From Theatre Breaks

Contents 1 Love Never Dies Booking 2 Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks 3 Love Never Dies - The Phantom Returns 3.1 Love Never Dies Cast 3.2 New love Never Dies cast 3.2.1 The Cast so far 3.2.2 Love Never Dies Gustaves 3.2.3 Love Never Dies Concept 4 Love Never Dies Australia 4.1 Love Never Dies Australian Cast 5 Love Never Dies Songs (from the CD/DVD) 5.1 A history of Love Never Dies So far 5.2 Videos 5.3 Love Never Dies Links

Love Never Dies Booking

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies has announced that it's Closing at the Adelphi Theatre in London on August 27th 2011 with a possible UK tour and reopening in 2012, based on the revamped version currently in Melbourne Australia.

Tickets for the show — which received an impressive seven Olivier Award nominations earlier this year — were previously available for dates up to 14th January 2012.

The show opened at the Adelphi Theatre in March 2010 to mixed reviews. Many praised the show; The Telegraph’s Charles Spencer gushed over the production, pondering Lloyd Webber’s “personal” relationship with the Phantom and praising the show’s “creepy allure”.

Improvements written over the summer have been added to the London production.

The show’s producers, released the following statement:

“Some changes were written up over the summer and destined for the Australian production, and as they make improvements to the show we’d be mad not to put them into the Adelphi”.

Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks

Love Never Dies - The Phantom Returns

Love Never Dies is a sequel to Phantom of the Opera based on the second book of the story, set in New York. The musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber previews in London at the Adelphi Theatre from February 20th 2010 with am opening date of Tuesday 9th March 2010.

Andrew Lloyd Webber makes history on Thursday October 8th when tickets to Love Never Dies, the West End's first ever sequel, go on sale for shows beginning in March 2010.

Set in 1907, Love Never Dies continues the story of the heroine from Phantom of the Opera. Christine Daaé, 10 years after the Phantom disappeared from the Paris Opera House. Billed to be rife with obsession and intrigue the story sees the heroine moving to New York to perform at a new attraction at New York's Coney Island.

The new musical continues the story of the Phantom, who has moved from his lair in the Paris Opera House to haunt the fairgrounds of New York's Coney Island. The story is set 10 years after the mysterious disappearance of the Phantom from Paris. A "Mr Y" now runs the Phantasma funfair attractions.

Billed as Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'greatest challenge' Love Never Dies is the long-awaited sequel to the box office record breaker The Phantom of the Opera, scheduled to open at the Adelphi theatre in March 2010.

All previous bids to make a follow-up to a successful musical have failed but Love Never Dies is going all-out to break the trend. Phantom is one of the most successful shows of all time, still going strong after 23 years and over 9,000 performances in London. Not a bad place to start when looking to make a sequel.

The principal characters of The Phantom of the Opera continue their stories in Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIES.

Ten years after the mysterious disappearance of The Phantom from the Paris Opera House, Christine Daaé accepts an offer to come to America and perform at New York's fabulous new playground of the world - Coney Island.

Christine arrives in New York with her husband Raoul and their son Gustave. She soon discovers the identity of the anonymous impresario who has lured her from France to sing.

LOVE NEVER DIES is a rollercoaster ride of obsession and intrigue. in which music and memory can play cruel tricks. and The Phantom sets out to prove that, indeed, LOVE NEVER DIES

Love Never Dies Cast

On 5th March 2011, David Thaxton is taking over the role of Raoul from Joseph Millsom.

Other changes are that Celia Graham (who is currently Christine’s understudy) will take over the role from Sierra Boggess who is heading to Broadway to star in Master Class with Tyne Daly.

Ramin Karimloo is extending his contract and remaining as the Phantom for a while longer (end date not yet known) and Haley Flaherty (Rocky Horror Show, Mamma Mia, Follies, Grease, Chicago, Saturday Night Fever) is taking over as Meg Giry from Summer Strallen who is leaving to go on a tour of Top Hat the Musical with Tom Chambers.

