The essential ingredients for the perfect musical, in our humble opinion, are: a handsome leading man, a winsome leading lady, fabulous costumes and clever trickery on stage. All this without even starting on the score, which should be an emotional journey that by the end leaves you with a sense of familiarity yet still wanting more. And, in the case of the theatre fairies, the perfect score is singable. At top volume - in the car, in a train, in the shower and when hoovering.So. We were eagerly awaiting ALW's latest offering, 'Love Never Dies', though not so eagerly that we would have ordered the soundtrack in advance. OK, so maybe we'd heard the title song a few thousand times and were slightly disappointed that our contra altos were unable to reach the top notes without screeching, but nonetheless we tried. In fact we're far more comfortable with a tenor (fnar fnar) which may be a result of our earlier dalliances with alcohol and cigarettes. Well, everyone has those, don't they?Anyway. We digress.
The Adelphi has come home - the art deco interior suits the style of the musical perfectly and we loved the haunting design of the logo which is reminiscent of the original phantom logo but prettier by far. Good start! For a production of such hype, the Adelphi at first felt like a curious choice of 'home' for LND, being small, cosy and, for us, the place we'd last seen a camel, a pyramid and a man in a loincloth on a rotating stage, surrounded by stageschool
What was it like? Slightly schizophrenic opinion here, as the fairies have to admit to seeing it twice within the same month. Oh yes, we are that dedicated and incredibly fortunate. Though the first viewing was...a bit blah. No offence to the understudy we saw on our first visit (we believe Ramin Karimloo was on stage at the O2 being a feisty revolutionary, more about that later), but the understudy, though competent, couldn't overcome the holes in the story, the rather odd mixtures of musical genres (whats with 'The Beauty Underneath'...?) and the need for someone to hold it all together. Maybe it is acting skill which is so essential in the role of the phantom, as well as spectacular pipes, or simply the magnetic charisma that Ramin seems to have in spades (yes, still our beating little fairy hearts) but, the first viewing left us with a little sinking feeling...we had SO wished ALW had returned to his best.
Anyway, we can forgive ALW the dreadful plot, the predictable 'twists' and the sometimes cringeworthy lyrics as second time around we really enjoyed it - what a guilty pleasure! The only criticism about Ramin Karimloo in the leading role is not his fault - WHY does the phantom have to be bald? He's already unfortunate; why make him follicularly challenged as well? That's just cruel. Saying that, the comb over we saw in the stalls that evening was inspired even if it appeared a small rodent had attached itself to the head of the gentleman in question. Moving swiftly onwards.
The beginning of the show, on the pier, is stunning, staging at its best. Not seen to its best effect in the dress circle, but spectacular in the stalls. The shadow horses are a firm favourite, as is the peacock lady. We like pretty things. We like the beauty to be on top, you see. Sierra Bogroll is like a little doll; very delicate and shiny and polished and seemingly covered in glitter most of the time. Her voice is powerful and unique, reaching those highnotes with an ease we can only dream of. Occasionally hitting notes we're sure only dogs can hear. We're jealous. Yes, she is gorgeous in her costumes, which are to die for. But could it be that the inspiration for Christine's arrival in New York was taken from Kate Winslet in a film about a sinking ship? We're just saying.
Gustave deserves a little mention. Little Gustave. Needs a slap.
We like the freaks who are suitably creepy, great singers and brilliant roles for those who may not have the aesthetics to be leading ladies or gentleman. We think they are called character actors. Jolly good ones, mind ,and very entertaining. Meg and Madame Giry are purely plot devices - they make the most of what they are given, which isn't much, other than constantly whining for the phantoms attention and appreciation and in Meg's case, getting her kit off to get him interested. Nah, doesn't work. He only has eyes for the lovely Christine. And a gorilla beating the hell out of a cocktail bar and a rather fetching half girl/half skeleton (Posh-where exactly were you on Thursday night?? And does David know you creep out without an escort???).
Musically it's a shame the highlight of the show is the first song you hear, the phantom belting out 'Til I hear you sing' whilst simultaneously playing with his Christine doll and beating his chest - we like a man who can multitask. The songs are reprised throughout the show, including at the end, where Christine finds the energy to sing a megamix of lovesongs despite being shot in the gut. She takes her time before moving to the hereafter (we think 10 or so minutes at least), seemingly forgetting every so often she's dying and thinking of yet another thing she should be singing about before she goes. And herein lies our continuing gripe; what's with the ending??? What's with Gustave screaming 'NOOOOO' and then manfully embracing his new dad who previously terrified him, whislt his beloved mothers still warm body lies in the lap of her murderer (oops, was that a spoiler??)? Not forgetting that formerly moral & straight-laced Raoul doesn't get a look-in. He gets written out as a gambler - a hard-drinking waster who was no more than a mistake. So he just abandons Christine to sink or swim - and his family - without a second thought. Quite handy really. He gets the money and runs. Nice man. Wasn't he supposed to be a hero???
That is the main issue, really. Everyone seems to be more or less as they were in the Phantom of the Opera, but Raoul has become a weak, bitter shadow of the man we assumed he was. This, along with Christine's affair with the phantom the night before her wedding to Raoul makes a mockery of their so called 'love' - negating the first part entirely. Or are we just reading too much into it all? Probably.
This review might sound scathing but don't get us wrong. Love Never Dies is escapism at it's best and we do like it. It's a night at the theatre anyway, which is always good and the show supplied us with plenty of ooh's and aah's to keep us entertained. The second act really needs some tweaking as it would make the story much stronger and in our humble opinion, more likable. Yet despite our niggles we are already planning a third visit.
Just to hear Ramin sing once more.
He's lovely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dUc4iMAvQ&feature=channel
One more for the road...
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