Phantom of the Opera Sequel: Love Never Dies
Helen, Bradford UK:
more quotes from fans below
In 1997 Forsyth's book, The Phantom of Manhattan, was released to poor reviews from fans and professional critics alike, though with praise from Andrew Lloyd Webber. Fans were particularly irritated by its prologue, in which the author explains to us that Gaston Leroux was wrong about the characters he created, and that Lloyd Webber (and now Frederick Forsyth) had "corrected" these errors.
After the failure of The Phantom of Manhattan the idea of making a Phantom of the Opera sequel as a musical died down for a few years, and fans hoped it had been dismissed for good, but in the mid 2000s, rumours began to arise again. Plans for a new musical were announced again, and in 2007 we learned that it would be based on, though not identical to, Frederick Forsyth's novel.
Love Never Dies, the new Phantom musical, is now set to open in London in March 2010. It sends the characters off to Coney Island, New York, where the Phantom runs a freak show, Raoul is a broken down alcoholic, and Christine has a son. Yes, it sounds like fanfic already.
The Phantom story is complete as it is, and any continuation of it can only weaken its power with contradictions. At the end of the original novel, the Phantom dies, and Andrew Lloyd Webber poetically translated this into him disappearing at the end of the musical, allowing audiences to decide for themselves what became of him.
Love Never Dies reduces this mystery, and directly contradicts the original story and its characters. The power of Phantom, for many of us, lies in its ending, in which the title character is redeemed by his sacrifice, sending Christine away when she shows him the first moment of love he's ever experienced, kissing him. For him to continue to pursue her, years later, tarnishes this redemption.
Phantom fans feel a deep connection with the story and its characters; that's why we're fans. Good fiction, like mythology, has the power to deeply effect people. Of course we don't like to see that story ruined in a form that will reach many people and change how they view it.
Plenty of fan fiction authors write sequels (indeed, the whole "Raoul is an alcohol and Christine has a son and is it his or the Phantom's?" plot was done published as fan fiction long before Forsyth wrote it!). The difference is, fan fiction is read by other fans, who like exploring other fans' thoughts and ideas. It does not alter what people think the actual story is. It doesn't lead people to think "this is the story of the Phantom of the Opera".
Opposition to the sequel isn't universal amongst fans of course, and there are some who are looking forward to the show, but discussion in the fan communities is dominated by strong negative reactions. And those who are opposed are heartily sick of seeing news articles about how much we're looking forward to it, and advertising telling us we can "find out what happened" to the Phantom and Christine... along with the impression one gets from Andrew Lloyd Webber that he invented the whole story!
>> Phantom fans, join the discussion.
A few views from fans online:
Kathleen, Indiana USA:
"Moving the location from the Paris Opera to Coney Island takes the story out of the realm of the epic and reduces it to the level of cheap thrills, and changing the Phantom from an outcast who wants love and for his music to be heard into a man exhibiting himself in order to gain financial success both diminishes the character and changes him out of all recognition.
"This is why I'm not in favor of the sequel."
Kelly Jacqueline, Ohio USA:
Sharon, California USA:
Ami, Virginia USA:
RS, London UK [2]:
"It's a shame Lloyd Webber decided to waste his talents on a ridiculous project like this. Forsyth's novel was beyond abysmal and the story of this sequel leaves one with very little hope. What a mess."
More fan views on the forums: Phantom Sequel, for or against, Predict the Plot, Love Never Dies.
The Stage has noticed generally negative feedback from fans on the Really Useful Group's website for the new show, too: Criticism Never Dies.
And, you can follow fan reaction to the Phantom of the Opera sequel on Twitter.
Quotes from Fans
"I'm fed up with the way Andrew Lloyd Webber talks as if he created the whole story of Phantom. Now he's saying it needed a sequel because the end was no good. Has he got no clue that it's the ending that makes the show so beautiful? He certainly seems to have no idea what it is that's drawn fans back to see it 50 times or more!"
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Why are fans so skeptical of the Phantom of the Opera sequel?
Why do fans care about the Phantom of the Opera sequel - why not just ignore it?
Quotations
"Though there's a natural impulse to want more of a popular classic, sequels almost invariably fail to live up to the standards set by their predecessors. In the case of Phantom, less is more: the original musical ends perfectly, with the Phantom moving from sympathetic villain to tragic anti-hero by sacrificing his own desires for the happiness of the woman he loves. It breaks our hearts, but also gives us the hope of redemption; we love it for both of these qualities, and go back to see it again and again.
"The Phantom dies at the end of the original story. And, regardless of your beliefs on that matter, the fact is, the beauty of the story comes from his sacrifice (his redemption) when he lets Christine leave with Raoul. For The Phantom to now lure Christine to Coney Island, his entire redemption and sacrifice is erased. The Phantom really becomes a monster, after all. Not to mention, the sequel is being based on the novel PHANTOM OF MANHATTAN, which was a terrible book. I read it three times, trying to make myself like it, but it was hopeless. Indeed, according to PHANTOM OF MANHATTAN's plotline, The Phantom is essentially a rapist, if you look at some of Christine's remarks in the book. The Phantom may be a murderer and a kidnapper, but I REJECT the idea that he would ever actually rape Christine."
"The source material is so dreadful that Frederick Forsyth, an otherwise brilliant novelist, should be ashamed of himself for having written it. The music I've heard thusfar is lovely, but the plot is an abomination."
"The problem with the sequel is that it cheapens the original story by its very existence. The ending of both Leroux's novel and the original musical redeemed the Phantom's character. That redemption makes it possible to empathize with him in spite of his actions; his search for love and understanding becomes our own. Changing the ending so drastically by reviving what is essentially the same story (deformed mysterious genius stalking beautiful woman) is the equivalent of taking one step forward and two steps back. A sequel negates the redemption that drew many fans to the story in the first place, so it's no wonder those of us who call ourselves true phans are outraged."
"This a day I hoped would never happen. Contrary to some press reports, the majority of PHANTOM fans are NOT looking forward to this travesty. The very idea of a sequel to this story undermines the beautiful redemptive ending of the original, and furthermore is redundant anyway (either The Phantom gets the girl or he doesn't -- in the case of the former, it would appear that murder and deception are the best way to win a girl's heart, while in the case of the latter, we've already had that story).