Phantom: Love Never Dies - A Phantom of the Opera Sequel?
According to our friends over at IESB.net, they are reporting that the sequel trend is hitting broadway and Andrew Lloyd Webber is on the wagon. The legendary composer plans on a sequel to the hit, Phantom of the Opera, with a new sequel tentatively titled, Phantom: Love Never Dies.
According to the website, Webber spoke to the Times of London regarding the production and its supposed 3 city opening towards the end of 2009 in New York, London and Shanghai and said,
“I don’t think you could do this if it wasn’t the sequel to Phantom … We’ve been into the feasibility of rehearsing three companies at once and opening very fast in the three territories. The one which really interests me [in the Far East] would be China … I think to open Love Never Dies in Shanghai would be an enormous thing.”
According to the article the plot of the sequel is set a decade or so after the first installment, during which time the Phantom has relocated from the Paris Opéra of Gaston Leroux’s original novel to Coney Island in Brooklyn, at the time a hugely popular beach-side amusement resort for New Yorkers.
“It was the place,” said Lloyd Webber. “Even Freud went because it was so extraordinary … people who were freaks and oddities were drawn towards it because it was a place where they could be themselves.”
The Phantom would also be united with Christine, the “Swedish” soprano we all know. Lastly, Webber has his Phantom in mind but wouldn’t divulge to the times who it would be.
“We are pretty clear who our Phantom is going to be - I can’t say who,” Webber said.
The Times said possible candidates for the role include Hugh Jackman or Gerard Butler, who played the Phantom in the 2004 film version of the musical.
Jackman’s next stint on broadway is currently to portray Harry Houdini. Butler would be a nice choice but I think lots of people had problems with his voice in the 2004 film version. Certainly he would be my best bet for the stage and the Hollywood version which will come soon enough, most likely after its stint on Broadway after the reception hits and Hollywood can assess if it is worth making or not.
