Broadway in Chicago Presents LOVE NEVER DIES Review

In the world of movies, sequels are frequent, heading to the big screen if there’s money to be made, or direct-to-home release if the sequel isn’t anticipated to be as hot a ticket the second time around. In the world of musical theatre, sequels are few and far between (did you know there was an Annie 2, attempted?) Love Never Dies, the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, now playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre gives the musical sequel an admirable shot.

Same Characters, Different Story in Love Never Dies

Although Love Never Dies transplants the action from Paris to Coney Island, many characters remain the same from Phantom of the Opera. Christine (Meghan Picerno) and Raoul (Sean Thompson) are now married with a ten-year-old son, Gustave (played by Casey Lyons at press opening). Happy as they were ten years ago, now their relationship has darkened: Raoul is struggling with gambling debt and it seems there’s less of a spark there for Christine. Christine has been lured from Paris to sing at the opening of a new opera house; however, things are not what they seem and quickly Christine is reunited with the Phantom (Gardar Thor Cortes), who seems hell-bent on winning her back. Also present in Love Never Dies are Madame Giry (Karen Mason) and her daughter, Meg (Mary Michael Patterson), who now work with the Phantom on Coney Island. Through some slightly dubious twists in characterization, Meg and Madame Giry become jealous of Christine’s success.

Broadway in Chicago Production Values Music and Spectacle Over Story

With bombastic orchestrations by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Love Never Dies is pure melodramatic spectacle. Directed by Simon Phillips, this production values its sweeping songs and lush design over story and characterization. Gabriela Tylesova’s scenic and costume design is impressive, ornate, and macabre. With a sweeping, twisting roller coaster track, flashing lights, and colorful tent-shaped backdrops, it immerses you fully in the creepy carnival of Coney Island in the early 1900s.

The spectacle of Love Never Dies pairs wonderfully with Webber’s soaring score, sung with passion and precision by Picerno, Thompson, and Cortes. While diction makes some of Glenn Slater’s lyrics hard to decipher, Phillips’ visual feast is rich enough to let the experience wash over you. No song illustrates this better than “The Beauty Underneath,” a number which echoes the 80s-rock vibe of The Phantom of the Opera and features stunning mirrored obelisks that rotate on a revolving stage and light up to reveal the twisted forms of circus freaks trapped within them. Even so, while Phantom purists may be willing to overlook some of the book’s weaknesses, some audiences may wish that the story’s substance measured up to the detailed and engrossing production design.

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Brent Ervin-Eickhoff is a director, writer, and educator based in Chicago, IL. He has worked with A Red Orchid Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., The Public House Theatre, and other storefront theatres as a director, assistant director, and in a variety of artistic capacities. Brent served as Co-Artistic Director and is currently the Managing Director of Blue Goose Theatre Ensemble, of which he was a founding member. His productions of Herculaneum and Bison? Bison. Bison! with Blue Goose were praised by critics and audiences. Bison? Bison. Bison! was selected and performed as part of Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks Initiative. An award-winning filmmaker, Brent’s films have screened as part of the Frog Baby Film Festival and Indianapolis 48 Hour Film Project. His play Puget Sound was workshopped as a staged reading as part of A Red Orchid Theatre’s Incubator Program in 2017. Brent graduated from Ball State University Magna Cum Laude with degrees in Directing and Theatre Education, as well as Ball State’s prestigious Academic Honors in Writing.

www.brentasmagoria.com

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