The Phantom of the Opera Strikes Back - sequel in development?- Page 2

[Andante]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:14pm

As much as I love "Phantom of the Opera", to make a sequel would
a) start protests/campaigns/petitions, etc.
b) leave many fans dissatisfied (after the fact of course; the initial idea would thrill many)
c) ruin the reputation of the original musical

Bad idea, ALW. BAAAAAAAD.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:14pm

"sequels in any art form are generally sub-par"

May I please cite yet AGAIN Beaumarchais' immortal trilogy and Shakespeare's return of Falstaff.

[Weez]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:17pm

Only if I can add 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade' into the mix. ^_^

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:23pm

ONE isn't Enough?

[D2]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:24pm

"How would they have both play on Broadway?"
[sarcasm alert:]
At different theatres. PHANTOM 2 could play at the Broadhurst after LES MISERABLES' limited engagement ends in 5 or so years...

Updated On: 2/16/07 at 06:24 PM

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:24pm

Yeah, but I don't see Evil Dead 2 as a true sequel because it re-writes the plot of the original, which is kinda cheating, don't you think?

But I do think that Last Crusade is pretty awesome....almost better than Raiders, and certainly better than Temple of Doom, but boy would I like to see Temple of Doom made into a musical!

Just to hear the showstopper 'No time for love, Dr. Jones'
as written by the Ave Q guys.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:25pm

"sequels in any art form are generally sub-par"

May I please cite yet AGAIN Beaumarchais' immortal trilogy and Shakespeare's return of Falstaff.

I completely agreed with you in my first post, and I thank you again for citing those sequels. They are very valuable to this discussion. However, I'm sure you must realize that you're citing the cream of the crop. Out of all the sequels that have ever been created--books, movies, plays, anything--you have to agree that the majority have been widely thought to be worse than their source material. That's all I was trying to say, not that there was no such thing as a great sequel that was as good as or better than its source.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:33pm

fair enough. Even the third beaumarchais plays strikes on as at the very least a downer, since it's a drama and the other two are very funny comedies.

But I would be really interested to see what he does with this, if only to see him at the height of his cirtuosic powers. Whatever it is has to be more lush, more fantastic, more sweepingly grand than the original, and as much as Im jaded with it now, just as I was a few weeks after I saw it a few weeks after it opened in New York in the late 80s, I still feel it's a big big show and very elegant in its way, and has obviously earned itself a place in musical theater history.

Just as a fantasy, imagine how good it could be! some of my favorite parts of the score to Phantom are its non hit parts: Notes, Twisted Every Way, the stuff with Joseph Buquet, Giry's music, his music for the operas within the operas, the Little Lotte music, Stranger than you Dreamt it, and even Past the Point of No Return. I'd love to see more of that kind of thing from him.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:44pm

Fenchurch: IMO you cannot compare the Figaro trilogy operas to this.

A: Beaumarchais wrote Le Barber de Seville, Le Mariage de Figaro, and La Mere Coupable. Gaston Leroux did not write a Phantom of the Opera sequel.
B: La Mere Coupable has never been successful as an opera; The Ghosts of Versailles barely touches upon the play itself, and is more about Beaumarchais himself in terms of his French Revolutionary ideals.
C: ALW is not Mozart or Rossini.

[Weez]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:46pm

Only the beginning of ED2 is a remake of the first one; from That Shot onwards, it's a bona-fide sequel.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 6:56pm

Fair enough, about A, but B) Milhaud wrote what I feel is a beautiful opera based on La mere, and I agree Corigliano's opera is only loosely based on La Mere.

c) I don't see your point, they are all composers. Mozart and Rossini wrote beautiful music, but to compare early classical music that Mozart wrote to what is arguably music written in the late romantic style that ALW was channeling in POTO is kinda silly.

People don't seriously compare Mozart and Wagner, it's apples and oranges. They wrote with completely different tonal palettes at their disposal. Same thing here.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 7:27pm

A big Broadway stage sequel, even if well done, with allways fail, IMO. Unlike a movie, you can't just go back and see the original if you haven't, which is the biggest drawback. It just doesn't make sense. People who haven't seen it will have no interest and many of those who have won't be interested. And theatergoers are too snooty and pretentious to think a SEQUEL would be worth their time.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 7:44pm

Don't forget Annie Warbucks! Strouse made the same istake twice.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 8:12pm

Just as a fantasy, imagine how good it could be! some of my favorite parts of the score to Phantom are its non hit parts: Notes, Twisted Every Way, the stuff with Joseph Buquet, Giry's music, his music for the operas within the operas, the Little Lotte music, Stranger than you Dreamt it, and even Past the Point of No Return. I'd love to see more of that kind of thing from him.

Yeah...if there's any reason at all in my mind why I'd like to see a Phantom sequel, it would be to see ALW revisit and expand on that music you mentioned. The thought of a really dark, really operatic piece using some of the beautiful, lesser-known themes from Phantom is exciting to me. It's unlikely, though, that ALW would do that were he going to go through with a sequel--though I think he can be brilliant, he has a weakness for inserting big, generic "hit songs" into shows that make everyone forget his smarter, more successfully written musical scenes.

Still, though, his 2005 "Phantasia" suite offered a glimmer of hope...I thought his re-imagining of Phantom as a duet between violin and cello was fascinating and effective. I have to admit, it did sometimes sound like another Andrew Lloyd Webber "hit parade" (some of the title theme appearances, though fantastic in the show, felt inappropriate in a straight-up classical piece)...but he did play more with those darker "non hit" themes you mentioned, and did it very well I thought.

