ayla_payne The only reason this review gets 3 stars is because of the music. Growing up I was a huge fan of POTO. I knew every song and every line by the time I was 7 years old. My family told me it inspired my "amazing singing voice". Anyways, when I heard there was a sequel I knew I had to see it. I watched it and was extremely disappointed. You can't tell that it is related to POTO except for the characters. There is a very strange somewhat scary circus vibe that is not appealing in the slightest. While I do love the Phantom/Christine pairing...this was just a horrible mess. To think the Phantom would leave to New York and start a circus? Are you kidding me? And that Raoul is now a crazy abusive alcoholic and no longer an amazing caring hero to Christine. I do have to say that the music is very beautiful and haunting and only slightly similar to POTO. Honestly, I wish I wouldn't have watched it or ever heard of it. Webber ruined a sequel that could have been amazing...In most aspects this is a horrible show.

ILike Potaotes This was awful. I love the Phantom and Christine pairing, but this was bad. The music was pretty decent. Not very nearly as catchy or memorable as the first.None of the characters held true to the original story at all. This was like watching a really bad fan fiction piece made into a musical. Yes many love the Phantom+Christine paring, but not like this.I love the POTO and I was really excited to learn there was a sequel.**Spoilers** We are supposed to believe that the phantom just decided to up and move to the US and change his ways. Suddenly he's this respectable business man who is reasonable and goes out in public with his mask like it's no big deal.Seriously, a love child? The last kiss was bad. Their faces read as if they were both thinking "ewww" as they kissed.

mngnm94 I saw The Phantom of the Opera when I was 12, and I heard the Original London Cast Recording of Love Never Dies when I was 16. By then my life had gone through some MAJOR changes. For one thing my Dad died 2.75 months after I saw The Phantom of the Opera on stage (believe it or not) and my life was continuing to get worse, so my personality like the characters in "Love Never Dies" changed with life. What I'm trying to say is "Misery loves company" especially from close friends. When I was 13 I had read "The Phantom of Manhattan" so it was not a surprise to me when Christine died. :(!In a class called "Working with Young Children" I learned that If a child is born less than a year into a marriage it most likely falls apart, which contributes WHY Christine chooses the Phantom. Furthermore, Gustave's attraction to music, and also having the same concept of beauty as the Phantom, can be explained by the existence of the Hobby Gene. This means that because both of his parents like music, he is more likely to as well.Also gambling was popular among rich people during the time that the Phantom of the Opera was set. This would most likely result in a lower income, which would put stress on Raoul and Christine's marriage, Which would contribute to WHY Christine chooses the Phantom. Raoul in the original novel is immature and immature people are impulsive, and do things like drink too much, and gamble. I know that the dates between "Love Never Dies" and the auction at the beginning of "The Phantom of the Opera are correct because alcoholism causes premature aging, by reducing the amount of collagen, (which is what makes your skin look young) by reducing amount of the antioxidant vitamin A which is important in slowing down the signs of agingBut what Meg said before she shot her sounded JUST like I was feeling by the time I was 16. (added to that my relationship with my sister had gone tough the same stages as Meg and Christine's in "Love Never Dies" the Australian production in the past eight years at the time) but I HADN'T killed anybody. Why? Because our undying love we've had since we were children, for our family (including pets) friends, jobs,our favorite media, hobbies, and interests, and ourselves enables us not to change when change is making our world fall apart around us, even over a period as long as ten years. We are the same people we always were because love never dies that's what misery causing change taught me, and "Love Never Dies" affirmed. When I saw the DVD The blocking for "Please Miss Giry I Want to go Back" made it look like Meg MEANT to shoot Christine. Also she has UNTREATED Bipolar Disorder, and has these symptoms:1. Feeling unusually "high" and optimistic OR extremely irritable 2. Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs about one's abilities or powers 3. Sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic 4. Racing thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next 5. Impaired judgment and impulsiveness 6. Acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences 7. Delusions and hallucinations (in severe cases)I now know why I didn't kill, because I got the emotional support and love Meg didn't get from "Love Never Dies", and with out it I definitely wouldn't be where I am right now.

xristosdomini Okay, so, I watched this reasonably soon after having watched the Phantom of the Opera 25th anniversary performance--so a) it was fresh and b) I might be a little harsh. The camera work was a little...interesting. There was only one shot (before the curtain call) that showed any of the audience, so it was easy to forget you were watching a play in a theater--except that you kept seeing stage lights in shots. Not a bad thing, but not ideal. The music is good, but rather weak in comparison to Phantom. Phantom is soaring and operatic... LND had me asking if Webber composed it in collaboration with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The big thing for me, however, is the continuity disasters between LND and Phantom that fundamentally change the apparent story in Phantom. Full-disclosure, I think Love Never Dies would be perfectly fine in it's own right, but as a sequel to the awesomeness of Phantom of the Opera... I was a bit disappointed. I did appreciate the sporadic musical references to Phantom of the Opera in the score, however.