Love Never Dies

'twas a week ago since I watched this sequel to the Phantom with Mr. HEA. And I still have the songs in my head which is always the signs of a good musical. If you intend to watch it, then do not read on as I want to discuss elements that might ruin it for you.

But if you do not take heed or have watched it... Here goes. I liken this sequel to Superman returns and a little more. The film, like the play has it's audience divided in opinions. It takes the heroes to another dimension (no more smoke and mirrors) and gives them more mature undertones than the initial story. And the alchemy of the first one is stripped away to leave the characters with no where to hide behind, which, I must say, isn't necessarily bad.
I for one hadn't thought Christine was in Love. I thought she was enchanted and in awe of the Phantom, but that they could not be together because what they had wasn't love. And in this one, you see that they share something very raw and pure. It was fundamentally what Making Love was meant to be. No pretenses, no unnatural prettiness to hide behind, but a pouring of yourself into each other and being just essentially yourself. The Phantom was able to share his pure passion (his music) with Christine and knew she would respect it and be the instrument for showing the beauty of the Phantom to the world.

For Meg saw this from afar and wanted it so bad, sacrificed so much to want to be his voice and yet, he didn't love her and so would always hide behind his mask and never show her his true genius. She never became his muse because he didn't inspire her. Which is really a very sad part of the story.

The story is uglier (more realistic?) than the first. Perhaps because they all fell away from their glory days, and no one led a life to be proud of in the last ten years. And I think I know why. In this story, you see them slowly redeeming themselves in the second act. Each of them remembering their drive from ten years ago and finding their feet again. I realized that they all needed each other in order to become their best. Without the Phantom's competition, Raoul couldn't have an outlet for his strength. Without Christine's beauty and song, Meg would keep continuing her futile quest of grandeur. Without the Phantom's music, Christine couldn't be the Diva or perform her best. And I already said, he needed her to be his voice and inspiration for his genius.

It is a story about a love's journey beyond the passion but about the responsibilities of life and the "what happens after this?" I did find it engaging because I eagerly wonder what marriage should be like from here onwards. Of course we do not propose that our lives be as interesting or as full of drama. Yet, the responsibility of having a child that is all you but better is an alluring mystique that I am moving closer towards and would want to explore more of in future days. In this way, I am slowly understanding the concept of why Love Never Dies. How so many women in stories have one great love and then are able to find the strength to continue life without the man in their lives, just tending to their offspring.

I ramble. All you need to know is to look with your heart when watching this play. Not with your eyes and you shall find the beauty within.



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