07.30 – jump in the shower, shave, dressed, brekkie and some telly to wake up my eyes!
08.01 – received a text saying my car was on its way! (never had a private car waiting for me before, very excited!!)
0815 – car arrives (with blacked out windows, ooo get me!) and on my way
08.50 – arrive at the workshop where today’s fitting is taking place

I am having a full head plaster cast today which I am really looking forward too!! The reason for this fitting is for the complex design for my character Squelch.

So, I am chatting with Leigh and his wife who are going to be ‘plastering me up’, they talk me through the procedure and cover me in plastic bin bags neck to knee as I sit down. They place a bald cap on my head and get to work. They soak plaster strips (the same strips hospitals would use when you break a bone in your leg or arm) and start placing and moulding the strips to the back of my head. Once the back is done, they leave it for around 5 minutes and it starts to get warm; this is part of the setting process!!

Now comes the part I have been excited/frightened about, my actual face!! Gulp…!!! I place a large bowl on my lap filled with wet plaster, my eyelids and eyebrows are covered in moisturiser and the plaster starts to get slapped on. Now, I am trying my hardest not to move and not to make any facial expressions and for anyone who knows me, this is so hard!!

The final part is placing the plaster strips over the wet plaster to really make set. Once it is set they start to pull off the mould, starting with the back then the front. It’s the most bizarre thing, my eyes have only been in darkness for 20mins, but as soon as the lights hit me it’s so hard to open my eyes, they are so sensitive!!

After 5 minutes everything is back to normal, all washed up and ready to head back to rehearsals. Its 10am, my car arrives and off I go.

10.30 – get into rehearsals.
13.15 – lunch!! Today on the menu, paella!!!!
14.30 – the cast head back up to studio 7, but me and Miss Fleck aren’t called till 1530, hhoorraahh, so we sit down and have a little tea and biscuits!
15.25 – head up to the studio to join the others
17.30 – rehearsal over, great work today. On our way to an Equity meeting, Equity is the UK Actor’s Union. As we are a new show, they come in and just make sure we are ok and everything is going well!
18.30 – making my way home. Must look through the score tonight and learn the harmonies!

For now bloggers, take care

Squelch

Adam Pearce's plaster cast

This week we bring you Kathryn’s fan blog…

As a child and growing up, various aspects of The Phantom of the Opera musical entered my consciousness, drip by drip – long before I had any concept of what it actually was. From someone catching my eye, wearing a sweatshirt with a glow-in-the-dark mask on it – a memento from them having just seen the production, of which at that time, I had no knowledge of; to hearing a boy sing “Phantom of the Opera” on a Saturday morning TV programme; and a girl on children’s Stars In Their Eyes singing “Think of Me” in the style of Sarah Brightman; to adoring listening to Michael Crawford tapes with my Mum, which had “Music of the Night” on them. I was a Phan even before I realised it!

In May 2008 I saw the London production of the show for the very first time, on an excited whim. Hooked from the off, this show encapsulates everything I love – a wonderful, emotive musical piece of love and passion, the balance of light & dark, set against an enchanting backdrop of Gothic marvellousness, candlelight and the world of ballet and theatre. Since then, I have been fortunate to see the show a further four times. Every performance leaves you mesmerized & euphoric; but with that slight ‘if only’ feeling at the end of the show; wondering what became of the Phantom, Christine and Raoul. Like finishing a good book & wishing there was just one more chapter; one more scene in your favourite film…but knowing that sadly, that was all; consoling yourself with the memories and imaginings.

But now, we get a chance to spoil ourselves, continue living that dream, indulge once more in pure decadence and fill up on almost ‘too much perfection’. Love Never Dies has arrived! We WILL know what has transpired in the 10 years since Erik flew from his cavernous lair; what became of our characters with which we are so enamoured. We again get to hold our breath and submerge ourselves in the spectacular and magical realm of the Maestro, the Phantom.

I simply cannot wait until the show! The excerpts that we have been treated to already conjure up a heady maelstrom of rapturous intrigue; not least the exquisite “Til I Hear You Sing” brought to life by the supremely talented and charismatic Ramin Karimloo. The drudgery of menial daily tasks and normal day to day life must carry on, but at the moment, my head is in the clouds, thinking ahead to the 3rd March, when I will blissfully take my seat for the new show. (The question is, how soon is too soon to book another ticket?! ). Adelphi here I come!

