Love Never Dies (musical)

Love Never Dies
Music	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics	Glenn Slater Charles Hart (additional)
Book	Andrew Lloyd Webber Ben Elton Glenn Slater (additional) Frederick Forsyth (additional)
Basis	Elements of The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth, an original treatment by Ben Elton, characters by Gaston Leroux
Productions	2010 West End 2011 Melbourne 2012 Copenhagen 2014 Tokyo 2015 Hamburg 2017 North American Tour

Love Never Dies is a romantic musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater with additional lyrics by Charles Hart, and book by Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton, with additional material by Slater and Frederick Forsyth. It is a sequel to Lloyd Webber's long-running musical The Phantom of the Opera. The plot is not based on the storyline in the original book 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] The musical is set in 1907,^[3] which Lloyd Webber states is "ten years roughly after the end of the original Phantom",^[4] although the events of the original actually took place in 1881.^[5] Christine Daaé is invited by an anonymous impresario to perform at Phantasma, a new attraction on Coney Island, and, with her husband Raoul and son Gustave in tow, journeys to Brooklyn, unaware that it is actually "The Phantom" who has arranged her appearance in the popular beach resort.

Although Lloyd Webber began working on Love Never Dies in 1990, it was not until 2007 that he began writing its music. The musical opened at the Adelphi Theatre in the 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.^[6] The original London production received mostly negative reviews,^[7][8] but the subsequent Australian production featuring an entirely new design team and heavy revisions was generally better received. The planned Broadway production, which was to have opened simultaneously with the West End run, was delayed and then indefinitely postponed.^[9]

Background

Andrew Lloyd Webber first began plans for a sequel to his 1986 hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera, in 1990.^[11] 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 Phantom live above ground in Manhattan's first penthouse, but he rejected this when he saw a TV documentary about the Coney Island fairground.^[11] 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.^[12]

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.^[13] 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.^[13] Lloyd Webber was pleased with Elton's treatment and began work on the sequel.^[12] In March 2007, he announced he would be moving forward with the project.^[14]

The Daily Mail announced in May 2007 that the sequel would be 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.^[15][16] In 2008, Lloyd Webber first announced that the sequel would likely be called Phantom: Once Upon Another Time,^[17] and the first act was performed at Lloyd Webber's annual Sydmonton Festival. The Phantom was played by Ramin Karimloo and Raoul was played by Alistair Robbins.^[18] 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.^[19] In other workshop readings, Raoul and Christine were played by Aaron Lazar and Elena Shaddow.^[20]

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.^[21][22] I'd Do Anything finalist Niamh Perry was given the role of Fleck.^[23]

Lloyd Webber originally intended for Love Never Dies to open in London, New York and Shanghai simultaneously in the autumn of 2009.^[20][21][24] 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.^[24] The three casts would rehearse simultaneously in London for three months beginning August 2009.^[24] 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.^[25] Plans were then announced for a separate Broadway production to run concurrently with the Toronto show if Toronto proved successful.^[26] 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.^[27][28] Technical issues with the special effects, automaton version of Christine and casting multiple simultaneous productions also contributed to the postponement.^[21] By October 2009, Shanghai plans had been dropped in favour of an Australian production.^[29]

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 Coney Island Waltz" was also performed for the journalists, industry insiders and fans who had assembled for the presentation.^[30][31] 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^[32] and then indefinitely^[33]). Rehearsals began in January 2010.^[34][35]

Score

As with Phantom, Lloyd Webber's score for Love Never Dies also includes the fictional music of its time as musical fragments to fictional pieces which are taking place within the show itself. Only "Bathing Beauty" survived the post concept album cuts to be performed on stage.

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.^[36] 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 was mentioned in the opening to "Phantom of the Opera".

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.^[37]

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 Christine's second 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.

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".^[38] Meg Giry's grand opening number in "Love Never Dies" is called "Bathing Beauty (On The Beach)".

