Daily Mail
“Love may never die but West End shows will come perilously close to disaster unless they have some oompf and bongo — and preferably a decent tune — in the first 15 minutes.”
Times Online
“...oh, how time and a dismally implausible plot have altered [Phantom] and his life.”
Guardian
“The problems lie within the book, chiefly credited to Lloyd Webber himself and Ben Elton, which lacks the weight to support the imaginative superstructure.”
New York Times
“So now he’s back in the West End with a big, gaudy new show. And he might as well have a “kick me” sign pasted to his backside.”
Evening Standard
“Admirers of Phantom are likely to be disappointed, and there’s not enough here to entice a new generation of fans.”
Metro
“...a sentimental love story in which the psychological darkness of its predecessor has aged into hammy gothic kitsch.”
EW.com
“UK critic Mark Shenton's verdict is out, too---and it's a pan.”
Financial Times
“I can’t see it winning over the “Love Should Die” Facebook group.”
Sunday Times
“None of this villainy was remotely hinted at in Phantom. It’s one of the many excruciating ways in which the original characters have had to be deformed to fit this childish and cheesy melodrama.”
Variety
“At the moment, watching the sequel only makes you appreciate the achievement of the original.”
Theatre critics around the world all took their turn to take a swing at the Coney Island clowns. The below reviews are unedited and are based on the original version of Love Never Dies from opening night - March 9, 2010.
Theatremania.com
“...turns out to be muddled and baffling, and full of moments of unintentional humor.”
The Scotsman
“...you’ll wish you’d got a ticket for the original Phantom instead.”
Time Out London
“With its sickening swirls of video imagery, pointless plot, and protracted, repetitive songs, 'Love Never Dies', directed by Jack O'Brien, is punishingly wearisome.”
NewStatesman
Reports Mr Y should be renamed Mr YOY (as in 'why oh why did we need to have a sequel?').
West End Whingers
“The Whingers could think of many reasons not to see Love Never Dies, the long-awaited (although by whom is unclear) sequel to The Phantom of the Opera.”
For More Reviews - check out our Twitter page as we re-tweet audience and critic reviews as they are published!
Love Should Die © 2010 All rights reserved. LSD logo images are recreations and breach no Intellectual Property Rights of RUG Ltd.
For more reviews, select a production:
- London Production - Press Reviews v2.0
- Australia Production - Press Reviews
Updated: March 17, 2010
Jewish Chronicle
“Apart from Bob Crowley's design, this sequel to the hit Phantom of the Opera misses on all fronts.”
London Production - Press Reviews - v1.0