No special birthdays to celebrate in the rehearsal room today, but even without the lure of cake we called in to see how the cast were feeling at the end of another gruelling week. We arrived just as the cast were breaking for lunch and asked them how things were going and for their highlights of the week so far!

This is Miss Fleck again reporting for blog duty. I thought I would fill you in on my recent make-up session with the amazing team here at the LND rehearsal space. Basically, like many girls I am obsessed with make-up. On my last job I wore very little so when I read the call sheet for Monday and saw that I was scheduled to be in make-up for 2 hours I got ridiculously over-excited! I was greeted by Naomi (Make Up Designer) who was holding eyebrow glue. I was a bit worried. I sat down in front of three huge tables of every type of make-up you could possibly think of. It was like Christmas! On the wall opposite were hundreds of inspirational photos and I was drawn to a black and white picture of a gorgeous French model. Lucky for me that was Naomi’s idea for my Fleck makeover!

So basically we tried the eyebrow glue to make my eyebrows look thinner and higher but (thankfully) it didn’t look quite right so we had to stick to my own! After 15 minutes of trying to find a foundation that is pale enough (I am so pale there is a hint of blue to my skin, what can I say I’m Irish!) we got down to work. 10 eyeshadow shades and 45 minutes later, I had the most amazing eye make-up I have ever seen. They’re estimating that it will take me 45 minutes to apply my make-up before every show. Aaagggghhh! Fake eyelashes and a gorgeous lipstick colour later and I have turned into Miss Fleck. No-one recognized me!

Let’s hope I can take it off quickly or else I will be getting some funny looks on the train home every night!

Everything is going swimmingly in rehearsals. We’re working on one of the final scenes and it looks stunning! Believe me, you will not be expecting this!

We’ve had so many birthdays over the past few weeks and therefore have had a constant supply of birthday cake. Unfortunately there don’t seem to be any more in the foreseeable future and I am a bit gutted. Probably best for my waistline!

Anyway until next time,

Niamh xx

Hello again! So we’re part way through week two of the main rehearsals for Love Never Dies. I’ve been working on the new show for nearly three weeks now and am still not used to the early starts! Things will only get harder though as when we move to the theatre we can expect to be doing 14 hour days to open the show. Showbiz is glamorous isn’t it?!

We ended last week by running the opening 25 minutes of the show which was a great achievement considering the short time we’ve been working. We’re progressing steadily through the first half – working on staging, choreography and vocal elements separately and then joining them together in our main rehearsal studio. Fittings are still taking place for costume, wigs and make-up – who now have their own room (taking our total room count outside the theatre to 6).

As a team, we started looking at how we will achieve the scene changes when we arrive at the Adelphi in 2 weeks. Some of the set elements are quite simply massive, so planning how everything will fit and be used will take a while. As it’s a new show, we’re not even sure how big some things will be as they are still being designed. The coffee runs continue and occasionally include full lunch orders while creative meetings are taking place – fortunately, there’s an M&S close by!

It’s not only the cast who are learning new things while mounting the show. As I’m sure you’re now aware, the show involves circus skills which for many of us are new elements to be putting on stage. Throughout, it is part of the stage management teams’ job to ensure that all of these skills are learnt and executed safely, along with our Circus Skills Consultant Armando. Without giving too much away, there’s been plenty of ensuring that none of the cast unceremoniously crash to the floor.

Our props team have been steadily providing us with either rehearsal props to represent items on stage, or the actual show props which you will all see when we open. They are chasing an ever-moving target though as new props are required (or old ones cut) as each scene is rehearsed. Once in the rehearsal room, we can then get the actors used to using them and work out where each prop will be stored. By the end of the week, the aim is to be able to run the whole of the first half which will very exciting to see and be a part of.

I’ll let you know how we get on in my next blog. Until then, take care (and buy tickets!)

Duncan.

Ever mindful of your insatiable appetite for all things Love Never Dies, we popped down to the rehearsal studios on Friday with our trusty Flip camera.

It was a very significant day for a certain US choreographer who has reached the end of a very memorable week!

