LOVE NEVER DIES - US Tour — Page 6

Justin D said: "Thanks for the info, I must say that I am not a fan of the mask to be honest, the pics of Gardar look somewhat ok but I have seen Bronson's photos on his Instagram and it just looks way too big and ill fitting.

side note, always thought that in this production it would have been cool if he changed his mask from time to time to match different outfits, lol"



Changing the mask would have been really cool! I do like the LND mask...for some reason I like the point on the forehead. When I saw LND in Baltimore I got to see Bronson. I think it looks big on him because he seems to have such a thin face, but he looked really handsome in it, IMHO...lol

I HATED Ramin's mask for the 25th anniversary. The dude is really good looking, but for some reason does NOT look good in a Phantom mask....but maybe because I disliked his particular mask. I'm sure a ton of people will disagree.

The current Broadway mask is pretty cool, but my all time favorite is Michael Crawford's original. To me, it looks more "ghostly" with the grayish paint. There's a guy on ebay that makes really great replicas. I grabbed one and it's amazing.

Updated On: 10/25/17 at 10:02 AM

Yea I just ordered a copy of the current NYC style which is my fave.

I do like Crawford's also, that style however only works on some people.

I really hate the London masks which started around John Owen Jones first run where the eyebrow goes all the way back to the temple, and the cheek/jaw section looks too plump, but I think that is because the London prosthetic is rather fat around the cheek/jaw section. Before then London has some really nice looking masks, with Ethan Freeman taking his to Toronto and The Basel production having London style masks at the time. The redesign for the 25th just makes no sense to me. I get also redoing the makeup to be more subtle for filming but its all coming off in the back and just looks terrible. end of rant, lol

North American Production Opening Night tonight! Post reviews as you find them!

Yes, there was some type of makeup. He took off the mask and wig during the number before intermission.

Lot666, in your eyes, what would be valid criticism of this show? Or can no one insult it?

Just getting out of the evening show in Detroit. I will preface by saying that I have only seen the London and Australian productions through videos, so I know my opinions don't hold as much weight as those who have seen the physical productions.

The "mask" arch that flies in got stuck 3/4 of the way through Act 2 and the show had to stop. There was a horrid screeching as it came in during Devil Takes The Hindmost (Quartet), and my partner and I immediately knew something was wrong. The stage manager came on to say there was a set problem that needed corrected and we watched the tech team try to figure out what happened. The show was probably stopped for about 15 minutes.

Overall, I think the show is in great shape. I'll admit some of the music is a guilty pleasure of mine, and I think the changes they've made to Beauty Underneath are really fantastic. The ending seemed so much more emotional than the Australian recording; that may have been due to changes (there are some subtle ones and a brief reprise of Love Never Dies that I didn't recall), or just the intimacy of seeing it live.

The book is still kind of all over the place, but it's at least improved on this third iteration.

Sets seem to be a combination of some London effects with the Australian revisions - definitely leaning more toward the Australian side, though. They make great use of a turn table throughout without it being super obnoxious.

Bronson Norris Murphy was on tonight as the understudy Phantom. Holy moly can that man sing. He and Meghan Picerno had great chemistry, which I think only strengthened the ending. Picerno hits those high notes effortlessly - breathtaking!

Is it an amazing show? No, but that's no fault of the cast and crew, who are working their asses off. I enjoyed it for what it was, and would not be surprised if this iteration shows up on Broadway at some point.

I asked on my second night at the show. The first Saturday evening performance in Detroit. Was told by a person with the production back at the sound/light booth that he was sick. Interestingly though they make no announcement that Cortes is out and Murphy is on. No insert in the playbill either. It's only on the board in the lobby. I thought per equity that they have to do two of the three ways to announce an understudy? I have been three nights so far...going back for my fourth tonight and each time it's been the same. No announcement, no insert. Just the notice on the board. Doesn't matter to me as I think Murphy is amazing in the role but listening to conversations during intermission....people think they are seeing Cortes as they don't look at the board coming in.

it seemed weird to me that they had u/s going on for the Phantom and Christine as much as they did. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed since the tour started the U/s were going on at least a few times each week.

I think that might be the case once Gardar recovers since he did alternate when playing in Hamburg

I actually saw Cortes' last first act (Bronson did the second act) in Baltimore. He was obviously under the weather and terribly flat. Having spoken to a friend in the cast, Cortes was hand picked by Lloyd Weber, so they may be waiting it out. Bronson has now done over 20 performances between Baltimore and Detroit. Aside from reading a bit young in his physicalities, I thought he did wonderful in the role.

Christine is on a scheduled 6/2 alternate schedule due to the vocal demands of the show. The role of the Phantom is supposed to be as well.

pattilupwned said: "I can't imagine either of the lead roles are particularly easy to sing, so I wouldn't be surprised if an informal alternate schedule is setup that gives them an extra day of rest."

The two leads are vocally demanding, but I don't seem to recall Mr. Karimloo and Ms. Boggess performing limited schedules in London.

mikey89 said: "I have a question for anyone in the know,

It seems like Gardar Thor Cortes has been missing from the show since Utica. Has he left the show? It seems like Bronson Norris Murphy has taken over since the preview tech last month in Utica. It seems like Murphy has done all the performances since then.

Anyone know more?"

Mr. Murphy has recently stated that Mr. Cortes has not left the show and he (Mr. Murphy) has not taken over the lead role.