dexter, who performed Madame Giry on the album, is replaced by Liz Robertson in the musical. The album was completed in September 2009 and scheduled to be released on 10 March 2010, the day after the show's London opening.[92] Preview sound clips from all tracks on the album became available online on 8 February 2010 at Amazon.co.uk.[93]

A cast recording of the original production was released on 8 March 2010 by Polydor Records in the UK and on 9 March 2010 by Decca Records in North America. It debuted at No. 82 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the Billboard Cast Album chart, and No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart. It also charted at No. 1 in Greece, No. 14 in Taiwan, No. 8 in New Zealand, and No. 15 in Denmark.[94][95]

Albums

Love Never Dies Deluxe Edition [Original Cast Recording]
Release date: 8 March 2010 (UK), 9 March 2010 (North America)
Number of discs: 2 Audio CDs, 1 DVD-Video
Extras include: "Bonus DVD with interviews and filmed footage and 40 page booklet with full libretto"

Love Never Dies [Original Cast Recording]
Release date: 8 March 2010 (UK), 9 March 2010 (North America)
Number of discs: 2 Audio CDs

Both recordings feature the same 19 tracks on Disc 1 and 13 tracks on Disc 2 with each disc matching an act.
A digital version of the double CD album was also made available on the Love Never Dies official online store.

Charts
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[96] 53
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[97] 17
European Top 100 Albums (Billboard)[98] —
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[99] 73
Greek Albums (IFPI)[100] 1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[101] 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[102] 45
UK Albums (OCC)[103] 10
US Billboard 200[98] 82
"—" means the peak position on that chart remains unknown or is not stated
by the source citing the chart.

Love Never Dies: Asian edition
Release date: 30 March 2010 (North America)
Number of discs: 2 Audio CDs
Extras include: 2 bonus tracks, "Love Never Dies" (Mandarin language version) by Liping Zhang and "Love Never Dies" (Korean language version) by Sumi Jo.[88]

Love Never Dies: 2018 Studio Cast

Release date: 15 February 2018

Number of discs: 2 Audio CDs

Album-only track titled "Conclusion"[104]

Live stage filming

The musical was released in DVD and Blu-ray on 29 May 2012 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment in the United States.[105]

Reception

West End

Critics' reaction

After Love Never Dies opened on 9 March 2010 in London, it received mostly negative critical reviews.[8][9] Perhaps the most positive review was Paul Taylor's in The Independent giving the show five stars, and writing, "What is in no doubt is the technical excellence of Jack O'Brien's seamlessly fluent, sumptuous (and sometimes subtle) production, or the splendour of the orchestra which pours forth Lloyd Webber's dark-hued, yearning melodies as if its life depended on them. Special praise should go to the lyrical lavishness of Bob Crowley and Jon Driscoll's designs, with their gilt interiors where the vegetation-imitating contours and giant peacock-plumage of Art Nouveau run rampant, and their ghostly external locations where a brilliantly deployed combination of flowing projection (timed to perfection with emotional/ rhythmic shifts in the music) and solidly presented stage-effects create a dizzying Coney Island of the mind".[106] In stark contrast, Ben Brantley of The New York Times gave it zero stars, calling the production "a big, gaudy new show. And he might as well have a "kick me" sign pasted to his backside. ... This poor sap of a show feels as eager to be walloped as a clown in a carnival dunking booth. Why bother, when from beginning to end, Love Never Dies is its very own spoiler."[107]

Other positive reviews included Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph, who raved, "this is Lloyd Webber's finest show since the original Phantom, with a score blessed with superbly haunting melodies and a yearning romanticism that sent shivers racing down my spine." He gave the show four stars out of five, but cautioned that "The show may ultimately prove too strange, too dark, too tormented to become a massive popular hit, but I suspect its creepy allure will linger potently in the memory when frothier shows have been long forgotten".[108] Paul Callan of the Daily Express also gave the show four stars, writing that Love Never Dies "is an elegant and clever sequel to Phantom and deserves to have the old Adelphi Theatre filled every night with Lloyd Webber's core, usually middle-class, audiences. It is a great night out."[109]

In The Guardian, Michael Billington gave the show three out of five stars, commenting, "There is much to enjoy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical. The score is one of the composer's most seductive." However, Billington said, "The problems lie within the book ... which lacks the weight to support the imaginative superstructure." He continues, "the staging is a constant source of iridescent pleasure. But, as one of the lyrics reminds us, "diamonds never sparkle bright unless they are set just right". ... With a libretto to match the melodies, this might have been a stunner rather than simply a good night out".[110] Tim Walker of The Sunday Telegraph praised the production for "what are undoubtedly the most impressive special effects to be had in the West End" and said the principals sang "with gusto, charisma and sexiness." Still, he found himself, "yearning after a while for the big showstopper ... but it never came."[111]

In The Times, critic Benedict Nightingale gave the show two out of five stars and recommended audiences see the still-running Phantom at Her Majesty's Theatre, saying, "Where's the menace, the horror, the psychological darkness? For that I recommend a trip to Her Majesty's, not the Adelphi."[112] Another unenthusiastic review appeared in the Evening Standard, where critic Henry Hitchings wrote that "while Lloyd Webber's music is at times lavishly operatic, the tone is uneven. There are no more than a couple of songs that promise to live in the memory, the duets don’t soar, and the ending is insipid. Admirers of Phantom are likely to be disappointed, and there's not enough here to entice a new generation of fans". Hitchings also commented that the story "is largely predictable—and flimsy. The chief problem is the book. ... It lacks psychological plausibility. Worse, it lacks heart. There's little pathos or emotional tension. There is also scarcely a moment of humour [the] lyrics are prosaic, and the flickers of light relief are merely confusing."[113] Similarly, David Benedict of Variety wrote that the show "wants to be a tragic romance, but it's simply torpid. Only a radical rewrite will give it even the remotest chance of emulating its predecessor."[114]

Susannah Clapp of The Observer was also critical of the book and called the show "drab" and "about as tension-filled as winding wool." Even the musical numbers, she wrote, "never meld with the visual splendours, never give the effect, which is Lloyd Webber's gift, of the music delivering the scenery."[115] Sam Marlowe of Time Out London gave the show one out of five stars, calling it "ghastly" and "an interminable musical monstrosity". She observes: "With its sickening swirls of video imagery, pointless plot, and protracted, repetitive songs, Love Never Dies ... is punishingly wearisome."[116]

Other negative reviews appeared in the Financial Times,[117] Entertainment Weekly,[118] The Arts Desk,[119] and many others.[9]

Audience and other assessments

Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times reported on fan reaction: "How is the new Phantom faring with theatergoers who have seen it in previews? Not so well. ... Elsewhere online, 'Love Never Dies' has even spawned a Facebook protest group called 'Love Should Die', which declares in its mission statement: 'We feel strongly that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest musical ... is a completely misguided venture that is a detriment to the story of the original Phantom of the Opera novel and musical of the same name'. ... Virtually everything about the show strikes us as illogical, irrational, offensive and—frankly—stupid."[120][121] A barbed reworking of the show's title from Love Never Dies to Paint Never Dries was originated by the London-based theatre bloggers, The West End Whingers.[122][123] It has subsequently been picked up and repeated by a multitude of journalists, both in print and on screen.[112][124][125][126]

Columnist Barbara Ellen of The Observer ridiculed the pomposity of some of the unfavourable reviews in her column on Sunday 28 March 2010, in a jokey "Open letter to London's famous Adelphi theatre": "Dear Mr Adelphi, Regarding the performance I viewed last week of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom sequel, Love Never Dies, ridiculed as Paint Never Dries. With regret, I must demand my money back; it simply wasn't bad or boring enough. My companions and I paid our money and went along in good faith, expecting a right old disaster. Imagine our disappointment when it was good. The phantom bore an eerie resemblance to Martin Amis sulking after his tiff with Anna Ford, but, sir, this was not enough. A catastrophe we were promised and a catastrophe we expected to see. One concedes that it is not all the production's fault. Negative reviews, the dark art of anti-hype, are a dangerous business. However, do fine feelings pay my babysitter? I feel that I, and several innocent coach parties, were tricked into going to Paint Never Dries, and, against our will, forced to endure an enjoyable evening. I'm sure I speak for many when I say I left your theatre wholly dissatisfied with how incredibly satisfied I felt".[127]

Australia

Critics' reaction

The reworked production received mixed reviews during its engagements in Melbourne and Sydney,[55] but was generally better received than in London.

Chris Boyd, of The Australian called the musical, "The best thing Lloyd Webber has written in the quarter century since Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies is still a missed opportunity. It toys half-heartedly with domestic melancholia. Christine's wealthy suitor Raoul, 10 years on, is an insecure and possessive husband who uses his wife's talents to pay off his gambling debts. He frets that he cannot deliver to Christine "the rush that music brings", leaving her vulnerable, once more, to her angel of music. Love Never Dies provides several of those rush moments, but doesn't quite connect the starry dots. Musically, there are some riches—a fluttering duet between Meg and Christine for example [official DVD time reference 46:48 to 47:41]—but few surprises." Meg and Christine, when they first meet after ten years, sing a brief duet about how long it has been, their initial surprise ("...could it be? No, it couldn't possibly..." ), and how lovely the other looks, in an introduction to the song "Dear Old Friend". As for Gabriela Tylesova's sets such as, "Coney Island carnival, deco interiors, a shabby bar," he found them, "endlessly fascinating; they're spectacular without being ostentatious. The main feature is an upright metal circle, part Luna Park mouth, part Stargate. Her costumes, too, are gorgeous."[128]

Jason Blake of the Sydney Morning Herald said, "Phillips's production steers clear of "chandelier moments", favouring sustained invention, seamless flow and an engulfing sense of nightmare. There's wow factor, of course (a galloping carousel is an early highlight) though quieter scenes are realised with the same attention to detail, particularly the recreation of a Coney Island bar to frame Raoul's saloon song feature (Why Does She Love Me) and his face-off with Mr Y (Devil Take the Hindmost). An inspired, often ravishing production for sure, though of a sequel that doesn't make a strong enough musical or narrative argument for its own existence."[129]

In the Daily Express, Mark Shenton commented, "Now under the new leadership of director Simon Phillips, and with a fresh creative team, there is a new vision to the show in Australia and here, at last, is the masterpiece that was always crying to be let out...The new production has a spectacular Gothic theatricality that heightens, deepens and darkens those emotions."[130]

Kate Herbert of the Herald Sun gave the show four out of five stars and wrote, "With its vivid design, eccentric characters and mystical imagery, this is a ravishing spectacle that captures the dark mystery of a perilous fairground (circa 1907) and should convert even a die-hard Phantom fan." She also said, "Lloyd Webber's score (conducted skilfully by Guy Simpson) intermittently and elegantly reprises the original Phantom, connecting the two stories" but she did feel that, "several songs, with trite lyrics, lack punch. A bigger problem is the unsatisfying story. There are unnecessary Red Herrings and too many villains."[131]

William Yeoman of The West Australian wrote, "With book by Ben Elton and lyrics by Glenn Slater and Charles Hart, Love Never Dies is a curious mixture of gothic romance, vaudeville and verismo, with Lloyd Webber's lush, romantic score spinning like a fairground ride from Puccini to Pulcinella to driving rock to delicate aria as the tragedy unfolds. Under Simon Phillips' unfailingly cogent direction, the cast too manage to transform the most unpromising material, if not into gold then at least into silver."[132]

Cameron Woodhead of The Age gave the show three and a half out of five stars and said, "Between Gabriela Tylesova's set and costumes, Nick Schlieper's lighting, and Graeme Murphy's choreography, you’re in for some spectacular stagecraft. After the Phantom pines for Christine and ascends to the gods ('Til I Hear You Sing), the scene breaks into an elaborate circus (Coney Island Waltz). Introduced by a trio of freaks, the amusement swells into a crowd of acrobats and stilt-walkers, fire-twirlers and magicians, with Luna Park-like plastic heads, a portable big-top, and rows of carnies singing from rollercoaster tracks suspended mid-air. It's breathtaking stuff, and not the best of Love Never Dies' dark illusionism. That honor belongs to a scene, deeper into Coney, where transparent obelisks caging eldritch wonders—including a gilded mermaid—rotate across the stage."[133]

Rebecca Saffir of Time Out gave the production two stars, calling the show "an act of such glorious hubris", "incredibly weak material", and "sentimental, nonsensical, ideologically conservative drivel".[134] Echoing complaints from the London critics, Saffir criticised the plot ("so thin it should be put on a cheeseburger diet") and the inconsistencies between the characters as depicted in the original Phantom and their motivations as presented in Love Never Dies.

