The Stage

Chit chat: Criticism never dies

Published Tuesday 8 September 2009 at 12:10 by Tabard

Time was that a big new West End musical would be launched via a big press launch, followed immediately by an explosion of press advertising. But Andrew Lloyd Webber, who over the years has regularly reinvented the ways of publicity as much as those of musical theatre and launched such shows as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita via concept albums that made some of the tracks into chart hit singles before they even reached the stage, is now introducing his Phantom sequel, Love Never Dies, to the world via social networking sites this week.

It’s a bold move, and the website for loveneverdies.com is already aggregating Twitter comments and posting them on its homepage. But even more radical is the open commentary that is being allowed on the website for the Really Useful Company (www.reallyuseful.com/news/love-never-dies), where MusicalLover6 has asked of the project, “A part of me wonders ‘why’?” and proceeds to wonder aloud: “There is no reason for a sequel of this musical to be made. I don’t think The Phantom would have gone to Coney Island, I don’t think Christine would be so stupid to go there… and Raoul. Don’t get me started on him. When and why would he become an alcoholic? Does no one care about the rich history of this story, or the musical that gave birth to this misshapen thing?! Teenagers will be the selling point of this musical, since instead of someone ‘harboring’ a ‘melodic, hypnotic’ and ‘tenor’ like voice, we now have a ‘cool’, ‘sexy, and ‘rocker tenor voice’. There was a reason why the film flopped when it included that formula. I’m sorry, but I for one will not take part in this ‘fad’.”

With comments like those on your own site, who’ll need to wait for the critics?