Andrew Lloyd Webber sets opening days for 'Phantom' sequel

"Love Never Dies," the long-awaited musical sequel to the "The Phantom of the Opera," officially has an opening date.

In a statement today, Andrew Lloyd Webber said the musical will first open in London at the Adelphi Theatre on March 9. And it will open on Broadway on Nov. 11, 2010 at an as-yet-unnamed theater. 

Set in Coney Island in New York, "Love Never Dies" picks up 10 years after the story of "Phantom," as the title character moves from his lair in the Paris Opera House to the fairgrounds of the popular Long Island locale. The show will star Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine in the London production.

"There's unfinished business," Lloyd Webber told a group of journalists in London, according to the Associated Press. "I don't regard this as a sequel; it's a standalone piece." The AP also reported that he wanted to create a new production because he thought the ending of the original was too boring.

Tony-winning director Jack O'Brien will stage the production. The music is by Lloyd Webber, who co-wrote the book; the lyrics are by Glenn Slater.

The album for "Love Never Dies" has been recorded and will be released to coincide with the London world premiere.

The new opening dates represent a delay, because people in the industry had originally expected the show to bow in the fall of 2009 in a simultaneous worldwide rollout.

"Love Never Dies" is also set to open in Australia sometime in 2011.

-- David Ng

Photo: Andrew Lloyd Webber, left, with Sierra Boggess, who plays Christine Daae, and Ramin Karimloo, who plays the Phantom. Credit: Matt Dunham / Associated Press

Monster Mash: L.A. Times editorial board sounds off on LACMA controversy; KUSC says it's the tops; artists, filmmakers protest Toronto Film Festival

-- Reeling: The Los Angeles Times editorial board believes LACMA and film go together, and describes the museum's original decision to close its weekend screening series as "shocking and depressing."

-- Strong signal: L.A.'s KUSC-FM (91.5) says it is the most listened-to public radio station in the country.

-- Israeli controversy, Part 1: A group of artists, filmmakers, actors and writers is protesting the Toronto Film Festival's focus on the city of Tel Aviv.

-- Israeli controversy, Part 2: The AP is involved in a dust-up around a photo exhibition depicting violence in the Middle East.

-- Don't touch: A security guard at the Seattle Art Museum has been fired after her decision to alter a work by Yoko Ono.

-- This old house: Sydney Opera House is looking to raise about $500 million for renovations. 

-- Backlash: Public outcry has forced the government of British Columbia to restore money cut from arts groups.

-- Cutting back: The Rochester (N.Y.) Philharmonic Orchestra is changing its 2009-10 season to save money.

-- Film commitment: Hank Azaria has pulled out of the stage production of "An Evening Without Monty Python," which is scheduled to play in Hollywood and New York.

-- David Ng

Photo: A scene from "Gone With the Wind," which has screened at LACMA's film program. Credit: Warner Bros./MGM/UA

OCPAC announces lineup for Broadway series

 

Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein," the Tony-winning musical "In the Heights" and a re-envisioned "Dreamgirls" are among the highlights announced today for the Orange County Performing Arts Center's 2009-10 Broadway and Curtain Call series.

The latest installment of the Broadway series begins in October and includes six productions consisting mostly of national tours of popular musicals. The Curtain Call series presents special engagements of Broadway shows as well as concert events. Both series are performed at the center's Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa.

"Monty Python's Spamalot" opens the Broadway series and runs from Oct. 6-18. It's followed by two recent popular and critical hits: "Spring Awakening" (Nov. 17-29) and "Xanadu" (Dec. 15-27).

The newly restaged version of the 1981 musical "Dreamgirls," opening in November at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, runs in Costa Mesa from April 20 to May 2, 2010, followed by Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights" (Aug. 3-15), which won the Tony for best musical in 2008.

The series closes with Brooks' blockbuster musical "Young Frankenstein," running Sept. 7-19.

The Curtain Call series begins with "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber," a concert event that features performances from some of the songwriter's best-known musicals, running from Feb. 16-21, 2010. That's followed by "Hairspray" (April 6-11) and "Disney's the Lion King" (May 26 to June 13).

Phantom of the Opera: The video game

We used to know a guy who just loved “The Phantom of the Opera.” He would hum “Music of the Night” from his cubicle. Again. And again. And again. We wanted to hit him with a chandelier.

Sorry Andrew Lloyd Webber fans: Not everyone finds the melodies of the musical theater composer behind "Cats," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Sunset Boulevard" and, of course, "Phantom"  to be "soft as candlelight." Shocking.   

But here’s good news for workers on both sides of the cubicle: Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group is developing a video game that will allow users to sing along with the Phantom, Evita or Grizabella -- all in the privacy of their own homes.

According to paidcontent.org:  "The first titles will let players sing along as characters in the composer’s shows and could involve elements of 'audition,' just like in his BBC shows 'I’d Do Anything' and 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?' and last year’s Lloyd-Webber-themed episode of 'American Idol.' "

A new day has begun.

-- Lisa Fung

Photo: Jason Mills and Sara Jean Ford in a touring production of "The Phantom of the Opera." Credit: Joan Marcus