US tour

Critics' reaction

Critical reaction to Love Never Dies during its 2017–18 US tour has been mixed, although leaning towards the negative. Perhaps the most positive review to date came from the Detroit Free Press, which called the show a "lively, lavish and way over the top as melodrama" and gave it three out of four stars.[135] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised the production's spectacle but expressed reservations about the "hand-to-forehead drama".[136] Similarly, The San Diego Union-Tribune complimented the set design (although noting "it lacks the grandeur of the opera house") but concluded that the "melodramatic direction" and "weak script and score" made for a "disappointing" evening.[137] Although it had praise for the sets, the Star Tribune complained that the show felt stale, comparing it to "a salad with the last of the Thanksgiving turkey".[138] The Oakland Press considered the musical "hugely uneven", the first act being a "turgid mess" but the second act "far superior" and "more concise".[139] Both the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald gave only two and a half stars out of five to the production, the former considering it "not even remotely on the same plane" as the original Phantom,[140] with the latter finding that it "comes across like mediocre fan fiction".[141] The Chicago Sun Times found the musical "a disappointing world apart from the original on almost every level",[142] while the Houston Chronicle deemed it "unbearable" and "impossible to believe".[143]

Complaints about the show's plot and characterizations, which have plagued it since the original London premiere, continue to be voiced frequently, with both Orlando Weekly and Orlando Sentinel describing the show and its narrative as "misguided".[144][145] Similarly, Cape Cod Times's review stated that, "for the longtime Phantom fan, the plot just does not add up", commenting that it "makes all of the original show’s characters far less likable than before and completely throws out its timeline", although it did praise the physical production and performers.[146] The Los Angeles Times, observing that "the storytelling requires viewers to make leaps of logic and to reassess several beloved characters", concurred with this view and accused Love Never Dies of "messing with the original in ways that will taint some fans' memories. That's a dangerous thing to do with such a valuable property."[147] Although praising the show's sets, the Buffalo News opined that the "story is just an absurd mess, a ridiculous, self-indulgent, hastily written, on the back of a napkin, kind of stupid, silly mess".[148] The Charlotte Observer similarly complained that "Ben Elton’s book makes nonsense of its antecedent and no sense on its own."[149]

The Providence Journal criticised the show's "cheap histrionics" and deemed it "an embarrassment, an overblown tearjerker".[150] Sharing this sentiment, the Cleveland Scene panned Love Never Dies as "a misbegotten attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Phantom franchise".[151] The Tribune Chronicle's reviewer lamented its "truly bizarre choices to get out from under The Phantom of the Opera's shadow", ultimately concluding: "I can’t think of a national tour [...] that I enjoyed less".[152] Boston's WBUR-FM summarized Love Never Dies as "a highly stylish, colorfully rendered mess", adding that "the whole thing is just schmaltzy and preposterous".[153] The Las Vegas Review-Journal accused Love Never Dies, "a hand-wringing, heart-clutching melodrama so overdone it invites unintentional giggles", of "besmirching fond memories" of "its illustrious predecessor".[154] Houstonia also compared Love Never Dies unfavourably to the original Phantom.[155]

In February 2018, the Chicago Tribune reported that the Love Never Dies tour was discounting tickets, with seats "widely available on weeknights".[156] An interview with Glenn Slater in March 2018 suggested that there are no current plans for Love Never Dies to play Broadway.[157] However, Randy Buck, the tour's musical producer and CEO of Troika Entertainment, said the following month that a limited-engagement Broadway run is "certainly a possibility."[158]

Academic reception

The most extended piece of scholarship on Love Never Dies is by David Chandler in a piece included in The Oxford Handbook to the British Musical. Although opining The Phantom of the Opera, together with Jesus Christ Superstar, to be "at the summit of Lloyd Webber's achievement", Chandler considers Love Never Dies "badly judged" and "one of the oddest sequels in theatrical history, shaped by a peculiar love-hate relationship to its original. On one hand it shores up the position The Phantom of the Opera occupies as Lloyd Webber's central, defining musical; on the other it seems intent, in a rather Freudian way, on displacement, on destroying the authority of the earlier work". Chandler takes issue with the incompatibility of the plot and character motivations expressed in Love Never Dies vis-à-vis those in the original Phantom of the Opera: "As sequel and original are erected on such different imaginative premises they cannot both be true".[159]

References

  1. ^ see Lloyd Webber launches Phantom 2, BBC News, 8 October 2009
  2. ^ see Andrew Lloyd Webber responds to critics, talks 'Phantom' at 25, 'Love Never Dies'
  3. ^ a b "'Phantom' sequel 'Love Never Dies' comes alive at Smith Center". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 16 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Phantom Sequel, Love Never Dies, Now Due in London and on Broadway in March 2010" 18 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Playbill.com. 18 May 2009.
  5. ^ Andrew Lloyd Webber on Love Never Dies. YouTube. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2015.[dead YouTube link]
  6. ^ Phantom Las Vegas: Synopsis of scenes and musical numbers.
  7. ^ a b LoveNeverDies.com The Show: Creative Team 12 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ a b Healy, Patick (31 August 2010). "'Love Never Dies' Looking Less Likely for Broadway This Season". Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "Press Reviews" 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Love Should Die website, accessed 11 August 2010
  10. ^ The Sydney Morning Herald: 'Coney Island lights start dimming "Sydney Morning Herald", 10 November 2011.
  11. ^ The Australian: 'Moonshadow – musical testing ground gets tough. "The Australian", 16 June 2012.
  12. ^ Thomas, Kyle A. (2017). "Laying Down the RUG: Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Really Useful Group, and Musical Theatre in a Global Economy". In MacDonald L; Everett W (eds.). The Palgrave Handbook of Musical Theatre Producers. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 325–332. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-43308-4_32. ISBN 978-1-137-44029-7.
  13. ^ a b "Andrew Lloyd Webber responds to critics, talks 'Phantom' at 25, 'Love Never Dies'". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  14. ^ a b c . whatsonstage. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  15. ^ a b Lloyd Webber, Andrew. A Note From The Composer 8 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine LoveNeverDies.com.
  16. ^ BWW News Desk (9 March 2007). "Andrew Lloyd Webber Confirms 'Phantom' Sequel". Broadway World. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  17. ^ Gans, Andrew (14 June 2007). . Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2009.
  18. ^ "Lloyd Webber 'names' Opera sequel", BBC Newsbeat, 30 May 2008, retrieved 18 July 2008
  19. ^ Riedel, Michael."A Really Wine Time: 'Phantom' sequel is unmasked at UK bash". The New York Post. 16 July 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  20. ^ Lloyd Webber plans Phantom sequel LondonNet. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
  21. ^ a b Chatter, Rialto. RIALTO CHATTER: Will the PHANTOM 'Sing Once Again' with...Sierra? Broadway World. 6 February 2009.
  22. ^ Chatter, Rialto. "Rialto Chatter: Love Never Dies Set to 'Haunt' Stages in March 2010". Broadway World. 17 May 2009, accessed 13 August 2010
  23. ^ Adam Hetrick and Mark Shenton. "Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies to Premiere in London in March 2010; New York, Australia to Follow" 3 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Playbill. 8 October 2009.
  24. ^ Carrie Dunn (8 October 2009). "Love Never Dies for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  25. ^ "BWW TV: Stage Tube – LOVE NEVER DIES Press Launch". Broadway World. 8 October 2009.
  26. ^ a b Gans, Andrew (6 April 2010). . Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010.
  27. ^ a b "Love Never Dies Scraps Plans for Spring Broadway Run", Broadway.com
  28. ^ Perry, Niamh (12 January 2010). "Love Never Dies Cast Blog: Rehearsal Update by Niamh Perry". Broadway World.
  29. ^ Marvin, Roberta Montemorra. "Verdian Opera Burlesqued: A Glimpse into Mid-Victorian Theatrical Culture", Cambridge Opera Journal, Vol. 15, No. 1 (March 2003), pp. 33–66, Cambridge University Press, accessed 2 February 2011 (subscription required)
  30. ^ MacQueen-Pope, Walter James. Carriages at Eleven (1947), London: Robert Hale and Co., p. 23
  31. ^ . boisestate.edu. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  32. ^ Shenton, Mark (11 February 2010). "First London Preview of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies Cancelled; Performances Now to Begin Feb. 22". Playbill.com.
  33. ^ Love Never Dies understudy forced to step in 8 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine uktheatretickets.co.uk 22 February 2010.
  34. ^ Shenton, Mark. "Lloyd Webber's 'Love Never Dies' Invites London Critics Back to Review West End Revamp" 24 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, 21 December 2010
  35. ^ Hitchings, Henry. "Phantom still lacks spirit in Love Never Dies" 24 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine, thisislondon.co.uk, 22 December 2010
  36. ^ Razzle Dazzle Dimmed: West End's Love Never Dies and Chicago Close Aug. 27 15 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com
  37. ^ Perpetua, Matthew. "Love Never Dies, But It Can Be Revised". NYMag.com. 11 March 2010.
  38. ^ "Paule Constable: 'I nearly quit theatre because of Love Never Dies' | News | The Stage". The Stage. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  39. ^ "Brand New Australian Production 'Love Never Dies'" stagewhispers.com
  40. ^ BWW. "TV: LOVE NEVER DIES Australian Leads Announced - Lewis & O'Byrne". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  41. ^ . Playbill. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  42. ^ Gill, Raymond (21 May 2011). "All for the love of a phantom". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  43. ^ "Return of the phantom". Stuff. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  44. ^ BWW News Desk. "Andrew Lloyd Webber Wants to Bring Melbourne's LOVE NEVER DIES to Broadway". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  45. ^ Healy, Patrick (14 July 2011). "Andrew Lloyd Webber and 'Wizard of Oz'". The New York Times.
  46. ^ . Playbill. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  47. ^ . Playbill. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  48. ^ . Playbill. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  49. ^ . Playbill. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  50. ^ . Playbill. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  51. ^ Rialto Chatter. "LOVE NEVER DIES Still Hoping to Hit Broadway?". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  52. ^ "NewsDaily". newsdaily.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  53. ^ BWW News Desk. "LOVE NEVER DIES Arrives at Sydney's Capitol Theatre". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  54. ^ . Playbill. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  55. ^ a b "Love Dies Out". The Courier Mail. 23 December 2011.
  56. ^ . Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  57. ^ "Musical Vienna - Die offizielle Seite der VBW". Musical Vienna. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  58. ^ . 14 November 2013. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  59. ^ "Liebe stirbt nie – Das Phantom der Oper kehrt zurück" [Love Never Dies – The Phantom of the Opera Returns] (in German). Stage Entertainment. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  60. ^ Stoppenhagen, Till (11 April 2016). ""Liebe stirbt nie": Blitz-Absetzung des Flop-Musicals". MOPO.de (in German).
  61. ^ "Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom Sequel Love Never Dies Will Tour U.S." Broadway.com. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  62. ^ a b "The Story Continues! LOVE NEVER DIES Finds Cast for National Tour". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  63. ^ "Love Never Dies World Tour Official Website". Love Never Dies - World Tour. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  64. ^ Wood, Alex. "Love Never Dies to embark on first ever UK tour". WhatsOnStage. WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  65. ^ "Curve Theatre / COVID-19: Shows Affected By The Temporary Closure Of Curve". Curve Theatre / COVID-19: Shows Affected By The Temporary Closure Of Curve. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  66. ^ "'Jesus Christ Superstar,' 'Love Never Dies,' '& Juliet' in Mirvish lineup - CityNews Toronto". toronto.citynews.ca. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  67. ^ Andrew Lloyd Webber (24 April 2020). ".@loveneverdies : the journey to this wonderful film". Retrieved 24 April 2020 – via Twitter.
  68. ^ "VIDEO: Watch LOVE NEVER DIES with Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Shows Must Go On- Live Now!". Broadway World. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  69. ^ . Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  70. ^ . Archived from the original on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  71. ^ "Hart Kenwright to Work on 'LOve Never Dies' " broadwayworld.com, 21 October 2010
  72. ^ Phantom Confirms 8 Oct Love Never Dies Launch 10 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Whatsonstage.com 11 September 2009.
  73. ^ Hetrick, Adam. Monsieur, I Have a Note 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com PlayBlog. 11 September 2009.
  74. ^ NEW!! Stunning London Phantom footage 18 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine Reallyuseful.com. 14 August 2009.
  75. ^ "STAGE TUBE: LOVE NEVER DIES' Ramin Karimloo Sings 'Till I Hear You Sing'". WestEnd.BroadwayWorld.com. 20 February 2010.
  76. ^ Gans, Andrew (22 January 2010). . Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010.
  77. ^ . BestMusical.net. 4 February 2010. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010.
  78. ^ Gans, Andrew (11 March 2007). . Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
  79. ^ Callan, Paul (10 March 2010). . LoveNeverDies.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. (But do the first couple of bars not bear a resemblance to the Rachmaninoff-type scene from Billy Wilder's comedy The Apartment?)
  80. ^ Hirschhorn, Clive. "Phantom's Lowly Stepchild". TheaterNewsOnline.com. The ubiquitous title song – and the best in the show – has a whiff of Adolph Deutsch's theme tune from Billy Wilder's The Apartment (the first four notes are identical)
  81. ^ Seckerson, Edward (8 March 2010). . Independent Minds. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. ...about the main title of "The Apartment" to which it bears a disturbing resemblance
  82. ^ Adoph Deutsch's "The Apartment" w/ Andre Previn's "The Fortune Cookie" Kritzerland.com
  83. ^ Eldridge, Jeff. FSM: The Apartment FilmScoreMonthly.com
  84. ^ . WENN. 3 March 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012.
  85. ^ "Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber would love to work with Katherine Jenkins". ThaIndian.com. 12 August 2009.
  86. ^ 平原綾香が「オペラ座の怪人」アンドリュー・ロイド・ウェバー氏と対面 (in Japanese). RBB Today. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  87. ^ "Tower Records Online" オペラ座の怪人2 ～ラヴ・ネヴァー・ダイズ ＜デラックス・エディション＞ (in Japanese). Tower Records. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  88. ^ a b Tuesday's Connector – Andrew Lloyd Webber. Connecttheworld.blogs.cnn.com. 8 March 2010.
  89. ^ . Broadway World. 27 March 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010.
  90. ^ Riedel, Michael (9 October 2009). "Cash flows to 'Phantom' 2: Lloyd Webber opens wallet to create a hit". New York Post.
  91. ^ "John Barrowman: my tiff with Andrew Lloyd Webber". The Daily Telegraph. London. 27 February 2010.
  92. ^ . AndrewLloydWebber.com. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010.
  93. ^ BWW News Desk. Preview Clips Now Available from LOVE NEVER DIES CD Broadway World. 8 February 2010.
  94. ^ Caulfield, Keith (17 March 2010). "'The Phantom of the Opera' Sequel Scores on Billboard 200". Billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  95. ^ "LOVE NEVER DIES Hits No. 1 on Billboard Cast Album Chart". Broadway World. 18 March 2010.
  96. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Musical – Love Never Dies" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  97. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Musical – Love Never Dies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  98. ^ a b Love Never Dies – Simon Lee / Andrew Lloyd Webber. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Accessed on 8 August 2013.
  99. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  100. ^ "Greekcharts.com – Musical – Love Never Dies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  101. ^ "Charts.nz – Musical – Love Never Dies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  102. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Musical – Love Never Dies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  103. ^ "ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  104. ^ Love Never Dies, 15 February 2018, retrieved 23 February 2019
  105. ^ "Phantom of the Opera Sequel Love Never Dies Heading to Blu-ray and DVD in May". Dread Central. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  106. ^ Taylor, Paul. First Night: Love Never Dies, Adelphi Theatre, London The Independent. 10 March 2010.
  107. ^ Brantley, Ben. Same Phantom, Different Spirit New York Times. 9 March 2010.
  108. ^ Spencer, Charles. Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre, review The Daily Telegraph. 9 March 2010.
  109. ^ Callan, Paul. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies: Adelphi Theatre, London Daily Express. 10 March 2010.
  110. ^ Billington, Michael. Love Never Dies Adelphi, London The Guardian. 10 March 2010.
  111. ^ Shenton, Mark (15 March 2010). . The Stage blog: Shenton's View. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012.
  112. ^ a b Nightingale, Benedict (10 March 2010). . The Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
  113. ^ Hitchings, Henry. Love never dies...it just fades away 15 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine Evening Standard. 10 March 2010.
  114. ^ Benedict, David. Love Never Dies Variety. 10 March 2010.
  115. ^ Clapp, Susannah (14 March 2010). "Love Never Dies; London Assurance". The Observer.
  116. ^ Marlowe, Sam (18 March 2010). "Love Never Dies". Time Out London.
  117. ^ Shuttleworth, Ian. Financial Times, 12 March 2010
  118. ^ Shenton, Mark. "Love Never Dies (2010)". EW.com, 11 March 2010
  119. ^ Wolf, Matt. Love Never Dies, Adelphi Theatre .The Arts Desk, 10 March 2010.
  120. ^ Itzkoff, Dave. "Down Once More to the Dungeon: The Phantom Prepares for His Return". NYTimes.com. 9 March 2010.
  121. ^ About Love Should Die 6 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine LoveShouldDie.com. 9 March 2010.
  122. ^ Review – Love Never Dies, Adelphi Theatre West End Whingers. 2 March 2010.
  123. ^ Guardian theatre critics are UK's best, says the Stage The Guardian. 6 May 2010.
  124. ^ Shenton, Mark. Love Never Dies (2010). Entertainment Weekly. 11 March 2010.
  125. ^ Riedel, Michael. 'Phantom' menace: Sequel is shaky. New York Post, 12 March 2010.
  126. ^ Brooks, Richard. Bloggers boo and hiss at return of the Phantom in Love Never Dies. The Sunday Times, 7 March 2010.
  127. ^ Ellen, Barbara. "MPs are in no position to sneer at anyone, Diane". The Observer, 28 March 2010.
  128. ^ "Phantom sequel spectacularly unmasked". The Australian. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  129. ^ "Love Never Dies review". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  130. ^ Mark Shenton (15 January 2012). "Love Never Dies review: Sydney shows love is eternal". Daily Express. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  131. ^ "Review: Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Regent Theatre, Melbourne". Herald Sun. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  132. ^ . yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  133. ^ . 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  134. ^ Saffir, Rebecca (8 January 2012). "Love Never Dies review". Time Out Sydney.
  135. ^ "Review: 'Phantom' sequel 'Love Never Dies' has its charms in North American debut". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  136. ^ "Stage review: The story lags but the spectacle of 'Love Never Dies' lives up to its 'Phantom' roots". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  137. ^ Kragen, Pam. "'Love Never Dies' looks great, but less filling". sandiegouniontribune.com.
  138. ^ "'Phantom' sequel 'Love Never Dies' lands like leftovers in the Twin Cities". Star Tribune.
  139. ^ "Review: "Love Never Dies" doesn't live up to "The Phantom's" high bar". Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  140. ^ Jones, Chris. "'Phantom' sequel 'Love Never Dies': Only Andrew Lloyd Webber would try to pull this off". chicagotribune.com.
  141. ^ Morgan, Scott C. "'Love Never Dies' a beautifully sung yet unnecessary 'Phantom' sequel". Daily Herald.
  142. ^ Di Nunzio, Miriam. "'Love Never Dies,' at Cadillac Palace, is no match for 'Phantom of the Opera'". Chicago Sun-Times.
  143. ^ "Review: 'Love Never Dies'? Well, actually, it does". Houston Chronicle. 18 July 2018.
  144. ^ Kubersky, Seth. "'Love Never Dies' at Dr. Phillips Center is a maddeningly misguided sequel to 'Phantom of the Opera'". Orlando Weekly.
  145. ^ Palm, Matthew J. "Old friends fall on hard times in dreary 'Love Never Dies'". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  146. ^ Driscoll, Kathi Scrizzi. "'Phantom' sequel doesn't measure up". Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  147. ^ Miller, Daryl H. (9 April 2018). "'Love Never Dies,' a sequel to 'Phantom of the Opera,' struggles to abduct us". Los Angeles Times.
  148. ^ Siegel, Ben (6 June 2018). "'Love Never Dies' is a crazy, mixed up, fun ride with the Phantom". The Buffalo News.
  149. ^ Toppman, Lawrence. "REVIEW: 'Love Never Dies' but inspiration can". charlotteobserver.
  150. ^ Gray, Channing. "Theater review: 'Phantom of the Opera' sequel an overblown tearjerker". providencejournal.com.
  151. ^ Howey, Christine. "Not Much to Like in 'Love Never Dies,' the Phantom Sequel Now at Playhouse Square". Cleveland Scene.
  152. ^ Gray, Andy. "'Love Never Dies' fails as sequel - Tribune Chronicle". www.tribtoday.com.
  153. ^ Goodwin, Jeremy D. "And You Thought 'The Phantom' Died? He's Back In The Sequel At The Opera House". www.wbur.org.
  154. ^ Cling, Carol (22 March 2018). "'Phantom' sequel 'Love Never Dies' fails to conjure magic". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  155. ^ "Review: 'Love Never Dies' Reminds Us How Much We Love the Original". Houstonia.
  156. ^ Jones, Chris. "It's Theatre Week, dear reader: What to see on the cheap". chicagotribune.com.
  157. ^ Hebert, James. "Never say die for 'Phantom of the Opera' sequel as touring production heads to town". sandiegouniontribune.com.
  158. ^ Cox, Gordon (17 April 2018). "Could 'Love Never Dies' Live Again on Broadway?". Variety.com. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  159. ^ David, Chandler (2017). Andrew Lloyd Webber: Haunted by the Phantom, in The Oxford Handbook to the British Musical. Oxford University Press. pp. 561–584. ISBN 978-0199988747.

