Following a 2010 London premiere, which was not critically embraced, Lloyd Webber enlisted director Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) and a new Australian creative team to stage a fresh production of the lavish musical, which traces the relationship of the Phantom and soprano Christine from Paris to Coney Island.
The new incarnation of Love Never Dies premiered in spring 2011 in Melbourne to positive notices. The staging was filmed in September 2011 and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.K. March 12, followed by a U.S. release on May 29. It is currently playing a Sydney engagement through April 1.
An official announcement of the theatrical screenings of Love Never Dies has not been made. However, cinema chains across the country list the film for a 7:30 PM screening on Feb. 28. Love Never Dies will also be screened in theatres again on March 7 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are not yet on sale. (A trailer for the upcoming DVD release also indicates a cinematic release was also in the works.)
The 25th anniversary Royal Albert Hall concert staging of Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera was also presented in cinemas across the globe last October.
Love Never Dies has a score by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tony nominee Glenn Slater (Sister Act, The Little Mermaid, Leap of Faith). The book is by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton and Slater. Phantom lyricist Charles Hart is also credited with additional lyrics for the latest incarnation of the sequel.
Ben Lewis, who appeared in the original Australian casts of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Spamalot, stars as the Phantom, opposite Anna O'Byrne as soprano Christine Daaé. O'Byrne previously played the role in an Australian tour of The Phantom of the Opera.
Here's a look at the trailer for the Australian production of Love Never Dies: