Love Never Dies, the Phantom of the Opera Sequel

After my High School's impressive production of Phantom of the Opera this spring, I have had Andrew Lloyd Webber's catchy tunes in my head ever since. When I found out that the sequel to Phantom of the Opera was playing during my stay in London, I made sure to get tickets. Long regarded as the greatest of all Broadway musicals, Phantom of the Opera is one of those shows that cannot be topped. I had heard mixed reports about the sequel, but I was determined to keep an open mind, with two exceptions. First, I was hoping that Webber would not use the music from the first show extensively, and, secondly, I hoped that the sequel's plot would stack up to the first's.

As the curtain rose, the entire stage became a giant television screen, with newspaper headlines swirling in and out of view. These headlines explained that the opera house had burned, the phantom had escaped, and that Coney Island in New York was becoming popular. Next we saw the Phantom singing to a captive Christine, almost foreshadowing the events to come. His opening song, "Till I Hear You Sing Once More," was quite beautiful, and provided an opening to the show worthy of that of the original. The plot was a little awkward in spots, such as when Christine, Raoul, and Gustav (Christine's son) step of the boat in New York and a creepy looking carriage pulls up to greet them with a skeleton-masked driver, supposedly sent by Oscar Hammerstein. From there, it kind of felt like a family reunion, as all the characters, including the Phantom and Christine, become reacquainted.  Madame Giry and Meg have traveled with the Phantom to New York City's Coney Island and opened a new vaudeville act. The Phantom has written a new song for Christine and is eager for her to sing it. The big shock comes when Christine tells the Phantom that Gustav is actually his child! (I'd expect this from Arnold, but not the Phantom). Obviously this was a deleted scene in the original. The Phantom then takes the boy down to his "new lair," a psychedelic looking pad probably in the back of a Dippin' Dots stand, and sings him a very hard core rock song. The bizarre scene ends with Madame Giry singing about how she is annoyed at the Phantom for giving Christine so much attention and forgetting about her and Meg.

Act II opens with Raoul drinking at a roadside bar, when the bartender suddenly becomes the Phantom, and the two start fighting. The Phantom wants Christine to sing his new song, but Raoul wants him to leave her alone. Christine decides to sing the song, coincidentally titled "Love Never Dies," but, when she finishes, she sees that Gustav has gone missing. Meg has kidnapped him and threatens to throw him into the ocean. The Phantom shows up, tells Meg to calm down, but says "You'll never be as good as Christine," which angers Meg, who shoots Christine. Though she is very near death, Christine still manages to sing three more songs (and a reprise of the opening) before finally dying. Raoul and Gustav then join the Phantom in mourning her death, Gustav gives the Phantom a hug, and the curtain closes.

Overall, "Love Never Dies," is an excellent show, with a decent plot, outstanding and memorable music, and a new setting that offers a nice contrast to the Paris opera. The show, though, is not a great sequel. However, I felt it was the best sequel that could have possibly been created. How do you continue one of the most well-loved stories of all time without making someone unhappy? It's impossible. But, when you think about all the other ways the plot could have ended, this really was the only logical choice. Perhaps what impressed me most were the musical decisions made by the composer. It was almost as if Webber was admitting that there was no comparison to the original Phantom by not overusing the original music. Throughout the show, subtle hints at the famous themes were prevalent, but the majority of the show was entirely new music. In doing this, Webber kept the audience from associating too much of the show with the original and helped the show earn its own identity.