As mentioned in my previous post I decided to follow through and write a little something about Love Never Dies. I have this musical freshly in my mind from watching it just last night. I wouldn't read this if you intend to watch the musical. The version I am going off of is the recorded production from the Melbourne cast which stars Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne, not to be confused with the original London cast starring Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess.
(Maybe not so) Quick Synopsis: Madame and Meg Giry smuggle the Phantom out of Paris and into New York where they create Mr. Y's Phantasma, an amusement park at Coney Island. They have become devoted to him and all they want is his attention. This goes on for ten long years and the Phantom longs to see and hear Christine just one more time. He lures her into performing at his park. Christine arrives with her son Gustave and husband Raoul, a now alcoholic gambler. The Phantom reveals himself to Christine and through song we find out that the two of them made love the night before Christine's wedding. The Phantom sees that Christine has a son. Through manipulation and threats, Christine agrees to sing for him.
Meg, Madame Giry, Raoul, and Christine reunite while Gustave creeps off to meet Mr. Y (the Phantom). Meg realizes that Christine took her spot in the performance line up. Meanwhile, while listening to Gustave play the piano it clicks for the Phantom that Gustave is the Phantom's son. He shows him all of his people/creatures he keeps for his show which Gustave finds beautiful. When he believes that Gustave will accept his "beauty underneath" he takes his mask off which Gustave does NOT find beautiful and screams and runs away. Christine finds him and the Phantom tells her he knows it's his son. He tells her to leave and never tell their son who the real father is. She promises not to tell but she decides to still sing. Madame Giry over hears the Phantom say that all he has will go to his son. Madame Giry is NOT pleased.
Raoul is found in the bar, wondering how and why Christine still loves him. Meg comes in after her daily swim and warns Raoul to not let Christine sing; if she does he will possess her once more, as he has now done with Meg. Raoul finally runs into the Phantom and they make a deal: if Christine doesn't sing, the Phantom will let them go and pay off their debts caused by Raoul's gambling. However, if Christine sings, Raoul leaves alone.
Raoul tries to convince Christine not to sing if she still loves him right before she's due on stage while in her dressing room. Christine tells Raoul to go find Gustave, she needs to think. The Phantom interrupts her thinking and it is his turn to convince her to sing. Christine is conflicted.
Meg does her performance and her mother tells her that the Phantom wasn't there for her performance; he was with Christine. She tells her of their son and Meg panics.
The Phantom and Raoul wonder what Christine will do, as does Madame Giry. Gustave is wandering around. Meg grabs Gustave and takes him away.
Christine is on stage with both the Phantom and Raoul on opposite sides of her in the wings. She sings. Raoul leaves. After the song she and the Phantom are reunited in their love. Raoul leaves Christine a note reading that he has left. Christine realizes that Gustave isn't around. They find out that Meg has taken him and find her on a bridge above the water with Gustave. When they (along with Madame Giry) reach her, she is holding Gustave out, hanging on the edge of the bridge. Meg reveals she has had a rough time doing all she can for the Phantom, including being paid to sleep with men. She gives them Gustave and takes out a gun and puts it to her head. The Phantom convinces her to lower the gun but then throws in the line "we can't all be like Christine". Meg panics once more and accidentally fires and shoots Christine. The Phantom runs to her, as does Gustave. Gustave says he's going to get father and Christine, against the Phantom's wish, tells him who his real father is. Gustave does not accept this and runs off. Christine and the Phantom share their last moments and have one final kiss and then she dies. Gustave comes back with Raoul and the Phantom hands over her dead body to Raoul. He walks to the end of the bridge and Gustave follows him. Gustave takes off his mask and touches his face, accepting his beauty underneath. The End.
Review Time: The concept of this play is strange and the ending is even stranger. The ending does get to me but the over all idea of this musical is crazy. Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW), in my opinion, should not have touched the brilliant masterpiece that is The Phantom of the Opera.
One thing I do like about this musical is it shows Christine made the wrong choice in choosing Raoul. The Phantom was in love with her and would have done anything for her. Perhaps his way of going about things wasn't the best choice but he did everything for Christine. That Christine sought him out and had sex with him the night before her wedding makes me happy. She would have chosen him if he hadn't left while she slept.
The timeline doesn't exactly line up with any version of the original show. In the recorded production of Love Nerver Dies, this show takes place in 1905. In other productions it takes place in 1907, which ALW says is roughly ten years after the Phantom of the Opera (POTO). However, in some productions of POTO when the year is stated, the show (excluding the auction scene) takes place in 1881. The new spectacular production says that the auction scene takes place in 1911 and the rest of the musical simply takes place in the late 19th century. The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Edition at the Royal Albert Hall states that the auction scene takes place in 1905. As clearly shown, no timeline matches up with all of these different productions of the show.
In this show the Phantom keeps strange people and creatures for his amusement park. The Phantom should be against that. The Phantom was in a show like this, put on display for people to gawk at. I don't believe the Phantom would be accepting of this sort of display of "freaks" as he was considered one himself. If I was put on display for all to see I would not put other people through that sort of humiliation.
I don't know why or how ALW came up with this idea, but I think it should have stayed in his head.
Cheers,
Shannon Faith
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