Has Love Never Dies Been Delayed Until 2010???

Phantom fans – aka Phans – will have to wait a little longer for Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s eagerly awaited sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. We can’t keep up with the various – and often contradictory – rumours we’ve been hearing from various industry sources about the show’s development (including re-orchestrations of the score, set redesigns, myriad names in the casting pots, simultaneous global openings etc etc), but, whatever’s happening behind the scenes (and, no doubt, that’s an awful lot!), it seems the premiere has definitely been delayed.

As previously tipped (See The Goss, 15 Apr 2009), there was strong indication that Love Never Dies would be officially announced on 7 May 2009, with the West End production expected to open at the Adelphi Theatre in September. But, obviously, the announcement didn’t happen last week, and the September opening is highly unlikely – according to latest speculation in the Daily Mail, it’s now more likely to be spring 2010.

An official website has been set up for the show at www.loveneverdies.com, but so far, there’s been no update there, bar Twitter updates from Phans around the world. Still, you can register to receive alerts when there is eventually some more concrete news. We’ll certainly be watching and waiting!

Love Never Dies is set ten years after the conclusion of the original story. The Phantom has escaped to New York with Madame and Meg Giry and found success in Coney Island as a magician and entertainer. When he builds a new opera house, he persuades his old ingenue Christine Daae, now a huge star and married to her old flame Raoul, to sing for him once more…

The parts of the Phantom and Christine have been developed in extensive workshops by Ramin Karimloo, currently playing the title role in the original production of The Phantom of the Opera at the West End’s Her Majesty’s Theatre, and American actress Sierra Boggess. Love Never Dies has a book by Ben Elton and lyrics by Glenn Slater. It’s directed by Jack O’Brien and designed by Bob Crowley.