I am a die hard fan of everything with Phantom of the Opera. My favorite Broadway musical of all time is Phantom and at one point I knew every single line and song by heart. If I ever get married, the song, "All I Ask of You" will be the song my husband and I dance to. I am so upset that Andrew Lloyd Webber has a sequel to Phantom coming out next year!!
A sequel to The Phantom Of the Opera is to open in three cities at the same time next year — making theatrical history. Andrew Lloyd Webber, the show’s composer, said 'the button is pushed' for the project. The musical — based on Gaston Leroux’s novel — opened 22 years ago with Michael Crawford in the title role.
Since then it has attracted 80 million theatregoers in 124 cities and taken more than £3.5billion at the box office. Lord Lloyd-Webber, 60, said the sequel, entitled Phantom: Love Never Dies, would be set a decade or so later, moving the action from the Paris Opera to Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.
In it, the Phantom is reunited with Christine, the Swedish soprano first played by Lord Lloyd-Webber’s wife at the time, Sarah Brightman.Lord Lloyd-Webber said he hoped to open the show in London, on Broadway and in an Asian city — possibly Shanghai — at the same time, something no other production has done.
'I don’t think you could do this if it wasn’t the sequel to Phantom,' he said.
'We have been into the feasibility of rehearsing three companies at once and opening in the three territories.'
'We have been into the feasibility of rehearsing three companies at once and opening in the three territories.'
Phantom: Love Never Dies has yet to be cast but he added: 'We are pretty clear who our Phantom is going to be — I can’t say who.'
WHY?!??! Why would Webber mess with the greatness of the Phantom?
Makes me wonder who will play the Phantom? Could it be the same man who played him in the movie?
"Kate, come be my music of the night!!!"Katiebabs (KB)
14 comments:
They are nuts! Phantom is my all time fave too! So much so, I saw it 10 times on Broadway. How can they do a sequel to perfection?
I only just recently watched the movie version last month. I really enjoyed it. Then I read the erotic retelling by Collette Gale...ahem...I think I liked that version better :)!
I have never seen the muscial, but I have seen the movie and it's one of my favorites. When I heard about the sequel I almost gagged. What are they thinking? Idiots! :)
Haha Yeah Colette Gale's version would be alot more interesting.
I don't like that idea. Reuniting, what the hell...
Hmmmmm, I'm of two minds on this. It's my second all time favourite musical (the first being Les Mis) - I saw it 3 times at the Pantages theatre in Toronto, saw the movie twice, own the DVD and two different CD's and like you I think I know almost every single word so I love, love, love it too! And while it's a masterpiece, based on a classic book, and logic says you don't mess with a classic (sequel to GWTW anyone?)still - as one who was routing for the Phantom, it would be kind of interesting to see where they might take it. After all the way it ended was kind of ambiguous - a much older Raoul buying the music box, the gravestone of Christine, the rose. After the way the Phantom just disappeared when the crowd was after him, did he let go of his obsession with Christine? Did she and Raoul get married soon after or did the Phantom find her? Did she grow bored with rather bland Raoul?
Inquiring minds may want to know these things :)
Some things should just be left alone. But that is IMHO, and what do I know?
interesting...but as much as i love that show, I tend to think you don't mess with success. Still, I would be curious to know "the rest of the story". And it's a shame to cover Gerard's face. He's wasted in that role, imo. ;)
Kristie, I love Les Mis too and my very first time to see the show, I was super lucky because Colm Wilkerson, the man who freakin' originated the role of Jean Valjean, JUST HAPPENED to be in town and thought he'd play the role for the night. omg, it was so awesome. That last note of "Bring him home"....sublime. *sigh*
Christine is not meant to be with the Phantom, even if he did look like Gerry! So in the sequel, is Raoul dead or Christine has always loved the Phantom? Even in the Broadway show, she never had lustful feelings for the Phantom, he was more of a father figure, if anything else.
They romanticized the Phantom way too much. If you read the original book the Phantom was a pitiful psycho.
Kristie: You thought Raoul was bland? I guess next to a voice like the Phantom he couldn't compete.
ROTFL - well - when you compare him to Gerard Butler - the answer would be
'Uh, yeeeaaahhhh'
*laughing*
Enough with sequels already! I'm not sure if it would work, but it's not the first - I heard that they're planning a sequel to "Hairspray," too.
As for Gerard Butler. I'm sorry, but he was a TERRIBLE Phantom. The complete opposite of what the Phantom was supposed to be - an ugly man with a beautiful voice. Gerard, obviously, is a gorgeous man with a middling-to-average voice.
Err... Totally don't get the sequel idea. Maybe he's thinking of better time since just about everything he has done since stunk!
Kristie/Sula: I too am in the Les Mes camp!
KB: I agree. Lon Chaney's Phantom was probably closer to the book.
June: So agree. He'll be wearing a mask anyway so what's the point of having a good-looking guy to play the phantom. Let's just hope that the guy can sing and has a nice butt since we are more likely to see that!
Well Kristie, when you put it that way, no man can compete with Gerry! Even though I thought Patrick Wilson as Raoul was pretty good.
I wonder if Webber stuck closer to the book, making the Phantom so horrible, would he be such the seductive hero we make him to be?
No one can compete with Michael Crawford. That man is near 70 and he still makes me tingle.
I think that it is a wonderful idea to make a sequel. You know if ALW writes the music then it will be fantastic. I vote go Andrew go. Don't listen to those other people.
I'll have to openly admit I don't like musicals or operas. However, my friends convinced me to see Phantom of the Opera in the early 90s. Okay, the song 'music of the night' makes shivers go down my back so that might have brought me in also.
I do know that when the curtain closed on the final act I turned to my friend and said 'great, there's going to be a sequel to this mess'. I just remember the boat scene seemed to go on and on and on.
So I saw the potential of a sequel back then and I think it is because the Phantom was shown as a romantic hero (dark just the way I like 'em) and not like the psycho you describe.
And no. I refused to watch the movie. Bad Cindy.
I just feel bad for those people who loved the story as it was. Like many have said, you don't mess with perfection (StarWars episodes 1,2,3?)
So I'll support you in you ire ;)
Cindys
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