Things that could get awkward with Love Never Dies

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 12:54am

After seeing the Phantom of the Opera tonight I started thinking to myself....most Christines are in their 30s, so how is it going to make sense in a sequel set years later that Sierra Boggess is so young? Also, if Love Never Dies bombs....do you think it will hurt sales for the original Phantom? And on a side note, how strange would it be if Love Never Dies ends up playing the Broadhurst when it comes to Broadway--2 phantoms on 44th street.

[little_sally]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 12:54am

Isn't Christine supposed to be like 16 in POTO?

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 12:58am

Yeah but I was saying that most actresses who play her seem to be in their 30s and Sierra is a younger actress who will be portraying an older christine.

[blaxx]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 1:03am

So now the age matches the actress, problem solved! :)

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 1:14am

I feel really skeptical about this production, but oh well, I will give the show a chance before making any judgment calls.

If this show fails, it would not have a dramatic effect on Phantom of the Opera ticket sales. Phantom of the Opera is so ingrained in NYC culture and many, many people are familiar with it that it gets a lot of word-of-mouth. The show has been running for ages, and there are no signs of closing any time soon. This show is often a choice for many first-time city tourists, so it is not going away unless sales seriously tank. But I doubt that will happen soon.

Updated On: 8/12/09 at 01:14 AM

[Jenna Maroney]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 1:16am

The Equity casting notices for PHANTOM 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO skewed quite young for all the principals - for the Phantom, they wanted him to be younger than Michael Crawford was when he strapped on the mask!

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 12:54pm

"And on a side note, how strange would it be if Love Never Dies ends up playing the Broadhurst when it comes to Broadway--2 phantoms on 44th street."

It won't. Phantom 2 has the Neil Simon. Ragtime's lease agreement is conditional on Phantom 2's opening.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 1:21pm

Christine was supposed to be 16 in the movie musical. The stage show never mentions her age, but in the novel she's in her early 20s.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 1:59pm

It won't. Phantom 2 has the Neil Simon. Ragtime's lease agreement is conditional on Phantom 2's opening.

Didn't Phantom 2 get pushed back until next fall (as in 2010). I thought I had read that. Not that that changes the situation you describe, mind you.
Updated On: 8/12/09 at 01:59 PM

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 5:11pm

ONE THING THAT COULD GET AWKWARD is the fact that this show is going to have a GIANT full-stage sized animatronic Christine Robot. No joke.

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 5:52pm

Nevermind about Sierra Boggess. Ramin Karimloo is too young. He turns 31 next month. A 31 year old Phantom - 10 years = a 21 year old Phantom in the original?? I love him dearly (<), and he's a fantastic performer and Phantom, but I don't think he's old enough to be the Phantom ten years later. He has a ton of makeup and prosthetics on when he plays the Phantom (obviously), but his voice is very young-sounding and gives him away.


Also, ^ TOTAL agree about Christine-bot. And you forgot the part about how the Phantom makes love to it every night. According to Riedel.


There are also a few other strange plot holes. One is the year. The original takes place in 1881 and the sequel takes place "10 years later"... In 1907. Maybe the chandelier really IS a time machine.

There's also a problem with Christine's son, but since it hasn't been officially confirmed, I'm not gonna say anything, since I don't want to be attacked for 'spoiling the story'. Although considering how similar the show still seems to be to Phantom of Manhattan, I wouldn't doubt that they left that completely impossible plot twist in.


And finally, I think if Love Does Die, it won't hurt the original Phantom sales much. It's just too huge and well-known. I'm actually more concerned about LND opening and hurting Phantom a little bit. ALW said that the show will be set up so that you won't have to have seen the original to understand it. What I'm thinking is that, if it's advertised that way, tourists will go see LND and skip Phantom. So essentially Phantom's little brother will be taking its business.
Updated On: 8/12/09 at 05:52 PM

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 7:23pm

^ while this is true about people skipping Phantom 1, fans of the sequel might be so interested in Love Never Dies, they may see Phantom 1 again so that they can go further into the back story. I didn't put that to words very well. sorry.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 7:32pm

I think we will just have to wait and see what it does to the original.

Oh, and another plot hole: according to press notes, ten years later, Christine has a teenage son. That means that she had a son in the original who was completely ignored.

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 9:27pm

^ Wow, I totally didn't even catch that one. Perhaps Christine was touched by an angel prior to Music of the Night. Since Raoul wasn't back in the picture yet and the Phantom had coached (read: stalked) her since she was little. Creepy.

Updated On: 8/12/09 at 09:27 PM

[BumbleWumble]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:15am

I also love that the show is supposedly narrated by three side show freaks. I mean... wtf??

[Kad]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:20am

Of all the things that are going to be awkward with Love Never Dies, the age of Christine vs. the actress playing her is probably the least awkward. Rumors of Susan Boyle being cast, the Coney Island setting, the robo-Christine, the subsequent robo-Christine lovin', the narrators, the fact that even ALW's cat tried to stop it...

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:22am

I am sure initial ticket prices will be quite high. I dont know if ALW would pull a Mel Brooks with $400 premium seats, but the demand will be high before there is even a finished product. I could imagine with higher ticket prices it may not take very long to recoup, even if it is not as successful as Phantom.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 12:41am

Which characters from Phantom are reappearing in Love Never Dies?

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 1:31am

The Phantom, Christine, Raoul, Madame Giry, and Meg, as far as we all know.


Also... It's narrated by side show freaks? I actually hadn't heard that. Why is it even narrated at all?

And how would the side show freaks know about the Phantom's nighttime electric boogaloo-ing with Christine-bot??



Otto the Kitten was just trying to be a hero. Updated On: 8/13/09 at 01:31 AM

[Mekroth]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 1:43am

Of all the things that are going to be awkward with Love Never Dies, the age of Christine vs. the actress playing her is probably the least awkward. Rumors of Susan Boyle being cast, the Coney Island setting, the robo-Christine, the subsequent robo-Christine lovin', the narrators, the fact that even ALW's cat tried to stop it...

The cat's mysterious death afterwards...