Aside from a chat with the birthday boy himself, we also managed to catch up with Pip Jordan (Dance captain), our “chubby funster” blogger Adam Pearce, who is reunited with his former Joseph colleague Jonathan Stewart, Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom), and rounded the clip off with a few succinct words from our director Jack O’Brien.

After blogs from James and Jeanette, here is a selection of the latest from our fan blogs – to submit your own blog, email online_team@reallyuseful.co.uk with the subject heading ‘Love Never Dies fan blog.’ Please note that blogs will be edited by the editorial team for length and content and we unfortunately cannot guarantee that all submissions will be used.

Emma’s fan blog:

I was so excited when I saw the Phantom’s letter on the Really Useful website. I was equally excited when I got an email for the competition. I hung on the phone and my emails in case I got THE call, but I wasn’t one of the lucky ones. Anyway, I was on the Love Never Dies website, awaiting the release. I pre-ordered the cast album, and I even managed to get a ticket for 20th February!!!!! A ticket for the first night preview!!!!

I am a huge Phantom phan, I have all the memorabilia, and I have seen Phantom so many times, but it is so special to me, as it is to many Phantom phans around the world. I really can’t wait to see how the story continues. The Coney Island Waltz and “Till I hear you sing” are amazing and I am so excited to hear the rest of the score. I’m also pleased that my second favourite Phantom – Ramin Karimloo – is playing Phantom. My all time favourite Phantom is Michael Crawford, but Ramin is an amazing Phantom, and I just can’t wait to see it!! xx

Melissa’s fan blog:

Phantom of the Opera is advertised as London’s greatest love story, so when I heard that it was definite that Andrew Lloyd Webber was writing Love Never Dies, I was eager to find out how he would continue London’s greatest love story.

Although I was not lucky enough to attend the press launch I did wait patiently for any updates to the website. My patience was rewarded by hearing two of the most beautiful and amazing pieces of music that I have heard outside Phantom of the Opera.

It was interesting to hear the back-story behind Love Never Dies, and from the amount of work that Andrew Lloyd Webber put into it, it is bound to be a big success.

I have heard Ramin sing before – additionally he is the only Phantom I have seen in West End – so I was already convinced he was a good choice to play the Phantom in the sequel. However, hearing him sing the passionate “Till I Hear You Sing” changed that. I was now not only convinced that he was a good choice, I now knew that he was a great choice as he sang with passion and conviction. He not only sang – he acted it as well. The applause he received was well earned as he put everything into that performance.

Since seeing the preview in October I have been eagerly awaiting any news about the up and coming performance – I was excited to hear more about the cast list and was happy to learn that Niamh Perry, my favourite contestant on ‘I’d Do Anything’- was performing in it.

Phantom of the Opera, as well as being my favourite musical, is also the only musical I have seen in West End. This will soon change when I see Love Never Dies on 20th February, for which I am counting down the days, and, with the high calibre of performers, I am sure that will not be disappointed.

Bonita’s fan blog:

I’m fascinated in what happens to the Phantom in Love Never Dies – my favorite musical character of all time which over the last 23 years I’ve seen in five different countries over 100 times.  Living in Melbourne, Australia, I watched online the launch in the early hours of the morning wishing I was there and on hearing the music I bought tickets immediately for March.  My last Phantom excursion was Phantom Fans Week in Las Vegas, when the germ of the idea of attending Love Never Dies was made that I needed another Phantom holiday soon – and what better place then London for the opening.  I was fortunate when I visited London last time to attend the world premiere of The Woman in White, the chance to see Love Never Dies with Phantom being my favorite show is so much more special.  I simply can’t wait until next year for the show to open here in Australia.

Hi, I’m Richard Linnell and I’m 12. I am one of the 6 boys who are playing the part of Gustave in Love Never Dies. Welcome to my first blog.

