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.

A Foot in each Hemisphere

Today our group traveled by boat to the town of Greenwich, where one can find the National Maritime Museum, the Greenwich Observatory, and the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is famous for dividing the world between the eastern and western hemispheres, and it also serves as zero degrees longitude. Greenwich is also home to the clocks invented by John Harrison that first allowed longitude to be calculated. Harrison developed clocks that could be taken on board a ship without losing time. We enjoyed a nice lunch at a local pub, and then headed back at about 3PM.

Exploring Trafalgar Square

London's Trafalgar Square is home to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. The first is an impressive collection of paintings, including many impressionist pieces. It was especially interesting to see the works of Monet and how they differed from the pictures I have always seen in textbooks. There is certainly something to be said for seeing impressionist works in person to get a true sense of how the color reflects the light. Monet's paintings almost seem as if there is a glass cover over the canvass which reflects the light, when, in reality, it is merely the illusion of the paint. The National Portrait Gallery contained portraits of some of the most influential British men and women from the Renaissance to the present. Items of interest included the Tudors, several prominent American colonists, Charles Darwin, John Keats, and several British composers including Handel and Johann Christian Bach. It is so interesting to notice the poses of the individuals in the portraits and their surroundings. In the day of instant and digital cameras, we take for granted how important it was to have that one single portrait painted of you. There's no doubt that many decisions had to be made so that the individuals pictured would be remembered in a certain way. Handel, for instance, was pictured standing, with his full figure visible. His large build, combined with his pompous stance emphasized his supreme standing as the king of British composers. Like his tomb in Westminster Abbey, Handel is seen with his most memorable work in hand, the Messiah.

Looking from the steps of the National Gallery to Trafalgar Square

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The second half of our day was spent viewing a performance of As You Like It at the reconstructed Globe Theatre. After enjoying a sausage wrapped inside a pastry for lunch, I entered the theater where we took our seats in the stalls surrounding the main stage. On the ground, many people stood in a large open area, just as the lower class audience members would have done in Shakespeare's time. The show was performed by a traveling group, which was absolutely spectacular. When I read Shakespeare, it is often easy to get lost figuring out what is happening. The actors and director did a good job in using visual elements to make the lines much more clear. One of the most surprising elements of the show, however, was the music. Shakespeare provided lines for songs to be interspersed throughout the play. One of these songs, "It was a Lover and his Lass," was a song with which I was already familiar, but I had no idea that the text came from this particular show. After attending this Renaissance Musical, I am looking forward to my visit tomorrow to "Love Never Dies," the Phantom of the Opera sequel!

A Busy First Day

My first day in London was loaded with exciting adventures, including a visit to the British Museum, a tour of Westminster Abbey, a ride on the London Eye, and a guided Ghost Tour of the city. Perhaps what has impressed me most about this city is the cleanliness. While Rome was beautiful, it was also full of litter and garbage. The London streets, including the alleys, are nearly pristine. The entire city has a very classy feel to it, achieved by the cleanliness, the overall grandeur of the architecture, and the well-manicured gardens.

 A small park we passed on the way to the British Museum

 View of Big Ben with the London Eye peeking out from overhead

 The Houses of Parliament from the Thames River

Where's my Mummy?

Our day began with a visit to the British Museum, a vast collection that spans all continents. One of the biggest draws of the museum is its exhibits of Ancient Egyptian mummies. I had a chance to view these exhibits and learn some fascinating information about Egyptian burial. In one display, a glass case enclosed the body of a common man who was buried beneath the desert in a simple grave. The next case showed the remains of a wealthier man who was buried in a wooden case. Of the two men, the wealthier one was nothing but a skull and bones, while the poor man was extremely well preserved. The display explained how the natural drying process of the desert is much more effective than the more sophisticated techniques developed for the more fortunate. How interesting that money can only go so far, and, in the end, the poor are the ones that survive. It's also ironic that the Ancient Egyptians, considered to have the most sophisticated embalming techniques in history, had the answer all along, hidden in the sand beneath their feet.

 The rich man

 The poor man

Dear Abbey,

I'm sorry if these blog titles seem lame, but I'm writing them at 12:00 at night, so they seem very witty at the time. Our next stop was Westminster Abbey, the most famous church in England and also the burial place for royalty. We were able to experience Westminster Abbey with the aid of an audio tour, which made everything make much more sense. The stunning detail inside rivaled anything I had seen in Rome, and it represented the truly incomprehensible wealth of the British monarchs. But, Westminster Abbey spanned far beyond royalty. Famous, writers, musicians, and scientists are buried here as well. One such person is George Frederic Handel, the composer of the Messiah. Directly above Handel's tomb stands a statue of the portly composer, holding a score to the piece "I know my redeemer Liveth" from the Messiah. One final discovery to note was the central nave of the abbey, the altar of which is framed by two statues, one to Isaac Newton, and the other to none other than Charles Darwin, the father of the evolution theory. I found it fascinating that someone whose views were supposedly in opposition to the church would be placed front and center. It really shows the acceptance of the Church of England of one of its own famous scientists, in spite of his views. I have a feeling you wouldn't find that at the Vatican.

 The exterior; no cameras allowed inside