Love Never Dies -Adelphi Theatre, London 2010

As the first (well second) preview draws near a week from today (I aint holding my breath!) here is a thread for all things 'to die for'!

For such a big show these boards have been very quiet of late and only in the last week have things opened up a bit.

Here is an article from The Independent On Sunday, 14th Feb 20110
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/phantoms-stage-return-delayed-by-technical-glitches-1899129.html

Here is an article from The Sunday Telegraph, 14th Feb 2010.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/7236188/Preview-of-Love-Never-Dies-The-Phantom-of-the-Opera-sequel-cancelled.html

I can't WAIT for the 27th!!!! Can't come round soon enough, im expecting something amazing so hopefully it will live up to the hype.

Is it just me, or is this the most anticipated show London has had for a long time? I think so, it already has seven, yes count them 7 different threads just on the current thread page!

Not sure if that equates to it being the most anticipated. There isn't that much else around is there?

I don't think so... The public are hardly going nuts or even theatre fans. Intreguied and interested yes and more so than most new shows.... but I would say the likes of Guys and Dolls, Billy Elliot, Wicked, Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing had much more hype and actual sold advance

Agreed Anything Goes, I'd have thought there would be more general 'hype' around it by now, it feels like a more 'wait and see' production.

Reccent years have seen far higher anticipation for shows-Wicked, Legally Blonde etc as for the advance I think Joe Public will wait till the reviews are in and maybe theatre fans have held back thinking it wasn't worth rushing to see-personally I've waited to give it a chance to 'settle in' and (hopefully) avoid technical faults.

My short term memory must be failing me, I do not remember much anticipation for Legally Blonde, apart from doing a charity programme appearance, however this what made the show so good. I thought I see this and be really disappointed, I thought Duncan James would get a good kicking on here, especially by me. Sometime it is good to say you are wrong.

Legally Blonde had alot of hype running up to its opening, at least for theatre folks.

Love Never Dies is the only big scale new musical which isn't a transfer from Broadway or somewhere else to open in London for a very long time. Heck I actually can't remember the last time. Priscilla/Sister Act and Blonde were all transfers from other parts of the globe.

Sister Act was tried out in Los Angeles and Atlanta, so tecnically it made its world debut in the West End.

I do not remember that much hype for Legally Blonde.

Your memory is short for a premiere opening of a show, you have to remember that blunderbuss at the Comedy last year.

These are 5 set and costume designs that were released in the Telegraph on Sunday, that I thought I would share with you all from Love Never Dies


1) Inside the Gates of the Phantom's home, Phantasma. Based on the original photographs of Coney Island, but made to look more dream like. On either side is the famous roller coaster, the remains of which still exist today!


2) This iconic American Figure appears at the gates of Phantasma.


3) The Tattooed face of a character called Squelch, one of the freaks the Phantom has rescued and transformed into a thing of extreme beauty!


4) Costume design for Meg, the leading showgirl known as the "Ooh la la girl"


5) A half bird, half woman aerialist called Fleck. The peacock image was used alot by the Art Nouveau movement, particularly artists like Aubrey Beardsley.

I'm not blown away, I want to be but I'm not.

I love roller coaster's, try keeping me off them, but I've a feeling my ride on the Phantoms roller coaster may end in disaster as did my second time on the Big One in Blackpool!

The original Coney Island Roller Coaster


The parts of the roller coaster are not part of the the ride that existed back in era that the show takes place in. What is preserved there today and has been declared a National Monument is from 1927.

Why do I feel like there is an element of desperation about all of this?

I don't know - I just don't feel much hype for it, despite the Daily Mail certainity. Ticket agents are reporting no call for it and at the moment uncertainty with buying up tickets in advance.

No real casting to get hugely excited about and the artwork so far I would say generally the verdict is a miss.

It could go crazy next week when performances start... but until then I really don't know how this will pan out

I've just listened to al the 30 sec clips that have ben released and I a just left cold.
I'm not sure if the public want this very 1980s slushy love stuff these days.
I'll be seeing this March 8th and I feel no excitement whatsoever after this listening.

I have a feeling this might do a 'Sunset' and have a serious re-think before the Broadway opening...

I wont be listening to the complete CD of this, the one night sitting in a theatre seat will be enough for me.

I have to admit if I didnt know people in the cast I wouldnt be that interested. Its purely the cast lineup that impresses and interests me.

Where are the 30sec clips?

... and oh my god it's projection again! I don't care how good the technology is, I want theatre on stage, not a film!

God... how I hate projections =_=
The whole cast & crew seems to be the best in the industry or at least the 'hottest' in the industry but I have a bad feeling... the result won't be as good as expected... maybe abit like Maguerite, everything individually is great, but somehow put together just doesn't quite work ~

Or Desperately Seeking Susan, meaning all teh workshops etc had strong word of mouth but something went wrong between there and opening night.

Here is the marquee. There was still scaffolding when I took the photo, so there might be a bit more to it now. The twinkling lights above the mask are pretty.

With all those people at the top of their game, they're still trying to do this

Where did you all see that they are using alot of projections? was there an article? I missed it and i am interested in these things