I can't seem to stop talking about the music for this show. For those of you that don't know, Love Never Dies is the sequel to the "musical" The Phantom Of The Opera, something that should not ever have been allowed in my eyes, but I really wanted to give the music from the show a chance, as Andrew Lloyd Webber usually does deliver.
However, that's really not the case here and its a shame because the two leads have beautiful voices, but sadly the lack of a cohesive and interesting storyline seem to weigh down the positives. Most of ALW's shows have several songs that stand out and that goes from Joseph through Aspects Of Love. This show only has two; Til I Hear You Sing and Love Never Dies.
To even try to appreciate this show you should try to ignore the book written by Gaston Leroux many many years ago, because Sir Andrew tramps all over that and tosses the scraps into the fire.
The show takes place around 1907 in Coney Island. That is the first WTF! The Phantom relocated there as part of a freak show, but his brilliant mind allows him to obtain a position of power and he invites Christine to sing @ the park. She is unaware of who has invited her so she arrives with husband Raoul and son Gustav.
Ramin Karimloo is wonderful as the Phantom. His voice is just as stunning as Michael Crawford's was back in the 80s. Sierra Bogguss is also marvelous in the role of Christien Daae. The problem isn't the singers. Its the songs and the fact the story goes where it shouldn't have gone, and that's the events that happen after the curtain fell on The Phantom Of The Opera.
Still, the show has its moments. One is the Phantom's Til I Hear You Sing.
I imagine if the show comes through Pittsburgh at some time, I'd go to see it, but I feel I'd be disappointed. The thing is, it seems like such a train wreck that I'd have to watch in total disbelief.
The only good thing is that the world will come to know Ramin's voice a bit better, and that's not a bad thing at all.
4 comments:
It pains me, because I love Andrew so very much & I hate that everything about this is so bad.
Well at least the Phantom is gorgeous. Did you grab the cast recording yet? Its you know where :)
Not yet. I'm very torn. On the one hand, I'll listen to nearly everything ALW puts out, & it sounds like it's not a total loss, but it's still a Phantom sequel. I could get behind it more if the story didn't totally blow, although I thought I heard it was based on a book that clearly wasn't written by Leroux & also clearly wasn't very good.
Its worth listening to. Critics are giving it mixed reviews. I think I actually need to buy a copy so I have the libretto, because with just the discs its really hard to tell what's going on. I have heard that the first 20 minutes are pretty damn boring.
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