New love Never Dies cast

Ramin Karimloo, nominated for Best Actor in a Musical Olivier, will carry on to star as ‘The Phantom’, with Tam Mutu as his alternate. Celia Graham will take over the role of ‘Christine’ from Sierra Boggess, nominated for Best Actress in a Musical. Liz Robertson will continue to star as ‘Madame Giry’, and Haley Flaherty will join the cast to star as ‘Meg Giry’.

David Thaxton, also nominated for the Best Actor in a Musical for his recent role in ‘Passion’ at the Donmar Warehouse will star as ‘Raoul’. Adam Pearce will continue to play ‘Squelch’ and Tracey Penn will join as ‘Fleck’ and Charles Brunton as ‘Gangle’, with Jack Costello, Daniel Dowling and Harry Polden sharing the role of ‘Gustave’.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said, “I’m absolutely thrilled that “LOVE NEVER DIES” has finally been recognised in this way. I would like to pay tribute to our wonderful company, who have worked so hard throughout and have embraced the changes to the show, which have proved so successful. I’d also like to thank our loyal ‘Phans’, who have been so supportive of the show since it opened. I’m particularly happy about the timing of this announcement, given that my new show, “The Wizard of Oz”, has just started previews.”

The first performance of the new company will be on Monday 7th March at the Adelphi Theatre.

The Cast so far

• Baritone Ramin Karimloo will play the Phantom in Love Never Dies, having already played the role in the Phantom of the Opera in London.

• Soprano Sierra Boggess will play the role of Christine, having made her Broadway debut creating the lead role of Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid.

• Summer Strallen is set to play the Ooh La La girl Meg Giry. The Ooh La La girl is the name Mr Y (aka the Phantom) has given to Meg Giry who was the young ballet student in Phantom of the Opera.

• Liz Robertson will play the role of Madame Giry, the mother of Meg (played by Strallen) and ballet mistress of the Phantom’s old haunting place, the Opéra Populaire. Robertson is currently appearing in Hairspray as Velma Von Tussle at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Her previous stage credits include My Fair Lady and Kern Goes To Hollywood.

• Joseph Milson will play the role of Raul, Christine’s love from The Phantom of the Opera and in Love Never Dies Raul is Christine’s husband, also called the Vicomte de Chagny. Milson is not stranger to the West End stage where he can currently be seen in the Almeida theatre’s Judgement Day and can be seen next month in the comedy, The Priory at The Royal Court. His previous stage credits include Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Pillars of the Community at the National, Much Ado About Nothing, House of Desires and The Dog in the Manger for the Royal Shakespear Company.

• Niamh Perry Irish actress who finished fifth in the reality TV search for a performer to play Nancy in Oliver!, has recently been seen on the London stage playing Sophie in hit Abba musical Mamma Mia!

‘Fleck’, ‘Squelch’ and ‘Gangle’ will be played respectively by Niamh Perry, Adam Pearce and Jami Reid-Quarrell.

• The full cast for Love Never Dies also includes Adam Pearce as Squelch, Jami Reid-Quarrell, Derek Andrews, Dean Chisnall, Helen Dixon, Lucie Downer, Paul Farrell, Charlene Ford, Chris Gage, Lucy van Gasse, Celia Graham, Simon Ray Harvey, Jack Horner, Erin Anna Jameson, Pip Jordan, Jessica Kirton, Louise Madison, Janet Mooney, Colette Morrow, Tam Mutu, Ashley Nottingham, Tom Oakley, Mark Skipper, Jonathan Stewart, Tim Walton and Annette Yeo.

Love Never Dies Gustaves

Love Never Dies Concept

Andrew Lloyd-Webber said the idea for the sequel had been around 17 years in the making and in the new tale the Phantom "arrived as one of the freaks but built himself up to being the A1 man" who is now "pining for the love of his life".

Love Never Dies features lyrics by Glenn Slater, who also wrote the songs for Sister Act.

The confirmed credit for the writing is "Book by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton, with Glenn Slater and Frederick Forsyth".

On the cast album, the role of Madame Giry is sung by Sally Dexter, Meg Giry by Summer Strallen and Raoul by John Barrowman.

The UK version of Love Never Dies is closes at the end of August 2011

Love Never Dies Australia

The revamped version of Love Never Dies opened to great critical acclaim at Melbourne's Regent Theatre earlier in 2011, and is due to be filmed live at the performance on 15th September 2011 for worldwide release on DVD.

