Love Never Dies Original Cast ...

... are Amazing! Teehee.

And F.Y.I. they deserve to win a lot of awards. So if you are reading this, I'm sure they would be very grateful if you headed on over to the Whats On Stage website and voted for them in their respective categories. Such talent cannot go unrecognised! (I sound like an advertisment ... Or their PR, haha) Voting closes on February 20th I think, so hurry! (Like anyone's reading this, LOL)

And I'd just like to mention that I have booked tickets to see the very last performance they will ever do together, on March 5th at 7.30pm. I'm so excited! I'm sure it will be just as amazing as last time, although sad that they are leaving :(

Anyway, here's the cast list, and pictures, just 'cause I feel like it ... And CERTAIN people wish to see if the hype I have made about certain other people is correct ...

The Phantom - Ramin Karimloo

Christine Daae - Sierra Boggess

Meg Giry - Summer Strallen

Raoul - Joseph Millson

Fleck - Niamh Perry

And that's as far as I dare go. Phew, adding pictures is stressful! This has taken me ages. Just a few now of the actual production, 'cause it's so amazing, then I'm done.

And Ramin and Sierra, 'cause they're so good together :)

I'm sure I made that a lot more complicated than it needed to be ...

Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre

Warning - contains spoilers.

Okay, I know it's been a few weeks, but I decided that my next post would be a review of Andrew Lloyd Webber's (relatively) new musical, Love Never Dies (which I have just seen today) , the sequel to the famous Phantom of the Opera.

I first saw Phantom of the Opera last April on a music trip with my school. I remember not knowing much about it, except that it was the story of a mysterious masked man obsessed with a beautiful young soprano. Since I am a huge fan of romantic stories, I was quite interested. I wasn't however, looking forward to the 'Opera' part of it. Little did I know that Andrew Lloyd Webber had done a fantastic job of combining dramatic Operatic aria's, traditional musical chorus numbers and an enthralling storyline with the slightest hint of rock to it. In short, it was the best thing I had ever seen, and I have been just a little bit (or a lot) obsessed with it ever since.

When I heard about the sequel not too long after, I was sceptical. Phantom is a brilliant original, and everyone knows that musical sequels don't have a history of doing well. I researched the storyline, and was even less impressed. Christine dies? Shocking. A terrible end to the 'greatest love story ever told'. Then I listened to some of the songs. One especially stood out - the Phantom's spine-tingling Till I Hear You Sing.

I confess, the main motivation for my seeing the musical was the man (and his voice) behind that beautiful song, Mr Ramin Karimloo (@raminkarimloo on twitter, of course i'm following him). Not only does he have that elusive power to send shivers all through you when he opens his mouth, but he also happens to be very attractive. Which goes well with a tuxedo and a white mask, let me tell you! Anyway, he did not disappoint. With the new changes Andrew Lloyd Webber made, Till I Hear You Sing is now the opening song. And what an opening it gives! There you are, sitting in your seat, waiting for the thing to start, and this 'Christine' doll appears on stage, shortly followed by the Phantom, who immediately delivers his heart-breaking song. I was literally on the edge on my seat.

The big musical numbers are as follows:

Act 1.

Till I Hear You Sing - The Phantom

Heaven By The Sea - Ensemble

Only For Him/Only For You - Meg Giry

What A Dreadful Town! - Raoul, Christine and Gustave

Look With Your Heart - Christine and Gustave

Beneath A Moonless Sky - The Phantom and Christine

Once Upon Another Time - The Phantom and Christine

Dear Old Friend - Christine, Raoul, Meg Giry and Madame Giry

Beautiful - The Phantom and Gustave

The Beauty Underneath - The Phantom and Gustave

Act 2.

