Musicals: Love Never Dies
Apr. 28th, 2020 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nineveh_ukNever let it be said that I am unjust. I have to admit that Love Never Dies is not as bad as I expected, although my expectations were subterranean. I'm not saying that it wasn't absolutely awful, mind you. Just that watching it was not quite as bad as it might be, and it did have potential. Wasted potential. Still, I'm glad that I have seen it and can now be critical from a position of greater knowledge.
So in brief:
* Some of the music is really good, if you like that sort of ALW music, which I do.
* The broadcast was of the Australian version, which reworked the London production to an extent and remembered that the Phantom is in fact a baddie. It thus works better in parts, while still terribly in others, the problem being the fundamental premise.
* The child actor was very good indeed, especially given the significant demands of his role.
* The staging is excellent, and the filming was much better than you see in a lot of musicals.
* The ending goes on forever, features the Phantom as the world's worst hostage negotiator, and fully earns the Paint Never Dries sobriquet.
* RAOUL WOULD NEVER!!!!!
* Beneath A Moonless Sky (The One In Which They Remember the Sex) was exactly as excruciating as I expected, I was watching from behind the metaphorical sofa. It would probably have been helped if there had been any chemistry whatsoever between the leads.
* The real moral of the story is that if you lend/give somebody money you should ensure you have a proper contract that entitles you to a large share of the ownership of an profits from the assets of you theme park. Especially if that someone is a multiple murderer obsessed with someone who is not you.
*Ultimately, if one accepts the basic premise that The Phantom of the Opera is a musical in need of a sequel (which, as you can tell, I don't) then the music showed genuine potential at times. There was stuff here that could have been worked with. But it failed not simply because of the premise, but because the execution of an already flawed premise was so self-indulgent. It needed someone to take a long-hard look at what would work not for the creators, but for the majority audience with this story.
Today's viewing is the National Theatre Twelfth Night, which I expect to be rather better.
So in brief:
* Some of the music is really good, if you like that sort of ALW music, which I do.
* The broadcast was of the Australian version, which reworked the London production to an extent and remembered that the Phantom is in fact a baddie. It thus works better in parts, while still terribly in others, the problem being the fundamental premise.
* The child actor was very good indeed, especially given the significant demands of his role.
* The staging is excellent, and the filming was much better than you see in a lot of musicals.
* The ending goes on forever, features the Phantom as the world's worst hostage negotiator, and fully earns the Paint Never Dries sobriquet.
* RAOUL WOULD NEVER!!!!!
* Beneath A Moonless Sky (The One In Which They Remember the Sex) was exactly as excruciating as I expected, I was watching from behind the metaphorical sofa. It would probably have been helped if there had been any chemistry whatsoever between the leads.
* The real moral of the story is that if you lend/give somebody money you should ensure you have a proper contract that entitles you to a large share of the ownership of an profits from the assets of you theme park. Especially if that someone is a multiple murderer obsessed with someone who is not you.
*Ultimately, if one accepts the basic premise that The Phantom of the Opera is a musical in need of a sequel (which, as you can tell, I don't) then the music showed genuine potential at times. There was stuff here that could have been worked with. But it failed not simply because of the premise, but because the execution of an already flawed premise was so self-indulgent. It needed someone to take a long-hard look at what would work not for the creators, but for the majority audience with this story.
Today's viewing is the National Theatre Twelfth Night, which I expect to be rather better.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 10:49 am (UTC)The bits of Love Never Dies I saw while passing through the living room while cooking dinner made it look like it made more sense than Phantom, which is something and if it is clear that the Phantom is a very evil stalker (still??) and not just sad because of his sad sad life, that would be a very great improvement.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 12:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 01:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 11:09 am (UTC)Twelfth Night is a play I'm rather fond of, I think I might join you.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 12:12 pm (UTC)I did TWelfth Night for GCSE and unusually for something done at GCSE loved it then and have ever since.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 12:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 01:15 pm (UTC)I do love the film version with Imogen Stubbs though
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 01:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 02:34 pm (UTC)I'm pretty sure we did have a theatre trip for GSCE English but I cannot for the life of me remember what we went to see. Although maybe it was drama club instead because the only play we studied was Shirley Valentine, which I quite enjoyed until I had to study it.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 03:56 pm (UTC)I like the film version principally because it's got Toby Stephens in it, but as film Shakespeare goes, it's pretty decent. But this version I now LOVE.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 04:10 pm (UTC)I am loving this version too. Just very much enjoyed Malvolia breaking the fourth wall as she read her letter in the garden.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 01:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 01:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 01:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-28 03:28 pm (UTC)