External links

  • Love Never Dies
  • 16-image photo gallery from The Daily Telegraph
  • Love Never Dies Casting Breakdown

March 01, 2023
love, never, dies, musical, love, never, dies, romantic, musical, with, music, andrew, lloyd, webber, lyrics, glenn, slater, book, lloyd, webber, elton, frederick, forsyth, slater, sequel, long, running, 1986, musical, phantom, opera, loosely, adapted, from, f. Love Never Dies is a romantic musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Lloyd Webber Ben Elton Frederick Forsyth and Slater It is a sequel to the long running 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera and was loosely adapted from Forsyth s 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan Love Never DiesThe Phantom ReturnsMusicAndrew Lloyd WebberLyricsGlenn SlaterBookAndrew Lloyd WebberBen EltonFrederick ForsythGlenn SlaterBasisThe Phantom of Manhattanby Frederick ForsythCharacters by Gaston LerouxProductions2010 West End2011 Melbourne2012 Copenhagen2013 Vienna2014 Tokyo2015 Hamburg2017 US Tour2019 TokyoThe plot is not based on the storyline in the original 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Lloyd Webber stated I don t regard this as a sequel it s a stand alone piece 1 He later clarified Clearly it is a sequel but I really do not believe that you have to have seen Phantom of the Opera to understand Love Never Dies 2 Glenn Slater subsequently explained that Lloyd Webber didn t view it as a sequel as much as a second story with these characters 3 The musical is set in 1907 4 which Lloyd Webber states is ten years roughly after the end of the original Phantom 5 although the events of the original actually took place in 1881 6 In the show Christine Daae is invited by Oscar Hammerstein I for her American debut until an anonymous impresario contracts her to perform at Phantasma a new attraction on Coney Island With her husband Raoul and son Gustave in tow she journeys to Brooklyn unaware that it is actually the Phantom who has arranged her appearance in the popular beach resort citation needed Although Lloyd Webber began working on Love Never Dies in 1990 it was not until 2007 that he began writing the music The show opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London s West End on 9 March 2010 with previews from 22 February 2010 It was originally directed by Jack O Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell but the show closed for four days in November 2010 for substantial re writes which were overseen by Lloyd Webber and it re opened with new direction from Bill Kenwright Set and costume designs were by Bob Crowley 7 The original London production received mostly negative reviews 8 9 but a subsequent Australian production featuring an entirely new design team and heavy revisions was generally better received although the show finally closed with heavy discounting to tickets 10 A planned Broadway production which was to have opened simultaneously with the West End run was cancelled 11 the amount of negative press having deterred potential backers 12 Contents 1 Background 2 Score 3 Productions 3 1 West End 2010 2011 3 2 Australia 2011 2012 3 3 Copenhagen 2012 2013 3 4 Vienna 2013 3 5 Tokyo 2014 3 6 Hamburg 2015 2016 3 7 US national tour 2017 2018 3 8 Tokyo 2019 3 9 World Tour 2021 4 Synopsis original London version 4 1 Act I 4 2 Act II 5 Synopsis 2011 Australian version 5 1 Act I 5 2 Act II 6 Characters and original cast 7 Musical numbers 7 1 The Concept Album 7 2 London 7 3 Melbourne and subsequent productions 8 Recordings 8 1 Singles 8 2 Discography 8 2 1 Albums 8 3 Live stage filming 9 Reception 9 1 West End 9 1 1 Critics reaction 9 1 2 Audience and other assessments 9 2 Australia 9 2 1 Critics reaction 9 3 US tour 9 3 1 Critics reaction 9 4 Academic reception 10 References 11 External linksBackground EditI really do not believe that you have to have seen Phantom of the Opera to understand Love Never Dies I really don t But I hope if you see them together if you wanted to see them back to back that what you would get from them from both of them is the extension of where the story goes Andrew Lloyd Webber 13 Andrew Lloyd Webber first began plans for a sequel to his 1986 hit musical The Phantom of the Opera in 1990 Following a conversation with Maria Bjornson the designer of The Phantom of the Opera Lloyd Webber decided that were a sequel to come about it would be set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century One of his ideas was to have the Phantom live above ground in Manhattan s first penthouse but he rejected this when he saw a TV documentary about the Coney Island fairground Lloyd Webber began collaborating with author Frederick Forsyth on the project but it soon fell apart as Lloyd Webber felt the ideas they were developing would be difficult to adapt for a stage musical Forsyth went on to publish some of the ideas he had worked on with Lloyd Webber in 1999 as a novel entitled The Phantom of Manhattan 14 Lloyd Webber returned to the project in 2006 collaborating with a number of writers and directors However he still did not feel the ideas he had were adaptable into a piece of musical theatre 15 Finally in early 2007 Lloyd Webber approached Ben Elton who had served as the librettist for Lloyd Webber s The Beautiful Game to help shape a synopsis for a sequel based on Lloyd Webber s initial ideas Elton s treatment of the story focused more on the original characters of The Phantom of the Opera and omitted new characters that Lloyd Webber and Forsyth had developed 15 Lloyd Webber was pleased with Elton s treatment and began work on the sequel 14 In March 2007 he announced he would be moving forward with the project 16 When Lloyd Webber approached the lyricist Glenn Slater to join the project Slater s initial thought was that it just sounded like a terrible idea 3 The sequel was delayed because Lloyd Webber s six month old kitten Otto a rare breed Turkish Van climbed onto Lloyd Webber s Clavinova digital piano and managed to delete the entire score Lloyd Webber was unable to recover any of it from the instrument but was eventually able to reconstruct the score 17 In 2008 Lloyd Webber first announced that the sequel would likely be called Phantom Once Upon Another Time 18 and the first act was performed at his annual Sydmonton Festival The Phantom was played by Ramin Karimloo and Raoul was played by Alistair Robbins 19 However in September 2008 during the BBC s Birthday in the Park concert celebrating his 60th birthday Lloyd Webber announced that the title would be Love Never Dies 20 In other workshop readings Raoul and Christine were played by Aaron Lazar and Elena Shaddow 21 On 3 July 2009 Lloyd Webber announced that Karimloo who had played the Phantom in the West End and Sierra Boggess who had originated the role of Christine in Phantom The Las Vegas Spectacular had been cast as the Phantom and Christine and that the role of Meg Giry would be played by Summer Strallen Madame Giry by Liz Robertson and Raoul by Joseph Millson I d Do Anything finalist Niamh Perry was given the role of Fleck Lloyd Webber originally intended for Love Never Dies to open simultaneously in London New York and Shanghai in the autumn of 2009 21 By March 2009 he had decided to open the show at London s Adelphi Theatre followed by Toronto s Royal Alexandra Theatre before transferring to Broadway s Neil Simon Theatre in 2010 and Shanghai The three casts would rehearse simultaneously in London for three months beginning August 2009 Opening dates were soon announced as 26 October 2009 in London November in Toronto and February 2010 in Shanghai with a later transfer to Melbourne Australia Plans were then announced for a separate Broadway production to run concurrently with the Toronto show if Toronto proved successful In May the debut of the London production was delayed until March 2010 due to Lloyd Webber re orchestrating the score and re recording the album 22 Technical issues with special effects and an automaton version of Christine and the casting of multiple simultaneous productions also contributed to the postponement By October 2009 Shanghai plans had been dropped in favour of an Australian production 23 On 8 October 2009 Lloyd Webber held a press conference at Her Majesty s Theatre where the original Phantom has been running since 1986 confirming the casting of Boggess as Christine and Karimloo as the Phantom Karimloo sang Til I Hear You Sing and the instrumental The Coney Island Waltz was performed by an orchestra for the journalists industry insiders and fans who had assembled for the presentation 24 25 Lloyd Webber announced that Love Never Dies would begin previews in London on 20 February 2010 and anticipated that the Broadway production would open on 11 November 2010 this was later postponed 26 and then indefinitely 27 and to date has never come to fruition Rehearsals began in January 2010 28 Score EditAs with Phantom Lloyd Webber s score for Love Never Dies also includes original music in the style of the show s time period to accompany character performances taking place within the show itself Only Bathing Beauty survived the post concept album cuts to be performed on stage citation needed Instead of the operatic passages for fictional operas the stage music at Phantasma is based on the companion pieces to the Savoy Operas which were often burlesques and were also sometimes performed at the Opera Comique Many of these kinds of burlesques were based on existing French operas During the Victorian age nearly every popular opera was turned into a burlesque 29 The W S Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan operatic burlesque Robert the Devil is a parody of Robert le diable a romantic grand opera by Meyerbeer which is mentioned in the prologue to Phantom of the Opera citation needed These pieces were very popular among the lower class but not commonly seen by more sophisticated opera goers According to W J MacQueen Pope This was a one act play seen only by the early comers It would play to empty boxes half empty upper circle to a gradually filling stalls and dress circle but to an attentive grateful and appreciative pit and gallery Often these plays were little gems They deserved much better treatment than they got but those who saw them delighted in them They served to give young actors and actresses a chance to win their spurs the stalls and the boxes lost much by missing the curtain raiser but to them dinner was more important 30 Like most burlesques Robert the Devil featured women in scanty costumes and breeches roles In operas these were always supporting roles The pageboy role in the second opera within Phantom of the Opera is a breeches role like the part of Cherubino the Count s page in The Marriage of Figaro However in burlesques breeches roles could be main parts citation needed Very little specific information is available for most of these curtain openers However the opener for Pinafore which had also been performed at the Opera Comique in 1878 was called Beauties on the Beach 31 Meg Giry s grand opening number in Love Never Dies is called Bathing Beauty citation needed Productions EditWest End 2010 2011 Edit The first preview of Love Never Dies was delayed from 20 to 22 February 2010 due to a last minute brief illness of Boggess and technical demands 32 33 The show had its official opening on 9 March 2010 It was directed by Jack O Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell with set and costume designs by Bob Crowley 7 The cast included Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom Sierra Boggess as Christine Joseph Millson as Raoul Liz Robertson as Madame Giry Summer Strallen as Meg Giry and Niamh Perry as Fleck In April 2010 Lloyd Webber was threatened with a 20 000 fine for illegally painting the Grade II listed Adelphi Theatre black to promote the show In November 2010 Lloyd Webber closed the London production for a few days to rework the show after a poor critical response The musical was reviewed again at Lloyd Webber s invitation 34 with critic Henry Hitchings noting that Some of the most obvious alterations stem from the recruitment of lyricist Charles Hart to adjust the cadences of the original clunky lines written by Glenn Slater He further pointed out that There are also lots of bracing directorial touches the show is credited to Jack O Brien but it is new choreographer Bill Deamer and producer Bill Kenwright who have added the zest 35 The London production closed on 27 August 2011 after a disappointing run of fewer than eighteen months 36 In 2012 Lloyd Webber stated that although he was very very proud of the London production it did not completely work and also said something just went slightly wrong I had cancer just before the production and it was just that crucial 5 off beam 13 The hoped for Broadway production was announced as delayed to spring 2011 26 Lloyd Webber also announced that Asian and Canadian productions were planned although these were subsequently dropped 14 After the poor reviews and negative reaction from some Phantom fans during previews an executive producer stated that before its bow on Broadway the show would likely undergo some changes 37 On 1 October 2010 it was announced that the musical would not open on Broadway in Spring 2011 27 To date Love Never Dies has not played Broadway In 2016 five years after the closure of the London production Paule Constable the production s lighting designer and member of the original creative team claimed that working on Love Never Dies almost led her to quit the theatre industry 38 Australia 2011 2012 Edit In 2010 Lloyd Webber announced that the Australian production would open on 21 May 2011 at Melbourne s Regent Theatre This production the first outside of the UK featured new direction and design by an Australian creative team including director Simon Phillips 39 Ben Lewis and Anna O Byrne were cast as the leads 40 41 Before the show s opening Phillips addressed the negative reaction of fans of Phantom to the London production stating I think the majority of the noise about Love Never Dies wasn t literary They didn t care that Andrew was creating a sequel to the original story 42 However Love Never Dies is not a sequel to Gaston Leroux s original novel in which the character of the Phantom dies at the end Phillips additionally addressed the audience s suspension of disbelief with regard to the plot of Love Never Dies The central plot idea is that the Phantom and Christine have slept together If people don t buy that then they re never going to come onboard with the show they re never going to respond to it 43 Although Lloyd Webber hoped to bring the Melbourne production