Why Does She Love Me? - Raoul

Devil Take the Hindmost - The Phantom and Raoul

Bathing Beauty - Meg Giry and Ensemble

Devil Take the Hindmost (reprise) - The Phantom, Raoul, Madame Giry

Love Never Dies - Christine

Ah, Christine - The Phantom

Please Miss Giry, I Want To Go Back! - Gustave, Meg, the Phantom, Christine, Madame Giry

For me, the best songs were Till I hear you sing, Beneath a moonless sky, The beauty underneath and Love Never Dies.

I didn't see the principal Christine, Sierra Boggess (@sierra_boggess on twitter) perform, I saw Celia Graham (who doesn't have twitter) instead, who was amazing! She had a great voice, really soft but strong at the same time. Perfect for Christine.

I can't write this blog without mentioning Gustave who (except for the Phantom) stole the show! He was so cute, and so professional! He got one of the biggest cheers at the end.

Anyway, the plot revolves around the idea that 10 years after Phantom was set, the Phantom is in America, and running a 'freak show' at Coney Island, New York. His life is cold and empty without Christine, so sends an anonymous request for her to perform, offering a huge amount of money. Christine and Raoul accept, being in serious debt due to Raoul's drinking and gambolling addictions. They arrive, and the Phantom visits Christine in her hotel room, much to her surprise. During Beneath A Moonless Sky, we learn that the night before her wedding, Christine had sought out the Phantom to say a final goodbye. One thing led to another and ... they spent the night together. The Phantom woke and left before Christine knew, ashamed of his disfiguerments. Christine married Raoul. Later in Act 1, the Phantom discovers Gustave's exceptional musical talents, and the fact that he is very much similar to himself. He confronts Christine, who breaks down and admits that she kept the secret. Gustave is the Phantom's son. To make up for the pain she caused, Christine swears to sing once more for the Phantom. Madame Giry is furious when the Phantom declares that everything he owns will go to Gustave. She and Meg feel cheated, after all they helped him do. End of Act 1.

Act 2 begins with Raoul drowning his sorrows in the bar, and lamenting on his relationship with Christine, Why Does She Love Me? It is very moving, but a somewhat chilling look into his soul.  In Devil Take the Hindmost the Phantom makes a bet with Raoul. If Christine sings for him, Raoul has to leave, alone. If she doesn't, they leave together with all their debts paid off. Raoul questions his right to Gustave. Meg performs her revealing Bathing Beauty, at the end of which she practially strips off and parades around naked, wrapped only in a towel. She is devastated to learn that the Phantom wasn't watching. Christine is in her dressing room, preparing for the performance. Raoul comes in and tries to persuade her not to sing. She is in the process of leaving after him when the Phantom enters. His persuasion is much stronger (and thrilling!) than Raouls, presenting her with a beautiful necklace with huge diamonds, and the promise of everlasting love filled with the joys of music. (I would choose him in a heartbeat!) Christine has a dilemma. The staging for the aria Love Never Dies is done brilliantly, with Christine on the 'stage' and the Phantom and Raoul on either side in the 'wings'. Her mind is still unmade, but looks at the Phantom and goes on to sing. Raoul leaves in the middle of the performance. Afterwards, she receives a goodbye letter from him. Gustave is found to be missing. They find him on the pier with a very disturbed Meg, catching her attempting to drown him. The Phantom grabs Gustave, but then Meg pulls out a gun, which she points at her own head. Christine shields Gustave while the Phantom talks (or rather, sings) Meg out of it. She then points the gun at him instead. He makes the mistake of mentioning Christine. "We can't all be like Christine" Meg, enraged, gestures the gun at Christine, accidentally firing. She and Madame Giry escape, while the Phantom holds the dying Christine. Gustave runs off when Christine tells him that Raoul is not his father. The Phantom and Christine share a heart-breaking melodic goodbye, including a last kiss! The Phantom holds Christine and Gustave comes back in with Raoul. Raoul moves to say goodbye to his dead wife, while Gustave tentatively hugs the Phantom, his real father. Ahhh. Truly emotional.

