(SPOT.ph) With the quarantine keeping most of us home, acclaimed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has shared some of his works online—and for free! For the upcoming weekend, YouTube channel The Shows Must Go On is presenting Love Never Dies—the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera—on April 24 at 2 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, or April 25 at 2 a.m., Philippine Standard Time. It will be available online for 48 hours.
The 2012 Australian production of the musical stars Ben Lewis as The Phantom, Anna O'Byrne as Christine Daaé, and Simon Gleeson as Raoul. It is directed by Simon Phillips, with choreography by Graeme Murphy and set and costume designs by Gabriela Tylesova. Glenn Slater wrote the lyrics for the musical, while Lloyd Webber was joined by Ben Elton and Frederick Forsyth for the script.
Love Never Dies, which is loosely adapted from Forsyth's novel The Phantom of Manhattan (1999), is set in 1907—about a decade after the final scene of The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom is now living amid carnival performers in Coney Island; while Christine—now one of the world's finest sopranos—gets invited to perform in an opera house in Manhattan. Never giving up, The Phantom tries to lure Christine to Brooklyn.
The Shows Must Go On previously aired The Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Jesus Christ Superstar. It is for the benefit of The Actors Fund, Acting for Others, Broadway Cares, Actors Benevolent Fund, and more.
Love Never Dies goes live on April 25, 2 a.m. (Philippine Standard Time). It is available online for 48 hours on The Shows Must Go On!. For more information, visit The Shows Must Go On! on YouTube.
Main photo: Love Never Dies' North American tour featuring Meghan Picerno and Sean Thompson; by Joan Marcus from Love Never Dies' Facebook
