love never dies phantom of the opera book

And true to form, Lloyd Webber - ever the talent scout - has made another brilliant discovery, this time in Casey Lyons as the boy, whose angelic vocals and subdued acting are a marvel. Act 2 picks up considerably, particularly the moments between father and son.

What’s also still missing, despite the rewrites and the four librettists now listed in the show’s credits, is a gripping narrative, notably at the start. Kelli O'Hara and Will Chase to Star in Broadway Revival of 'Kiss Me, Kate' Still, the songs, as pretty as some of them are - notably the Phantom’s lament “‘Til I Hear You Sing” - never seduce as deeply as “All I Ask of You,” “Music of the Night” or the original Phantom’s stirring title track.

Her arrival in the city, complete with a dramatic Sunset Boulevard-style entrance and gilded carriage ride, also features the introduction of their little boy Gustave.īut before we even have a chance to get to know them or fully drink in designer Gabriela Tylesova’s spectacular costumes and boardwalk pastiche, Christine is already back in the Phantom’s clutches for a pair of aching duets - “Beneath a Moonless Sky” and “Once Upon Another Time.”īoth Cortes and Picerno elevate the mostly sung-through score - their opera training put to the test with material that is inevitably haunting, stamped as it is with Phantom’s DNA. To cover the gambling debts of husband Raoul (Sean Thompson), she takes the gig. Our heroine - the luminous soprano Christine (Meghan Picerno) - has just received a substantial offer from Oscar Hammerstein to perform on stage in New York. The story picks up in 1907, with the Phantom ( Gardar Thor Cortes) now running a fetching Coney Island sideshow. But as if taking a cue from his own title, his love for Love knows no bounds. He certainly could have written this one off with no concern for his reputation. His shows, which also include Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, are billion-dollar earners his mantle overflows with seven Tonys, four Grammys, an Oscar and countless other trophies. But that’s a cynical way to view what is clearly a passion project for Lloyd Webber.

Love never dies phantom of the opera book