I was out hunting for a Mother's Day gift the other week (Mother's Day is earlier here than in the US) when there on the shelf was the just released Australian production of 'Love Never Dies', the sequel to the incredibly successful Phantom of the Opera musical that celebrated its 25th anniversary with a recording of the Royal Albert Hall production. With both productions out on DVD you can watch and savour the whole saga in one evening.
My first taste of the show was through the LND original studio recording when it first came out on double album and I really liked it. A couple of songs became firm favorites: Till I Hear You Sing, Love Never Dies, Beneath a Moonless Night, Once Upon Another Time. The plan was to see it in London, but this got scuppered after luke warm reviews and a few changes it closed, with no Broadway transfer in sight.
The DVD is a recording of the Australian production that sets the Phantom in Coney Island ten years on from the events in the original. The music is at the core of this show, beautiful, rich, dramatic and very strong, that despite its broad canvas can be extremely moving and intimate. The scene in the hotel room with the Phantom and Christine was one such moment. The Phantom is acted excellently, as are all the roles.
The staging is seamless, revolving and changing, evoking a different world from the normal, which is of course what Coney island was. It seems to be made of bars and pipes, nothing solid and all mysterious, as are the trio who introduce Coney Island to us. Some of the songs evoke the period very well. It took me in from the beginning and through the ups and downs of the tale, with some wonderful moments along the way.
It is an original tale, that is not entirely adapted from another source material, as musicals tend to do. Original story musicals do have a history of being very difficult to realise. In recent times there have been a few, Next to Normal and 13 spring to mind, and both were excellent and set in the world of now. With LND, it is set over a 100 years ago.
The staging is seamless, revolving and changing, evoking a different world from the normal, which is of course what Coney island was. It seems to be made of bars and pipes, nothing solid and all mysterious, as are the trio who introduce Coney Island to us. Some of the songs evoke the period very well. It took me in from the beginning and through the ups and downs of the tale, with some wonderful moments along the way.
It is an original tale, that is not entirely adapted from another source material, as musicals tend to do. Original story musicals do have a history of being very difficult to realise. In recent times there have been a few, Next to Normal and 13 spring to mind, and both were excellent and set in the world of now. With LND, it is set over a 100 years ago.
This production might live again after the Australian run. I didn't see the London run, so I can't compare them. It is worth getting and having a look at, or if you are in Australia, and if it is still running, take a look. Having seen it on DVD, I would love to see it live, the way it was meant to be.
For more information, take a look at the official site for Love Never Dies.
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