Musicals Extend: Love Post Oliviers & Wicked

Hot on the heels of receiving seven Laurence Olivier nominations, more than any other in this year’s awards, Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s follow-up to blockbuster musical The Phantom of the Opera, has extended its booking period by eight months at the West End’s Adelphi Theatre, where it had its premiere on 9 March 2010 (previews from 20 February) and is now taking bookings through to 14 January 2012.
The cast is led by Ramin Karimloo as the eponymous masked man and Sierra Boggess as his muse Christine, who have been nominated for Best Actor in a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical in both this year’s Olivier and Whatsonstage.com Awards (where Karimloo will also be performing on 20 February).

The action is 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…

Music is by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Glenn Slater. Love Never Dies is directed by Jack O’Brien, designed by Bob Crowley and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.

In other musical extension news, at the Apollo Victoria, a multiple Whatsonstage.com Award winner Wicked has just opened its 11th booking period and is now taking bookings through to 28 April 2012.

The Broadway musical, which opened in London on 27 September 2006 (previews from 6 September), tells the “untold story” of the Witches of Oz – popular blonde Glinda, aka the Good Witch of the North, and her spin-victim friend Elphaba – who were both immortalised in the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz. The musical has a book by Winnie Holtzman, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. It’s directed by Joe Mantello.

Wicked has now played over 1800 performances and grossed in excess of £120 million at the UK box office. After winning five Whatsonstage.com Awards in its opening year, last year scooped our prize for long-runners, Best West End Show, for which it’s nominated again this year. The London company is currently led by Rachel Tucker as the green-skinned Elphaba, Louise Dearman as Glinda, and, from this week Mark Evans as Fiyero.