Love Never Dies – Adelphi Theatre, London

Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd-Webber

Lyrics/Book: Glenn Slater

Book: Ben Elton & Frederick Forsythe

Director Jack O’Brien

Reviewer: Becky Middleton

The Public Reviews Rating:

Like Romeo and Juliet or Odysseus and Penelope, two of the greatest lovers in history have been reunited in this spectacular and beguiling production. Lloyd-Webber has excelled with Love Never Dies, an extravaganza of a show complete with aerial acrobatics, fire breathing and spine-tingling solo performances.

Ramin Karimloo dazzles in the title role. The heartbreak of The Phantom is raw and palpable from the moment he performs the chilling and powerful ‘Til I Hear You Sing, in Scene two. The Phantom and Christine’s duet, Beneath a Moonless Sky, is magical and flawless, the ache of 10 years of separation and reminiscence of the time they spent together is utterly engaging and I didn’t want it to end.

For a Westend debut, Sierra Boggess shines. Her voice is captivating and feminine, and she looks beautiful in the Victorian costumes, notably a sparkled dusky pink dress for the emotive solo and the play’s namesake, Love Never Dies.

The strength of title characters somewhat outshine the unpopular husband Raoul, played by Joseph Millson, who is not given the right opportunity to excel. His voice is strong, but next to Karimloo he is relegated to the background.

For a production with a Lloyd-Webber budget, (rumoured to be around £13 million) one would expect no less than the most flamboyant theatrics and it did not disappoint. The production even had its own Magic Consultant by the name of Scott Penrose.

A live orchestra plays Lloyd-Webber’s score with passion and ease in an accompaniment that transports the audience to the theatre of days gone by. Above them the staging challenges the limitations of the stage todistort perspective and transport the audience into the often chaotic and colourful scene.

Will it become a classic with the same draw of the Phantom of the Opera? I don’t think so, predominantlybecause sequels seldom do. Also to emulate the success of the Phantom would be difficult. More than 100 million people in over 25 countries have been to see the original, and it is the most successful piece of entertainment in history since it opened in Her Majesty’s Theatre, London in September 1986.

The back story of the protagonists’ forbidden love is the driving force behind the plot, and one is disadvantaged if one has not seen the original. Saying that, Love Never Dies is as theatre should be; dramatic, gripping and engaging, with an exceptionally talented cast that bring the script to life night after night. The standing ovation was well deserved.