My first full cast rehearsal

10:00AM start at the rehearsal studio. This is the first day all the cast have met to run through so I was pretty nervous! I arrived and went up to the fourth floor. The first thing that I saw as I got out of the lift was a huge pile of pastries and cake, Yum! After watching everyone swam around the pastries we all went into the studio and sat down in the chairs that were set out and Andrew Lloyd Webber started to talk to us all. He introduced himself, Jack (our director), Simon (our musical director) and then we went around the room saying who we are and what we do. When it got to me I was quite nervous but once we had started all the nerves disappeared. Then Andrew told us how Love Never Dies came to be and then I met up with all the people that I knew from previous shows I have been in: Summer Strallen who is playing Meg Giry, who I knew from the Sound of Music where she played Maria and I played Kurt , Dean Chisnall who is in the ensemble, who played Prince Charming in my local Panto 2 years ago, where I was a juvenile dancer and Patrick Stanier one of our SMs here, who was the DSM at Waiting for Godot, where I played the boy earlier this year.

After the break we all sat down at tables to start the run through. I was sitting at the top table next to Joe (Raoul) with Sierra (Christine), Ramin (Phantom), Summer (Meg) and Liz (Madame Giry) on my right, Wow what a line up! As we went through the music I heard all the parts together for the first time and listened to all the scenes. We saw Bob Crowley’s brilliant set designs projected onto the big screen behind us and I realised how incredible, sophisticated, complex and beautiful the show is going to be. I sang my parts with the rest of the cast, which was very nerve racking but I think I did OK, and really enjoyed it. We had a break for lunch and I chatted with the other cast members, they are all so lovely. Funny thing, everyone seemed to have brought tuna fish and cucumber sandwiches to eat. After lunch we continued the run to the end of the show and finished at about 3:15pm.

I can’t say much as the plot, as it is a closely guarded secret, but I will say this, the press are right, this is Andrew’s best musical to date! To all you avid Phantom fans out there waiting for the twentieth of February with your tickets and wondering if it will be as good as The Phantom of the Opera, I can tell you this, it is even better. So hang in there because boy is this one is going to be a doosy!!

Until next time

Richard

Hello!

I’m Duncan and I am an Assistant Stage Manager on Love Never Dies. I’ve been asked to blog and tell you about what is happening backstage to mount ‘The Lord’s’ latest show. As the cast blogs are telling you, we are currently in the early stages of rehearsals.

In order to get the show rehearsed in time, we currently have three rehearsal studios and two production offices. Our main rehearsal studio matches the dimensions of the Adelphi stage and has a purpose-built stage area so that cast can get used to where the main set pieces are and see how the action and choreography will fit on the stage. Our second studio is mainly used for choreography sessions while the third studio is where the vocal calls take place to teach the cast the stunning new music for the show.

The stage management team is currently five-strong.  Our role during this early stage encompasses many different areas. Our main priority is to learn the show inside-out so that when we move to the theatre in February we can transfer the work done in the rehearsal studios onto the Adelphi stage. We also look after the creative team (who, being American, require a lot of coffee), the production teams (wardrobe & wigs, sound & lighting etc) and of course the actors.

As well as being present for the main rehearsals, the cast are also currently needed by the wardrobe and wigs departments so that they have time to finely-tune the fitting of all the magnificent costumes and wigs that are used in the show. These fittings, while essential, need to cause minimum disruption to the main creation process of the show. As such, daily scheduling meetings take place to work out who will be required where and when. The stage management team then co-ordinate the movement of the actors according to the schedule which (fingers crossed) allows everyone to carry on undisturbed.

The team also runs all of the rehearsal spaces which includes checking actors’ hours to ensure that they don’t work too long without a break, and setting any props that are required in each scene. During the early stages of the creation process we have to make notes on any new props that will be required and work out timings for scene transitions as well as teaching the cast how the set will be changing around them.

To say much more about what we are currently doing would start to reveal details about the show and therefore potentially spoil the surprise that our audiences will experience. However, in future posts I will say whatever I can about what the stage management team are doing to mount this new show.  I can guarantee that this show will be exciting, challenging and – most of all – fun for us to put on… as well as stunning for you to watch.

Hopefully, my next update will not be too far away. By my next post, I will have seen the set taking shape in the theatre and we should be progressing well with staging the show in the rehearsal studios. Until then, take care (and buy tickets!)

