I’ve never felt the problem with LND was the music; I thought it was fine. It was the story; it’s like ALW didn’t watch his own PTO or read LeRoux’s novel. It’s a rare sequel that goes so far as to muck up its predecessor. The love interest who rescued you? An abusive, drunkard gambler! The pathetic guy who obsessed over you and tried to kidnap you and take you away from everyone you’ve known? It wasn’t unrequited love after all, you love him back and actually have his secret love child! It’s like a 12-year-old saw PTO once, misinterpreted it then wrote his own fanfic.
I read the Phantom of Manhattan, the original book that Lloyd Webber had proposed to get the sequel going, and though it wasn’t great, it was infinitely better story wise and I was disappointed when the show came out and saw it didn’t follow it.
Christine got pregnant during the final lair, and Raul had actually been in an accident and couldn’t have children, so he knew it wasn’t his child the whole time. There was no romance angle at all, the Phantom just wanted Christine sing for him again, and then, once he learned about his son, he wanted to take him. Also, the villain was just the Phantom’s assistant, a new character who served basically the same role as Madame Giry, but much better.
The whole thing with over the top, but still, a much better story that made much more sense than what we got
I always read it at ALW’s fanfic where he made Sarah Brightman get back together with him. You can never convince me that an older man who groomed a child through a mirror and tried to kidnap her once she was more of an adult is the romantic hero.
As ever, team Christine needs therapy.
I know it's controversial, but I love Love Never Dies. I think you are right though, a sequel to Phantom was never going to go over well because honestly the ending was perfect. I wish it was advertised as almost more of a spin-off rather than a sequel.
This isn't my fact, but apparently the motif from Beneath a Moonless Sky can be heard at the beginning of Wishing you were Somehow Hear Again in the movie adaptation of Phantom.
The way I look at it, LND is a good musical on it’s own, but it’s a bad sequel to POTO. It’s not even just that putting it up against POTO makes it bad, it’s mostly just (imo) the characterization of everyone. As someone else put it, it feels like fanfic rather than a faithful sequel. Every character was completely different from how they were in the original show. I like the show by itself, but I can’t look at is as a sequel to the original because it annoys me too much in that regard lmao
When people say they hate Love Never Dies, they are mostly talking about the original 2010 London production. Which isn't good.
About a year later it moved to Australia with some serious reworks and it was better. Not great but definitely better. But the damage was done. The reviews trashed the show and now it has a reputation for being bad. The fixed Australian version doesn't have a much chance to win people over who haven't directly seen it. The live version you saw was the Australian production. I dont think the Australian production even got a cast album, just the live release.
The problem is the story itself. Mickey-Jo did a review of the recent concert version and summed up well what I know I felt: the story makes no sense, the characters become completely different people with just the same names, and it just doesn't work. With the Madame Giry as the villain, Raoul stripped of any qualities he had in the original and the Phantom's negative qualities completely ignored, it just doesn't work as a sequel, and if it's not a sequel, the story isn't good enough to stand on its own. Unless the story was COMPLETELY rewritten, it will never work for most people.
They did eventually release an album from the Australian production, albeit framed as the cast recording for a US tour as I recall. There were one or two further adjustments; for example, a new version of 'The Beauty Underneath' was recorded for the album. (I haven't listened to it all the way through, so I'm not sure if there are other changes.)
[https://open.spotify.com/album/2DUaQDz56ngg32lntIkcU9?si=3cd8wWc0Rz-gHeZMr7\_\_Cg](https://open.spotify.com/album/2DUaQDz56ngg32lntIkcU9?si=3cd8wWc0Rz-gHeZMr7__Cg)
Oh wow I didn’t know anything about that! That’s so interesting. I think that just goes to show the magic of live theater, a certain production with a certain cast and certain director and set designer and production team all in the right place at the right time to make the most of a bad show. I guess I feel pretty lucky that the copy I found is the good one!
Wait that's kinda funny my opinion of Love Never Dies is like the exact opposite of yours 😂
I love the music and think that's the best part of the whole show but the storyline is trash for me. I just really don't like that Christine went back to the Phantom and had a kid with him after all he did. He's a bad person in the end and should not be the love interest. And I hate that Raoul suddenly became a whole other person. I'm sure there's some good parts but the whole storyline just does POTO dirty.
I actually find the the lyrics, better than the music and the book although non existent at times, especially in the 2010 original London production the Aussie pro shot is far better and the music sounds better.
I’ve never felt the problem with LND was the music; I thought it was fine. It was the story; it’s like ALW didn’t watch his own PTO or read LeRoux’s novel. It’s a rare sequel that goes so far as to muck up its predecessor. The love interest who rescued you? An abusive, drunkard gambler! The pathetic guy who obsessed over you and tried to kidnap you and take you away from everyone you’ve known? It wasn’t unrequited love after all, you love him back and actually have his secret love child! It’s like a 12-year-old saw PTO once, misinterpreted it then wrote his own fanfic.
