As I have mentioned before, The Phantom of the Opera is an obsession of mine. I love everything about it, from the musical, to fan fiction written out of love to continue the story, to the fan community it's produced and everything in between. I first fell in love with the Phantom when I was 12, my parents took me to London, to Her Majesty's Theatre where I saw the show for the first time. The production was beautiful, the story truly spoke to me as did the music. Since then I have seen the musical 7 times (if you count the three times I saw the 90 minute production in Vegas, which I do!) and have spent most of my life gathering things related to Phantom: books, movies, CDs, fan fiction, fan art: if I don't own it, no doubt I have heard of it. I obsessively followed the development of the movie back in 2003 when I found out it was coming out. I all but stalked the director and ALMOST made it to the set, if only I had been a few months earlier, however I was invited to an advanced screening of the movie, and was sent a signed poster from the director—a very prized possession—as well as a CD of the music, (which is still in the wrapping it came in!) I lost track of how many time I've seen the movie around the 12th time! Everyone who knows me knows just how obsessed I am.
The story of the deformed genius shunned by the world, force to live in the depths of an opera house, and falls in love with a beautiful chorus girl and helps her to fame only to lose her to a rich Vicoumte, is a story not only I but the world has been obsessed with for century now. 1911 Gaston Leroux published his story that had been in a magazine serial the year before, since then it has spawned movies, plays, musicals, books both published and just fan fiction, comic books, computer games etc.
It was Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera that was the most successful attempt at a musical to be produced. A few productions tried to adapt the story for the stage a couple years before Andrew came along. In 1985 Andrew got the idea after seeing another version of the show to compose his own show. During rehearsals everything that could go wrong seemed like it did from tech malfunctions to injured actors, Andrew was under a lot of stress because not only did he want the show important to him to succeed for money reasons but because it was a homage to his wife, the star Sarah Brightman for which he wrote the role of Christine (now does this not sound familiar? A not very good looking musical genius writes an opera for a beautiful singer? Hmm) but something clicked on opening night and Phantom was a triumph! Today it's has been in London's West End and on Broadway for well over twenty years, holds the title of being the longest running musical in history! Shown in more 25 countries, it has won many awards around the world.
All of this makes a Phantom obsessed girl VERY happy to hear, so imagine when she heard the composer she idolized was coming out with a sequel to this fantastic show that had changed her life. It could go one of two ways, VERY excited and obsessively following like the movie OR she could be heartbroken and VERY disappointed not to mention a little angry. For me it was the latter. I am not happy that Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to continue the story on the stage.
The way the original musical ends is perfect; Phantom disappears. To do what? No one knows: he could go to America to start a new life, he could peruse Christine even more, Christine could come back to him, or the phantom could die of a broken heart...anything could happen. And for twenty years anything has happened in the stories that fans have written, some were good, some were ok and some were just horrible. The good like Susan Kay's Phantom takes the life story of Erik the phantom told in the last two pages of Leroux's novel and fleshing it out to a 500 page novel. The OK novels like Becky L Meadows's Progeny a sequel to Phantom where Erik stays in Paris, conceives a child with Christine, pretends to die but even their love it seems can defy even death, yes sounds bad but the way it is written I can accept her story more than I can this last story. AND for the horrible: The
Phantom of Manhattan by Fredrick Forsyth, I am not the only fan to condemn this book. I read it once and that was enough for me. But to hear THIS book, this novel shunned by most phantom fans is the novel that Andrew Lloyd Webber chooses to base his sequel on is all but an insult. Knowing the back story of the novel is helpful to get why he chose it. Andrew wanted to do a musical sequel for ages (or so he says) and never go around to doing it, Fredrick Forsyth stepped up to the plate to write it on Andrews command, although it only takes from the musical and NOT from any other original Phantom works and completely fuck the story up.
I can normally take almost anything that is fan written with an open mind, I understand that in a fan fiction this is someone's interruption of the story and it's not set in to stone. But to tell a group of a million people this is what happened, to even make an official musical sequel to already perfect show is just too much. Then to try and pass that off as THE official sequel of the entire story to change to the characters we have grown to care about to something almost unrecognizable, and to later insult your fans for not accepting your idea, this Mr. Andrew Lloyd Webber, is truly an insult, to the original story that was written which gave you the inspiration for your award winning musical, to the fans who have continued to see and pay for anything with you name on it building up your fortune and to yourself because this is so very clearly a scheme for more money and not an interest in a new phantom tale as you keep telling the press.
