LOVE NEVER DIES - US Tour- Page 13

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/12/18 at 8:18am

ArtMan said: "dmwnc1959, After reading your review, I was reminded that the current tour is using different artwork than when I saw it in London. I actually have a framed leaflet with the original artwork ( black n whitewith the face), which I like alot better. The current artwork is kind of generic to me and my framing /mat came out really good with that spooky face."

I much prefer the original London artwork as well. I particularly liked the marquee outside the Adelphi Theatre with the white automaton face (ALW had illegally painted the entire exterior facade of the theatre black, which really made the marquee pop, but they fined him for doing it and made him restore the original exterior color). I'm so happy to have the lobby card, program, t-shirt, and coffee mug from that production; their artwork is completely different from what the U.S. tour is selling, and the London merchandise is now so rare that they're virtually collector's items.

[taragel2]

Posted: 1/12/18 at 10:00am

They both were in the first night in Providence. We saw it on Tuesday evening, December 26.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/12/18 at 2:01pm

I think the mask is diamond studded to suggest more glitzy Cony Island element of the story within the artwork with the bed of roses suggesting the romantic side, though personally I don't find the show very romantic. Love Never Dies is missing an "All I Ask of You" type song. No one is really "in love" in this show. The Phantom is still just obsessed, Meg is deranged, Raul is a drunk and Christine is understandably perplexed by the whole thing.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/12/18 at 2:36pm

Love Never Dies is missing an "All I Ask of You" type song. No one is really "in love" in this show.

The Christine/Raoul relationship in POTO was the least interesting and least developed aspect of the show that mostly consisted of that song and some superficial melodramatic bits.  LND didn't need a love duet or that cliched minuscule subplot.  It was replaced with the relationship of Christine and Gustave.

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/12/18 at 2:44pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Love Never Dies is missing an "All I Ask of You" type song. No one is really "in love" in this show."

Then why does it need an "All I Ask of You" type song?

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/12/18 at 3:18pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Love Never Dies is missing an "All I Ask of You" type song. No one is really "in love" in this show."

Interesting topic.  To me the real love in this is between Christine and Gustav - and "Look with your heart" would qualify as the appropriate Mother/son song

[A Director]

Posted: 1/13/18 at 4:55am

Listen to the original version of the show's title song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxF69wON2oc

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/13/18 at 10:21am

A Director said: "Listen to the original version of the show's title song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxF69wON2oc"

Interesting and sure you can hear a few notes in succession that are the same, but overall ALW took this in a different direction

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/13/18 at 10:36am

I think it’s interesting that the parts of “The Beauty Underneath” that were changed are the same sections that people noted as being repurposed from “A New Argentina.”

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/13/18 at 2:58pm

Watching the DVD for the first time in awhile - and falling in love with the score once again.  So happy this is touring the US.

One question for those who've seen the tour in  the opening scene (Till I hear you sing) does Christine's image in the portrait do the weird trick of moving around?

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 1/14/18 at 7:56am

chernjam said: "One question for those who've seen the tour in the opening scene (Till I hear you sing) does Christine's image in the portrait do the weird trick of moving around?"

At this point I’m more or less confirming to myself that we must have had a “technical malfunction” of some sort. During the performance I attended there was a screen in place before the show started with a sunrise image on it. Once the Phantom started singing you could see him through the screen, and that he was singing to a portrait, but those of us in the balcony, even in the front row, couldn’t see the majority of the portrait or the image on it. I knew it was of Christine from the preview video I had seen, but did every one else? The screen did not raise until he finished singing and when Gangle, Squelch, and Fleck appeared out from under the removed platform and untangled themselves at the beginning of “The Coney Island Waltz” sequence. 

 

Updated On: 1/14/18 at 07:56 AM

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 1/14/18 at 3:07pm

dmwnc1959 said: "At this point I’m more or less confirming to myself that we must have had a “technical malfunction” of some sort.During the performance I attended there was a screen in place before the show started with a sunrise image on it.Once the Phantom started singing you could see him through the screen, and that he was singing to a portrait, but those of us in the balcony, even in the front row, couldn’t see the majority of the portrait or the image on it.I knew it was of Christine from the preview video I had seen, but did every one else? The screen did not raise until he finished singing and when Gangle, Squelch, and Fleck appeared out from under the removed platform and untangled themselves at the beginning of “The Coney Island Waltz” sequence."