I've often wished that someone--hopefully the man himself--would write a complete version of Don Juan Triumphant based on Lloyd Webber's original music. It could be a terrific piece, whether or not it was written as a real opera meant to be produced. Since there is not yet an actual story to Don Juan Triumphant, it could even be written to vaguely mirror the story of the Phantom himself...almost becoming a prequel "by proxy". (I believe Leroux himself even suggests that the Phantom writes Don Juan Triumphant as an expression of his own belief in love triumphing over stuff like...a nasty facial disfigurement.) Could be a real interesting turn for Lloyd Webber, should he ever undertake something like that.

(It is obvious that I've thought about this numerous times?)

[tazber]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 8:33pm

you guys read it wrong. It's going to be a PREquel, and apparently we will learn how the phnatom became disfigured and evil. It will also explain where/how he got that mask and what made him forsake Obi Wan and turn to the dark side.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 8:46pm

nope, nope, nope. bad idea.

definitely not a winner. come up with something original andy buddy. and give lerner and lowe their music back!

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 9:31pm

I doubt it will go through, and for good reasons.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 9:46pm

The only good musical sequel I can think of is Falsettoland which is a sequel to March of the Falsettos. Actually, come to think of it, that was a sequel to In Trousers - so they both could count as very good sequels.
Hopefully the sequel to Phantom will stay unwritten, one is bad enough.

[tmm_fan]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 11:33pm

THISTL is an absolutely gorgeous song ... while I don't think ALW is one of my favorite composers, he has written much of the genre's best-known, most unforgettable and, dare I say, greatest tunes. IMO, Whistle Down the Wind is among his greatest achievements, and I was so sad that the controversial subject was partially responsible for it not performing well. Beautiful Game is alright ... WIW is much better. ALW is no fool; if he does go through with the POTO sequel, it could very well be pretty decent. I mean, the man has never given us any indication to think otherwise.

Updated On: 2/16/07 at 11:33 PM

[sondhead]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 11:37pm

"the contreversial subject was partially responsible for it not performing well."

Hardly. It's actually a pretty interesting plot, the musical just doesn't tell it well. Steinman's lyrics are pretty much laughable (and if Whistle wasn't enough proof, look up the demos to Batman to see why the man should pretty much never attempt writing ever again) and everything is structured odd. I saw it early in it's run in the West End and it seemed to be much more about a two story hydrolic set and a train that comes on stage than telling the story.

[tmm_fan]

Posted: 2/16/07 at 11:45pm

No, it was the controversial subject matter that was disturbing to some people; I distincly remember that. I personally love the music to WDTW ... A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste, Vaults of Heaven, Nature of the Beast and There's a Prayer are some of the greatest showtunes ever; some of ALW's most ambitious, I think.

And I loved the demos for Batman; if you search around, many people feel the same way. I don't think JS is a lackluster lyricist; however, there have been "plenty" of musicals with some very lackluster lyrics that've done extremely well. Does RENT and HAIR sound familiar? :) And look at some musicals from the old days.

Updated On: 2/16/07 at 11:45 PM

[The White Half-Mask]

Posted: 2/17/07 at 12:17am

Even though I love TPOTO, I'm strongly opposed to the idea of a sequel. The ending of the musical is so perfectly tragic & a great way to end the story. Trying to continue from there would be completely unneccesary, IMO. Just leave this classic be, Lord Webber!

[BobbyErikValjean]

Posted: 2/17/07 at 12:44am

No. Please.

Some things just don't work with sequels. This is one of them. Why can't people just take the story as it is?

The only thing worse than Phantom 2 is JCS 2. Which, thank God, is not possible. But with ALW--who knows.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 2/17/07 at 12:52am

I saw Whistle in London and I really wanted to like it, but it didnt have a lot of drama going for it the way they told it. The good characters and bad alike were pretty two dimensional.

Posted: 2/17/07 at 1:43am

First off, I also really enjoy The Heart Is Slow To Learn - a lovely song indeed as sung by Kiri Te Kanawa. Elaine Paige's version makes me vomit.

For those of you who have not read The Phantom of Manhattan, let me summarize it's more absurd plot points:
(SPOILERS! For those who care)
-There's a full chapter detailing how Erik immigrated to the US, worked as a clown at Coney Island, and made millions in the stock market.
-It turns out that Madame Giry helped care for a young Raoul, after his bits got blown off by accident. He is, therefore, unable to have kids. Great line: "It would have to be a woman with a true heart to love him, incomplete as he is." Or something like that.
-Christine and the Phantom had a son. So clearly, there's something that went on during that blackout after "Music of the Night" and before "Stranger Than You Dreamt It".
-Erik has a manservant named Darius who worked as a pleasure boy in a house of sodomy in Malta.
-Erik sends Christine the monkey music box, she hears it, and her response is... "Masquerade... how could he know?". Meaning... she is aware that the song being played is called Masquerade.
-Other characters include a French priest sent by a dying Madame Giry and a smooth-talking gumshoe reporter.
-It ends with Erik retiring to upstate New York. He dies the same year man walks on the moon.

"In 1969, the Phantom of the Opera had run out, as if the music of the night were no more than a tune on a barrel organ..."