Friday 24 April 2020

'Love Never Dies' on YouTube - and what I thought of it (at end)

Just a reminder for anyone else who's enjoying the current event of Andrew Lloyd Webber's putting on of theatrical performances of his musicals on YouTube - available to watch for just 48 hours every week-end in the U.K. during current lock-down restrictions. 
Following the utterly marvellous 'Superstar' of a fortnight ago, and a most impressive 'Phantom' last w/e - performed in the Royal Albert Hall as a 25th year celebration [so 2011?] including a cast of so many extras which no conventional theatre could have held. 
And now today, starting at 7 p.m. [British Summertime] there becomes available a chance to see the sequel to 'Phantom', 'Love Never Dies' a piece I've never heard - not even one single number from it - let alone seen. It didn't have a particularly long West End theatre run, at least not in Lloyd Webber terms, though it has had quite substantial praise from some critics, some even claiming it as being superior to the original 'Phantom'. I'm looking forward to it immensely, as it should also do so to any of the composer's fans to whom it'll also come as something new. I've no idea yet of the cast, though as the production has had A.L.W.'s blessing one can safely assume it's definitely not going to be bad.  

Btw: Also looking forward to a showing of his 'By Jeeves' - possibly next w/e? - a pleasant, light-hearted affair with which I'm now fairly familiar, having an audio-cassette of the complete musical, and then actually getting to see it on stage a few years back - and an under-valued piece of theatre I think [even though when I was there a party of about half-a dozen adults in front of me walked out after half an hour muttering "What rubbiish!"] - with lyrics by no less than Alan Ayckbourn, probably still the world's most prolific and successful living playwright.

But I do hope some of you at least will enjoy 'Love Never Dies' as much as I'm hoping to.

My Verdict.
(Next day) Well, I must say that after having watched it straight through - it's a bit shorter than 'Phantom' - I found it pretty good, and will take the opportunity to watch it again tomorrow as goodness knows when I'll have another chance.
It's filmed from a theatrical performance in Melbourne in 2011 with an Aussie cast, mostly not bad, though I did have concerns about a lack of consistency in projecting the solo voices which is often so low in comparison with the big chorus numbers, that I decided to watch the whole thing with subtitles - a big improvement, especially for Ben Lewis as the Phantom who has the opening song setting the scene, except were it not for being able to read it I wouldn't have had a clue as to what he was warbling about - and, unfortunately, it is a warble to start with, though his voice does get better as the show progresses. Anna O'Byrne is Christine and she's not at all bad throughout.
The story, now in New York and moved on a decade, is very similar to the original, with the Phantom pursuing Christine and trying to persuade her to sing his specially composed song one last time, that song being the show's title - not a very arresting phrase for attracting attention and lodging it in one's memory, but it is the climactic number.
I was impressed by how much entirely new (and attractive) music has been written, having expected that a lot of it would be a re-hash of  melodies already heard in the first part. Though there are  echoes of the original, which we'd only expect (and at least one direct quote), Lloyd Webber manages to keep to the spirit of the first while writing a load of original, richly melodic stuff.    
The audience in this capture was curiously subdued for the most part that it could well have been performed with no audience at all with little difference - only at the start and towards the end did they make their presence felt.

It's a show I'd like to see live, perhaps in a two-day double-bill with the original (which I've only seen the once - though do try to forget the film version!) but this also stands on its own - and, as I say, good enough to make me want to watch it again tomorrow. I'd recommend it - and, btw, it is available to watch globally (presumably for just the same 48 hours that it's available in this country). The shows must go on - and so do the pleasures! 



14 comments:

  1. I will have to check this performances out and see if we are able to play these here. I'd have to see them....sure to take the mind off the distress of the moment.

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    1. I do hope you can get it, M.M.- Walt [of WCS] managed to catch 'Superstar' in France, so it's clearly not confined to U.K. only. Here's hoping.

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  2. I will be very interested to see what you think of it. Phantom is my favourite musical of all and I was lucky enough to see it a couple of times in London many years ago. I have the C.D. which I played a lot after seeing it and love.

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    1. I have a high opinion of 'Phantom' too, Carol, though I'd hesitate to call it my favourite of all musicals, even though it does outclass so many others. I saw it in London very early in its long run, still going on, I think. Michael Crawford was there but I went on a day when Sarah Brightman was 'indisposed' and replaced by her understudy who was very good indeed, and for me probably better than Brightman would have been. She's someone I've never been a great fan of with her [in my opinion] thin, colourless, nondescript voice.
      You don't say if you saw the big production shown last week-end. If you did I doubt if you'd have been disappointed.
      As to this 'new' one, it'll have been a very long time when I saw a musical where I wasn't already familiar with at least some of it. Let's see if it holds my attention.

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    2. I think I saw it with Michael Crawford the first time and someone else the next time. I think when I saw it it didn't have Sarah Brightman in it either. I have always loved it. I think it's a favourite for me because I know the music so well too.

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    3. I forgot to say that I didn't see the production last weekend.

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    4. The music definitely has staying power but I don't think the lyrics of Charles Hart [mainly - but also with Richard Stilgoe who did a great job on 'Starlight Express'] have quite the memorability that Time Rice manages. Speaking for myself only, the reason I remember any of 'Phantom's lyrics is that they've become familiar through repetition.

      Pity you didn't get to see the YouTube relayed 'Phantom'. It was quite something, lavish and uniformly excellent cast. At the end curtain call, Andrew L.W. introduced four or five previous phantoms including Michael Crawford - as well as, yes, Ms Brightman whom he called his 'Angel of Music' [Gulp!]

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    5. My opinion after watching it now added above, Carol.

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    6. I am glad that you enjoyed it and were not disappointed. Sequels can sometimes be a bit of a let down.

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    7. Yes, sequels can be a tricky business, but the fact that the music alone, after just one hearing, left me with a good impression speaks itself that in this case it has worked. I'm looking forward to hearing it all again tomorrow - for possibly the last chance I'll have to encounter it again..

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  3. I'm going to search as well ...a little musical always cheers me up!

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    1. It's a first class idea of A.L.W., Bob. Makes the lockdown almost tolerable.

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  4. I often wonder is Mr. Weber's shows will weather time. Maybe he will be the Meyerbeer of our age?

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    1. It's an interesting question. Not one of us can know what'll happen as values and appreciations change, as they surely must. To think, for instance, that during and just after J.S.Bach's time his sons had greater reputations and considered to be greater composers than he himself was is now just about as inconceivable as it can get. It's entirely possible that in less than a century people will be saying "Andrew Lloyd WHO?"

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