Love Never Dies – The Phantom Returns
The sequel to “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Love Never Dies – The Phantom Returns” opened last night at Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando as part of its 2017 North American Tour.
Andrew Lloyd Webber began working on the show in 1990 but it wasn’t until March 2010 that it made it’s debut in London. Unfortunately, the production was not well received and never made it to Broadway. The show underwent a series of re-writes that eventually led to an entirely new design team in Australia giving it new life and it’s this version that audiences in Central Florida can now see until 26th November.
The musical is set in 1907 and takes place 10 years after angry mobs stormed the Paris Opera and drove the Phantom out. He was smuggled to New York City aboard a freighter where he takes residence in a Coney Island side show, dubbed “Phantasma.” There, he oversees a different kind of theatrical spectacle populated by all sorts of weirdos and freaks and all that is missing is his true love Christine Daaé, now a world famous soprano.
The Phantom devises a plot to lure his muse with an invitation to perform in impresario Oscar Hammerstein’s new theater. She is joined by her husband, Raoul, a penniless drunk, and Gustave, her 10-year-old son. In a bait-and-switch, the Phantom agrees to wipe away the family’s debt if Christine will perform just one concert for him.
The family then becomes entangled in the phantom’s scheme as the audience learns that much more happened that one passionate night years ago in the dark sewers below the Paris Opera House.
The show keeps the audience engaged but it never hits the heights of the original it is based on. Sure, it’s a hard act to follow as a yearning to hear some of the majestic numbers from The Phantom of the Opera never disappears. The scenery changes are exciting, the costumes fantastic but overall, despite the excellent performances by the cast, the production just doesn’t hit the mark and you begin to understand why Broadway gave it a pass.
Tickets start at $34.25 and may be purchased online at drphillipscenter.org, by calling 844.513.2014 or by visiting the Dr. Phillips Center Box Office at 445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
- Where: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., Orlando
- When: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, Nov. 21-24; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25; 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26
- Cost: $34.25-$154.25
