Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera(film, 2004)and Love Never Dies(2012)

Phantom of the Opera is based on Gaston Leroux's Le Fantôme de l'Opéra while Love Never Dies is based on The Phantom of Manhattan based on the imagination of Frederick Forsyth of what could have happened before Christine Daee's death, and why Raoul face is full of pain, at least in Andrew Lloyd Webber's depiction of Monsieur Leroux's masterpiece. 

From his hideout beneath a 19th century Paris opera house, the brooding Phantom (Gerard Butler) schemes to get closer to vocalist Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum). The Phantom, wearing a mask to hide a congenital disfigurement, strong-arms management into giving the budding starlet key roles, but Christine instead falls for arts benefactor Raoul (Patrick Wilson). Terrified at the notion of her absence, the Phantom enacts a plan to keep Christine by his side, while Raoul tries to foil the scheme.

Initial release: 10 December 2004 (United Kingdom)

Director: Joel Schumacher

Awards: BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Actress
Music Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics Charles Hart
Book
Richard Stilgoe
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Basis Le Fantôme de l'Opéra
by Gaston Leroux

Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical
Tony Award for Best Musical

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

I have seen many versions of this musical, but I will only talk about the movie I saw for the first time in 2005 with my brother RJ.  He loved it so much.  I did too.  It is audio-visually breathtaking.  

In the movie version the sequel kind of makes sense because there was an implied scene there when the curtain fell, but if you read Monsieur Leroux's book you would know that the Phantom was never been kissed except before their tears mingled...before she eloped with Raoul.

Basing on the Broadway musical, Love Never Dies or The Phantom of Manhattan does not make sense.  How could he have sired the young boy who grew up as Raoul's?  No need for spoiler warnings because when we watch musicals or stage plays that have been playing for ages, we usually know the story.  In the case of Phantom of the Opera, we even know the songs.

The movie takes place in 1870, but Leroux's story takes place in the 1880s.  The movie fast forwards to 1919.  The musical ends in the lair where Meg holds the mask.

I love the movie(and the Broadway Musical).  GERARD BUTLER is perfect as The Phantom, and EMMY ROSSUM is believable as Christine Daaé.

Cast from Wikipedia:

Bravo! Brava!  Bravo! Brava!

• Gerard Butler as The Phantom
• Emmy Rossum as Christine Daaé
• Patrick Wilson as Viscount Raoul de Chagny
• Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry
• Minnie Driver as Carlotta Giudicelli
  • Margaret Preece as Carlotta's singing voice except for "Learn to Be Lonely"
• Simon Callow as Gilles André
• Ciarán Hinds as Richard Firmin
• Victor McGuire as Ubaldo Piangi
• Jennifer Ellison as Meg Giry
• Murray Melvin as Monsieur Reyer
• Kevin McNally as Joseph Buquet
• James Fleet as Monsieur Lefèvre
• Ramin Karimloo as Gustave Daaé

As for Love Never Dies, my thoughts are below.

Set 10 years later, the Phantom has escaped from Paris to New York where he lives amongst the joy rides and freak shows of Coney Island. He has finally found a place for his music to soar, all that is missing is his love Christine Daaé. In a bid to win back her love, the Phantom lures Christine, her husband Raoul, and their young son Gustave from Manhattan, to the glittering and glorious world of Coney Island... they have no idea what lies in store for them...

Initial release: 28 February 2012 (USA)

Initial DVD release: 4 April 2012 (Sweden)

Costume design: Gabriela Tylesova

Screenplay: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Glenn Slater, Charles Hart, Frederick Forsyth

Music Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics Glenn Slater
Book Andrew Lloyd Webber
Ben Elton
Frederick Forsyth
Glenn Slater
Basis The Phantom of Manhattan
by Frederick Forsyth

Genre: Drama, Music, Musical

Actor: Ben Lewis, Anna O'byrne, Maria Mercedes, Simon Gleeson, Jack Lyall

Director: Brett Sullivan, Simon Phillips

LOVE NEVER DIES

This musical is set in1907---according to Forsyth this is ten years after Christine ran away or sailed away with Raoul. Hmp! The events happened in the 1880s according to Leroux, and according to Joel Schumacher the events took place in 1870.

Anyways, the year is 1907 because it was supposed to be during the heyday of Oscar Hammerstein.   I was befuddled first.  "What? Mr. Hammerstein was ONLY TWELVE YEARS OLD( he was born in 1895---the year of the fire according to Mr. Federick Forsyth).  Any other excuse, Mr. Forsyth???? Mr. Webber???"  After some research... "Oh, they are talking about the impresario, Oscar Hammerstein and NOT Oscar Hammerstein of Rodgers and Hammerstein.  Makes better sense now."

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My first reaction when I first watched Love Never Dies was disgust.  I have always loved the part when the Erik or the Phantom let Raoul(and the Persian) and Christine go.  Why ruin such a beautiful love story?  Christine was not, after all, scared of his face, but she was scared of his rage...that he could kill quite easily.

I watched it years later.  I appreciate it more, but I still don't love it.  They made Raoul a gambler. Why???? Why???? Why????

So when Christine thought he was the Angel of Music, Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, enveloped her and claimed her without her knowledge???? Really???? Is that why Raoul became a gambler???

Oh, this is from a parallel universe.  I get it now.  This is what could have been if Christine really loved her Angel of Music, but when he pretended to die, she was crushed.  Now, as a famous opera singer, she is married to her childhood sweetheart Raoul who turns out to be unworthy of loving.

My goodness.  Why????

It doesn't matter if the Angel of Music or Erik the Phantom claimed her one brief moment(the two weeks in Leroux's book), and when she woke up, she was smiling, but when he showed how scary he was, killing that easily, Christine was scared of him and chose to go with Raoul.  Now, Mr. Forsyth twists that.  Being in a parallel universe is the only logical explanation.

Of course, I am exaggerating.  The two weeks in Leroux book is enough for the Phantom to have claimed her.  The kiss was something else.

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This takes place ten years after all the traumatic experiences that happened at the Opera Populaire in Paris.

To appreciate it more, this is what I told myself:

It's not a sequel.  It's a totally new story.  It's a reimagined ending...a, "What if I popped this balloon..." kind of story.

Oh well.  It's not totally bad, but I'll stick with the thought of Christine choosing to love Raoul until her death, but Erik loves her forever.  

Who cares if this did not interest the majority?  Lots still loved it anyway.  I'm just not one of them.

Imagine Mr. Forsyth made Meg so needy just because she was the one who found the mask.  He also made Madame Giry greedy.

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I love the songs and the singing, especially little Gustave as performed by JACK LYALL, who was ten during that time, same age as Gustave.  The events were almost twelve years ago or more than eleven years ago.  We could say that Gustave is barely eleven.  Something like that.  

Wait, they said the scene in Coney Island was set in 1905 and NOT 1907.  Just ten years after the event.  Ergo Christine was already two to three months pregnant for the child to be ten. Argh!  Why does it matter?  The child could have been premature. :-p Ah, never mind. 

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Thanks for your time.