Not a technical malfunction.  I saw the evening performance January 7 and it started the same way. I did find it an odd choice of direction to play the the entire beginning of the production behind that scrim, especially since (like you mentioned) it blocks the view of the Christine portrait from being seen upstairs. It would be different to keep it in place if it was used for projections, like the original London production had.  I thought the half-mask/curtain in place at the beginning of intermission was much more visually exciting to look at, but it was quickly replaced by that boring black scrim with the "sun" outline on it again.

For those who haven't seen the tour yet, this is the "sun" scrim which is present pre-show, and for the majority of intermission:



The stage as it looks for the first minute or two of intermission:

Updated On: 1/14/18 at 03:07 PM

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 1/14/18 at 3:18pm

GREAT pictures! Thanks for posting them. I usually take pictures pre-show but was so unimpressed with that scrim (now that I know what it’s called) I didn’t bother. Wish I had taken one at intermission now. Ive done that before at other shows. 

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/14/18 at 3:43pm

OK - that scrim makes no sense at all...And that they rush the half-mask back to that makes even less sense (reminds me of the Act I finale of Sunset Blvd revival with the stage-length scrim of Normas face that they took away within 30 seconds) 

I thought the moving portrait of Christine was one of the coolest things from the Australian production... hope that if this does end up in NY that they rethink some of these things

 

Thanks for those pictures

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/16/18 at 8:55am

A Director said: "Listen to the original version of the show's title song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxF69wON2oc"

That hardly constitutes "the original version of the show's title song".

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/16/18 at 9:03am

chernjam said: "One question for those who've seen the tour in the opening scene (Till I hear you sing) does Christine's image in the portrait do the weird trick of moving around?"

I don't recall the image of Christine moving in the portrait (as it does on the DVD), but it could be that I was more focused on the Phantom's performance of the song.

I agree with those who've mentioned the curious decision to use the stylized "sunburst" scrim before the show starts and during the interval, and especially throughout the opening number. It's a very drab-looking design that seems to have no particular connection with the show, and it makes "Till I Hear You Sing" look dull. I don't see the point.

[mozgrrl]

Posted: 1/16/18 at 10:06am

Question, and sorry if this has been asked before. I just opened my POTO 25th Anniversary box set and was delighted to see a CD of LND with Ramin & Sierra. Was this CD of the original cast ever actually released or was it only a special thing for the box set?

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/16/18 at 10:21am

mozgrrl said: "Question, and sorry if this has been asked before. I just opened my POTO25th Anniversary box set and was delighted to see a CD of LND with Ramin & Sierra. Was this CD of the original cast ever actually released or was it only a special thing for the box set?"

That was the Original Concept Album (it was recorded before LND World Premiere in London, so there were a lot of changes to the score since, most notably the prologue being gone and the moving around of songs)

I think they might have repackaged it for the box set - but if I remember correctly its the same recording that's already been released

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/16/18 at 11:33am

chernjam said: "That was the Original Concept Album (it was recorded before LND World Premiere in London, so there were a lot of changes to the score since, most notably the prologue being gone and the moving around of songs)"

One correction - the opening "Prologue/The Coney Island Waltz" on the CD remained largely intact when the show first opened in London. The only segment on the CD that was not in the show upon opening was "That's the Place that you Ruined, You Fool!" (which alludes to a "fire that destroyed everything", something that doesn't happen in the show). The opening sequence was modified slightly when the show reopened after the wave of rewrites (the staging of "The Coney Island Waltz" was revised), but it was not removed entirely until the Australian production.

I thought the original opening was stunning and I do not care for the relocation of "Till I Hear You Sing" to the top of the show.

Updated On: 1/16/18 at 11:33 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/16/18 at 11:39am

mozgrrl said: "Question, and sorry if this has been asked before. I just opened my POTO25th Anniversary box set and was delighted to see a CD of LND with Ramin & Sierra. Was this CD of the original cast ever actually released or was it only a special thing for the box set?"

