Love Never Dies -Adelphi Theatre, London 2010 — Page 13

Sally - your comments are spot on, particularly about the packaging!

After seeing the show on Wednesday I thought it was somewhat prescient that the main character signs himself 'Y'. It says something about the whole production.

No. But then again the script doesn't seem to explain anything properly. No wonder Mr. Elton has moved to Australia.

"Today I only just realised Liz Robertson doesn't sing on the LND cast recording - its Sally Dexter as Mde Giry! Shes good as Giry what happened?"

I was wondering this too. I'd much prefer to have Liz Robertson - as much as I love Sally Dexter in Oliver she grates as Madame Giry and doesn't sound very French.

MamasDoin'Fine: Is it explained anywhere why his called 'Y'?

Mister Y = Mystery.

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It is good to see Liz Robertson. The last time I saw her was in 'Billy'.

I have come to the conclusion that it depends where you sit. Unfortunately I had a bad seat - it was facing the stage.

My mum and dad just gave me a ring, they saw the show this afternoon. They said they really enjoyed it but hated the ending. Thought it should have finished with a big musical number or something.

Vassey, you did miss a few things.

In the beginning sequences, there is some dialogue, sung, I think, that is all about how Coney used to be so great, a place where even freaks could walk, but it was burned in a fire. There is some sort of set (I haven't seen the show) that represents the burned out Coney. Then, rather like the reconstruction of the Opera house in the original show (but remember, Lloyd Webber says it is NOT a sequel) Coney is brought to life before the audience's wondering eyes (except yours, l guess).

Maybe the freaks are in black because they are morning the good old days. One of them is tattooed because he was The Tattooed Man in a side show before he went to work for "Mr. Y."

I don't know much about Fleck, but I remembering that one of the freaks, Fleck, I assume, had only one leg---didn't catch why.

When did Gustave see into the future? I don't remember reading or hearing on the recording about that.

I don't think that the Christine Bot does anything much except personify (sort of) how much Mr.Y misses Christine. Some people were hoping for a hot Bot/Phantom sex scene, but no such luck.

Meg and her mother have been working for Mr. Y/Phantom for ten years and had a lot to do with the success that led to the building of Phantasma. Meg hopes her boss, Mr. Y/Phantom, will notice how good she is and make her a big star.

She HAS seen him, just not as often as she would like. Girls can have active imaginations about attractive older men---although this guy doesn't look older.

I have no idea about the long silences other than bad writing.

Updated On: 3/27/10 at 08:06 PM

Thanks, that makes a lot more sense I suppose, if the Phantom 'fixed' the freaks, and without him they reverted, but as you say it needs explaining. I don't recall any mention of a fire in the prologue, perhaps it was cut since the album or her speech was lost over the sound system.. Perhaps one fix could be to have the foggy pier at the end become a smoky pier, with the smoke coming from the burning Phantasma set fire to by potty Meg. It all makes sense when it's explained to you - but surely you should understand when you are sitting in the theatre, not having to get explanations from a message board!

So many questions devonian, all without answer. Perhaps Andrew has scared all the critics into complying by going round to their houses with the bizarre automata late at night. Regardless of the reviews though, the whole of the stalls gave a standing ovation when I went, and I heard many coming out saying it was fantastic. Other than me of course, I was laughing.

I'll try to answer some, although having not seen the show these responses are only assumptions.

generally when people point out plot holes (like the thread about wicked) I just assume there is a reason for it and it does not need explaining)



Who is Mr Y's interior decorator? His room seems to change as the plot dictates- first just the strange cubicle for robot Christine and a piano, (nobody lives in that room!); then it has its entrance in the middle of the floor- that seems to have been added later (lord knows how people got into the room before that). Then, just so that Mr Y can sing about creepy stuff the chandelier and strange statue appear. Is he still moving in to this new pad or has he just been to the Coney Island boot fair?

I think on the CD I got the impression that the 2 scenes happened in different locations within the aerie, perhaps different rooms "Is this where Mr Y Lives? This is where he works" having not seen the show though, I dont know if the sets are similar, like if the big gold woman is in both scenes.


Then, considering there is only the one entrance to the aerie how does Mr Y not notice Madame Giry and Meg hiding in the corner?

Maybe they were there before anyone else got there, like spying on the Phantom's new work?


Why has Raoul become so utterly opposite to his earlier portrayal? What is the motivation?

I think it is just to create a "villain" but we see all the time on TV that people are one way when they are courting and another after marriage


Who keeps a gun lying around on their piano?

Why try to kill yourself when you are hatching a plan to bring your true love to America?

See thats my gripe aswell, I;ve said before that this scene should be " a few days before the arival" not 3 months before, that way the phantom would still sing till I hear you sing again, but all the stuff afterwards would be about his plan coming together and tomorow she will be here, not "how on earth will i get to hear her" when it is obvious he has a plan already.

Why does Gustave not wonder why a man in a mask is talking to his mother? He certainly doesn't ask about it (perhaps that would be rude?) Is it really enough to make him forget his terrible drowning nightmare?

I think he already realises who it is, the owner of the place, if not he is quickly introduced and is already fascinated by the place, as a child if you were to excited about meeting the owner, and finally do, then you tend to forget about recent things like a bad dream.

And doesn't anyone wonder why Mr Y exits via the balcony?

Why does anyone do anything? ifs more interesting that way.

Why couldn't the resourceful Mr Y escape Paris with money? He obviously hung around long enough for the oh-so-believable night with Christine (when he was 'no longer shy'- ah, so that's it, he was just shy in Phantom 1.)

Bad Exchange rate at the time? I never got the impression he was loaded to begin with.

How does Mr Y know meg will be on the pier with Gustave?

Well meg made no secret that she likes to go there all the time, and I'm sure the Phantom being who he is, he knows his employees well.

Oh and why does Christine employ such a crap nanny? That kid wanders around on his own all the time!

There was a nanny?

Oh and what the hell is he doing singing (endlessly) up a ladder?

Huh?

Why does Madame Giry just run off after the gunshot- she never returns with help?

It isn't necessary by the time she gets back she would be dead anyways, I don't think there was 911 back then

And here's a big one- would a dying mother really ignore her terrified 10 year old son as he crouches in the corner, in favour of singing to- well, just about anyone else? Boy, that kid has messed up parents!

Thats the big problem with the ending. you need to accomplish too many things that just can't realistically happen so soon together: She dies, she tells the boy who his real father is, she says goodbye to the boy, but also has to have a moment with the phantom, the boy accepts the phantom as daddy.


Why is the stage so empty most of the time?

Maybe it is a conscious decision, maybe there is no more room for sets? what is disappointing about this is it seems to me that the show is designed only for orchestra seating.

The ending scene, isn't it supposed to be the same pier that "floats" above the bar? is it an actual pier set above the bar? couldn't they have the action on the pier suspended half way up in the air with a projection of the waves below or something?

What has the show logo (and house cloth) remotely got to do with the story?

Was told it is robo-christine's face plate after the "fire" that does not happen


Now im not saying that my answers in any way should change opinion of the show, I'm just pointing out how things could be spelled out better and you really should not put out things in a show that are not explained enough or talked about enough that the audience needs to guess about their meaning or answers

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Having only heard the CD, the plot loop-hole I'm wondering about is why the Phantom hasn't put Madame Giry in a noose.

I think I would have done.