Love Never Dies

It satisfies as theatrical entertainment purely on that basis.

It’s also the continuation of The Phantom of the Opera ten years on, a ‘what if’ afterpiece.

Devotees of the original, outraged at even the possibility of a sequel, were, in some cases, sufficiently aroused to launch smear campaigns and attempts to derail the show. Great internet theatre that, in itself.

For many of us, though, the Hal Prince original is merely a masterpiece of romantic, melodramatic musical theatre spectacle, rather than an object of fervor on a spiritual or sporting scale.

Like Rhett and Scarlett, or Elizabeth and Darcy, someone will always ask what happened next. Sequels and spin-offs abound. It’s never going to be an extended happily ever after though – no dramatic tension or room for action there.

Gaston Leroux, likewise, left no Phantom sequel.

So, to the Phantom ‘what ifs’. What if the Phantom didn’t die? What if Christine and Raoul didn’t live out the fairy tale? What if Christine and the Phantom had shared a night of passion which resulted in a child?

Locating the action in New York’s Coney Island allows Andrew Lloyd Webber to set Love Never Dies in another colourful theatrical setting, the freak show and vaudeville which the Phantom now operates under the name Mister Y. A clean sweep of the Helpmann visual design awards testifies to the beauty and sweep achieved in the production’s design (Gabriella Tylesova) and lighting (Nick Schlieper), though technical glitches prevented Sydney’s opening night audience from seeing their absolute glory. A curtain within the set, integral to changes, malfunctioned, while the lighting fixtures in Christine’s dressing room flickered.

Again, Love Never Dies is a romantic triangle, but the ground has shifted.

The Phantom may bluster and threaten, but he’s no longer the same remote, mysterious menacing presence. Christtine’s young son also ultimately softens him. Ben Lewis delivers a bravura musical theatre performance.

There’s a sadness about the older Christine Daaé. The dashing Raoul didn’t prove such a great catch. Anna O’Byrne, who went straight from VCA to covering and performing the role of Christine Daaéin the recent Phantom revival, personifies her glamour, captures her melancholy and enchants musically in the continuation.

Second time around the big romantic story is all theirs, with everything pointing to the Phantom winning out this time in the romantic stakes.

Time hasn’t been kind to Simon Gleeson’s Raoul, a problem drinker who has gambled away his fortune. That, however, tends to make for a more interesting character than the archetypal romantic lead of the original. Gleeson gives the troubled character a dynamic performance. His fight duet with the Phantom is a highlight, though you might question the sexual politics of this number if Love Never Dies wasn’t a period piece.

This production delivers splendid performances all round, by a talented Australian cast and ensemble.

Two secondary leads, both continued from the original, become far more prominent second time around.

Sharon Millerchip returns in the role of Meg Giry, which she created as a tiny part in the original Australian Phantom. The young ballerina of the original is now the song and dance star of the Phantom’s vaudeville / burlesque show. One of our top hoofers, she carries it off with sheer pizzaz. As Madame Giry, Maria Mercedes delivers splendidly with her big, rich musical theatre voice.

As written, the secondary characters of Fleck, Squelch and Gangle don’t integrate in the way that the original’s supporting characters, like the Opera House Managers, did. They tend to narrate and help set mood, rather than having a core function in the story. But, like the ensemble as a whole, the performers evoke the bizarre Coney Island / freak show atmosphere impressively. Graeme Murphy’s choreography frequently manages to make a relatively small ensemble seem much larger. The ensemble also shifts effectively to create the outside world as required.

Love Never Dies only plays a restricted 12 week Sydney season, and for anyone who enjoys lavishly staged, beautifully sung operetta, with a tragic twist in the tale, Simon Phillips’ stylishly staged production, with superb musical direction in the hands of Guy Simpson, will more than please.

Neil Litchfield

Photographer: Jeff Busby

Our earlier coverage

Behind the Phantom mask: Our Interview with Ben Lewis

Simon Gleeson: The Dark Side of Raoul

Brand New Australian Production for Love Never Dies

Preview of DVD / Blu Ray of Australian production

Love Never Dies – Inside Rehearsals

Love Never Dies – Melbourne Review

Designing Love Never Dies

Sharon Millerchip (Meg Giry) interviewed

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