I recommend this musical to everyone, especially those who enjoy dramatic, moving stories. The Phantom's character appeals to everyone, as the shunned young genius who dares to love a beautiful girl. Although she dies, in the end he has finally won her.

The bet bits were every time Ramin ( The Phantom) was on stage. He has an amazing presence. It's worth every penny! The acrobatics are brilliant, and the costumes amazing. I hope that it goes on for a very long time. If I had to find a flaw, it would the that the character's of Meg and Raoul and very different (and much more vindictive) than in the original. But in the context of the story (and with the new changes) it does kind of make sense.

The cast I saw were as follows:

The Phantom - Ramin Karimloo
Christine Daae - Celia Graham
Raoul, vicomte de Chagney - Joseph Millson
Meg Giry - Jessica Kirton
Madame Giry - Liz Robertson
Fleck - Niamh Perry
Squelch - Adam Pearce
Gangle - Jami Reid-Quarrel

Birthdays ...

Greetings, fellow bloggers.

I'm very new to the world of blogging, so excuse me for this first post!

Since I very recently (5 days ago) celebrated my 17th birthday, I thought I would reflect upon birthdays, and what they really mean to us. Usually, I get ridiculously excited about my impending birthday, much to the irritation of my friends, but this year I found the entire experience different. Perhaps it was simply due to my being in sixth form now, since I have so much more work (and stress) to deal with, but I wasn't looking forward to it as much as I should. Of course I don't feel any different to how I did when I was 16 (we never do ...) but you know, we always hope for a slightly significant change. But I've realised that now, my last adolescent birthday has come and gone, and next year I am looking to the big 1-8. Wow. Not really sure if i'm ready for that one. I have set myself a very definitive list of goals to achieve before, since in the few weeks to my 17th, I found myself philosophically reflecting upon my year as a 16 year old, and my achievements (or rather, the lack of). I accept that I was rather absorbed with my GCSE's for much of that year, but I still find my conquests somewhat lacking. So this year, here are the goals I hope to achieve:

1. At least 3 A's in my AS Levels

2. To draft the novel I have been planning (it is my dream to become an author)

3. Write more poetry (I have a special book for this, how cool am I? ;)

4. Get a new job (I hate my current one)

5. To pass my Grade 4 Flute Exam

6. To see Phantom of the Opera at least twice more (a frivolous aim, yes, but we have to indulge in pleasures sometimes!)

7. To somehow raise money for a charitable organisation (must remember that many are less fortunate than I)

It's going to be a busy year. Unfortunately, I am the queen of procrastination. The book I mentioned planning has been in that stage of development for a while now, a couple of years i'd say. This list is rather optimistic, but I am confident that I can at least attempt most of them. And now, as I seem to have gone off on a bit of a tangent, back to birthdays...

We (in more economically developed countries) expect so much when that special day comes round. It's hard to realise that, when you are in the midst of tearing wrapping paper off each item you carefully requested on your 'list', people in some parts of the world don't even know when their birthday rolls around. Some probably wouldn't even care, worrying more about getting food to eat, clean water to drink and keeping their families safe. So many don't have a family to celebrate with. For a vast number of people around the world, birthdays are not the happy, carefree occasions we have come to see them as. I was very consciously aware this year, especially with our current state of recession and at christmas time, of the money that my family and friends were spending on me. How nice would it be, if I selflessly asked them all to donate in my name to charities? I didn't. I did tell my mum that I didn't want her to spend much on me, but I could have done a lot more. As humans, it's in our nature to want things, especially when we feel like we deserve them. However, I didn't particularly feel like I had done much to deserve presents. Not that I've been 'bad', or anything, I'm a very nice girl (I think, haha) but I think that next year, I will do the charity thing. I think there is much to be gained as a worldwide community if, at these time of celebration, we give a little more thought to others, and not just ourselves.

Well, that's it for my first blog, lets see about the next one, eh? :)