'Love Never Dies'

LONDON, March 10 (UPI) -- "Love Never Dies," the sequel to the long-running "Phantom of the Opera" opened in London to reviews that loved the music but didn't care much for the story.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom" has been running in London's West End since 1986 and on Broadway since 1988. No show has run more shows on Broadway. The show's producers say more than 100 million people have seen "Phantom of the Opera."

That success seemed to cry for a sequel, although Lloyd Webber says "Love Never Dies" isn't really "Phantom II."

It does include all the principal characters, however, and relies on the relationships built in "Phantom." "Love Never Dies" picks up the story of the man hiding in tunnels beneath a Paris theater and who is obsessed with Christine Daae, 10 years after Webber's staging ended with the mysterious disappearance of the Phantom, who leaves only his mask.

The scene is shifted to New York where Christine has been cast to appear at a new Coney Island attraction. It is the Phantom who has arranged the performance.

After Tuesday's opening, The Times of London's review straddled the fence, with the writer saying he agreed with both those who found "Love Never Dies" Lloyd Webber at his best and those who have dubbed it "Paint Never Dries."

The Guardian liked the music (Lloyd Webber) but not the story (book and lyrics by Glenn Slater). The Times termed the plot "dismally implausible" and missed the "psychological darkness" that set "Phantom" apart.

Other London newspapers were more generous in their comments -- The Independent rated it five stars -- perhaps leaving it to the paying public to decide the overall work's value.