Theatre News

Love Never Dies Shuts Four Days for Changes

| London's West End |

21 October 2010

Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s long-awaited sequel to Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies has confirmed that it will take four nights off in November to make changes to the show, ending months of speculation surrounding the subject.

The news comes soon after Love Never Dies, which opened on 3 March 2010 (previews from 20 February), announced a four month extension to its booking period and is now selling tickets until 28 May 2011 at the West End’s Adelphi Theatre.

Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, the show’s producer’s, today released a statement saying: “Some changes were written up over the summer and destined for the Australian production, and as they make improvements to the show we’d be mad not to put them into the Adelphi.”

Ticket holders for the four affected performances, from 22 to 25 November 2010, are advised to contact their ticket agents.

Today also saw the official announcement that the next worldwide production of Love Never Dies would open in Melbourne, Australia in May 2011. Tickets will go on sale for the show on 25 October 2010, with Australian auditions starting on the same day. Lloyd Webber, speaking at the Australian press launch by video link from London, said the production would have “its own, unique, Australian stamp”, and be directed by Melbourne’s Simon Phillips with new design by Sydney-based Gabriela Tylesova.

As previously reported, it is believed that Craig Revel Horwood will direct the show’s Toronto production, which is still to be officially announced, following his successful 2008 Watermill production of Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard which transferred to the West End’s Comedy Theatre in December 2008, running until April 2009.

The current West End cast is led by Ramin Karimloo as the eponymous masked man with Sierra Boggess as his muse Christine. Set in 1907, 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 the fairgrounds of 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 London production was originally directed by Jack O’Brien, designed by Bob Crowley and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. O’Brien and Mitchell are currently working together on the screen-to-stage musical adaptation of Catch Me If You Can which will open on Broadway on 10 April (previews from 7 March 2011).