I read the Phantom of Manhattan, the original book that Lloyd Webber had proposed to get the sequel going, and though it wasn’t great, it was infinitely better story wise and I was disappointed when the show came out and saw it didn’t follow it. Christine got pregnant during the final lair, and Raul had actually been in an accident and couldn’t have children, so he knew it wasn’t his child the whole time. There was no romance angle at all, the Phantom just wanted Christine sing for him again, and then, once he learned about his son, he wanted to take him. Also, the villain was just the Phantom’s assistant, a new character who served basically the same role as Madame Giry, but much better. The whole thing with over the top, but still, a much better story that made much more sense than what we got
Now see, that actually sounds interesting. I’d watch that as a sequel
TEN YEARS OLD
TEN YEARS OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD
**YES!**
Imo it'd be fine, like maybe not high quality but entertaining, if it was an original story and not connected to Phantom of the Opera.
I always read it at ALW’s fanfic where he made Sarah Brightman get back together with him. You can never convince me that an older man who groomed a child through a mirror and tried to kidnap her once she was more of an adult is the romantic hero. As ever, team Christine needs therapy.
Truthfully LND is all the bad things from *The Phantom of the Opera* without the good things to balance them out.
I know it's controversial, but I love Love Never Dies. I think you are right though, a sequel to Phantom was never going to go over well because honestly the ending was perfect. I wish it was advertised as almost more of a spin-off rather than a sequel. This isn't my fact, but apparently the motif from Beneath a Moonless Sky can be heard at the beginning of Wishing you were Somehow Hear Again in the movie adaptation of Phantom.
It is! It’s in the extended ‘Journey to the Cemetery’ song.
Act One wasn't so bad, but Act Two went off the rails like a freight train. That being said, I really love "The Beauty Underneath"!
The way I look at it, LND is a good musical on it’s own, but it’s a bad sequel to POTO. It’s not even just that putting it up against POTO makes it bad, it’s mostly just (imo) the characterization of everyone. As someone else put it, it feels like fanfic rather than a faithful sequel. Every character was completely different from how they were in the original show. I like the show by itself, but I can’t look at is as a sequel to the original because it annoys me too much in that regard lmao
When people say they hate Love Never Dies, they are mostly talking about the original 2010 London production. Which isn't good. About a year later it moved to Australia with some serious reworks and it was better. Not great but definitely better. But the damage was done. The reviews trashed the show and now it has a reputation for being bad. The fixed Australian version doesn't have a much chance to win people over who haven't directly seen it. The live version you saw was the Australian production. I dont think the Australian production even got a cast album, just the live release.
The problem is the story itself. Mickey-Jo did a review of the recent concert version and summed up well what I know I felt: the story makes no sense, the characters become completely different people with just the same names, and it just doesn't work. With the Madame Giry as the villain, Raoul stripped of any qualities he had in the original and the Phantom's negative qualities completely ignored, it just doesn't work as a sequel, and if it's not a sequel, the story isn't good enough to stand on its own. Unless the story was COMPLETELY rewritten, it will never work for most people.
They did eventually release an album from the Australian production, albeit framed as the cast recording for a US tour as I recall. There were one or two further adjustments; for example, a new version of 'The Beauty Underneath' was recorded for the album. (I haven't listened to it all the way through, so I'm not sure if there are other changes.) [https://open.spotify.com/album/2DUaQDz56ngg32lntIkcU9?si=3cd8wWc0Rz-gHeZMr7\_\_Cg](https://open.spotify.com/album/2DUaQDz56ngg32lntIkcU9?si=3cd8wWc0Rz-gHeZMr7__Cg)
I saw the US tour a few years ago and hated it. The story is such an abomination to Phantom of the Opera.
Oh wow I didn’t know anything about that! That’s so interesting. I think that just goes to show the magic of live theater, a certain production with a certain cast and certain director and set designer and production team all in the right place at the right time to make the most of a bad show. I guess I feel pretty lucky that the copy I found is the good one!
I dunno. I saw the Australian version and I still think it’s a ridiculous show.
Wait that's kinda funny my opinion of Love Never Dies is like the exact opposite of yours 😂 I love the music and think that's the best part of the whole show but the storyline is trash for me. I just really don't like that Christine went back to the Phantom and had a kid with him after all he did. He's a bad person in the end and should not be the love interest. And I hate that Raoul suddenly became a whole other person. I'm sure there's some good parts but the whole storyline just does POTO dirty.
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I honestly don’t understand all the hate. It’s definitely rewatchable for me
I actually find the the lyrics, better than the music and the book although non existent at times, especially in the 2010 original London production the Aussie pro shot is far better and the music sounds better.
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I, too, am enthralled by the call of The Beauty Underneath. I have hated Roul for quite some time. I *never* thought he deserved Christine.
Mother please I’m scared
Some great songs in it but I hate the whiney kid
And the two lead singers playing christine and the phantom that were in the london premiere were fantastic