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.^[39][40] The show had its official opening on 9 March 2010. It was directed by Jack O'Brien, choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, and had set and costume designs by Bob Crowley.^[6] 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 this musical.^[41]

In December 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^[42]), 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."^[43] The London production closed on 27 August 2011 after a disappointing run of fewer than eighteen months.^[44] 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".^[10]

The hoped-for Broadway production was announced as delayed to spring 2011.^[32] Lloyd Webber also announced that Asian and Canadian productions were planned, although these have been dropped for now.^[12] After the mixed 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".^[45] On 1 October 2010 it was announced that the musical would not open on Broadway in Spring 2011.^[33]

In March 2013, it was reported that the musical may return to the West End after a UK tour of the successful Australian production.^[46][47]

Melbourne (2011)

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 brand new direction and design by an Australian creative team, including director Simon Phillips.^[48] Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne were cast as the leads,^[49][50] Although Lloyd Webber hopes to bring the Melbourne production to Broadway in the future,^[51] he told The New York Times that, even with the positive reception of the reworked Melbourne production, a Broadway transfer was probably not realistic. He also announced that the Melbourne production would be filmed on 15 September 2011 and made available on DVD.^[52] The recording was originally to be released on DVD and Blu-ray 1 February 2012,^[53] but it was later delayed till 29 May 2012 in the United States.^[54] In the UK, the DVD was released on 12 March 2012,^[55] 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.^[56] It was then screened again in US cinemas on 23 May 2012.^[57] Lloyd Webber stated that even if a Broadway production does not happen, he feels that he has closed the chapter on the piece, as the filmed version is something that he's, "very, very proud of" and it does not really matter to him, "if it comes tomorrow or five years' time".^[58][59] The Melbourne production closed on 18 December 2011.

Sydney (2012)

The Melbourne production transferred to Sydney's Capitol Theatre with previews beginning 8 January 2012 and officially opened on 12 January 2012.^[60] The show concluded its limited engagement on 1 April 2012.^[61]

Copenhagen (2012–2013)

Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen, Denmark announced that their production of Love Never Dies would open on 24 October 2012^[62] and star Tomas Ambt Kofod and Bo Kristian Jensen as 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 "The Phantom of the Opera" into Danish, also translated this score into Danish. The production closed 21 April 2013.

Vienna (2013)

A concert rendition, translated entirely in German, was held in Vienna, Austria in the Raimund Theater in October 2013. It starred Drew Sarich as the Phantom.^[63]

Japan (2014)

A Japanese production opened in March 2014 at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo, using directions and designs from the original Australian production.^[64] It starred Masachika Ichimura and Takeshi Kaga as the Phantom and Megumi Hamada and Ayaka Hirahara as Christine.

Germany (from 2015)

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 original Australian version.^[65]

US National Tour (2017)

A touring production is slated to tour North America in the 2017–2018 season.^[66]

Synopsis (Original)

Act I

In a brief prelude, Madame Giry walks along an abandoned pier recalling Phantasma, Coney Island's 'City of Wonders' ("Prologue"). She is then confronted by Fleck, a freak who once worked with her there, who reminds her of 'the good old days' and blames her for 'what happened.' The audience is transported back in time through "The Coney Island Waltz." It is now ten years after the events at the Paris Opera House, and the setting is at Phantasma on Coney Island in New York. An excited group of vacationers arrive overwhelmed at everything that Phantasma has to offer, and speculate about its 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, is now a headlining performer at Phantasma with Madame Giry, her mother and the Opera's ballet mistress, at her side. As Meg prepares for her performance, she wonders what the boss will think and states she will be performing "Only for Him." She wins the crowd over with her performance of "Only for You," and learns afterward that Madame Giry has arranged for her to "meet" an important client. In "Dear Old Friends", it is confirmed that Mr. Y, the mysterious creator and owner of Phantasma is indeed the Phantom himself. In a dark, private lair in a tower high above the park, he interacts with an automaton that resembles Christine. In spite of the ten years that have passed and his many successes, he still longs to be reunited with her ("Til I Hear You Sing"). Meg intrudes and presses the Phantom to give feedback on her performance, but he dismisses her as an annoyance. Madame Giry is irritated that the Phantom is still longing to be with Christine after all the help she has given him over the years ("Giry confronts The Phantom/Til' I Hear You Sing – Reprise"). She reveals that she and Meg helped smuggle him out of Paris and to a ship departing from Calais, where he made his escape to America. Ignoring Giry, the Phantom summons Fleck, who appears with two other freaks, Squelch and Gangle. The Phantom has them send a letter to Christine inviting her to come and perform at Phantasma.