to Broadway in the future 44 he told The New York Times that even with the positive reception of the reworked Melbourne production a Broadway transfer was probably not realistic The Melbourne production was filmed on 15 September 2011 and made available on DVD 45 The recording was originally to be released on DVD and Blu ray 1 February 2012 46 but it was later delayed till 29 May 2012 in the United States 47 In the UK the DVD was released on 12 March 2012 48 and in Australia it was released on 8 February 2012 The recorded performance also played in select theatres on 28 February and 7 March 2012 49 It was then screened again in US cinemas on 23 May 2012 50 Lloyd Webber stated at the time that even if a Broadway production did not happen he felt that he had closed the chapter on the piece as the filmed version is something he s very very proud of and it does not really matter to him if it comes tomorrow or five years time 51 52 The Melbourne production closed on 18 December 2011 The Melbourne production transferred to Sydney s Capitol Theatre with previews beginning 8 January 2012 and officially opened on 12 January 2012 53 The show concluded its run on 1 April 2012 54 The Courier Mail reported in December 2011 that the show opened to mixed reviews in Melbourne and has struggled with ticket sales closing after just seven months It played in Sydney for three months before closing for good despite earlier plans for a Brisbane season in the second half of 2012 55 Copenhagen 2012 2013 Edit Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen Denmark announced that their production of Love Never Dies would open on 24 October 2012 56 and star Tomas Ambt Kofod and Bo Kristian Jensen sharing the role of the Phantom and Danish coloratura soprano Louise Fribo as Christine It featured a new production design by Paul Farnsworth new stagings by Daniel Bohr and new choreography by Hayley Franks Hoier Karen Hoffmann who translated the score of Phantom of the Opera into Danish also translated this score into Danish The production closed 21 April 2013 citation needed Vienna 2013 Edit A concert rendition translated entirely into German was held in Vienna Austria in the Raimund Theater in October 2013 It starred Drew Sarich as the Phantom 57 Tokyo 2014 Edit A Japanese production opened in March 2014 citation needed at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo with direction and designs from the original Australian production 58 It starred Masachika Ichimura who performed the role of the Phantom in 1988 Japanese production of original musical and Takeshi Kaga sharing the role of the Phantom and Megumi Hamada and Ayaka Hirahara as Christine Hamburg 2015 2016 Edit The German branch of Stage Entertainment announced a production of Love Never Dies from fall 2015 at the Operettenhaus in Hamburg The show s title was translated literally as Liebe stirbt nie The German production was based on the Australian version 59 Like the Australian version however the show closed prematurely and at a loss with the producers citing low ticket sales as the reason for the closure 60 US national tour 2017 2018 Edit A touring production identical to the Hamburg production but in English traveled through North America in the 2017 2018 season 61 It premiered at the Stanley Theatre in Utica New York on 22 September 2017 62 and ended on 2 December 2018 at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin Texas citation needed The cast included Gardar Thor Cortes Bronson Norris Murphy later Bronson Norris Murphy Michael Gillis as The Phantom Meghan Picerno Rachel Anne Moore as Christine Daae Karen Mason as Madame Giry Sean Thompson as Raoul Mary Michael Patterson as Meg Giry Katrina Kemp as Fleck Richard Koons as Squelch Stephen Petrovich as Gangle and Casey Lyons and Jake Miller sharing the role of Gustave 62 Tokyo 2019 Edit Love Never Dies returned to the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo for a limited season in January 2019 starring Masachika Ichimura and Kanji Ishimaru as the Phantom Megumi Hamada and Ayaka Hirahara as Christine and Mario Tashiro and Ryunosuke Onoda as Raoul World Tour 2021 Edit In January 2020 it was announced that the Australian production would embark on its first ever World tour 63 The tour was due to open in the UK on 26 September 2020 at the Curve Leicester where it would play until 10 October After which it would visit Manchester Opera House from 14 October to 24 October Further UK dates were due to be announced 64 This would have marked the first time the Australian production has been performed in the UK and the musical s return to the UK for the first time since it closed in 2011 The production was since postponed 65 The tour was subsequently due to open at the Ed Mirvish Theatre Toronto on 1 December 2020 and play until 31 January 2021 66 However in April 2020 Lloyd Webber mentioned in a video posted on Twitter that the production would likely be delayed as the theaters would be closed until January 2021 due to the COVID 19 pandemic 67 The filmed Australian production of Love Never Dies was made available on Webber s The Shows Must Go On YouTube channel for a limited time along with other shows by the composer 68 Synopsis original London version EditAct I Edit Madame Giry walks alone at night on a desolate pier reminiscing about an amusement park called Phantasma Coney Island s former City of Wonders The ghost of Miss Fleck a freak show performer who once worked with Giry at the park appears out of the darkness Prologue When Fleck urges Giry to recall the good old days and blames her for what happened the audience is suddenly transported back in time as the old tattered billboards are restored the lights of Phantasma are illuminated and an assortment of the park s performers appear in a dreamlike sequence The Coney Island Waltz That s the Place That You Ruined You Fool It is now ten years after the events at the Paris Opera House and the setting is Phantasma on Coney Island in New York An excited group of vacationers arrive overwhelmed at all that Phantasma has to offer They speculate about the park s reclusive masked owner and creator a wealthy tycoon known only as Mr Y Heaven by the Sea Meg Giry Christine Daae s friend from the Opera who was somewhat more intrigued by than afraid of the Phantom in their youth is now a headlining burlesque performer at Phantasma Madame Giry her mother and the Opera s former ballet mistress is now a business manager and choreographer for the show Both Meg and her mother are eager to curry favor with their employer to secure their future as Meg prepares for a performance as the ooh la la girl she wonders whether it will please him Only for Him Only for You After the show Madame Giry informs Meg that she has arranged for her to meet an important client suggesting that Meg has been covertly performing sexual favors for key individuals in the interest of political and financial expediency for Phantasma In a dark private lair in a tower high above the park the Phantom now revealed as Phantasma s owner and mastermind interacts with an automaton that resembles Christine The Aerie In spite of the years that have passed and his many successes the Phantom still longs to be reunited with her Til I Hear You Sing Meg intrudes and presses the Phantom for feedback on her performance but he is distracted by his thoughts of Christine and dismisses Meg as an annoyance Madame Giry is irritated that the Phantom still seems to think only of Christine after all that she and Meg have done for him over the years Giry recounts how she and Meg helped smuggle him out of Paris and to a ship departing from Calais on which they escaped to America Ignoring her the Phantom summons Miss Fleck who appears with two other freak show performers Dr Gangle and Mr Squelch The Phantom has them dispatch a letter to Christine inviting her to come and perform at Phantasma Giry confronts The Phantom Til I Hear You Sing Reprise Three months later Christine arrives in New York with her husband Raoul and their son Gustave where they are greeted by crowds of paparazzi at the dock Christine Disembarks Remarks from the onlookers suggest that Christine has not performed for some time and Raoul has lost much of their fortune to drinking and a fondness for gambling The Phantom s trio of freak show performers Fleck Gangle and Squelch arrive in a strange carriage pulled by a ghost horse and whisk Christine and her family away to Coney Island Arrival of the Trio Are You Ready to Begin In their rooms Raoul expresses disgust that their host would send circus freaks to receive them What a Dreadful Town He upsets Gustave by refusing to play with him and storms out to find a bar leaving Christine to explain his behavior to their son Look With Your Heart When Gustave goes to bed the Phantom enters and reveals to a stunned Christine that it was he who summoned her to sing at Phantasma Initially outraged Christine eventually succumbs to the memory of a clandestine evening the two shared before she was married As they recall their one night of passion it is revealed that Christine was prepared to abandon Raoul for the Phantom but awoke in the morning to find herself alone The Phantom explains that he fled out of fear that she would reject him again when she saw his face in the morning light Beneath a Moonless Sky Both concede that they once thought their love had a chance but the circumstances of the present day make it impossible Once Upon Another Time They are startled by a scream from Gustave who awakens from a nightmare and rushes into the room Mother Please I m Scared Christine introduces the Phantom as an old friend named Mr Y and he promises to show the boy around Phantasma the next day In the rehearsal studio at Phantasma Meg is unexpectedly reunited with Christine who surprises her with the news that she was invited there to sing Similarly Raoul encounters Madame Giry and discovers that it was the Phantom who brought them to Coney Island Dear Old Friend Later the freak show trio takes Gustave to meet the Phantom in the Aerie where the boy is enthralled by the many curious inventions and creations on display When Gustave plays a haunting melody of his own composition on the piano the Phantom is once again reminded of his one night with Christine and he is struck by the possibility that this musically gifted child could actually be his son Beautiful The Phantom questions Gustave about his talents and passions finding that they are kindred spirits Believing that Gustave will be able to see past the surface to what is inside the Phantom is emboldened to remove the mask that hides his deformity The Beauty Underneath To his dismay Gustave is horrified and screams at the sight but Christine enters just in time to calm the boy When the Phantom confronts her with his suspicions regarding Gustave s paternity Christine confesses that the child is indeed his son prompting the Phantom to vow that all his life s work will henceforth be for Gustave The Phantom Confronts Christine Unbeknownst to them Madame Giry has overheard their conversation and is enraged fearing that everything she and Meg have done for the Phantom over the years has been for nothing Act II Edit A drunken Raoul is sitting alone in a gloomy bar contemplating the evolution of his relationship with Christine Why Does She Love Me Meg enters and warns him that New York isn t a suitable place for his family and she urges them to abandon Christine s performance contract and leave that night Raoul refuses citing their need for the money he boasts that he is not afraid of the Phantom unaware that his rival has since slipped in and replaced the barman behind the counter When Meg leaves the Phantom confronts Raoul and intimidates him with veiled remarks that cause him to question his paternity of Gustave The Phantom also offers Raoul a bet if Christine fails to perform tonight the Phantom will pay off all their debts and allow them to leave together but if she sings the aria he has written for her Raoul must go back to France alone Raoul accepts the Phantom s dare and then experiences a moment of panic at what he has done Devil Take The Hindmost Out on the beach the people are enjoying the last day of the summer season Heaven By The Sea Reprise A hot air balloon lands carrying the Phantom s trio of freak show performers who announce the evening s entertainment lineup Ladies Gents The Coney Island Waltz Reprise That night Meg performs a comedic burlesque routine about her choice of swimming costume Bathing Beauty Afterwards Madame Giry informs her crestfallen daughter that the Phantom was not there to watch her performance and it had all been for nothing Mother Did You Watch In her dressing room Raoul implores Christine to reconsider her decision to sing and asks her to leave with him at once if she still loves him When Raoul leaves her alone to think the Phantom enters and tells Christine that Raoul knows his love is not enough and that she must sing for him once more When he departs Christine recalls the fateful night at the Paris Opera House when she had to make the difficult decision between the respectable and comfortable life offered by Raoul and the passionate rush of the Phantom and his music Before the Performance Backstage Raoul the Phantom and Madame Giry each wait anxiously to see whether Christine will flee or sing while Meg entertains Gustave Devil Take The Hindmost Quartet The stage manager calls Curtain and Christine takes her place on stage The orchestra begins to play and after a moment of pained indecision Christine succumbs to the Phantom s music and sings his aria for the appreciative crowd Her performance is watched from the wings by the Phantom and Raoul until Raoul resigns himself to the decision she has made Love Never Dies Afterwards the Phantom joins an overwhelmed Christine in her dressing room and the two share a rapturous moment Ah Christine Christine finds a letter from Raoul stating that he has left for good and she begins to panic when she realizes that Gustave is missing The Phantom at first assumes that Raoul has taken the boy but Miss Fleck reveals that she earlier passed Meg s dressing room and saw a smashed mirror and Meg leaving with a small figure A worried Madame Giry announces that she knows where they were likely going Gustave Gustave On a desolate pier the Phantom Christine and Madame Giry find the distraught Meg seemingly about to drown Gustave in the ocean Please Miss Giry I Want to Go Back Meg brandishes a gun to make the Phantom finally pay attention to her as she describes the lengths the Girys have gone to over the years to ensure the success of Phantasma including