In the second part of our video interview with Summer Strallen, who plays Meg in the show, she tells us how the keeps the role fresh – and how she winds down after a show, especially one as emotional as Love Never Dies…

Watch part one of our interview with Summer here.

Last week we paid another visit to the Adelphi Theatre to catch up with Summer Strallen, who plays Meg Giry in the show. In the first of a three-part video blog, Summer tells us what she thinks of her character, how she’s enjoying Love Never Dies – and whether or not she thinks Meg is in love with the Phantom…

Watch out for more from Summer…

In our latest blog, we head back to Ramin’s dressing room to catch up on how he feels about the character of the Phantom, his pet peeves, and how he keeps the role fresh.

To celebrate tonight’s opening at the Adelphi, we bring you an interview with Ramin Karimloo who takes to the stage this evening as The Phantom.

Ramin is no stranger to the role, having played the lead in the original London production for two years prior to reprising the character in Love Never Dies. In this exclusive video Ramin talks of the challenges of the role, the show itself, the music and how the character has changed in the intervening years.

Do you ever think video blogs are a bit like buses?  You wait ages for one to turn up and then two or three come along in rapid succession….?

We have delved into our archives – in actual fact only a couple of weeks ago but so much has happened along the Love Never Dies production process that it seems like AGES – to bring you a clip of the landmark day when Ramin Karimloo, our Phantom, met his make up, wig and mask for the first time.  We were there to capture the moment on our trusty Flip camera to try and give you a little teaser into what the Phantom now looks like.

So let’s go back to the end of January as the cast near the end of their stint in the rehearsal space and prepare to move into the Adelphi… and in another West End theatre a specialist team gather to create the Phantom’s look…

In our previous Disfiguring the Phantom blog post you will have seen the first stage in the process to create the make up and prosthetics which will transform Ramin into the Phantom.

This week saw the culmination of all the effort by Neill Girton, who made the prosthetics,  Naomi Donne, who has created the make up, Campbell Young, the Wigs Supervisor for the show and Ivo Coveney who has created the Phantom’s iconic mask.  For the first time all the team gathered in a dressing room at The Palace Theatre with Ramin, to apply their handiwork for the first time.  Neill prepared Ramin and began applying the prosthetics.  For Love Never Dies the prosthetics will be made in silicone rather than the foam used for The Phantom of the Opera.  This material – although slightly heavier than foam – allows the actor much more freedom for facial expression and also looks much more “skin like” in texture.

As Neill worked he gave a running commentary on the process so that Sandra O’Brien (Biddie) who will be Wigs Mistress on Love Never Dies and Debbie Goodship (Lolly) her Deputy, could take notes and photographs.   The process at this early stage takes well over an hour, but Biddie and Lolly are confident that over time they will be able to complete the make up in around 45 minutes.  Before Naomi took over to put the finishing touches to the make up, Campbell stepped in to apply the wig and complete the transformation.  Then Ramin was helped into his costume and led to the stage so the final look could be tested under the lighting.  Oh… and sitting in the auditorium to witness this was Andrew Lloyd Webber, Director Jack O’Brien and key members of the creative and production team

Obviously it was a time of great excitement for all, as the months of hard work became a reality.  It is safe to say that everyone involved was thrilled by the result.

Check out our exclusive video clip for a little teaser of the make up process and a few words from Naomi and Campbell…

She is a very busy lady at the moment, what with performances on the South Bank Awards Show squeezed in between Love Never Dies rehearsals, but we managed to get Sierra Boggess to sit still for a few moments while we asked her a few questions about her introduction to The Phantom of the Opera, and why other cast members think of her as the Grandma of the company…

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!

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

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…