Le monde des musicals

Musical (2010)

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Musique: Andrew Lloyd Webber •
Paroles: Glenn Slater •
Livret: Glenn Slater •
Production à la création:

"I really do not believe that you have to have seen Phantom of the Opera to understand Love Never Dies. I really don’t. But I hope if you see them together, if you wanted to see them back-to-back, that what you would get from them — from both of them — is the extension of where the story goes.“
Andrew Lloyd Webber

Dix ans après la disparition mystérieuse du Fantôme de l'opéra de Paris, Christine Daaé accepte une offre mystérieuse l'invitant à venir en Amérique pour chanter dans le nouveau et fabuleux lieu de plaisir New-Yorkais, Coney Island. Arrivant à New York avec son mari Raoul et leur fils, Gustave, Christine découvre bientôt l'identité de l'imprésario anonyme qui l'a leurrée…

Prologue (revised version)
Ten years after the events at the Paris Opera, The Phantom is now the mastermind of Phantasma, a Coney Island amusement park. Despite the success of his endeavours, he is tortured by the absence of Christine Daae in his life and he longs to hear her sing again ("Til I Hear You Sing"). He sends Christine an invitation to make her American debut on the Phantasma stage. Unaware that The Phantom is behind this, she accepts the invitation and journeys to New York with her husband Raoul (Vicomte de Chagny) and son, Gustave.

Act I
At Phantasma, Madame Giry and The Phantom's performers introduce the wonders of Coney Island ("The Coney Island Waltz"). Meg Giry, Christine Daaé's friend from the Paris Opera, has become "the ooh la la" girl in The Phantom's vaudeville show, which Madame Giry produces. Meg and the Phantasma cast win the crowd over with their performance of "Only for You". Madame Giry assures Meg that she performed wonderfully, although The Phantom was not present at the show. Madame Giry is concerned that her daughter has lost the attention of the Phantom and she reminisces about how she and Meg smuggled him from Paris, France to New York City.

Christine, Raoul and their ten-year-old son Gustave arrive in New York and are met by crowds of paparazzi. They are greeted by the freaks, who arrive by a horseless carriage, to take them to Coney Island (“Are You Ready to Begin?”). Raoul is angry at the reception and upsets Gustave by not playing with him. ("What a Dreadful Town!...") As Raoul leaves to go drinking, Christine tells Gustave to “Look With Your Heart” to try to help him understand. Gustave goes to bed, and the Phantom arrives to see Christine. (“Beneath a Moonless Sky”). They recall that “Once Upon Another Time” they thought their love had a chance of succeeding. Gustave wakes up screaming from a nightmare and meets the Phantom for the first time ("Mother Please, I'm Scared!"). The Phantom promises to show Gustave more of Phantasma. He tells Christine that she must sing for him again or she will return home without the boy.

In the rehearsal studio for Phantasma, Meg is surprised and jealous to learn that Christine will be singing. Raoul encounters Giry and discovers that the Phantom is the one for whom Christine is to be singing ("Dear Old Friend"). The freaks bring Gustave to the Aerie where he is greeted by the Phantom. Gustave plays a melody on the piano that leads the Phantom to suspect he is Gustave's father ("Beautiful"). The Phantom questions Gustave and finds they are kindred spirits. He unmasks himself, believing Gustave will accept him ("The Beauty Underneath"), but Gustave is horrified and screams. Christine comforts Gustave and, when pressed by the Phantom, confesses that Gustave is his son ("The Phantom Confronts Christine"). The Phantom makes Christine promise to never tell Gustave that Raoul is not his real father. The Phantom declares that everything he owns will go to him. Having overheard everything, a furious Madame Giry fears all her work over the years has been for nothing.