Meg s offering herself to men in high places to grease the wheels of the Phantom s high flying deals The Phantom apologizes for his failure to truly see Meg and her contributions but when he unthinkingly mentions Christine Meg becomes enraged and accidentally fires the gun shooting Christine The Phantom rushes to Christine and orders Madame Giry to go for help while Meg looks on in stunned horror at what she has done Christine reveals to Gustave that the Phantom is his real father and she tells the Phantom that her love for him will never die The Phantom and Christine share a final kiss and she dies in his arms The Phantom has Meg hold Christine s body as he moves to comfort Gustave who unmasks him without fear Synopsis 2011 Australian version EditAct I Edit Ten years after the events at the Paris Opera the Phantom is now a well known tycoon and the mastermind of Phantasma a Coney Island amusement park Despite his success he is tortured by the absence of Christine Daae in his life and longs to hear her sing again Til I Hear You Sing At Phantasma a trio of freak show performers Dr Gangle Miss Fleck and Mr Squelch introduce the wonders of Coney Island The Coney Island Waltz Meg Giry Christine s friend from the Paris Opera has become The Ooh La La Girl in The Phantom s vaudeville show which Madame Giry produces Meg and the Phantasma cast win the crowd over with their performance Only for You Madame Giry has read in the newspaper that Christine is coming to New York to sing for Oscar Hammerstein I at the opening of his new Manhattan opera house She expresses concern that Meg has lost the attention of the Phantom and reminisces about how she and Meg smuggled him from Paris France to New York City ten years ago Meg ignores her mother s warnings and looks with joy towards her old friend coming to visit after such a long time Ten Long Years Christine Raoul and their ten year old son Gustave arrive in New York and are met by crowds of paparazzi Christine Disembarks They are greeted by Gangle Fleck and Squelch who arrive in a horseless carriage to take them to Coney Island Are You Ready to Begin Raoul is angry at the reception What a Dreadful Town and upsets Gustave by not playing with him When Raoul departs in response to an invitation to meet Hammerstein in the hotel bar Gustave asks Christine why his father seems not to love him Christine encourages Gustave to look past the surface to try to help him understand Look With Your Heart When Gustave goes to bed the Phantom appears on the balcony and Christine faints in shock having believed him dead He carries her to a chair where she awakens and the two recall a night of passion before Christine s wedding and the Phantom explains why he felt compelled to leave her side afterwards Beneath a Moonless Sky Moving to the balcony the pair sadly remember how they once thought their love had a chance of succeeding Once Upon Another Time The Phantom offers to pay Christine twice Hammerstein s price if she will sing just one song that he has written for her but Christine refuses Gustave wakes up screaming from a nightmare and interrupts them Mother Please I m Scared and Christine introduces him to the Phantom for the first time The Phantom promises to show Gustave all of Phantasma the next day After Gustave returns to bed The Phantom threatens to abduct the boy unless Christine agrees to sing for him again A shaken Christine relents and the Phantom leaves her with the sheet music for the song he has written In the rehearsal studio for Phantasma Meg is dismayed and hurt to learn that Christine has been assigned the leading lady slot in the show Raoul encounters Madame Giry and discovers that the Phantom is the mysterious Mr Y for whom Christine will be singing now Dear Old Friend Gangle Fleck and Squelch bring Gustave to the Aerie where he is greeted by the Phantom Child prodigy Gustave sings and plays a melody on the piano Beautiful that leads the Phantom to suspect he is Gustave s father He plays like me He s just ten years old ten years old The Phantom questions Gustave as he shows him around the dark wonders illusions and freaks of Phantasma and discovers that they are kindred spirits He unmasks himself believing Gustave will accept him but Gustave screams in horror and flees The Beauty Underneath Christine comforts Gustave and then asks Meg to take him back to the hotel When pressed by the Phantom Christine confesses that Gustave is his son The Phantom Confronts Christine The Phantom makes Christine promise to never tell Gustave that Raoul is not his real father Christine gives her word and vows to sing for him once more and then leaves him alone Stunned by what has transpired the Phantom declares that everything he creates and owns will be inherited by Gustave An eavesdropping Madame Giry becomes enraged at the realization that all she and Meg have done for the Phantom over the years has been for nothing Ten Long Years Act II Edit In a gloomy bar Raoul contemplates his relationship with Christine He is joined by Meg who tells him she swims each day to wash away the stress of working She tells Raoul that he must leave with Christine and Gustave and runs out of the bar Why Does She Love Me Raoul says he is not afraid of the Phantom Suddenly the Phantom reveals himself to Raoul and they make a bet that if Christine sings the Phantom wins and if she doesn t Raoul wins If Raoul wins the bet the Phantom will pay his debts and Raoul can leave with Christine and Gustave However if the Phantom wins Christine and Gustave will remain in America with him and Raoul must return to Paris alone The Phantom also leads Raoul to question Gustave s paternity Devil Take the Hindmost Fleck Squelch and Gangle appear to advertise Christine s appearance at Phantasma Invitation to the Concert That night Meg performs a strip tease about her choice of swimming costumes Bathing Beauty She successfully impresses the audience but Madame Giry reveals to Meg that the Phantom did not watch the performance saying it was for nothing Mother Did You Watch In Christine s dressing room Gustave helps his mother get ready for the show Raoul arrives and Christine asks Gustave to wait for his father backstage Raoul begs Christine not to sing and to leave New York with him if she really loves him Christine asks for some time and Raoul leaves The Phantom enters and tells Christine that Raoul s love is not enough and that she must sing for him and embrace her destiny Before The Performance Christine recalls the events at the Opera where she had to decide between Raoul and the Phantom Twisted Every Way Madame Giry Raoul and the Phantom wonder whether Christine will sing Devil Take The Hindmost reprise The curtain opens on Christine with Raoul and the Phantom watching from the wings at either side As the long musical intro comes to its end Christine makes the decision to sing Raoul leaves just before Christine finishes to thunderous applause Love Never Dies Backstage Christine is greeted lovingly by the Phantom and the two share a kiss She then finds a letter from Raoul informing her of his departure Ah Christine Suddenly realising that Gustave is missing Christine recalls that she had asked him to wait backstage for Raoul but she does not want to believe that Raoul may have taken the boy Furious the Phantom vows to kill the drunken fool but Squelch informs him that he saw the Vicomte leave alone The Phantom then suspects Madame Giry because of her attitude towards him before Christine s number and proceeds to threaten Giry when she is brought to him by Squelch and Gangle Madame Giry confesses that she knew about Gustave s true parentage but denies abducting the boy Fleck reports that she passed Meg s dressing room where she saw that the mirror was shattered and Meg is now nowhere to be found Christine fears for her child s life but Madame Giry assures her that Meg would never hurt Gustave The Phantom believes he knows where Meg has gone Gustave Gustave At the pier Meg prepares to drown Gustave who cannot swim when the others arrive to confront her She reveals to the Phantom that the resources Madame Giry has afforded him came from Meg s working as a prostitute to influential men She expresses her hurt and resentment that the Phantom never took any notice of her or appreciated her singing and dancing After sharing her feelings Meg decides to let Gustave live and releases him She produces a gun and holds it to her head intent on ending her misery The Phantom tries to apologise and console her but when he unthinkingly mentions Christine s name Meg becomes agitated once again When the Phantom tries to take the gun from her Meg accidentally shoots Christine Please Miss Giry I Want To Go Back After Madame Giry and Meg are dispatched to find help Christine reveals to Gustave that the Phantom is his real father and the shocked boy flees Look with Your Heart Reprise Christine tells the Phantom that her love for him will never die then they share a final kiss and she dies in his arms Once Upon Another Time Reprise Gustave returns with Raoul who looks on silently and sadly and Gustave lays his head on his mother s lap The Phantom surrenders Christine s body to Raoul then moves to the edge of the pier and collapses to his knees in grief Gustave goes to the weeping Phantom who sings a line from the song his mother just sang to console the boy and Gustave embraces his real father for the first time Love Never Dies Reprise Gustave then removes the Phantom s mask and gently touches the Phantom s face in an act of acceptance Gustave and the Phantom gaze at one another as the curtain falls Characters and original cast EditThe following is a list of the principal roles and original cast of Love Never Dies Character Original London cast Final London cast Original Australian cast Original Danish cast Original Japanese cast Original German cast Original North American castThe Phantom Ramin KarimlooTam Mutu Ben Lewis Tomas Ambt KofodBo Kristian Jensen Masachika IchimuraTakeshi Kaga Gardar Thor CortesMathias Edenborn Gardar Thor CortesBronson Norris MurphyChristine Daae Sierra Boggess Celia Graham Anna O Byrne Louise Fribo Megumi HamadaAyaka Hirahara Rachel Anne MooreJazmin Gorsline Meghan PicernoRachel Anne MooreRaoul Vicomte de Chagny Joseph Millson David Thaxton Simon Gleeson Christian Berg Mario TashiroKeita Tachibana Yngve Gasoy RondalRobert David Marx Sean ThompsonMadame Giry Liz Robertson Sally Dexter on the cast recording Maria Mercedes Marianne Mortensen Ran Ohtori Tatsuki Kohju Masha Karell temporary replaced by Maaike Schuurmans Karen MasonMeg Giry Summer Strallen Haley Flaherty Sharon Millerchip Camille Cathrine Rommedahl Mao Ayabuki Rena Sasamoto Ina Trabesinger replaced by Maria Danae Bansen Mary Michael PattersonFleck Niamh Perry Tracey Penn Emma J Hawkins Kirsten Norholt Mizuho Abe Lauren BarrandSandra Maria Germann Katrina KempSquelch Adam Pearce Paul Ettore Tabone Kristian Jensen Tomoaki Tatsumi Paul Ettore Tabone Richard KoonsGangle Jami Reid Quarrell Charles Brunton Dean Vince Simon Duus Arata Hino Jak Allen Anderson Stephen PetrovichGustave Jack BlassHarry ChildTyler FaganAlexander HockadayRichard LinnellCharlie MantonKaisun Raj Charlie Manton on the cast recording Edward BraceyJack CostelloDaniel DowlingConnor FitzgeraldGeorge LittellHarry Polden George Cartwright BushTrent HeathLachlan KellyJack Lyall Kurtis Papadinis Jack Lyall in the pro shot Oscar DietzCarl Emil Lohmann Asbjorn Metz Morch Seishiro KatoTsukito MatsuiEru Yamada Rim Benedikt Jake Heston MillerCasey J LyonsChristian HarmstonMusical numbers EditThe Concept Album Edit The Original Concept Album was released in March 2010 It peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart No 1 in Greece No 8 in New Zealand and No 15 in Denmark 69 The musical numbers appear in the following order on the original album 70 Disc 1 Prologue The Orchestra Madame Giry and Fleck The Coney Island Waltz The Orchestra That s the Place That You Ruined You Fool Madame Giry and Fleck Heaven by the Sea Ensemble Only for Him Only for You Meg Fleck Gangle Squelch and Ensemble The Aerie The Orchestra Til I Hear You Sing The Phantom Giry Confronts the Phantom Til I Hear You Sing Reprise Madame Giry Meg and The Phantom Christine Disembarks The Orchestra Christine Raoul Gustave and Ensemble Arrival of the Trio Are You Ready to Begin Fleck Gangle Squelch Christine Raoul Gustave and Ensemble What a Dreadful Town Christine Raoul and Gustave Look with Your Heart Christine and Gustave Beneath a Moonless Sky The Phantom and Christine Once Upon Another Time The Phantom and Christine Mother Please I m Scared The Phantom Christine and Gustave Dear Old Friend Christine Raoul Meg and Madame Giry Beautiful The Phantom Gustave Fleck Gangle and Squelch The Beauty Underneath The Phantom and Gustave The Phantom Confronts Christine The Phantom Christine and Madame Giry Disc 2 Entr acte The Orchestra Why Does She Love Me Raoul and Meg Devil Take the Hindmost Raoul and The Phantom Heaven by the Sea Reprise Ensemble Ladies Gents The Coney Island Waltz Reprise Fleck Gangle Squelch Ensemble and The Orchestra Bathing Beauty Meg and Ensemble Mother Did You Watch Meg and Madame Giry Before the Performance Gustave Christine Raoul and The Phantom Devil Take the Hindmost Quartet Raoul The Phantom Meg and Madame Giry Love Never Dies Christine Ah Christine Christine The Phantom and Raoul Gustave Gustave Christine The Phantom Madame Giry Fleck and Squelch Please Miss Giry I Want to Go Back Meg Gustave Christine The Phantom and Madame Giry London Edit The Original London production opened with all the songs from the Concept Album However the show went through several rewrites and many of the songs were rearranged and some were removed from the production Charles Hart one of the original lyricists from The Phantom of the Opera was brought in to help with the rewrites 71 Below are the musical numbers as they last appeared in the London Production Act I Prologue The Orchestra Til I Hear You Sing The Phantom The Coney Island Waltz The Orchestra Only For You Meg Giry Fleck Squelch Gangle and Ensemble Ten Long Years Meg and Madame Giry Christine Disembarks Raoul Gustave and Ensemble Arrival Of The Trio Are You Ready to Begin Fleck Gangle Squelch Raoul Gustave and Ensemble What A Dreadful Town Raoul Christine and Gustave Look With Your Heart Christine and Gustave Beneath A Moonless Sky Christine and The Phantom Once Upon Another Time Christine and The Phantom Mother Please I m Scared The Phantom Gustave and Christine Ten Long Years Of Yearning The Phantom and Christine Dear Old Friend Meg Madame Giry Christine Raoul Gustave and Ensemble Beautiful Gustave Fleck Gangle Squelch