Duncan

So as we all know rehearsals are well underway for the cast and creative team in the studios – but over at the Adelphi Theatre, a very different kind of preparation is taking place as Production Manager Steve Rebbeck and his team of electricians, technicians, lighting experts and many more are getting on with the complicated job of turning the Adelphi Theatre into a Coney Island fairground…

Yesterday we were lucky enough to pay a visit to the theatre as one of the largest key pieces of the amazing Love Never Dies set was assembled by Steve and his team.

Following a brief Health and Safety presentation and wearing our hard hats (very important when you’ve got dozens of guys hanging cables and carrying heavy bits of scenery up and down ladders right above your head), we snuck onto the stage. Covered as it was with boxes and wires and bits and pieces, it was still possible to see what a spectacle this set is going to be. The team have started with one of the largest pieces – without giving too much away (sorry!) let’s just say it’s pretty tall, it’s pretty huge and it looks pretty heavy. This specific piece will take up almost the whole of the back of the stage and it goes up quite high too – but as Steve pointed out, getting a piece of this size into a theatre like the Adelphi is quite a feat.

“Everything had to be made to fit that door,” Steve told us, indicating the very average-sized door at the back of the stage. He explained that the piece his team were assembling onstage was originally made in 14 sections, in order to get it all through the door. “Sets used to primarily be much more flexible backcloths and fabric, which is why that door is so small!” Steve said.

Visiting the theatre in the morning, the piece was in its 14 sections and spread across the stage. When we returned at 5pm it was to see the full piece in its glory in place at the back of the stage, hanging from the wires which will be used to fly it up into the rafters. This is where it will be stored during the scenes when it is not required.

Steve estimates it will take another 2-and-a-half weeks to get the full set in and assembled – so the team will be keeping their hard hats on for a little while longer!

So.. it has been a long time coming but as you are already aware, Monday marked another landmark day for Love Never Dies.

As Adam reports below, it was the first time all those who will be working together (and many who have already been working on the show for a considerable time) got together in the rehearsal spaces in London.

The word on most people’s lips was “exciting” and there was a real buzz of electricity in the room as we all “Meeted and Greeted” each other and put names to faces for the first time. Jack O’Brien welcomed everyone and, after sharing his horoscope prediction for the coming month, suggested everyone look around the room and appreciate the fantastic array of talent that had been gathered together for the occasion.  There was then the short welcome from Andrew which Adam describes above.  Jack (despite a very husky sore throat) then took centre stage again and talked about the  phenomenonal impact of the original production of  The Phantom of the Opera. He emphasised how important it was to remember the unprecedented success of this show meant that to many people the story no longer belonged to Andrew as the composer, but that so many hundreds of thousands of people had invested so much emotion into the show that they felt Phantom in some way belonged to them.  It was essential to all these people that  Love Never Dies honoured this investment and that everyone should recognise that this piece would be the object of great scrutiny worldwide.

Jack told all those present that this was potentially the start of something truly great and that all those taking part should have fun and thoroughly enjoy the experience.  Finally, niceties over, he then made it clear that anyone who was not participating in the first full rehearsal that morning should “get the hell out of here!”…

Before we complied with Jack’s instruction we managed to seize a couple of moments to chat to our leading lady, Sierra Boggess, who had arrived in the UK on New Year’s Eve.  She has spent the last week in a flurry of “gorgeous” costume fittings.  Sierra wasn’t giving too much away but did say that her (already enviously slim) frame would be squeezed into “lots of corsets!”.  She has also faced the trauma of having her full head encased in plaster (mysterious, huh?) having undergone the same experience as Ramin Karimloo in our previous “Disfiguring the Phantom” blog entry.

Ramin also talked about his costume fittings.  He joked that the costumes are so amazing he asked if they could make two of each of them so he could get to keep one for himself!  Ramin himself is eager to begin the rehearsal process.  Although he has thoroughly appreciated a couple of months break from performing as The Phantom, having finished his run in the original production on November 7th, he can’t wait to continue the Phantom story and build on the character he knows so well.

Away from the “glamour” of the rehearsal rooms, at the Adelphi Theatre the set is being loaded in and constructed.  Steve Rebbeck, the Production Manager, had taken a couple of hours out of his gruelling technical production timetable to attend the Meet and Greet and confirmed that all is on schedule and that a key piece of set was being put together the following day (more from the Adelphi soon).