The "story" of this musical sequel, Love Never Dies (I love what one fan-TGITPC- said on youtube "…He watched Bram stoker's Dracula one too many time." As the tag line is Love Never Dies) is based somewhat ten years after the phantom has vanished (depends on if you don't look at the dates on the synopsis. 1881 the events of the opera house transpired, but somehow, 1910 they're in Coney Island and its ten years later he says? I really don't think he looked at his shows very well when he planned this) The Phantom, now know as MISTER Y, owns a freak show on Coney Island in America, where the Giry's who have travel with him and he has made Meg the star. However still pining over his true love, he once again lures Christine who is married to a Drunken in debt Raoul, and her son Gustave to America with promises of a hefty fee if she sings. From there it just gets worse, with a Vaudeville dancing Meg Giry who later commits murder because she is now in love with the phantom, who doesn't pay attention to her to some really interesting songs in the score.
I have heard Love Never Dies, and I must say the voices of Phantom and Christine are worthy of their roles. Ramin Karombloo has a truly beautiful voice, very "phantom-esque" as my friend commented. I think he can hold his own in this role which is such a demand from those who love original Michael Crawford's Phantom. Sierra Boggess is a beautiful soprano I believe I have seen her in Las Vegas as Christine, she defiantly has the voice for it but sounding more motherly and mature without losing that beautiful bell like soprano voice I love in my Christines.. I must Raoul being a gambling drunk for me gives me vicious pleasure! I have never liked Raoul to hear He and Christine are not living the happily ever the end of the original musical implies after makes me more than a little happy, although he resembles NOTHING from the Raoul from the musical.
The biggest disappointment was hearing what Andrew Lloyd did to the Giry's, I have always considered them great people of character, Madame Giry taking in the Phantom and treating Christine like a daughter, Meg innocent trying to understand and help her friend Christine, but to be turned in to Greedy money seeking, Child killing villains? Why? Now I can see Meg falling for the Phantom seeing as he takes her under his wing in those ten years and makes her a star in his shows I CANNOT see her considering KILLING a child to make him see her, let alone prostituting herself! Yes I understand that ten years changes people and much can happen in a new place and a new time but still messing with classic characters like that is just wrong. I also really don't think Phantom would stoop so low as to write the music he "writes" for Meg's shows, the music seems so beneath him!
I get that the phantom is powerful man who can get his way, but couldn't Andrew have chosen a different name for him! Mister Y? WHY? That does not makes it seem very mysterious, I always enjoy Maestro, simple, no name, but to the point and mysterious but apparently Mr. Lloyd Webber didn't. And the biggest question I have is, is it really necessary to kill off Christine? I mean I get Raoul taking off on Christine when the Phantom challenges him, I can barely understand Meg driven to madness and killing but Killing Christine? Why is she the one who has to die this is the second (maybe third) story where I have seen Christine die in the end. Although she dies in perfect operatic fashion taking two songs with her as she goes, leaving the phantom to be a daddy! From what I have listened to the soundtrack it does seem like typical Andrew Lloyd Webber show, from truly beautiful melodies that I know only Andrew can compose to some numbers that seem HIGHLY out of place of the show and not just the Vaudeville parts. There are many haunting reminders of the original musical but also I hear notes from of Andrew's other shows, something Mr Lloyd Webber is known for.
I know as a reviewer I should not pass judgment until I have seen the show with an opened mind. However this is Phantom my love and my life, Phantom of the Opera has guided me though some really dark times in my life, and I have dreams of having Phantom in my professional life, which is why I am going to see the show and why I even bothered to buy the CD. Mind you if this was just another musical, an new Andrew Lloyd Webber production then I would be fine maybe even a little excited, but it is because of what I have heard Andrew Lloyd Webber say about his fans and our thoughts about disliking the very idea and his choice of story for a sequel, hurts me personally and that is why I find it hard to even listen to the music, and why I know that as hard as I will try to go in with an open mind, I don't think it will be possible. However I will see this show hopefully with the original cast and I do hope seeing I might change my mind even a little. But I feel so strongly about this musical sequel, that I know it is very vindictive of me to wish harm on any show, but for those who love the original story and musical and for the very reputation of Erik the Phantom of himself I hope this show has a very short run and Andrew Lloyd Webber learns not to mess with his fans or with a perfect piece of work again!