and The Phantom The Beauty Underneath The Phantom and Gustave Phantom Confronts Christine The Phantom Christine and Madame Giry Act IIEntr acte The Orchestra Why Does She Love Me Raoul Meg and Ensemble Devil Take the Hindmost Raoul and The Phantom Invitation to the Concert Fleck Gangle Squelch and Ensemble Bathing Beauty Meg Fleck Gangle Squelch and Ensemble Before the Performance Christine Raoul Gustave and The Phantom Devil Take the Hindmost Quartet Gustave Raoul The Phantom Madame Giry and Meg Love Never Dies Christine Ah Christine The Phantom and Christine Gustave Gustave Christine The Phantom Madame Giry Fleck Gangle and Squelch Please Miss Giry I Want to Go Back Gustave Meg Madame Giry The Phantom and Christine Finale The Phantom and Christine Playout The Orchestra Notes denotes new lyrics by Charles Hart denotes new song lyrics by Hart denotes new scene song lyrics by Glenn Slater Melbourne and subsequent productions Edit The Original reworked Australian production opened with many of the songs from the reworked London production with new staging The reworked libretto is the one currently used by subsequent productions New lyrics by original The Phantom of the Opera lyricist Charles Hart Staging and musical numbers for the Australian and subsequent productions Act I Prologue The Orchestra and The Phantom Til I Hear You Sing includes The Aerie The Phantom The Coney Island Waltz Squelch Fleck Gangle Ensemble amp The Orchestra Only for You Meg Giry Ensemble Mother Did You See Ten Long Years Meg s Aria Meg and Madame Giry Christine Disembarks Raoul Gustave Christine and Ensemble Arrival Of The Trio Are You Ready to Begin Fleck Gangle Squelch Raoul Gustave and Ensemble What A Dreadful Town Raoul Christine and Gustave Look With Your Heart Christine and Gustave Beneath A Moonless Sky Christine and The Phantom Once Upon Another Time Christine and The Phantom Mother Please I m Scared The Phantom Gustave and Christine Ten Long Years of Yearning The Phantom and Christine Dear Old Friend Meg Madame Giry Christine Raoul Gustave and Ensemble Beautiful Gustave Fleck Gangle Squelch and The Phantom The Beauty Underneath The Phantom and Gustave The Phantom Confronts Christine The Phantom Christine and Madame Giry Act IIEntr acte The Orchestra Why Does She Love Me Raoul Meg and Ensemble Devil Take the Hindmost Raoul and The Phantom Invitation to the Concert Fleck Gangle Squelch and Ensemble Bathing Beauty Meg Fleck Gangle Squelch and Ensemble Mother Did You Watch Meg Madame Giry Before the Performance Christine Raoul Gustave and The Phantom Devil Take the Hindmost Quartet Gustave Raoul The Phantom Madame Giry and Meg Love Never Dies Christine Ah Christine The Phantom and Christine The Streets Of Coney Island Gustave Gustave Christine The Phantom Madame Giry Fleck Gangle and Squelch Please Miss Giry I Want To Go Back Gustave Meg The Phantom Madame Giry and Christine Playout The Orchestra Notes denotes new lyrics by original The Phantom of the Opera lyricist Charles Hart The Copenhagen and Tokyo productions have translated the libretto from English to Danish by Karen Hoffmann and Japanese by Ryu Machiko Recordings EditSingles Edit The first song released to the public was The Coney Island Waltz on the musical s official website as part of a Love Never Dies teaser trailer video in September 2009 72 73 The teaser trailer combined clips from the 2009 London EPK video of The Phantom of the Opera featuring Gina Beck Ramin Karimloo and Simon Bailey 74 with black and white film footage of immigrants arriving by ship in New York City and shots of Coney Island The official site later released The Coney Island Waltz as a sample track in 2009 and as a complimentary music download for customers pre ordering the Love Never Dies studio recording album The music video for The Coney Island Waltz is set to archival film footage of Coney Island Til I Hear You Sing sung by Ramin Karimloo was the first single from the musical and previewed on 20 February 2010 through The Mail on Sunday website It previewed elsewhere on 22 February 2010 75 It is a love ballad about the male narrator expressing his longing to hear the voice of his beloved after many years The promotional music video was an excerpt of Ramin Karimloo s live performance at 8 October 2009 London press launch and made viewable the same day with Karimloo singing in a blue lit set while Sierra Boggess sits quietly on a throne The official music video features Karimloo undisguised in a flat with a backdrop of projector images and floating appearance of Boggess On 26 January 2010 the title song Love Never Dies was first publicly performed at The South Bank Show Awards sung by Sierra Boggess and accompanied by Lloyd Webber and Louise Hunt on two grand pianos The show was broadcast on ITV1 on 31 January 2010 76 The tune is identical to Lloyd Webber s other musical numbers Our Kind of Love from The Beautiful Game in 2000 and The Heart is Slow to Learn which was intended for a Phantom sequel sung by Kiri Te Kanawa in 1998 at the Andrew Lloyd Webber The Royal Albert Hall Celebration 77 78 Love Never Dies also has a very similar melody to Charles Williams composition Jealous Lover from the 1949 British film The Romantic Age Jealous Lover was later retitled Theme from The Apartment for the 1960 Billy Wilder film The Apartment 79 80 81 82 83 Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins was approached by Lloyd Webber to record her version of Love Never Dies in late 2009 84 The song appears as the first track on the special edition of Jenkins album Believe which was released on 29 March 2010 in the UK Jenkins performed the song with Lloyd Webber on the ITV1 show Dancing on Ice on 28 February 2010 Lloyd Webber has stated that Jenkins would not fit the score of his musical Love Never Dies because her vocal range is a mezzo soprano not a soprano like Sierra Boggess 85 Japanese singer Ayaka Hirahara was chosen to record Love Never Dies in Japanese for a bonus track of the soundtrack album s Japanese release 86 87 Love Never Dies was also recorded in Mandarin by Liping Zhang and in Korean by Sumi Jo 88 Discography Edit The concept album of Love Never Dies was recorded around 2008 2009 using an 80 90 piece orchestra 89 Lloyd Webber did not like the orchestrations in the second act so he had half the album re recorded 90 John Barrowman had originally recorded the part of Raoul on the concept album but was replaced by Joseph Millson who had been cast as Raoul for the stage production at the time the album was re orchestrated and re recorded 91 Sally Dexter who performed Madame Giry on the album is replaced by Liz Robertson in the musical The album was completed in September 2009 and scheduled to be released on 10 March 2010 the day after the show s London opening 92 Preview sound clips from all tracks on the album became available online on 8 February 2010 at Amazon co uk 93 A cast recording of the original production was released on 8 March 2010 by Polydor Records in the UK and on 9 March 2010 by Decca Records in North America It debuted at No 82 on the Billboard 200 No 1 on the Billboard Cast Album chart and No 10 on the UK Albums Chart It also charted at No 1 in Greece No 14 in Taiwan No 8 in New Zealand and No 15 in Denmark 94 95 Albums Edit Love Never Dies Deluxe Edition Original Cast Recording Release date 8 March 2010 UK 9 March 2010 North America Number of discs 2 Audio CDs 1 DVD Video Extras include Bonus DVD with interviews and filmed footage and 40 page booklet with full libretto Love Never Dies Original Cast Recording Release date 8 March 2010 UK 9 March 2010 North America Number of discs 2 Audio CDsBoth recordings feature the same 19 tracks on Disc 1 and 13 tracks on Disc 2 with each disc matching an act A digital version of the double CD album was also made available on the Love Never Dies official online store ChartsChart 2010 PeakpositionAustrian Albums O3 Austria 96 53Danish Albums Hitlisten 97 17European Top 100 Albums Billboard 98 German Albums Offizielle Top 100 99 73Greek Albums IFPI 100 1New Zealand Albums RMNZ 101 8Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 102 45UK Albums OCC 103 10US Billboard 200 98 82 means the peak position on that chart remains unknown or is not statedby the source citing the chart Love Never Dies Asian edition Release date 30 March 2010 North America Number of discs 2 Audio CDs Extras include 2 bonus tracks Love Never Dies Mandarin language version by Liping Zhang and Love Never Dies Korean language version by Sumi Jo 88 Love Never Dies 2018 Studio CastRelease date 15 February 2018Number of discs 2 Audio CDsAlbum only track titled Conclusion 104 Live stage filming Edit The musical was released in DVD and Blu ray on 29 May 2012 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment in the United States 105 Reception EditWest End Edit Critics reaction Edit After Love Never Dies opened on 9 March 2010 in London it received mostly negative critical reviews 8 9 Perhaps the most positive review was Paul Taylor s in The Independent giving the show five stars and writing What is in no doubt is the technical excellence of Jack O Brien s seamlessly fluent sumptuous and sometimes subtle production or the splendour of the orchestra which pours forth Lloyd Webber s dark hued yearning melodies as if its life depended on them Special praise should go to the lyrical lavishness of Bob Crowley and Jon Driscoll s designs with their gilt interiors where the vegetation imitating contours and giant peacock plumage of Art Nouveau run rampant and their ghostly external locations where a brilliantly deployed combination of flowing projection timed to perfection with emotional rhythmic shifts in the music and solidly presented stage effects create a dizzying Coney Island of the mind 106 In stark contrast Ben Brantley of The New York Times gave it zero stars calling the production a big gaudy new show And he might as well have a kick me sign pasted to his backside This poor sap of a show feels as eager to be walloped as a clown in a carnival dunking booth Why bother when from beginning to end Love Never Dies is its very own spoiler 107 Other positive reviews included Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph who raved this is Lloyd Webber s finest show since the original Phantom with a score blessed with superbly haunting melodies and a yearning romanticism that sent shivers racing down my spine He gave the show four stars out of five but cautioned that The show may ultimately prove too strange too dark too tormented to become a massive popular hit but I suspect its creepy allure will linger potently in the memory when frothier shows have been long forgotten 108 Paul Callan of the Daily Express also gave the show four stars writing that Love Never Dies is an elegant and clever sequel to Phantom and deserves to have the old Adelphi Theatre filled every night with Lloyd Webber s core usually middle class audiences It is a great night out 109 In The Guardian Michael Billington gave the show three out of five stars commenting There is much to enjoy in Andrew Lloyd Webber s new musical The score is one of the composer s most seductive However Billington said The problems lie within the book which lacks the weight to support the imaginative superstructure He continues the staging is a constant source of iridescent pleasure But as one of the lyrics reminds us diamonds never sparkle bright unless they are set just right With a libretto to match the melodies this might have been a stunner rather than simply a good night out 110 Tim Walker of The Sunday Telegraph praised the production for what are undoubtedly the most impressive special effects to be had in the West End and said the principals sang with gusto charisma and sexiness Still he found himself yearning after a while for the big showstopper but it never came 111 In The Times critic Benedict Nightingale gave the show two out of five stars and recommended audiences see the still running Phantom at Her Majesty s Theatre saying Where s the menace the horror the psychological darkness For that I recommend a trip to Her Majesty s not the Adelphi 112 Another unenthusiastic review appeared in the Evening Standard where critic Henry Hitchings wrote that while Lloyd Webber s music is at times lavishly operatic the tone is uneven There are no more than a couple of songs that promise to live in the memory the duets don t soar and the ending is insipid Admirers of Phantom are likely to be disappointed and there s not enough here to entice a new generation of fans Hitchings also commented that the story is largely predictable and flimsy The chief problem is the book It lacks psychological plausibility Worse it lacks heart There s little pathos or emotional tension There is also scarcely a moment of humour the lyrics are prosaic and the flickers of light relief are merely confusing 113 Similarly David Benedict of Variety wrote that the show wants to be a tragic romance but it s simply torpid Only a radical rewrite will give it even the remotest chance of emulating its predecessor 114 Susannah Clapp of The Observer was also critical of the book and called the show drab and about as tension filled as winding wool Even the musical numbers she wrote never meld with the visual splendours never give the effect which is Lloyd Webber s gift of the music delivering the scenery 115 Sam Marlowe of Time Out London gave the show one out of five stars calling it ghastly and an interminable musical monstrosity She observes With its sickening swirls of video imagery pointless plot and protracted repetitive songs Love Never Dies is punishingly wearisome 116 Other negative reviews appeared in the Financial Times 117 Entertainment Weekly 118 The Arts Desk 119 and many others 9 Audience and other assessments Edit Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times reported on fan reaction How is the new Phantom faring with theatergoers who have seen it in previews Not so well Elsewhere online Love Never Dies has even spawned a Facebook protest group called Love Should Die which declares in its mission statement We feel strongly that Andrew Lloyd Webber s latest musical is a completely misguided venture that is a detriment to the story of the original Phantom of the Opera novel and musical of the same name Virtually everything about the show strikes us as illogical irrational offensive and frankly stupid 120 121 A barbed reworking of the show s title from Love Never Dies to Paint Never Dries was originated by the London based theatre bloggers The West End Whingers 122 123 It has subsequently been picked up and repeated by a multitude of journalists both in print and on screen 