Act II
In a gloomy bar, Raoul contemplates his relationship with Christine ("Why Does She Love Me?"). He is joined by Meg who tells him he is in "Suicide Hall", the place "where people end up when they don't know where else to go." Meg swims each day to wash away the stress of working. She tells Raoul that he must leave with Christine and Gustave. Raoul says he is not afraid of the Phantom, who has been behind the bar. As soon as Meg leaves, the Phantom reveals himself and they make a bet: if Christine does not sing, Raoul may leave with Christine and Gustave. Otherwise, Raoul must return home to Paris alone. The Phantom leads Raoul to question Gustave's paternity ("Devil Take the Hindmost").

Fleck, Squelch and Gangle appear to advertise Christine's appearance at Phantasma ("Invitation to the Concert"). That night, Meg performs a strip-tease about her choice of swimming costumes ("Bathing Beauty"). The audience goes crazy for Meg, but Madame Giry tells Meg that the Phantom did not watch the performance and it was for nothing ("Mother, Did You Watch?").

"Before the Performance", Gustave explores backstage, while Raoul asks Christine to leave with him if she loves him. As Raoul leaves, the Phantom enters and tells Christine that Raoul's love is not enough and that she must sing for him. In her dressing room, Christine recalls the Opera where she had to decide between Raoul and the Phantom. Madame Giry, Raoul and the Phantom wonder whether Christine will sing ("Devil Take The Hindmost" (reprise)). Christine performs an aria for the crowd, as Raoul and the Phantom watch ("Love Never Dies"). Raoul leaves as Christine finishes to thunderous applause. Christine is greeted by the Phantom and a letter from Raoul informing her of his departure ("Ah Christine"). Gustave is missing, and she becomes worried ("Gustave, Gustave"). She had previously told him to wait for Raoul backstage and did not want to believe that he had taken the boy. Furious, the Phantom vows to kill the "drunken fool," but Squeltch informs him that he saw the Vicount leave alone. Then, the Phantom suspects Madame Giry because of her attidute towards him before Christine's number and threatens her as she is brought to him by Squelch and Dr. Gangle. Madame Giry confesses that she knew about Gustave's true parentage, but denies every going near him. Fleck reports that she was passing Meg's dressing room when she noticed the mirror had been smashed and Meg is nowhere to be found. Christine fears for her child's life, but Madame Giry assures her that Meg never hurt Gustave. The Phantom believes he knows where Meg has gone.

At Suicide Hall, Meg prepares to drown Gustave, when the others confront her. She holds up a gun so the Phantom will listen as she reveals that the resources Madame Giry has afforded him came from Meg's working as a prostitute to influential men. The Phantom tries to get the gun, but Meg accidentally shoots Christine. As Madame Giry and Meg are sent to find help, Christine reveals to Gustave that the Phantom is his real father and a shocked Gustave runs off. She tells the Phantom that her love for him will never die. They have one final kiss and she dies in his arms. Gustave returns with Raoul who looks on silently and sadly, then Gustave goes and joins the Phantom and lays his head on the lap of his deceased mother. Gustave then looks up at the Phantom and takes the Phantom's mask off but does not react as he did before ("Love Never Dies" (reprise)). Gustave and the Phantom look at each other as the curtain falls.

The musical opened with previews on 22nd February 2010, originally directed by Jack O’Brien and with lyrics by Glenn Slater. Although it was praised for its lavish staging, and received a few excellent notices, it was generally felt to be clunky and exceptionally dark and gloomy. It was rapidly nicknamed “Paint Never Dries”. Later in the year a new version was rehearsed simultaneously with the evening performances and the show closed for four days in November 2010 for substantial re-writes. It re-opened with new direction from Bill Kenwright, new choreography from Bill Deamer, and some new lyrics by Charles Hart. The London production closed on 27 August 2011 after a disappointing run of fewer than eighteen months.
A heavily re-written Australian production with a new production team opened in Melbourne in May 2011 and transferred to Sydney in January 2012 and was considered to be a great success.