Three months later, Christine, Raoul and their son, Gustave, arrive in New York to crowds of paparazzi ("Christine Disembarks"). It is revealed that Christine is no longer performing and that Raoul has spent much of their fortune on drinking and gambling. They are greeted by the freaks who arrive by a strange carriage without a horse and take them to Coney Island ("Arrival of the Trio / Are You Ready to Begin?"). Raoul is angry at the way they have been greeted by the freaks and upsets Gustave by not playing with him ("What a Dreadful Town!"). In spite of Christine's pleas, Raoul leaves to go drinking as Christine tells Gustave to "Look With Your Heart" to try to help him understand his father’s behaviour. After Gustave leaves to go to bed, the Phantom enters and reveals that it was he who summoned her to sing at Phantasma. In "Beneath a Moonless Sky," the Phantom and Christine recall the night of passion they shared the day before her wedding. Early the next morning, Christine awoke prepared to abandon Raoul for the Phantom, but found that the Phantom had left her. He admits that he left because he was too afraid of being rejected by her again. They recall that "Once Upon Another Time," they thought their love had a chance of succeeding, although current situations prevent that from happening. Gustave wakes up screaming from a nightmare and meets the Phantom for the first time as Mr. Y ("Mother Please, I'm Scared!"). The Phantom promises to show Gustave more of Phantasma the next day.

In the rehearsal studio for Phantasma, Meg unexpectedly reunites with Christine, and is surprised and jealous to learn she will be singing there. Raoul runs into Madame Giry and discovers it is the Phantom who has invited Christine to sing there ("Dear Old Friend"). Christine becomes concerned when Gustave goes missing. The freaks bring Gustave to the Aerie where he is greeted by the Phantom. Gustave plays a haunting melody on the piano, which leads the Phantom to have a revelation that he could be Gustave's father ("Beautiful"). The Phantom questions Gustave about his feelings and musical abilities, finding that they are kindred spirits. He unmasks himself, believing Gustave will accept him ("The Beauty Underneath"). Gustave is horrified and screams. Christine enters to comfort a terrified Gustave. When the Phantom presses her about Gustave, Christine confesses to the Phantom that Gustave is his son ("The Phantom Confronts Christine"). The Phantom declares that everything he owns will go to him. A furious Madame Giry overhears this and fears all of her work over the years for the Phantom has been for nothing.

Act II

Following the ("Entr'acte"), Raoul is seen sitting alone in a bar contemplating his relationship with Christine ("Why Does She Love Me?"). He is joined by Meg who suggests that he should leave that night with Christine and Gustave. Raoul refuses, saying he is not afraid of the Phantom, who has since appeared behind the bar. The Phantom makes a bet with a drunken Raoul: if Christine sings Raoul must leave alone; if she doesn't then all their debts will be wiped away. He also makes Raoul question his paternity of Gustave ("Devil Take The Hindmost").

At the beach, it is the last day of the season and the holiday makers are enjoying the experience ("Heaven By The Sea – Reprise"). A balloon then lands on the beach and the freaks advertise that night's performance ("Ladies...Gents!/The Coney Island Waltz – Reprise"). That night, they present Meg, who performs a strip-tease routine about her choice of swimming costume ("Bathing Beauty"). Backstage, Madame Giry tells Meg that the Phantom had not been there to watch the performance, and it had all been for nothing ("Mother, Did You Watch?"). Raoul asks Christine to reconsider her decision to sing, and asks her to leave at once if she loves him ("Before the Performance"). As Raoul leaves, the Phantom enters and tells Christine that Raoul knows his love is not enough and that she must sing for him once more. Alone in her dressing room, Christine recalls the Paris Opera House where she had to make the difficult decision between Raoul and the Phantom. Backstage, Madame Giry, Raoul and the Phantom are wondering whether or not Christine will sing and who will win the bet.

As Christine prepares to perform, Meg makes a hurried exit ("Devil Take The Hindmost – Reprise"). Christine then walks on stage and performs an aria for the crowd ("Love Never Dies") while Raoul and the Phantom watch from the wings. The Phantom greets an overwhelmed Christine following her triumphant performance. Christine finds a letter from Raoul stating that he has left for good. Christine realises that Gustave is missing and becomes worried. Fleck reveals she had discovered Meg's dressing room smashed up and seen her with a small figure. Madame Giry believes she knows where she has taken him.