112 124 125 126 Columnist Barbara Ellen of The Observer ridiculed the pomposity of some of the unfavourable reviews in her column on Sunday 28 March 2010 in a jokey Open letter to London s famous Adelphi theatre Dear Mr Adelphi Regarding the performance I viewed last week of Andrew Lloyd Webber s Phantom sequel Love Never Dies ridiculed as Paint Never Dries With regret I must demand my money back it simply wasn t bad or boring enough My companions and I paid our money and went along in good faith expecting a right old disaster Imagine our disappointment when it was good The phantom bore an eerie resemblance to Martin Amis sulking after his tiff with Anna Ford but sir this was not enough A catastrophe we were promised and a catastrophe we expected to see One concedes that it is not all the production s fault Negative reviews the dark art of anti hype are a dangerous business However do fine feelings pay my babysitter I feel that I and several innocent coach parties were tricked into going to Paint Never Dries and against our will forced to endure an enjoyable evening I m sure I speak for many when I say I left your theatre wholly dissatisfied with how incredibly satisfied I felt 127 Australia Edit Critics reaction Edit The reworked production received mixed reviews during its engagements in Melbourne and Sydney 55 but was generally better received than in London Chris Boyd of The Australian called the musical The best thing Lloyd Webber has written in the quarter century since Phantom of the Opera Love Never Dies is still a missed opportunity It toys half heartedly with domestic melancholia Christine s wealthy suitor Raoul 10 years on is an insecure and possessive husband who uses his wife s talents to pay off his gambling debts He frets that he cannot deliver to Christine the rush that music brings leaving her vulnerable once more to her angel of music Love Never Dies provides several of those rush moments but doesn t quite connect the starry dots Musically there are some riches a fluttering duet between Meg and Christine for example official DVD time reference 46 48 to 47 41 but few surprises Meg and Christine when they first meet after ten years sing a brief duet about how long it has been their initial surprise could it be No it couldn t possibly and how lovely the other looks in an introduction to the song Dear Old Friend As for Gabriela Tylesova s sets such as Coney Island carnival deco interiors a shabby bar he found them endlessly fascinating they re spectacular without being ostentatious The main feature is an upright metal circle part Luna Park mouth part Stargate Her costumes too are gorgeous 128 Jason Blake of the Sydney Morning Herald said Phillips s production steers clear of chandelier moments favouring sustained invention seamless flow and an engulfing sense of nightmare There s wow factor of course a galloping carousel is an early highlight though quieter scenes are realised with the same attention to detail particularly the recreation of a Coney Island bar to frame Raoul s saloon song feature Why Does She Love Me and his face off with Mr Y Devil Take the Hindmost An inspired often ravishing production for sure though of a sequel that doesn t make a strong enough musical or narrative argument for its own existence 129 In the Daily Express Mark Shenton commented Now under the new leadership of director Simon Phillips and with a fresh creative team there is a new vision to the show in Australia and here at last is the masterpiece that was always crying to be let out The new production has a spectacular Gothic theatricality that heightens deepens and darkens those emotions 130 Kate Herbert of the Herald Sun gave the show four out of five stars and wrote With its vivid design eccentric characters and mystical imagery this is a ravishing spectacle that captures the dark mystery of a perilous fairground circa 1907 and should convert even a die hard Phantom fan She also said Lloyd Webber s score conducted skilfully by Guy Simpson intermittently and elegantly reprises the original Phantom connecting the two stories but she did feel that several songs with trite lyrics lack punch A bigger problem is the unsatisfying story There are unnecessary Red Herrings and too many villains 131 William Yeoman of The West Australian wrote With book by Ben Elton and lyrics by Glenn Slater and Charles Hart Love Never Dies is a curious mixture of gothic romance vaudeville and verismo with Lloyd Webber s lush romantic score spinning like a fairground ride from Puccini to Pulcinella to driving rock to delicate aria as the tragedy unfolds Under Simon Phillips unfailingly cogent direction the cast too manage to transform the most unpromising material if not into gold then at least into silver 132 Cameron Woodhead of The Age gave the show three and a half out of five stars and said Between Gabriela Tylesova s set and costumes Nick Schlieper s lighting and Graeme Murphy s choreography you re in for some spectacular stagecraft After the Phantom pines for Christine and ascends to the gods Til I Hear You Sing the scene breaks into an elaborate circus Coney Island Waltz Introduced by a trio of freaks the amusement swells into a crowd of acrobats and stilt walkers fire twirlers and magicians with Luna Park like plastic heads a portable big top and rows of carnies singing from rollercoaster tracks suspended mid air It s breathtaking stuff and not the best of Love Never Dies dark illusionism That honor belongs to a scene deeper into Coney where transparent obelisks caging eldritch wonders including a gilded mermaid rotate across the stage 133 Rebecca Saffir of Time Out gave the production two stars calling the show an act of such glorious hubris incredibly weak material and sentimental nonsensical ideologically conservative drivel 134 Echoing complaints from the London critics Saffir criticised the plot so thin it should be put on a cheeseburger diet and the inconsistencies between the characters as depicted in the original Phantom and their motivations as presented in Love Never Dies US tour Edit Critics reaction Edit Critical reaction to Love Never Dies during its 2017 18 US tour has been mixed although leaning towards the negative Perhaps the most positive review to date came from the Detroit Free Press which called the show a lively lavish and way over the top as melodrama and gave it three out of four stars 135 The Pittsburgh Post Gazette praised the production s spectacle but expressed reservations about the hand to forehead drama 136 Similarly The San Diego Union Tribune complimented the set design although noting it lacks the grandeur of the opera house but concluded that the melodramatic direction and weak script and score made for a disappointing evening 137 Although it had praise for the sets the Star Tribune complained that the show felt stale comparing it to a salad with the last of the Thanksgiving turkey 138 The Oakland Press considered the musical hugely uneven the first act being a turgid mess but the second act far superior and more concise 139 Both the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald gave only two and a half stars out of five to the production the former considering it not even remotely on the same plane as the original Phantom 140 with the latter finding that it comes across like mediocre fan fiction 141 The Chicago Sun Times found the musical a disappointing world apart from the original on almost every level 142 while the Houston Chronicle deemed it unbearable and impossible to believe 143 Complaints about the show s plot and characterizations which have plagued it since the original London premiere continue to be voiced frequently with both Orlando Weekly and Orlando Sentinel describing the show and its narrative as misguided 144 145 Similarly Cape Cod Times s review stated that for the longtime Phantom fan the plot just does not add up commenting that it makes all of the original show s characters far less likable than before and completely throws out its timeline although it did praise the physical production and performers 146 The Los Angeles Times observing that the storytelling requires viewers to make leaps of logic and to reassess several beloved characters concurred with this view and accused Love Never Dies of messing with the original in ways that will taint some fans memories That s a dangerous thing to do with such a valuable property 147 Although praising the show s sets the Buffalo News opined that the story is just an absurd mess a ridiculous self indulgent hastily written on the back of a napkin kind of stupid silly mess 148 The Charlotte Observer similarly complained that Ben Elton s book makes nonsense of its antecedent and no sense on its own 149 The Providence Journal criticised the show s cheap histrionics and deemed it an embarrassment an overblown tearjerker 150 Sharing this sentiment the Cleveland Scene panned Love Never Dies as a misbegotten attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Phantom franchise 151 The Tribune Chronicle s reviewer lamented its truly bizarre choices to get out from under The Phantom of the Opera s shadow ultimately concluding I can t think of a national tour that I enjoyed less 152 Boston s WBUR FM summarized Love Never Dies as a highly stylish colorfully rendered mess adding that the whole thing is just schmaltzy and preposterous 153 The Las Vegas Review Journal accused Love Never Dies a hand wringing heart clutching melodrama so overdone it invites unintentional giggles of besmirching fond memories of its illustrious predecessor 154 Houstonia also compared Love Never Dies unfavourably to the original Phantom 155 In February 2018 the Chicago Tribune reported that the Love Never Dies tour was discounting tickets with seats widely available on weeknights 156 An interview with Glenn Slater in March 2018 suggested that there are no current plans for Love Never Dies to play Broadway 157 However Randy Buck the tour s musical producer and CEO of Troika Entertainment said the following month that a limited engagement Broadway run is certainly a possibility 158 Academic reception Edit The most extended piece of scholarship on Love Never Dies is by David Chandler in a piece included in The Oxford Handbook to the British Musical Although opining The Phantom of the Opera together with Jesus Christ Superstar to be at the summit of Lloyd Webber s achievement Chandler considers Love Never Dies badly judged and one of the oddest sequels in theatrical history shaped by a peculiar love hate relationship to its original On one hand it shores up the position The Phantom of the Opera occupies as Lloyd Webber s central defining musical on the other it seems intent in a rather Freudian way on displacement on destroying the authority of the earlier work Chandler takes issue with the incompatibility of the plot and character motivations expressed in Love Never Dies vis a vis those in the original Phantom of the Opera As sequel and original are erected on such different imaginative premises they cannot both be true 159 References Edit see Lloyd Webber launches Phantom 2 BBC News 8 October 2009 see Andrew Lloyd Webber responds to critics talks Phantom at 25 Love Never Dies a b Phantom sequel Love Never Dies comes alive at Smith Center Las Vegas Review Journal 16 March 2018 Phantom Sequel Love Never Dies Now Due in London and on Broadway in March 2010 Archived 18 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine Playbill com 18 May 2009 Andrew Lloyd Webber on Love Never Dies YouTube 8 October 2009 Retrieved 30 August 2015 dead YouTube link Phantom Las Vegas Synopsis of scenes and musical numbers a b LoveNeverDies com The Show Creative Team Archived 12 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine a b Healy Patick 31 August 2010 Love Never Dies Looking Less Likely for Broadway This Season Artsbeat blogs nytimes com Retrieved 26 August 2018 a b c Press Reviews Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Love Should Die website accessed 11 August 2010 The Sydney Morning Herald Coney Island lights start dimming Sydney Morning Herald 10 November 2011 The Australian Moonshadow musical testing ground gets tough The Australian 16 June 2012 Thomas Kyle A 2017 Laying Down the RUG Andrew Lloyd Webber the Really Useful Group and Musical Theatre in a Global Economy In MacDonald L Everett W eds The Palgrave Handbook of Musical Theatre Producers New York Palgrave Macmillan pp 325 332 doi 10 1057 978 1 137 43308 4 32 ISBN 978 1 137 44029 7 a b Andrew Lloyd Webber responds to critics talks Phantom at 25 Love Never Dies Entertainment Weekly s EW com Retrieved 30 August 2015 a b c London Theatre Tickets Theatre News and Reviews WhatsOnStage whatsonstage Archived from the original on 21 March 2013 Retrieved 30 August 2015 a b Lloyd Webber Andrew A Note From The Composer Archived 8 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine LoveNeverDies com BWW News Desk 9 March 2007 Andrew Lloyd Webber Confirms Phantom Sequel Broadway World Retrieved 18 July 2008 Gans Andrew 14 June 2007 Cat Destroys Lloyd Webber s Phantom Sequel Score Playbill com Archived from the original on 22 November 2009 Lloyd Webber names Opera sequel BBC Newsbeat 30 May 2008 retrieved 18 July 2008 Riedel Michael A Really Wine Time Phantom sequel is unmasked at UK bash The New York Post 16 July 2008 Retrieved 18 July 2008 Lloyd Webber plans Phantom sequel LondonNet 15 September 2008 Retrieved 29 December 2008 a b Chatter Rialto RIALTO CHATTER Will the PHANTOM Sing Once Again with Sierra Broadway World 6 February 2009 Chatter Rialto Rialto Chatter Love Never Dies Set to Haunt Stages in March 2010 Broadway World 17 May 2009 accessed 13 August 2010 Adam Hetrick and Mark Shenton Lloyd Webber s Love Never Dies to Premiere in London in March 2010 New York Australia to Follow Archived 3 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine Playbill 8 October 2009 Carrie Dunn 8 October 2009 Love Never Dies for Andrew Lloyd Webber s Phantom of the Opera the Guardian Retrieved 30 August 2015 BWW TV Stage Tube LOVE NEVER DIES Press Launch Broadway World 8 October 2009 a b Gans Andrew 6 April 2010 Love Never Dies Postpones Broadway Opening to Spring 2011 Playbill com Archived from the original on 9 April 2010 a b Love Never Dies Scraps Plans for Spring Broadway Run Broadway com Perry Niamh 12 January 2010 Love Never Dies Cast Blog Rehearsal Update by Niamh Perry Broadway World Marvin Roberta Montemorra Verdian Opera Burlesqued A Glimpse into Mid Victorian Theatrical Culture Cambridge Opera Journal Vol 15 No 1 March 2003 pp 33 66 Cambridge University Press accessed 2 February 2011 subscription required MacQueen Pope Walter James