Andrew Lloyd Webber first began plans for a sequel to his 1986 hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera, in 1990. Following a conversation with Maria Björnson, the designer of The Phantom of the Opera, Lloyd Webber decided that, were a sequel to come about, it would be set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. One of his ideas was to have Phantom live above ground in Manhattan's first penthouse, but he rejected this when he saw a TV documentary about the Coney Island fairground. Lloyd Webber began collaborating with author Frederick Forsyth on the project, but it soon fell apart as Lloyd Webber felt the ideas they were developing would be difficult to adapt for a stage musical. Forsyth went on to publish some of the ideas he had worked on with Lloyd Webber in 1999 as a novel entitled The Phantom of Manhattan.

Lloyd Webber returned to the project in 2006, collaborating with a number of writers and directors. However, he still did not feel the ideas he had were adaptable into a piece of musical theatre. Finally, in early 2007, Lloyd Webber approached Ben Elton (who had served as the librettist for Lloyd Webber's The Beautiful Game) to help shape a synopsis for a sequel, based on Lloyd Webber's initial ideas. Elton's treatment of the story focused more on the original characters of The Phantom of the Opera and omitted new characters that Lloyd Webber and Forsyth had developed. Lloyd Webber was pleased with Elton's treatment and began work on the sequel. In March 2007, he announced he would be moving forward with the project.

The Daily Mail announced in May 2007 that the sequel would be delayed, because Lloyd Webber's six-month-old kitten Otto, a rare-breed Turkish Van, climbed onto Lloyd Webber's Clavinova digital piano and managed to delete the entire score. Lloyd Webber was unable to recover any of it from the instrument, but was eventually able to reconstruct the score. In 2008, Lloyd Webber first announced that the sequel would likely be called Phantom: Once Upon Another Time, and the first act was performed at Lloyd Webber's annual Sydmonton Festival. The Phantom was played by Ramin Karimloo and Raoul was played by Alistair Robbins. However, in September 2008, during the BBC's Birthday in the Park concert celebrating his 60th birthday, Lloyd Webber announced that the title would be Love Never Dies. In other workshop readings, Raoul and Christine were played by Aaron Lazar and Elena Shaddow.

On 3 July 2009, Lloyd Webber announced that Karimloo (who had played the Phantom in the West End) and Sierra Boggess (who had originated the role of Christine in Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular) had been cast as the Phantom and Christine and that the role of Meg Giry would be played by Summer Strallen, Madame Giry by Liz Robertson and Raoul by Joseph Millson. I'd Do Anything finalist Niamh Perry was given the role of Fleck.

Lloyd Webber originally intended for Love Never Dies to open in London, New York and Shanghai simultaneously in the autumn of 2009. By March 2009, he had decided to open the show at London's Adelphi Theatre, followed by Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre (before transferring to Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre in 2010) and Shanghai. The three casts would rehearse simultaneously in London for three months beginning August 2009. Opening dates were soon announced as 26 October 2009 in London, November in Toronto and February 2010 in Shanghai, with a later transfer to Melbourne, Australia. Plans were then announced for a separate Broadway production to run concurrently with the Toronto show if Toronto proved successful. In May, the debut of the London production was delayed until March 2010 due to Lloyd Webber re-orchestrating the score and re-recording the album. Technical issues with the special effects, automaton version of Christine and casting multiple simultaneous productions also contributed to the postponement. By October 2009, Shanghai plans had been dropped in favour of an Australian production.

On 8 October 2009, Lloyd Webber held a press conference at Her Majesty's Theatre, where the original Phantom has been running since 1986, confirming the casting of Boggess as Christine and Karimloo as the Phantom. Karimloo sang "Til I Hear You Sing", and "The Coney Island Waltz" was also performed for the journalists, industry insiders and fans who had assembled for the presentation. Lloyd Webber announced that Love Never Dies would begin previews in London on 20 February 2010 and anticipated that the Broadway production would open on 11 November 2010 (this was later postponed[30] and then indefinitely). Rehearsals began in January 2010.