On a pier, a distraught Meg is preparing to drown Gustave when she is confronted by the others. She holds up a gun to them so that the Phantom will listen as she reveals the truth: the resources that Madame Giry has afforded him all these years have mainly come from Meg being forced to work secretly as a prostitute to supporters of Phantasma. The Phantom tries to get the gun from her but in the confusion Meg accidentally shoots Christine. The Phantom rushes to a fatally wounded Christine as Meg watches, horrified by what she has done. Christine reveals to Gustave that the Phantom is his father. Her final words tell the Phantom that her love for him will never die. They have one final kiss, and she dies in his arms. The Phantom hands the body of Christine to Meg and he comforts Gustave who unmasks him as the curtain falls.

Synopsis (2012 version)

Act I

Ten years after the events at the Paris Opera, the Phantom is now a well known tycoon, being the mastermind of Phantasma, a Coney Island amusement park. Despite the success of his endeavours, he is tortured by the absence of Christine Daae in his life and he longs to hear her sing again ("Til I Hear You Sing"). At Phantasma, The Phantom's performers Dr. Gangle, Miss Fleck and Mr. Squelch introduce the wonders of Coney Island ("The Coney Island Waltz"). Meg Giry, Christine Daaé'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 of ("Only for You"). Madame Giry has read in the newspaper that Christine is coming to New York to sing for Oscar Hammerstein at the opening of his new Manhattan opera house. Madame Giry is concerned that her daughter has lost the attention of the Phantom and she reminisces about how she and Meg smuggled him from Paris, France to New York City ten years ago. ("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 by 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. As Raoul leaves to go drinking, Gustave believes that Raoul doesn't love him. Christine tells Gustave to Look With Your Heart to try to help him understand ("Look With Your Heart"). Gustave goes to bed. The Phantom reveals himself by stepping through the balcony door to Christine. She faints, having believed he was dead, and he carries her to her chair. When she awakes, they remember about the last time they were alone together on the night before Christine married Raoul and why The Phantom ran away afterwards (“Beneath a Moonless Sky”). On the balcony they recall that they thought their love had a chance of succeeding ("Once Upon Another Time"). He offers to pay her double what Oscar Hammerstein is paying her to sing for him once more, just one song he wrote, but Christine refuses. Gustave wakes up screaming from a nightmare ("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 tells Christine that she must sing for him again or she will return home without the boy. Just before leaving, he hands her the sheet music for the song he wrote for her.

In the rehearsal studio for Phantasma, Meg is surprised and jealous to learn that Christine will be singing after her. Raoul encounters Madame Giry and discovers that the Phantom, not Oscar Hammerstein, is the one for whom Christine is singing ("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 10 years old...ten years old".) The Phantom questions Gustave while showing him the dark wonders, illusions and freaks of Phantasma and finds they are kindred spirits. He unmasks himself, believing Gustave will accept him but Gustave is horrified and screams ("The Beauty Underneath"). Christine comforts Gustave and asks Meg to go with him back to the hotel so that she and the Phantom can have a private conversation. 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 swears she will and also promises that she will sing for him once more, and leaves. The Phantom declares that everything he owns will be inherited by Gustave. Having overheard everything, a furious Madame Giry fears all her work over the years has been for nothing.

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. 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 was passing Meg's dressing room, where she saw that the mirror has 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 to him, and the boy embraces his real father for the first time ("Love Never Dies" (Reprise)). Gustave then removes the Phantom's mask, but does not react as he did before; instead, he 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
The Phantom	Ramin Karimloo (Tam Mutu, alternative)		Ben Lewis	Tomas Ambt Kofod Bo Kristian Jensen	Masachika Ichimura Takeshi Kaga	Gadar Thor Cortes (Mathias Edenborn, alternative)
Christine Daaé	Sierra Boggess	Celia Graham	Anna O'Byrne	Louise Fribo	Megumi Hamada Ayaka Hirahara	Rachel Anne Moore (Jazmin Gorsline, alternative)
Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny	Joseph Millson	David Thaxton	Simon Gleeson	Christian Berg	Mario Tashiro Keita Tachibana	Yngve Gasoy-Romdal
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)
Meg Giry	Summer Strallen	Haley Flaherty	Sharon Millerchip	Camille-Cathrine Rommedahl	Mao Ayabuki Rena Sasamoto	Ina Trabesinger (later replaced by Maria-Danaé Bansen)
Fleck	Niamh Perry	Tracey Penn	Emma J. Hawkins	Kirsten Norholt	Mizuho Abe	Lauren Barrand Sandra Maria Germann
Squelch	Adam Pearce		Paul Tabone	Steen Springborg	Tomoaki Tatsumi	Paul Tabone
Gangle	Jami Reid-Quarrell	Charles Brunton	Dean Vince	Simon Duus	Arata Hino	Jak Allen-Anderson
Gustave	Jack Blass Harry Child Tyler Fagan Alexander Hockaday Richard Linnell Charlie Manton Kaisun Raj	Edward Bracey Jack Costello Daniel Dowling Connor Fitzgerald George Littell Harry Polden	George Cartwright Bush Trent Heath Lachlan Kelly Jack Lyall Kurtis Papadinis	Oscar Dietz Carl-Emil Lohmann	Seishiro Kato Tsukito Matsui Eru Yamada	Rim Benedikt

