The big question is....did a sequel to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA need to happen? London audiences and critics didn't seem to think so. That production was so poorly received that the planned Broadway production was canceled. Instead of New York City, Sir Lloyd Webber decided to stage a revised version of LOVE NEVER DIES in Australia. That production was better received and Webber has since said that this production and version of the show is the one that he would like to see on Broadway at some point. Since Broadway was not a foregone conclusion, he opted to have the Australian production filmed for preservation. And it's that production that was released on Blu-Ray this past Tuesday. Now that I have watched it in my living room, the answer to the question that began this Review is a resounding....No, a sequel to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA absolutely did not need to happen. The story picks up 10 years after the original's Events in Coney Island. The Phantom had been smuggled there by Madame Giry and her daughter, Meg. The Phantom has created a sideshow of freaks and goes by the name of Mr. Y. All is peaceful until it is announced that Christine Daae is coming to America at the invitation of Oscar Hammerstein to sing. She arrives with her husband, Rauol and their 10 year old son, Gustav. The Phantom's love for Christine is reawakened, much to the unhappiness of Madame Giry and Meg. I'll spare the twists and turns of the plot but put it together...Christine has a 10 year old son and it's been 10 years since she and the Phantom parted ways. Could there have been an evening of pleasure that was not put to music in the original production and story that may have resulted in, gasp, a child???? The plot is less than compelling and the final 10 minutes of the show are ridiculous. It's corny and sometimes laughably so. What works for the production is the score, the costumes and set design, and the lead performance. Australian Ben Lewis plays The Phantom and he is superb. An incredible singing voice along with being a fine actor, Mr. Lewis would be a wise choice if this production ever gets to America. The rest of the cast is perfectly fine and also all Australian. The costume design and set design are pure Lloyd Webber. Garish and enormous but perfectly suitable to the time and setting. I am sure that what is gorgeous on screen is breathtaking seeing live in a theatre. Webber's score is wonderful. It's even more lush and romantic than the original. I would rank The Phantom's big song, TILL I HEAR YOU SING ONCE MORE, up there with his most beautiful songs ever. If the score were put together with a powerful story, it might have a shot. But the tale is simply not strong enough to sustain it's brief two hour running time. LOVE NEVER DIES has been beautifully captured on film and at times you forget that a live audience is actually watching this being filmed. It's certainly not one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's best musicals and it certainly isn't as bad as STARLIGHT EXPRESS or BY JEEVES. It's just forgettable and in the end, absolutely unnecessary.
I do not want to give too much away, but Christine is lured to Coney Island with her drunken husband and 10 year old son, to sing for a large sum of money which she really needs after her husband Raul has become an alcoholic, and lost all their money and wealth over the years, so this is Christine's chance to get back to the life she once enjoyed all those years ago.
ReplyDeleteThere is Drama, love and sadness as there was in the original Phantom of the opera and throughout Love Never Dies there are afew subtle references back to the original show through the music score, When Christine sings her signature song the scene too my breath away. If you loved Phantom of the Opera, you will love, Love never dies, Keep and open mind as the story unfolds as you follow this musical and I'm sure you will not be disappointed.