Carriages at Eleven 1947 London Robert Hale and Co p 23 Beauties on the Beach boisestate edu Archived from the original on 6 November 2015 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Shenton Mark 11 February 2010 First London Preview of Andrew Lloyd Webber s Love Never Dies Cancelled Performances Now to Begin Feb 22 Playbill com Love Never Dies understudy forced to step in Archived 8 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine uktheatretickets co uk 22 February 2010 Shenton Mark Lloyd Webber s Love Never Dies Invites London Critics Back to Review West End Revamp Archived 24 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine playbill com 21 December 2010 Hitchings Henry Phantom still lacks spirit in Love Never Dies Archived 24 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine thisislondon co uk 22 December 2010 Razzle Dazzle Dimmed West End s Love Never Dies and Chicago Close Aug 27 Archived 15 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Playbill com Perpetua Matthew Love Never Dies But It Can Be Revised NYMag com 11 March 2010 Paule Constable I nearly quit theatre because of Love Never Dies News The Stage The Stage 23 June 2016 Retrieved 13 November 2017 Brand New Australian Production Love Never Dies stagewhispers com BWW TV LOVE NEVER DIES Australian Leads Announced Lewis amp O Byrne BroadwayWorld com Retrieved 30 August 2015 Cast Complete for Revamped Love Never Dies in Australia Performances Begin May 21 Playbill Archived from the original on 21 October 2012 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Gill Raymond 21 May 2011 All for the love of a phantom The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 7 November 2017 Return of the phantom Stuff 7 May 2011 Retrieved 7 November 2017 BWW News Desk Andrew Lloyd Webber Wants to Bring Melbourne s LOVE NEVER DIES to Broadway BroadwayWorld com Retrieved 30 August 2015 Healy Patrick 14 July 2011 Andrew Lloyd Webber and Wizard of Oz The New York Times Love Never Dies Will Be Released on DVD and Blu ray Feb 1 Sydney Dates Set Playbill Archived from the original on 1 June 2013 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Phantom Sequel Love Never Dies Delays DVD Release to May Playbill Archived from the original on 6 June 2013 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Love Never Dies Will Be Released on DVD in U K March 12 Playbill Archived from the original on 5 April 2012 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Lloyd Webber s Phantom Sequel Love Never Dies Will Be Screened In Cinemas Playbill Archived from the original on 30 May 2013 Retrieved 30 August 2015 The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies Will Return to U S Cinemas Playbill Archived from the original on 3 January 2013 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Rialto Chatter LOVE NEVER DIES Still Hoping to Hit Broadway BroadwayWorld com Retrieved 30 August 2015 NewsDaily newsdaily com Retrieved 30 August 2015 BWW News Desk LOVE NEVER DIES Arrives at Sydney s Capitol Theatre BroadwayWorld com Retrieved 30 August 2015 Andrew Lloyd Webber s Love Never Dies Ends Australian Run April 1 Playbill Archived from the original on 4 January 2014 Retrieved 30 August 2015 a b Love Dies Out The Courier Mail 23 December 2011 Love Never Dies Archived from the original on 31 May 2012 Retrieved 15 May 2012 Musical Vienna Die offizielle Seite der VBW Musical Vienna Retrieved 26 August 2018 日生劇場ミュージカル ラブ ネバー ダイ オペラ座の怪人 ついに完結 公式サイト 14 November 2013 Archived from the original on 14 November 2013 Retrieved 26 August 2018 Liebe stirbt nie Das Phantom der Oper kehrt zuruck Love Never Dies The Phantom of the Opera Returns in German Stage Entertainment 24 February 2015 Retrieved 2 March 2015 Stoppenhagen Till 11 April 2016 Liebe stirbt nie Blitz Absetzung des Flop Musicals MOPO de in German Andrew Lloyd Webber s Phantom Sequel Love Never Dies Will Tour U S Broadway com Retrieved 30 August 2015 a b The Story Continues LOVE NEVER DIES Finds Cast for National Tour Broadwayworld com Retrieved 16 August 2017 Love Never Dies World Tour Official Website Love Never Dies World Tour Retrieved 20 April 2020 Wood Alex Love Never Dies to embark on first ever UK tour WhatsOnStage WhatsOnStage com Retrieved 27 January 2020 Curve Theatre COVID 19 Shows Affected By The Temporary Closure Of Curve Curve Theatre COVID 19 Shows Affected By The Temporary Closure Of Curve Retrieved 20 May 2020 Jesus Christ Superstar Love Never Dies amp Juliet in Mirvish lineup CityNews Toronto toronto citynews ca Retrieved 26 April 2020 Andrew Lloyd Webber 24 April 2020 loveneverdies the journey to this wonderful film Retrieved 24 April 2020 via Twitter VIDEO Watch LOVE NEVER DIES with Andrew Lloyd Webber s The Shows Must Go On Live Now Broadway World 24 April 2020 Retrieved 24 April 2020 Love Never Dies Latest News Love Never Dies chart latest Archived from the original on 7 August 2010 Retrieved 30 November 2010 Love Never Dies the Show Musical Numbers Archived from the original on 12 March 2011 Retrieved 30 November 2010 Hart Kenwright to Work on LOve Never Dies broadwayworld com 21 October 2010 Phantom Confirms 8 Oct Love Never Dies Launch Archived 10 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Whatsonstage com 11 September 2009 Hetrick Adam Monsieur I Have a Note Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Playbill com PlayBlog 11 September 2009 NEW Stunning London Phantom footage Archived 18 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine Reallyuseful com 14 August 2009 STAGE TUBE LOVE NEVER DIES Ramin Karimloo Sings Till I Hear You Sing WestEnd BroadwayWorld com 20 February 2010 Gans Andrew 22 January 2010 Title Tune From Lloyd Webber s Love Never Dies to World Premiere on South Bank Show Awards Playbill com Archived from the original on 17 February 2010 The new title song from Love Never Dies BestMusical net 4 February 2010 Archived from the original on 7 April 2010 Gans Andrew 11 March 2007 Lloyd Webber Will Pen Phantom Sequel Playbill com Archived from the original on 4 June 2011 Callan Paul 10 March 2010 Press Review The Daily Express LoveNeverDies com Archived from the original on 24 April 2010 But do the first couple of bars not bear a resemblance to the Rachmaninoff type scene from Billy Wilder s comedy The Apartment Hirschhorn Clive Phantom s Lowly Stepchild TheaterNewsOnline com The ubiquitous title song and the best in the show has a whiff of Adolph Deutsch s theme tune from Billy Wilder s The Apartment the first four notes are identical Seckerson Edward 8 March 2010 Love Never Dies at last some constructive thoughts Independent Minds Archived from the original on 25 July 2011 about the main title of The Apartment to which it bears a disturbing resemblance Adoph Deutsch s The Apartment w Andre Previn s The Fortune Cookie Kritzerland com Eldridge Jeff FSM The Apartment FilmScoreMonthly com Jenkins thrilled with Lloyd Webber honor WENN 3 March 2010 Archived from the original on 28 March 2012 Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber would love to work with Katherine Jenkins ThaIndian com 12 August 2009 平原綾香が オペラ座の怪人 アンドリュー ロイド ウェバー氏と対面 in Japanese RBB Today 11 March 2010 Retrieved 11 March 2010 Tower Records Online オペラ座の怪人2 ラヴ ネヴァー ダイズ デラックス エディション in Japanese Tower Records Retrieved 11 March 2010 a b Tuesday s Connector Andrew Lloyd Webber Connecttheworld blogs cnn com 8 March 2010 Phantom Sequel to Play West End s Adelphi Theatre Before Bowing on Broadway Broadway World 27 March 2009 Archived from the original on 10 February 2010 Riedel Michael 9 October 2009 Cash flows to Phantom 2 Lloyd Webber opens wallet to create a hit New York Post John Barrowman my tiff with Andrew Lloyd Webber The Daily Telegraph London 27 February 2010 Love Never Dies global launch AndrewLloydWebber com 8 October 2009 Archived from the original on 27 January 2010 BWW News Desk Preview Clips Now Available from LOVE NEVER DIES CD Broadway World 8 February 2010 Caulfield Keith 17 March 2010 The Phantom of the Opera Sequel Scores on Billboard 200 Billboard biz Archived from the original on 20 July 2012 Retrieved 19 March 2010 LOVE NEVER DIES Hits No 1 on Billboard Cast Album Chart Broadway World 18 March 2010 Austriancharts at Musical Love Never Dies in German Hung Medien Retrieved 8 August 2013 Danishcharts dk Musical Love Never Dies Hung Medien Retrieved 8 August 2013 a b Love Never Dies Simon Lee Andrew Lloyd Webber Allmusic Rovi Corporation Accessed on 8 August 2013 Longplay Chartverfolgung at Musicline in German Musicline de Phononet GmbH Retrieved 8 August 2013 Greekcharts com Musical Love Never Dies Hung Medien Retrieved 8 August 2013 Charts nz Musical Love Never Dies Hung Medien Retrieved 8 August 2013 Swedishcharts com Musical Love Never Dies Hung Medien Retrieved 8 August 2013 ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING Artist Official Charts UK Albums Chart Retrieved 8 August 2013 Love Never Dies 15 February 2018 retrieved 23 February 2019 Phantom of the Opera Sequel Love Never Dies Heading to Blu ray and DVD in May Dread Central 9 July 2014 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Taylor Paul First Night Love Never Dies Adelphi Theatre London The Independent 10 March 2010 Brantley Ben Same Phantom Different Spirit New York Times 9 March 2010 Spencer Charles Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre review The Daily Telegraph 9 March 2010 Callan Paul Andrew Lloyd Webber s Love Never Dies Adelphi Theatre London Daily Express 10 March 2010 Billington Michael Love Never Dies Adelphi London The Guardian 10 March 2010 Shenton Mark 15 March 2010 Paint Never Dries but does mud always stick The Stage blog Shenton s View Archived from the original on 5 March 2012 a b Nightingale Benedict 10 March 2010 Love Never Dies at the Adelphi London The Times Archived from the original on 15 June 2011 Hitchings Henry Love never dies it just fades away Archived 15 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine Evening Standard 10 March 2010 Benedict David Love Never Dies Variety 10 March 2010 Clapp Susannah 14 March 2010 Love Never Dies London Assurance The Observer Marlowe Sam 18 March 2010 Love Never Dies Time Out London Shuttleworth Ian Financial Times 12 March 2010 Shenton Mark Love Never Dies 2010 EW com 11 March 2010 Wolf Matt Love Never Dies Adelphi Theatre The Arts Desk 10 March 2010 Itzkoff Dave Down Once More to the Dungeon The Phantom Prepares for His Return NYTimes com 9 March 2010 About Love Should Die Archived 6 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine LoveShouldDie com 9 March 2010 Review Love Never Dies Adelphi Theatre West End Whingers 2 March 2010 Guardian theatre critics are UK s best says the Stage The Guardian 6 May 2010 Shenton Mark Love Never Dies 2010 Entertainment Weekly 11 March 2010 Riedel Michael Phantom menace Sequel is shaky New York Post 12 March 2010 Brooks Richard Bloggers boo and hiss at return of the Phantom in Love Never Dies The Sunday Times 7 March 2010 Ellen Barbara MPs are in no position to sneer at anyone Diane The Observer 28 March 2010 Phantom sequel spectacularly unmasked The Australian 29 May 2011 Retrieved 26 August 2018 Love Never Dies review Sydney Morning Herald 29 May 2011 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Mark Shenton 15 January 2012 Love Never Dies review Sydney shows love is eternal Daily Express Retrieved 30 August 2015 Review Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber Regent Theatre Melbourne Herald Sun 29 May 2011 Retrieved 26 August 2018 Musical Review Love Never Dies yahoo com Archived from the original on 30 October 2013 Retrieved 30 August 2015 Love Never Dies Review Behind The Critical Curtain 22 June 2011 Archived from the original on 22 June 2011 Retrieved 26 August 2018 Saffir Rebecca 8 January 2012 Love Never Dies review Time Out Sydney Review Phantom sequel Love Never Dies has its charms in North American debut Detroit Free Press Retrieved 7 November 2017 Stage review The story lags but the spectacle of Love Never Dies lives up to its Phantom roots Pittsburgh Post Gazette Kragen Pam Love Never Dies looks great but less filling sandiegouniontribune com Phantom sequel Love Never Dies lands like leftovers in the Twin Cities Star Tribune Review Love Never Dies doesn t live up to The Phantom s high bar Retrieved 7 November 2017 Jones Chris Phantom sequel Love Never Dies Only Andrew Lloyd Webber would try to pull this off chicagotribune com Morgan Scott C Love Never Dies a beautifully sung yet unnecessary Phantom sequel Daily Herald Di Nunzio Miriam Love Never Dies at Cadillac Palace is no match for Phantom of the Opera Chicago Sun Times Review Love Never Dies Well actually it does Houston Chronicle 18 July 2018 Kubersky Seth Love Never Dies at Dr Phillips Center is a maddeningly misguided sequel to Phantom of the Opera Orlando Weekly Palm Matthew J Old friends fall on hard times in dreary Love Never Dies OrlandoSentinel com Driscoll Kathi Scrizzi Phantom sequel doesn t measure up Retrieved 2 January 2018 Miller Daryl H 9 April 2018 Love Never Dies a sequel to Phantom of the Opera struggles to abduct us Los Angeles Times Siegel Ben 6 June 2018 Love Never Dies is a crazy mixed up fun ride with the Phantom The Buffalo News Toppman Lawrence REVIEW Love Never Dies but inspiration can charlotteobserver Gray Channing Theater review Phantom of the Opera sequel an overblown tearjerker providencejournal com Howey Christine Not Much to Like in Love Never Dies the Phantom Sequel Now at Playhouse Square Cleveland Scene Gray Andy Love Never Dies fails as sequel Tribune Chronicle www tribtoday com Goodwin Jeremy D And You Thought The Phantom Died He s Back In The Sequel At The Opera House www wbur org Cling Carol 22 March 2018 Phantom sequel Love Never Dies fails to conjure magic Las Vegas Review Journal Review Love Never Dies Reminds Us How Much We Love the Original Houstonia Jones Chris It s Theatre Week dear reader What to see on the cheap chicagotribune com Hebert James Never say die for Phantom of the Opera sequel as touring production heads to town sandiegouniontribune com Cox Gordon 17 April 2018 Could Love Never Dies Live Again on Broadway Variety com Retrieved 2 August 2018 David Chandler 2017 Andrew Lloyd Webber Haunted by the Phantom in The Oxford Handbook to the British Musical Oxford University Press pp 561 584 ISBN 978 0199988747 External links EditLove Never Dies 16 image photo gallery from The Daily Telegraph 15 image photo gallery from Playbill Love Never Dies Casting Breakdown Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Love Never Dies musical amp oldid 1139324038, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.