Does it include the behind-the-scenes "making of" DVD for LND?

Updated On: 1/16/18 at 11:39 AM

[mozgrrl]

Posted: 1/16/18 at 11:57am

Lot666 said: "mozgrrl said: "Question, and sorry if this has been asked before. I just opened my POTO25th Anniversary box set and was delighted to see a CD of LND with Ramin & Sierra. Was this CD of the original cast ever actually released or was it only a special thing for the box set?"

Does it include the behind-the-scenes"making of" DVD for LND?"

No, unfortunately it does not.

It includes a DVD with 2 ALW interviews (one with just him and one with Andrew/Sarah before POTO official opening), MOTN original video, Wishing video, POTO w Steve H video, some footage from 10,000th performance in London w MC and ALW making an appearance at curtain, and a Sarah/Antonio Banderas performance (which was awkward) and Sarah/Michael Ball performance. Some of the videos look horrible, especially the 10,000th...it literally looks like an iphone video.

They included the original cast double CD (assuming it's the remastered version, but I haven't listened to it yet), and the LND double CD with Ramin & Sierra (which I was happy to get). There is a really cool numbered POTO collectable coin in there, a copy of the original Her Majesty's playbill and the 25th anniversary hard cover book. Pretty cool little box of stuff. :)

 Where can you see the "behind the scenes" LND's video??? I'd love to see that.

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/16/18 at 12:27pm

mozgrrl said: "Where can you see the "behind the scenes" LND's video??? I'd love to see that."

It's included in the "Deluxe Edition" of the LND concept recording CD. I pre-ordered this version back when ALW first announced the show (2010?), but I assume what Amazon is selling is still the same product.

It's been a while since I've watched it, but if I recall correctly, it includes interviews with some members of the creative team, footage of the construction of some key set pieces (the "ghost horse" carriage sticks out in my mind), and footage of Ms. Boggess and Mr. Karimloo recording the album in the studio with ALW.

Updated On: 1/16/18 at 12:27 PM

[Pithyaspromised]

Posted: 1/17/18 at 10:02am

ArtMan said: "I am surprised that no one has given their review about Gardar's performance, especially after his illness. Although at my performance, Meghan was in for Christine, I did not have Murphy in as the Phantom."

I'm not at all impressed with Gardar, unfortunately. In the six performances I've seen in the past week and a half, I saw Gardar on all but two.

I much prefer Bronson in this role! While he reads as a bit young, he has excellent chemistry with both the female leads, his voice is on point, and his characterization of the phantom just reads as more genuine to me.

Whereas I find Gardar's characterization to be a bit perplexing. He doesn't seem to know what to do with his hands, and holds his arms out slightly for the bulk of the show. Think Randy from "A Christmas Story." It seems a silly thing to pick on, but it's actually really distracting! His phantom is also a bit more manic...which works in the lair scene of the original POTO show, but not as well in the context of LND. Then there's his voice... it's interesting to hear that he's recently recovered from an illness, because everything--every line, every note, seems incredibly forced. He seems to have little regard for tempo or time signature, particularly during the climax of Beneath a Moonless Sky. During one performance, I was able to look down into the orchestra pit, and at one point saw the conductor aggravatedly flipping through pages of the score trying to get back in sync with him.

Does anyone know if there's a set schedule for the covers? I know Bronson has said he's only technically scheduled on the matinees, but I'm hoping to have him for a Thursday evening performance when I have tickets!

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/17/18 at 10:15am

Pithyaspromised said: "Does anyone know if there's a set schedule for the covers? I know Bronson has said he's only technically scheduled on the matinees, but I'm hoping to have him for a Thursday evening performance when I have tickets!"

He hasn't been doing many evenings since Mr. Cortes took over the lead, but anything can happen. The best thing to do is follow Mr. Murphy on Twitter, where he regularly posts his schedule for each stop.

[Pithyaspromised]

Posted: 1/17/18 at 11:00am

Yup, did that this week. Thanks!