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.^[67] The musical numbers appear in the following order on the original album.^[68]

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 or even removed from the production. Charles Hart, one of the original lyricists from Phantom of the Opera, was brought in to help in the rewrites.^[69] These are the musical numbers as they last appeared in the London Production.

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 (Copenhagen and Tokyo). Staging and musical numbers for the Australian and subsequent productions:

Note: 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 site as part of a Love Never Dies' teaser trailer video in September 2009.^[70][71] 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)^[72] 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.^[73] It previewed elsewhere on 22 February 2010.^[74] 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.^[73]

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.^[75] 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.^[76][77] "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.^{[78][79][80][81][82]}

Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins was approached by Lloyd Webber to record her version of "Love Never Dies" in late 2009.^[83][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.^[21][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.^[24][89][90] Lloyd Webber did not like the orchestrations in the second act, so he had half the album re-recorded.^[91] 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.^[92][93]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.^[94] Preview sound clips from all tracks on the album became available online on 8 February 2010 at Amazon.co.uk.^[95]

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.^[96][97]

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 shop.

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[98]	53
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[99]	17
European Top 100 Albums (Billboard)[100]	—
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[101]	73
Greek Albums (IFPI)[102]	1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[103]	8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[104]	45
UK Albums (OCC)[105]	10
US Billboard 200[100]	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]

DVD

The Musical was released via DVD and Blu-ray on 29 May 2012 over Universal Studios Home Entertainment in the United States.^[106]

Reception

West End

Critics' reaction

After Love Never Dies opened on 9 March 2010 in London, it received mixed critical reviews.^[107][108] 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".^[109] 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."^[110]

Other positive reviews included Charles Spencer of The 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".^[111] 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."^[112]

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".^[113] 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."^[114]

In The Times, critic Benedict Nightingale gave the show two out of five stars and said, "Where's the menace, the horror, the psychological darkness? For that I recommend a trip to Her Majesty's, not the Adelphi."^[115] Another unenthusiastic review appeared in the London 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."^[116] 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."^[117]

Quentin Letts of The Daily Mail gave the show a negative review, stating that it "is as slow to motor as a lawnmower at spring's first cut". He also criticised the show for lacking in storytelling and romance, stating that it "assumes that we understand the attraction these two dullards [Phantom and Raoul] have for the beautiful Christine. Could she do no better? ... In the end you conclude that she simply seeks out suffering to improve her art." Letts praised the performances and the orchestration but concluded that the show was not a hit: "But if it is a miss, it is ... a noble miss, noble because Lloyd Webber’s increasingly operatic music tries to lift us to a higher plane."^[118] 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."^[119] Sam Marlowe of Time Out London gave the show one out of five stars, calling it "ghastly" and "an interminable musical monstrosity". He observes: "With its sickening swirls of video imagery, pointless plot, and protracted, repetitive songs, Love Never Dies ... is punishingly wearisome."^[120]

Other negative reviews appeared in the Financial Times,^[121] Entertainment Weekly,^[122] The Arts Desk,^[123] and numerous others.^[8]

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."^[124][125] 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.^[126][127] It has subsequently been picked up and repeated by a multitude of journalists, both in print and on screen.^{[115][128][129][130][131]}

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".^[132]

Australia

Critics' reaction

The reworked production received mostly positive reviews during its engagements in Melbourne and Sydney.^{[133][134][135]}

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—but few surprises." 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."^[136]

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."^[137]

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."^[138]

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."^[139]

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."^[140]

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."^[141]

See also

• The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
• The Phantom of Manhattan

References

External links

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