West End (2010–2011)
The first preview of Love Never Dies was delayed from 20 February to 22 February 2010 due to a last-minute brief illness of Boggess and technical demands. The show had its official opening on 9 March 2010. It was directed by Jack O'Brien, choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, and had set and costume designs by Bob Crowley.[5] The cast included Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Christine, Joseph Millson as Raoul, Liz Robertson as Madame Giry, Summer Strallen as Meg Giry and Niamh Perry as Fleck. In April 2010, Lloyd Webber was threatened with a £20,000 fine for illegally painting the Grade II-listed Adelphi Theatre black to promote this musical.
In December 2010, Lloyd Webber closed the London production for a few days to rework the show after a poor critical response. The musical was reviewed again (at Lloyd Webber's invitation), with critic Henry Hitchings noting that "Some of the most obvious alterations stem from the recruitment of lyricist Charles Hart to adjust the cadences of the original clunky lines written by Glenn Slater." He further pointed out that "There are also lots of bracing directorial touches; the show is credited to Jack O’Brien, but it is new choreographer Bill Deamer and producer Bill Kenwright who have added the zest." The London production closed on 27 August 2011 after a disappointing run of fewer than eighteen months. In 2012, Lloyd Webber stated that although he was, "very, very proud" of the London production, it did not completely work and also said, "something just went slightly wrong; I had cancer just before the production, and it was just that crucial 5% off-beam".
The hoped-for Broadway production was announced as delayed to spring 2011. Lloyd Webber also announced that Asian and Canadian productions were planned, although these have been dropped for now. After the mixed reviews and negative reaction from some Phantom fans during previews, an executive producer stated that before its bow on Broadway, the show would likely undergo "some changes". On October 1, 2010 it was announced that the musical would not open on Broadway in Spring 2011.

Melbourne (2011)
In 2010, Lloyd-Webber announced that the Australian production would open on May 21, 2011 at Melbourne's Regent Theatre. This production, the first outside of the UK, featured brand new direction and design by an Australian creative team, including director Simon Phillips. Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne were cast as the leads, Although Lloyd Webber hopes to bring the Melbourne production to Broadway in the future, he told The New York Times that, even with the positive reception of the reworked Melbourne production, a Broadway transfer was probably not realistic. He also announced that the Melbourne production would be filmed on September 15, 2011 and made available on DVD. The recording was originally to be released on DVD and Blu-ray February 1, 2012, but it was later delayed till May 29, 2012 in the United States. In the UK, the DVD was released on March 12, 2012, and in Australia it was released on February 8, 2012. The recorded performance also played in select theaters on February 28 and March 7, 2012. It was then screened again in U.S. cinemas on May 23, 2012. Lloyd Webber stated that even if a Broadway production does not happen, he feels that he has closed the chapter on the piece, as the filmed version is something that he's, "very, very proud of" and it does not really matter to him, "if it comes tomorrow or five years' time". The Melbourne production closed on December 18, 2011.

Sydney (2012)
The Melbourne production transferred to Sydney's Capitol Theatre with previews beginning January 8, 2012 and officially opened on January 12, 2012. The show concluded its limited engagement on April 1, 2012.

Copenhagen (2012)
Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen, Denmark announced that their production of Love Never Dies will open on October 24, 2012. Starring danish coloratura soprano Louise Fribo as Christine.

The Concept Album
The Original Concept Album was released in March 2010. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart, #1 in Greece, #8 in New Zealand and #15 in Denmark.
The following musical numbers are how they appeared on that original album.

