Love Never Dies - all views allowed

phantom10906 wrote:Has Hal or Gillian ever registered an opinion on the thought of the sequel?

Prince on the sequel:

He says he and composer Lloyd Webber always agreed "the women in the audience had better regret" that the heroine Christine didn't stay with the Phantom.
"But of course that's not possible, because no one would believe it."
And it wouldn't have left room for the sequel..

Source: http://www.lvrj.com/neon/durable-phantom-anticipating-high-season-during-holidays-75766587.html

The topic of Boggess provided me a bridge to Love Never Dies, the bizarre Phantom sequel set in Coney Island that Andrew Lloyd Webber insists on foisting upon the world next year. Boggess is opening that, too, so this provided a segue. Yet Prince was noticeably mum on what he thought of Webber’s decision to revisit Phantom, saying only that he didn’t want to be involved because he believed in “leaving the original as it was.”
I’m as appalled as he (probably) is by this sequel, but at least I may yet get my justice in our debate. If Webber decides the Phantom spent the next several decades in mourning, how will Prince be able to claim the original wasn’t tragic?

Source: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2009/sep/17/dont-call-it-downer/

I hope Hal doesn't stage another musical for Webber after this.

ML6 wrote:I hope Hal doesn't stage another musical for Webber after this.

Extremely unlikely after what happened with Whistle Down the Wind...they weren't getting on at all.

Is it just me, or does ALW tend to alienate his most talented collaborators? Tim Rice, Hal Prince, Cameron Macintosh...nearly all artistic types have some sort of ego, but it's still a bad pattern...

~LCD

They have now painted the whole front of the adelphi black to go with the poster/logo, just came accross a pic on flikr

F this, I'm just going to go listen to Chess. I'm sorry I don't have anything really intelligent or constructive to contribute here, but this sequel business is finally getting to me. I've been trying to remain positive or at least neutral to the whole thing, but that's no longer working out so well. I'm not an E/C person. I was willing to tolerate an E/C sequel if there was good music, if the story itself was compelling. If it worked. Now I'd settle for anything that made a bit of sense, but it looks like logic has been tossed out the window. Does Andrew Lloyd Webber not know the characters he developed in the original musical? Seriously?

I could put up with mediocre music, rehashed scores etc. But it's the complete destruction of characters that makes me want to throw up. Raoul is a drunk and an ass. Christine is somehow under the impression that the Phantom left her all alone? And when in the *beep* did this alleged baby making take place, I ask!

I didn't hear any of the samples but if someone saved them or if these clips somehow pop up somewhere else, please let me know. I'm still morbidly fascinated by this. I guess I love being disappointed.

justin-from-barbados wrote:They have now painted the whole front of the adelphi black to go with the poster/logo, just came accross a pic on flikr

WHAT?! I'm going to have to go and check this out this week. That must be a sign they're expecting a long run...I bloody hope not.

AND REALLY USEFUL THEATRES, THAT BLACK PAINT SHOULD BE USED AT HER MAJESTY'S, NOT THE ADELPHI! ARRRRGH.

We are donating our own black paint to the cause at Her Majesty's Scorp

But I agree, The Adelphi actually looks depressing enough without it being all black, Her Majesty's at least looked classic.

I wondered, do we expect that the show, when it officially opens in March, will be very closely the same as the preview? Or could it possibly be much different?

Do shows tend to change much (or at all) between preview and first night?

This is getting so out of hand, it's almost scaring me.

DICE ARE ROLLING... THE KNIVES ARE OUT...

If this ends up being a flop, man, he has to come up with a Requiem Mass or something.

ML6 wrote:This is getting so out of hand, it's almost scaring me.

DICE ARE ROLLING... THE KNIVES ARE OUT...

DIDN'T I KNOW... HOW IT WOULD GO... IF I KNEW FROM THE START... WHY AM I FALLING APART

Yep, nerding out is my coping mechanism. Sorry. Carry on.

Mandrake wrote:I wondered, do we expect that the show, when it officially opens in March, will be very closely the same as the preview? Or could it possibly be much different?

Do shows tend to change much (or at all) between preview and first night?

You still planning to go? I'm praying someone will buy my tickets. Any sucker here want to pay me for tickets to this...beautiful sequel that I've been waiting for since forever? I just can't wait for it to close!

God knows how much they'll change. As it is I find it arrogant of RUG to a) charge full price at the previews and b) apparently think nothing will need to be changed before opening night, seeing as they've already made the recording. But I suppose it's fitting with the trend that they care sod all about their target audience.

Can you tell I'm getting really pissed off by this thing now?

Scorp calling Scorp, someone over on WOS wants tickets for the first preview. *Scuttles back out thread.*

Here's the pic..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aroberts/4343862984/

Nice - NOT!

So they'll paint Her Majesty's purple next? Since black is reserved for Phantom II, I mean...

Actually, I don't mind that facade. I must admit I'm not overly keen on Adelphi to begin with, it has too much movie house appearance (yes Scorp, I agree that it must have been perfect for Sunset Boulevard). But I expected the black facade to look hideous, and it's... well... definitely black and depressive, but not bad.

I think that Legally Blonde should have a 'pink' building, if LND gets a black one.

I find it campy. And I find the show campy, too.

ML6 wrote:I think that Legally Blonde should have a 'pink' building, if LND gets a black one.

Don't they have a glitter facade, though? I remember passing a theatre between Piccadilly and British Museum, and one of these new, cute musicals played there. Can it have been "legally Blonde"? Or maybe it was "Hairspray". O'hoy the facade glittered and was gay!

They do indeed have a glittery, streamer facade.

operafantomet wrote:I can't even be bothered to listed to the preview tracks.

That's how I felt for a few days, and now I guess they're down, but judging from your guys' comments, I wouldn't have wanted to listen to them.

I just heard a rumour that the first preview might be cancelled. Wouldn't surprise me, with the complicated-sounded sets this sounds like the Sunset Blvd fiasco all over again at the same venue.

I just realised I might be able to persuade the usually rude staff at the Adelphi to relieve me of the burden of those tickets to this show. How do returns work? Can I just claim I've bought tickets for a later show if they ask?

Scorp wrote:I just heard a rumour that the first preview might be cancelled. Wouldn't surprise me, with the complicated-sounded sets this sounds like the Sunset Blvd fiasco all over again at the same venue.

I just realised I might be able to persuade the usually rude staff at the Adelphi to relieve me of the burden of those tickets to this show. How do returns work? Can I just claim I've bought tickets for a later show if they ask?

First preview cancelled?! Yeah, return those tickets NOW Scorp! Too bad you couldn't have sold them.

As for the whole painting of buildings, we're not in Disney World where buildings need to be decorated to lure people inside. It think it'll look vastly out of place in London.

At least there is one track preview still floating around on the I-Webz. The all famed "Beauty Underneath".

[the song has been removed offically by the RUG - no more preview songs!]

WTF? That sounds absolutely terrible. I'm just speechless. The only words that come to mind seem to begin with f. That's not even a good song, regardless of what it's written for.

I froke out a little. It was actually awful. I'm shocked. I thought it was a prank at first. I listened to it again and heard those lyrics someone else mentioned and I was just beside myself. My brother is going to London to see Love Never Dies after it opens. I played the clip for him. He wants to scalp his tickets.

I didn't listen to the preview tracks because I refuse to pay for doing so. The only one I've listened to is "The Beauty underneath" on that youtube video. I think that song is hilarious. It's so bad that it's funny (except for the fact that it is part of ruining the Phantom's character). I'm not sad to see it be very bad beause I hope that will mean it will close quickly and be forgotten about. The whole thing surprises me though. On some level I thought that the show would have qualities. I might not agree with the story line and the point of making a sequel at all etc, but I didn't think that it would be so screwed up and mediocre in both music and story as to make no sense at all and still make it to a London opening night. And with established people in both the crew and the cast no less. I'm still wondering if there is something I'm missing, but it doesn't seem like it since we've got quite a lot of information so far and all of that seems really bad.

ETA: Scorp: I think it's a pity if you don't go to the preview. I would have been great to have someone there to let us know what it is like in its entirety. I understand that you don't want to waste your time and money on it though.

Phantomlove wrote:I didn't listen to the preview tracks because I refuse to pay for doing so. The only one I've listened to is "The Beauty underneath" on that youtube video. I think that song is hilarious. It's so bad that it's funny (except for the fact that it is part of ruining the Phantom's character). I'm not sad to see it be very bad beause I hope that will mean it will close quickly and be forgotten about. The whole thing surprises me though. On some level I thought that the show would have qualities. I might not agree with the story line and the point of making a sequel at all etc, but I didn't think that it would be so screwed up and mediocre in both music and story as to make no sense at all and still make it to a London opening night. And with established people in both the crew and the cast no less. I'm still wondering if there is something I'm missing, but it doesn't seem like it since we've got quite a lot of information so far and all of that seems really bad.

I think the preview clips were free, but otherwise I totally agree with you. I never listened through them (although I've been involuntarily introduced to "Beauty Underneath"... ), because it just doesn't... I dunno, it just doesn't spark anything inside of me. I seriously had no desire to listen to them.

Aaaaaw, you're all gonna love this!

I have a very cute uncle who's on Facebook. He tend to check what I'm up to and find silly/interesting background info on it. He got curious on what LND was, and sent me this:

Late Night Depression. Occurs when an otherwise happy person stays up later than they should with nothing to do. They get incredibly bored and start focusing on a somewhat insignificant negative aspect of their life such as missing cousins or not being with a certain girl(/guy).

Known cures include doing something to take your mind off things, thinking about other things, and, the most effective method, going to sleep.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lnd


LND Phantom, will you PLEASE get some sleep? Would have saved us from this whole travesty...

They were free? But at least the two first ones had price tags on them. Hm, I never bothered to check properly though so maybe I misread something.

SenorSwanky wrote:WTF? That sounds absolutely terrible. I'm just speechless. The only words that come to mind seem to begin with f. That's not even a good song, regardless of what it's written for.

That's the joy behind these LND songs. They're so bad that you can't help but feel the 'f' word come into play.

I think the prices were to download the whole song when it becomes available

The official website has been updated, so now we know who is featured in what songs - AND, where they take place. Who would have guessed that 'Devil Take the Hindmost' (with Raoul and the Phantom) takes place at a bar?

And, who would have guessed that the only people included in the end is Meg, Christine, the Phantom, Gustave, and Madame Giry? So the whole thing about Gustave being 'drowned' might turn out to be quite true.

http://www.loveneverdies.com/the-show/musical-numbers

So, be sadly rest assured, what we heard on Amazon was 100% real.