The Melbourne production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies which opened in May will be filmed for global DVD release at performances between September 12th-15th with a release date for the DVD sure to be in time for Christmas.

Love Never Dies will end its Melbourne run on December 18th before reopening in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre in January 2012.

Andrew Lloyd Webber unmasked a new production of his Phantom of the Opera sequel Love Never Dies at Melbourne's Regent Theatre in May 2011. A new creative team took a fresh look at the musical that originated at London's Adelphi Theatre.

Lloyd Webber enlisted Priscilla Queen of the Desert director Simon Phillips to helm the Australian premiere. Tim McFarlane produced the Melbourne staging.

George Ash, resident Australasia of Universal Music Australia, said:

Andrew Lloyd Webber's success in Australia is beyond comparison. He has sold more cast recordings than any other composer in history and for us to be a partner in the launch of LOVE NEVER DIES to Australian audiences is an absolute honour.

Love Never Dies Australian Cast

The Phantom and Christine in the new Australian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies are being played Ben Lewis and Anna O’Byrne.

Ben’s previous stage credits include the original Australian cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical, Sir Galahad in the original Australian cast of Monty Python’s Spamalot, two-seasons as Count Carl-Magnus in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Urinetown with Sydney Theatre Company and Polites in The Odyssey for Black Swan and the Malthouse.

Anna O’Byrne has already played Christine to great acclaim in an Australian tour of The Phantom of the Opera. She is an award-winning classically trained singer, and has performed as Polly Peachum in The Threepenny Opera and appeared in works by Mozart, Puccini and Ibert for The Victorian Opera, Victorian College of the Arts and Victorian Youth Opera.

Performances begin on May 29th 2011 at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc6xPwFXum8

Love Never Dies Songs (from the CD/DVD)

Disc 1

• Prologue
• The Coney Island Waltz
• That's The Place You Ruined, You Fool
• A Little Slice Of Heaven
• Only For Him / Only For You
• The Aerie
• Till I Hear You Sing
• Giry Confronts The Phantom / Are you Ready To Begin
• Christine Disembarks
• Arrival Of The Trio / Are You Ready To Begin
• What A Dreadful Town
• Look With Your Heart
• Beneath A Moonless Sky
• Once Upon Another Time
• Mother Please, I'm Scared
• Dear Old Friend
• Beautiful
• The Beauty Underneath
• The Phantom Confronts Christine

Disc 2

• Entr'acte
• Why Does She Love Me
• Devil Take The Hindmost
• A Little Slice Of Heaven (Reprise)
• Ladies... / The Coney Island Waltz (Reprise)
• Bathing Beauty
• Mother, Did You Watch?
• Before The Performance
• Devil Take The Hindmost (Quartet)
• Love Never Dies
• Ah, Christine!
• Gustave! Gustave!
• Please, Miss Giry, I Want To Go Back...

And for those buying the deluxe edition with the DVD:

• Introduction
• Paris To Coney island
• The Story
• Building The Set
• Recording The Album
• Worldwide Press Launch

A history of Love Never Dies So far

• 2009 On October 8th, Andrew Lloyd Webber held a press event at Her Majesty's Theatre in which the orchestra played the "Coney Island Waltz," reminiscent of Carousel, and Ramin Karimloo sang "Till I Hear You Sing"

• 2007 The Daily Mail reports that ALW has worked on the score for the sequel and that his cat Otto deleted it in one fell swoop from his digital piano.

• 2001 ALW recycles the melody below for "Our Kind of Love" in The Beautiful Game.

• 1999 Frederick Forsyth publishes The Phantom of Manhattan, set in the early 1900s

Christine learns she has fathered the Phantom's son. This same year, Kiri Te Kanawa presents ALW's "The Heart is Slow to Learn," intended for the Phantom sequel.

• 1986 The Phantom of the Opera opens in London

With Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman

Videos

Theatre industry pundits after the press conference express their hope for the new show

And here is the full press launch:

Love Never Dies Links

Love Never Dies Category at London Theatre Breaks.

Love Never Dies Phantom blog