Disc 1
"Prologue"
"The Coney Island Waltz"
"That's the Place That You Ruined, You Fool!"
"Heaven by the Sea"
"Only for Him/Only for You"
"The Aerie"
"'Til I Hear You Sing"
"Giry Confronts the Phantom/'Til I Hear You Sing (Reprise)"
"Christine Disembarks"
"Arrival of the Trio/"Are You Ready to Begin?"
"What a Dreadful Town!..."
"Look with Your Heart"
"Beneath a Moonless Sky"
"Once Upon Another Time"
"Mother Please, I'm Scared!"
"Dear Old Friend"
"Beautiful"
"The Beauty Underneath"
"The Phantom Confronts Christine"

Disc 2
"Entr'acte"
"Why Does She Love Me?"
"Devil Take the Hindmost"
"Heaven by the Sea (Reprise)"
"Ladies...Gents!/The Coney Island Waltz (Reprise)"
"Bathing Beauty"
"Mother, Did You Watch?"
"Before the Performance"
"Devil Take the Hindmost" (Quartet)
"Love Never Dies"
"Ah, Christine!"
"Gustave! Gustave!"
"Please Miss Giry, I Want to Go Back!..."

London
The Original London production opened with all the songs from the Concept Album. However, the show went through several rewrites and many of the songs were rearranged or even removed from the production. Charles Hart, one of the original lyricists from Phantom of the Opera, was brought in to help in the rewrites. These are the musical numbers as they last appeared in the London Production.

Act I
"'Til I Hear You Sing" – The Phantom
"The Coney Island Waltz" – The Orchestra
"Only for You" – Meg Giry, Fleck, Squelch, Gangle and Ensemble
"Ten Long Years" (Duet) – Meg and Madame Giry
"Christine Disembarks" – Raoul, Gustave and Ensemble
"Are You Ready to Begin?" – Fleck, Gangle, Squelch, Raoul, Gustave and Ensemble
"What a Dreadful Town!" – Raoul, Christine and Gustave
"Look with Your Heart" – Christine and Gustave
"Beneath a Moonless Sky" – Christine and The Phantom
"Once Upon Another Time" – Christine and The Phantom
"Mother Please, I'm Scared!" – The Phantom, Gustave and Christine
"Ten Long Years of Yearning" – The Phantom and Christine
"Dear Old Friend" – Meg, Madame Giry, Christine, Raoul, Gustave and Ensemble
"Beautiful" – Gustave, Fleck, Gangle, Squelch and The Phantom
"The Beauty Underneath" – The Phantom and Gustave
"Phantom Confronts Christine" – The Phantom, Christine and Madame Giry

Act II
Entr'acte – The Orchestra
"Why Does She Love Me?" – Raoul, Meg and Ensemble
"Devil Take the Hindmost" – Raoul and The Phantom
"Invitation to the Concert" – Fleck, Gangle, Squelch and Ensemble
"Bathing Beauty" – Meg, Fleck, Gangle, Squelch and Ensemble
"Before the Performance" – Christine, Raoul, Gustave and The Phantom
"Devil Take the Hindmost" (Quartet) – Gustave, Raoul, The Phantom, Madame Giry and Meg
"Love Never Dies" – Christine
"Ah, Christine!" – The Phantom and Christine
"Gustave! Gustave!" – Christine, The Phantom, Madame Giry, Fleck, Gangle and Squelch
"Please Miss Giry, I Want to Go Back" – Gustave and Meg
Finale – The Phantom and Christine
Playout – Orchestra

Melbourne/Sydney
The Original (reworked) Australian production opened with many of the songs from the reworked London production with new staging. Staging and musical numbers for the Australian Production:

