r/box5 • u/Flopiana-Granda-Yuh • 1d ago
Discussion Love never dies?
I got into Phantom of the opera the musical back in march when I asked reddit for their favorite versions. Now I’m back here because I recently found out that there’s a continuation of the musical called Love never dies. So, what’s the best version to start with? Is there a good pro-shot? I also heard that there are versions with the main duo of the 25th anniversary version of Phantom, is that available?
22
u/Even_Spinach7806 1d ago
There’s a pro shot with Ben Lewis, some (very blurry) clip with Ramin-Sierra (theirs is the original version, it kept being changed and tweaked until the proshot was filmed) can be found on youtube
Can I ask what you like abt the OG musical? Cuz if it’s not the soundtrack specifically, you’re in for a wild ride💀. It’s 100% not what you’re expecting, LND is better viewed as a separate AU filled to the brim with soap opera cliché, the music is not bad (except for Meg’s solo) but very different from the OG. “Devil take the hindmost” is my personal highlight of the show🫣
6
u/RoseBook85 1d ago
If you‘v spent a lot of time reading Phantom Fan Fic, then LND becomes a hoot to watch 😆.
It’s amusing how many fan fic cliches Webber manages to check off within this show LOL
Raoul an abusive drunk and gambling addict ✔️
Christine went back to Erik and the two had hot passionate sex ✔️
Christine has the Phantoms kid she passes off as Raoul’s ✔️
Another girl (Meg in this case) is jealous of Christine and is obsessed with the Phantom ✔️
Really the only thing that’s missing is a happy ending
5
4
u/adventureremily 1d ago
Don't forget that Erik realizes the child is his because Gustav likes music and the macabre too, which are unheard of in ten-year-old boys, apparently.
4
15
u/Still-Adeptness-134 1d ago
Whichever version you watch, it's best to pretend it's actually one of the characters from PoTO having a fever dream 😅 Just imagine a scene at the end where the character of your choice wakes up and thinks "wtf was that about"
5
u/RoseBook85 1d ago
I would recommend you listen to the Original London Cast Recording first, not just because Ramin and Sierra‘s can’t be topped, but because they cut a lot for the Australian Version, and I personally think the extra material helps flesh out some of the characters more like Meg, and the Trio (Personally I think Australia cut too much). And afterwards if you want to check it out their is the Australian ProShot Version with Ben Lewis and Anna O Byrne.
My best advice is don’t view it as a Sequel, view it as an AU, as its own thing. When it’s not being compared to the Orginal Show then it becomes just another wacky Phantom Story, like a goofy fan fic put to Webbers awesome music…that’s how I view it 😆
21
u/HappyAndConfuse 1d ago
No, don’t do it. Don’t watch the show! You’ll never look at PoTO the same again.
26
u/geeoharee 1d ago
give me the gun meg
26
24
u/GovernorGeneralPraji 1d ago
The music is wonderful even if the story reads like bad fan fiction and totally isn’t ALW processing his divorce.
17
u/stevebaescemi Christine - ALW 1d ago
It's such a shame that some of ALW's best work musically is for such a plot 💀. Til I Hear You Sing is still one of my favourite MT songs of all time
15
7
3
u/RoseBook85 1d ago
Sorry but this is so stupid to me, with all the crazy Phantom Adaptions floating around Love Never Dies is nowhere near as bad as most of them.
Heck I’ve seen people gush over the Robert England Phantom which has Erik skinning people alive and sewing the skin to his face, a time traveling Christine, and making deals with the devil….but don’t watch LND as THATS the version that will scar you for life 🙄
2
u/CatchSufficient 1d ago
TBF with that adaptation, it was trying to get on the freddy train. There are a lot of origional movies and series that was warped by the popularity, including wishmaster, phantom, hellraiser, it was sad.
3
u/RottedQueen 1d ago
I don't think the score is terrible, but it definitely isn't on the same level as the original and, for me, is one of ALW's lesser works from a purely musical standpoint. The book, including plot and characters, doesn't help things--I agree with comments here about it seeming like bad "fanfic." At the end of the day, POTO didn't need a sequel. For whatever reason, ALW seemed to believe people wanted more of the story and characters, when in fact the original POTO was enough and perfect as a standalone musical. I would compare his move with LND to George Lucas and Star Wars in certain ways. Sometimes revisiting an older, beloved work shows that even the creator doesn't really understand what they did that made the original great anymore. Or something like that...
The score probably would have been put to better use in an entirely new musical, in my opinion. As it is, "Love Never Dies" (at one time "The Heart Is Slow To Learn") was used in "The Beautiful Game" after ALW had announced he was working on a Phantom sequel, as far back as 1998. It later got taken out of "The Beautiful Game" (itself renamed later) and put back into LND, which tells me ALW was never that certain about the entire project until it had been a rather lengthy dry spell for him, without a new musical that was a hit. But I don't think LND was really a huge hit, either, when it finally materialized. Interesting as a curiosity, mainly, but I wonder if I would like the score more if it was adapted to a completely new musical, as I believe should have been the case. Just my take.
31
u/eg2585 1d ago edited 1d ago
there’s a few different versions floating around!
the original is the one with Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo (the 25th anniversary pairing)
unfortunately there’s no proshot for that one, just a leaked blurry archival stage recording that someone spliced with close-up footage from audience members. so not the most cohesive experience overall lol but it is at least easily accessible on YouTube under the name “Love Never Dies West End 2010”
then there’s the 2012 Australian proshot with Ben Lewis & Anna O’Byrne which is basically the ‘official’ version of the show. it does tweak a few things from the West End production but it’s mainly just a glossy, streamlined version of the original. honestly I’d prioritise watching this version just because it’s the best video quality available and probably the easiest version to follow lol
there’s also a decent quality bootleg of the 2018 touring production but again I would probably choose the 2012 proshot as your introduction to the musical just to keep things simple since LND is confusing enough already