If I were to pick a must-do in London, it has gotta be catching a musical at the West End. I managed to squeeze 2 into my schedule - The Phantom of the Opera and its newly launched sequel Love Never Dies.
POTO was of course the well-known, well-loved and an unparalleled musical of all time. LND picks up the story 10 years later where the Phantom still yearns for Christine and lures her to sing in Coney Island, America.
In comparison to its successful predecessor, you'll probably be disappointed with LND as I initially was. It is not unexpected that the tone, the themes and the characters will evolve with time and so for a while I was trying to identify with the dissatisfaction felt. The build up was slow, picked up during the 2nd half and the end was flat. It was precisely too much width in the story that its depth had been compromised. This was however made up for by the superb cast and impressive set. Ramin Karimloo delivered such an unforgettable performance as the Phantom, that he's undoubtedly the one of the best around (imo). His soulful rendition of "Till I hear you sing" was simply stunning and left me deeply impressed. And not to mention the good looks, it's a lethal combination. 
Flights o' Fancy (11)