Act I
"Til I Hear You Sing" (includes "The Aerie") – The Phantom
"The Coney Island Waltz" – Squelch, Fleck, Gangle & Ensemble
"Only for You" – Meg Giry, Ensemble
"Ten Long Years" (Duet) – Meg and Madame Giry
"Christine Disembarks" – Raoul, Gustave and Ensemble
"Are You Ready to Begin?" – Fleck, Gangle, Squelch, Raoul, Gustave and Ensemble
"What a Dreadful Town!" – Raoul, Christine and Gustave
"Look with Your Heart" – Christine and Gustave
"Beneath a Moonless Sky" – Christine and The Phantom
"Once Upon Another Time" – Christine and The Phantom
"Mother Please, I'm Scared!" – The Phantom, Gustave and Christine
"Ten Long Years of Yearning" – The Phantom and Christine
"Dear Old Friend" – Meg, Madame Giry, Christine, Raoul, Gustave and Ensemble
"Beautiful" – Gustave, Fleck, Gangle, Squelch and The Phantom
"The Beauty Underneath" – The Phantom and Gustave
"Phantom Confronts Christine" – The Phantom, Christine and Madame Giry

Act II
Entr'acte – The Orchestra
"Why Does She Love Me?" – Raoul, Meg and Ensemble
"Devil Take the Hindmost" – Raoul and The Phantom
"Invitation to the Concert" – Fleck, Gangle, Squelch and Ensemble
"Bathing Beauty" – Meg, Fleck, Gangle, Squelch and Ensemble
"Before the Performance" – Christine, Raoul, Gustave and The Phantom
"Devil Take the Hindmost" (Reprise) – Gustave, Raoul, The Phantom, Madame Giry and Meg
"Love Never Dies" – Christine
"Ah, Christine!" – The Phantom and Christine
"Gustave! Gustave!" – Christine, The Phantom, Madame Giry, Fleck, Gangle and Squelch
"Please Miss Giry, I Want to Go Back" – Gustave and Meg
Finale – The Phantom and Christine
"Love Never Dies" (Reprise) - The Phantom
Playout – Orchestra

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Love never dies

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Love never dies

While Andrew Lloyd Webber claims that the show takes place ten years after the original, it has actually been 26 years (from 1881 to 1907).
Shortly after the London production opened, a Broadway production was announced to open at the Neil Simon Theatre in November 2010. Because of lukewarm reviews in London and problems with the creative team, the Broadway opening was postponed. Lloyd Webber expressed enthusiasm for the Australian production in May 2011 and stated his intention to use the Australian version for future productions, including the proposed Broadway production.

As with Phantom, Lloyd Webber's score for Love Never Dies also includes the fictional music of its time as musical fragments to fictional pieces which are taking place within the show itself. Only "Bathing Beauty" survived the post concept album cuts to be performed on stage.
Instead of the operatic passages for fictional "operas," the "stage" music at Phantasma is based on the companion pieces to the Savoy Operas, which were often burlesques and were also sometimes performed at the Opéra Comique. Many of these kinds of burlesques were based on existing French operas. During the Victorian age, nearly every popular opera was turned into a burlesque.[34] The W. S. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan) operatic burlesque Robert the Devil is a parody of Robert le diable, a romantic grand opera by Meyerbeer which was mentioned in the opening to "Phantom of the Opera".
These pieces were very popular among the lower class, but not commonly seen by more sophisticated opera goers. According to W. J. MacQueen-Pope: "This was a one-act play, seen only by the early comers. It would play to empty boxes, half-empty upper circle, to a gradually filling stalls and dress circle, but to an attentive, grateful and appreciative pit and gallery. Often these plays were little gems. They deserved much better treatment than they got, but those who saw them delighted in them. ... [They] served to give young actors and actresses a chance to win their spurs ... the stalls and the boxes lost much by missing the curtain-raiser, but to them dinner was more important."
Like most burlesques, "Robert the Devil" featured women in scanty costumes and breeches roles. In operas, these were always supporting roles. The pageboy role in Christine's second opera is a breeches role, like the part of Cherubino, the Count's page, in The Marriage of Figaro. However, in burlesques, breeches roles could be main parts.
Very little specific information is available for most of these curtain openers. However, the opener for "Pinafore", which had also been performed at the Opéra Comique in 1878, was called "Beauties on the Beach".[36] Meg Giry's grand opening number in "Love Never Dies" is called "Bathing Beauty (On The Beach)".