Andrew Lloyd Webber Says Love Never Dies Is ‘Sure’ to Hit Broadway

Love Never Dies, the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mega-hit musical The Phantom of the Opera, could still make its way to Broadway, the composer told Reuters. “I think it will inevitably come, at some point,” Lloyd Webber said. Though Broadway plans were officially scrapped and original West End production closed after a year's run, Lloyd Webber says he is pleased with the revamped Australian production, directed by Simon Phillips. That production was filmed for broadcast and is set to play movie theaters throughout America on February 28 and March 7.

Love Never Dies picks up 10 years after The Phantom of the Opera left off. Now in Coney Island, New York, the Phantom lures Christine, her now-husband Raoul and their son to America, and the passionate battle for Christine’s love continues. The filmed version stars Ben Lewis and Anna O’Byrne, who also headlined the Sydney production.

“We took the decision that we wanted to treat it as a film rather than as an exact record of the stage production,” Lloyd Webber said of the broadcast. “The film that’s being shown is something I’m very, very proud of. So in a way it doesn’t really matter if it comes [to Broadway] tomorrow or in five years’ time. But I'm sure it will.”

Even without Love Never Dies on the Broadway boards, Lloyd Webber will have three productions on the Great White Way this spring: The Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar.