Over the summer, I received a notification on Nextdoor that a neighbor owned a Presa Canario (the same breed as Anise) who needed a playmate. I was ecstatic and jumped at the opportunity for Anise to play with a dog her size and an owner who understood the breed and wouldn't be intimidated.

For the last two months, we've been meeting up regularly for doggie play dates and enjoying chatting while watching the pups burn some energy.

A few days after our most recent play date, I was perusing facebook when I noticed something strange: RIP posts on our neighbor's wall. We don't know what happened, but it didn't take much time to confirm that it was indeed true, our neighbor had passed unexpectedly. 

We were happy to help with the 3 pets left behind: we fostered two kitties for a week until they found their forever home, and when family mentioned that the dog Raider would need a new family, we immediately signed up.

These are sad circumstances but we are so glad that we met and are able to help. So, meet Anise's brother and our newest family member, Raider!

Who: My MIL, my neighbor, and I

What: Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Weber's sequel to The Phantom of the Opera

When: October 2017

Where: The Hippodrome Theatre, Baltimore, MD

Why: How could I miss this show's US debut?

Thoughts: LND was announced back in 2008. Fans including myself were infuriated at the thought of a Phantom sequel, especially one based on a fan fiction novel that was so different from the original story. The show didn't last long at all on the West End and it looked like curious US theatre nerds would never see the show, set in Coney Island 10 years after the original Phantom. I did get my hands on the original cast recording, so I have some reference for comparison.

Thankfully (maybe), the show was re-worked and a new production launched in Australia in 2011. It was screened in movie theaters briefly by Fathom Events where I saw it for the first time (I've since bought and now on the blu-ray disc of this production).  By this time, my original emotions had calmed enough that I could watch the show and enjoy it for what it was. While parts of the story (mainly drastic alterations of character) still irked me, the music was gorgeous, and if you could ignore the inconsistencies between stories, it was still an enjoyable show (there's no denying this is a sequel, fans will notice musical themes from the original Phantom are present in LND).

That brings us to now, nearly 10 years later. It's 2017 and LND has made it to the states in the form of a national tour. Will it ever make it to Broadway? Who knows.  The tour made a super short stop in New York state before coming to Baltimore for a preview engagement (the official opening is technically at the tour's next stop in Detroit). Tickets sold surprisingly quick, indicating interest for this production stateside is huge. I ended up going to the show on a Tuesday instead of my usual Thursday as seats had sold so quickly.

Like in Australia, many changes were made to the production, mostly changed lyrics and added themes from the original Phantom. I thought the themes struck a nice balance in the previous production, but in the US tour, it felt like overkill. It seemed like they tried to stuff an original Phantom theme into every single scene and it cheapened LND as it's own show. A few lyrical and dialogue changes did answer questions I had from the previous version, but overall I'd say I many changes weren't needed. I personally feel that the Australian production is  the strongest version of this story after being familiarized with the 3 major productions (there have been other productions in Germany and other non-English speaking countries that I can't comment on). One strong change wasa slight re-staging of the finale; I found this version to be the strongest of the 3 I'm familiar with.

Technically, the show I saw was a preview performance which is good because some things need to be worked on. I got a sense overall that the cast wasn't comfortable or confident in every scene, there were some sound balance issues, and even some blocking issues, one of which really made part of the finale not make sense. I'm sure all of these will be resolved with feedback and practice. The cast is super talented, but my one complaint is that the Phantom, Gardar Thor Cortes, has a lovely voice but also has a thick European accent that makes his lyrics difficult to understand. For a US tour, this doesn't seem like the best casting choice to me.

Overall? See it because you're curious. The bottom line with LND in my opinion is that the music and visuals are stunning but the story is just a pig that the production team is constantly trying to put a new shade of lipstick on. I think said pig looks loveliest in the Aussie production, but there's nothing like a live show, so you be the judge!

Who: My MIL & I

What: Broadway's classic, long-running musical, The Phantom of the Opera

When: February 2007 & January 2016

Where: The Majestic Theatre, NYC & The Hippodrome Theatre, Baltimore

Why: What better show than Phantom to be my Broadway first?

Thoughts: My first encounter with Phantom was the 2004 film. I knew when I got to visit NYC for the first time ever in 2007 that I had to see a Broadway show and I was hoping it would be Phantom. My MIL was able to grab a deal for "rear orchestra or front mezz" at a good price. Except, we got there to find we were in the rear mezz -major nosebleeds, the second or third to last row. I could barely see a thing but I could hear every bit of the show and I loved it! Sean, on the other hand, true to his claim that he doesn't like musicals, fell asleep quickly.

My MIL and I went back to see the show on tour when it came to Baltimore. It had just been updated (mainly a new set which was fine, but a few other changes I wasn't a fan of). I was surprised to open my Playbill to find that every principle was replaced by an understudy that performance (my MIL loves Chris Mann who was headlining at the time), but the performance was still all one would expect from Phantom: the costumes, the story, the stay-in-your-head forever tunes.

I'm sharing now because Phantom's sequel, Love Never Dies, is coming here to Baltimore as a preview of their US national tour in just two weeks! I've got my tickets for opening night, and while I've already seen recordings of the Australian production, I'm thrilled to see it live and to find if any more changes have been made. People definitely have heated opinions of the show, so I'm curious to see how audiences react.

Have you seen Phantom? Love it or leave it?

Will you see Love Never Dies if it's coming to a town near you?

Read about other shows I've seen here.

1. Keep some of your summer wardrobe

2. Leave your makeup light: 

still glowin' in September

3. Find your scent: