Love Never Dies

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1 Love Never Dies - The Phantom Returns

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

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.

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.

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.