Despite the recent spell of adverse weather across the UK everyone who had been invited had managed to make the event, but there was one casualty.  Scott Penrose, the consultant who is creating the stunning Coney Island illusions for Love Never Dies confided that he was supposed to be delivering a load of props to the rehearsal room that day but had had to abandon his car on the journey in… so if anyone comes across a carload of very bizarre items which look like they belong in a freak show do let us know!

Before leaving we also took the opportunity to recruit a couple of additional potential “bloggers” who will be doing their utmost throughout the rehearsal period to keep us informed of what is happening in the build up to the big day.  More about them very soon…

Adam Pearce’s blog

Well, as Miss Fleck (aka Niamh Perry) has reported, yesterday was the Meet and Greet.

This is where almost every single person involved with the production from around the world all get together in one room and introduce themselves. There were cast, creative, wigs, wardrobe, casting, production, design, chaperones, marketing,  digital…the list goes on and on! So, we all sat down with tea, coffee, pastries, biscuits, everything you can imagine. Up steps the Lord to welcome us and he gives us the inside story on how he came up with the idea for the new piece.  He had been collaborating with a number of writers, but they just didn’t seem to work. Then he found a great team in – amongst others – Jack O’Brien, Jerry Mitchell, Bob Crowley, Ben Elton and Glenn Slater. Then Jack stood up and said a few words of inspiration. No matter what Jack talks about, you can’t help but be enthralled by his voice. I’m sure if he was even describing on how he opened a packet of crisps, your jaw would drop open and you would end up marvelling at the man!!

So we are making our way round the group, introducing ourselves. The Lord starts, then Jack, and we go round. I’m watching and trying to remember all the names and jobs, low and behold, it has come to my line. This is where I start to panic. I am 5 people away and I have stupidly just taken a giant mouthful of pecan Danish!!! So I’m chewing and chewing… Now 3 away… 2 away… chewing chewing chewing!!!  1 away… I swallow just as I start to stand. Thank goodness!!!…. But then realise I have not put the rest of the Danish down and am now holding it out in full view of everyone (including the Lord) Stupidly, I say ‘Hello, I’m Adam Pearce, and I play Squelch’ and find myself holding the pastry like a glass and am doing a kind of toasting gesture with it!! And to make matters worse, I look around and nobody else is eating, nor even holding any food what so ever!!  How embarrassing!! The curse of the ‘chubby funster’!

With week 1 of rehearsals over, the cast have been put through their paces!! For this show, for most of the cast, strength is a big factor. So every morning they have been in 10am -12.30pm doing an intense physical warm up and work out, increasing lower body and upper body strength, core strength and stability, just immense!!! God bless them, and all their blood sweat and tears, but it will hopefully all be worth it!!

We are extremely blessed to have such an amazing group of people here who are going to become family for the next year ahead. Cast, company manager, stage management, music team, creative team, wardrobe, wigs, it’s going to be a great year! Good times!!

Niamh Perry’s blog

I’m back again to fill you all in on the past few days of rehearsals. Most of the cast began on Monday [4th January] morning but by next Monday [11th] the whole company from every department will come together for an eagerly anticipated “Meet and Greet”. Rumour has it that the design team have put together a powerpoint presentation… I can’t wait! We have already started to set a few dance numbers (which are looking fabulous) and you can sense the excitement in the air.

For me, finally starting to put this masterpiece into action has been pretty overwhelming. As I said in my last blog, I have been lucky enough to have been involved in Love Never Dies from the very first workshop over 18 months ago.

I have also been asked to fill you in on my back story. Many of you won’t know this, but I first met Andrew (The Lord) when I became a finalist for the BBC show “I’d Do Anything” which was the TV search for a new talent to play ‘Nancy’ in Oliver!, in which Andrew was the judge. And although I didn’t win (which I think is lucky, as I wouldn’t be involved in Love Never Dies!), I gained so much priceless support from the legend himself, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.

It is because of his support and encouragement that I am blessed with the chance to create the role of “Fleck.”

I had my wig fitting yesterday with an awesome man named Campbell who covered my head in cling film, sticky-tape and red marker- I looked hot- NOT. I’ve never worn a wig before so this is a new experience all together!

I must dash here, I have a costume fitting in a few hours. It feels like I’ve been waiting for this for months! The excitement is taking over. Maybe they will let me fill you in on a few secrets…

Till then, much love and too much excitement…

Niamh xx

After hearing from James, Jeanette becomes the second person to share her fan blog with us… If you would like to submit a fan blog (whether or not you attended the press launch!) email online_team@reallyuseful.co.uk with the subject heading ‘Love Never Dies fan blog.’ Please note that blogs will be edited by the editorial team for length and content and we unfortunately cannot guarantee that all submissions will be used.

Jeanette’s blog:

I was also lucky enough to be at the Love Never Dies Press Launch last October, and along with James, I met lots of lovely Phantom fans who like me, were all so excited at being there.  There was a real electricity in the air inside the auditorium of Her Majesty’s Theatre that morning, an almost tangible feel of something truly great about to happenl!  It was fascinating to listen to the outline of the beginning of the story as told by the Maestro, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

I loved The Coney Island Waltz… how it started as a lilting little melody and built up to a wonderful crescendo of instrumental beauty, under the magical hands of conductor Simon Lee.  When Ramin led Sierra to the onstage throne I thought she looked so beautiful and serene as she sat and watched him sing ‘Til I Hear You Sing’, a stunningly lovely song which Ramin sang so passionately.  He received a tremendous ovation and rightly so, as he really did put his heart into the song.  I am counting the days to 20 February so we can hear it for the first time in the show itself!

I just know that Love Never Dies is going to fulfil all our hopes and dreams of another fantastic musical about our favourite character, the Phantom.  From the little snippets of news that are coming our way every day now are slowly building up to the whole magical concept.

I love musical theatre generally, but the Phantom is my darling… I’ve seen him hundreds of times over the past 20 years or so (335 at the last count!)

The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies…. London’s theatreland is going to be an absolute paradise for musical theatre fans… and certainly for us dedicated Phantom phans!

In our first fan blog, Phantom fan James gives us his take on the Love Never Dies press launch…

From the outside:

8th October 2009

I am one of the many fans eagerly awaiting the start of Love Never Dies and I was lucky enough to be chosen to see the Press Launch. I have also booked to see the first preview in February so am keeping a blog of what I have seen and my thoughts.

I arrived on the launch day nice and early carrying my Original Phantom Cast LP as it still looks so perfect and atmospheric. It also helps to show that I really am a fan! I signed for my special “Phan Pass” which let everyone one know that I am genuinely connected to the event (but I was a little worried that someone would say that it was all a mistake and take it off me.)

We were then all interviewed on camera about our Phantom experiences. We all see people being interviewed so often, but it feels very different when you are on the other end of the camera lens. I tried to fashion a few interesting words out and not sound like an idiot. I spotted a group of others who were also wearing something around their necks and correctly guess they are fans too. They were all very excited too. We swapped stories and hopes for the day ahead. I felt very connected to them even though we’d only seen each other for a few minutes.

We were lead into some of the best stalls seats in the auditorium. It felt really odd to be there at that time of day rather than in the evening. There was a real tension and expectation as the lights went down and we watched the video footage of the current Phantom, listing all the highlights and awards the show has achieved so far. It set the mood and reminded us of how high the stakes are for this show. Andrew came out and took us through the background to the piece and the story. The Conley Island influence and waltz seems a logical leap to make and captured everyone’s attention. The new song sounded really powerful and fresh, it worked really well on a stage.

All too soon it was over, and the stage cleared. There were reporters asking what we thought, so we all got broken up and for the second time that day we faced the microphones, including recording our thoughts to camera against a backdrop of the freshly revealed artwork of Love Never Dies.

After exiting the theatre, I met up again with a small group of my fellow fans I’d seen earlier in the day. We left the theatre wondering what we should do next as it seemed wrong to just go straight home. After a bit of chatting we decided to go to the Adelphi Theatre as that’s where things will be happening this year. Of course when we went, one by one we decided to book for the first preview in February as we don’t want the experience to end here…

Thanks to James for his blog. If you would like to submit a fan blog, email online_team@reallyuseful.co.uk with the subject heading ‘Love Never Dies fan blog.’ Please note that blogs will be edited by the editorial team for length and content and we unfortunately cannot guarantee that all submissions will be used.