Phantom: Love Never Dies is not appretiated by phans!

I dunno. When I first heard that there was going to be a sequel, I decided right then and there that I was not going to see it under any circumstances because Phantom doesn't NEED a sequel! But over the past few weeks I've been getting a bit excited about it. I'm still not sure about my feelings for the sequel, but if ALW feels there needs to be one, I'd have to say I trust him. He would never let the longest-running musical on Broadway crash and burn, especially since it is his creation.

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Well you are certainly entitled to your opinion, my dear. But those of us who have seen the decline of the phandom over the last 5 years are less inclined to forgive and forget! Please don't get me wrong. The man is very talented and I do enjoy the original show. However, my concern lies with the fact that I've read the source material the sequel is more than likely based upon. (I know they say it isn't, but it's the exact same setting, and from what I've been able to grasp, very close to the same plot) And I did not enjoy it. At all.
If we're all very lucky the show will flop and go away before it causes any permanent damage to the original show. However, my faith in humanity's good judgment is not particularly strong. And even if it does not close the first show, it will cheapen it and taint it. The point of the story is the redemptive power of love. Erik was willing to sacrifice his own happiness in favour of Christine's. If he just decides to chase after her again it makes his actions at the end of the first play worthless. And it makes him a slimeball in my eyes.
Also, I have deep issues with the apparent lack of regard for characterization. I expect rampant unrepentant Raoul bashing from hyped up 13 year-old girls, not a middle aged supposedly intelligent man. I'm also not thrilled with goth!slut!Meg, or the fact that Christine's son is apparently Erik's. (that is an ENTIRE rant unto itself, believe me)
Now, I may end up being completely wrong. I am only human, after all. ALW may surprise me by finding a way to rationally explain how Raoul suddenly became broke, drunk, and abusive. Exactly where we missed Christine and Erik going at it like monkies, and why Meg has gone emo and Mme Giry turned into an evil greedy bitch. But I'm not holding my breath.
The other reason I cannot trust ALW to not make an epic botch of this thing is because of what happened with the 04 movie. I am quite willing to admit that most of the things that make me insane about it are probably Joel's fault, and the fact that they cast people who didn't have the proper range to suit the roles in the leads. But I know ALW had to have had some form of creative control over the project, so the fact that he ALLOWED these things to happen is unforgivable!
And finally, even if the sequel does not close the stage show, it may taint it styalistically. I do not put it above ALW to go back, sluttify the costumes, screw with the mask and deformity to suit whatever the hell purposes he sees fit, (ever notice how Erik's mask just keeps getting smaller and smaller over the various adaptations?) or mucking about with the blocking adding/removing lines so that Christine and Erik get it on. That thought just makes me sick at heart to contemplate.
I am also not anti-sequel in general. Most of them I tend to ignore. It's been done before, a lot. I promise. I've even read one or two that weren't completely godawful. The problem lies in the fact that it's ALW producing this muck. Which means that in the eyes of a large amount of the fandom (I can't bear to give most of them a ph anymore) it will be canon and irrefutable. I'm not really big on Raoul, but I feel genuinely BAD for the boy. I mean, he's annoying, but he doesn't deserve this! If it were anyone else making the sequel it could be easily ignored, or at best viewed as a curiosity. But this has the potential to cause terrible damage to an already warped phandom.

Helpful Hint: Spell check is love. ♥

Wait, we don't know Giry is going to kill Christine...or even that Christine is going to die at all.

Phantomess, I completely understand where you're coming from - just how did you get so much info about the sequel? Is it from the book that Love Never Dies is based on? I might have to go check that out sometime. Anyway, I think I do agree that the sequel is probably going to endanger the beauty that the original musical inspired in so many of us. And to be completely honest, I have only been a phan since 2007, so I haven't really been able to see how much the Broadway production is deteriorating, but I'll take your word for it. The more I think about it, the more I'm disliking the idea of a sequel. Like I said before, Phantom just doesn't need one! It's going to ruin the whole tragic and mysterious air set at the end of the original. In my mind, ALW has composed a wonderful show and even made a great movie (very sorry if that bit directly contradicts your beliefs!), but that's as far as this project should be taken. Let's just hope LND doesn't completely ruin the original production. Thanks for clarifying some of that for me.

I've gotten my information from various sources. Even seen a picture of a costume concept for Meg. (It's horribly Hot Topic Lolita in my opinion) The book the thing was originally to be based upon was the Phantom of Manhattan. Expect to experience physical pain while reading it. The stage show has not deteriorated much thusfar, however I am concerned by the Warsaw production's opening. It is, like the Hungarian, non-replica of the original London. This in and of itself is not so horrible, as different is not always bad. The problem is that the Polish production appears to be modeled largely after the film, up to and including the sword fight and a less-than-impressive Red Death. My concern is for the future of the production.

Ok...........how come at first you guys are on phantomess' side,and then on my side????????????????

I read the book and it was a good read if only to get a sliver more of anything POTO, especially in print. It was a noble attempt by the author but would not ring true for POTO extremists (I am one!). ALW claims the sequel "will stand alone" and frankly, like it or not, he is the genius behind what we all love and deserves to get a stab at completing his "unfinished business." I am not sure if I can appreciate a sequel especially if it follows the story of the book complete with Christine's death but I had to have the music and have pre-ordered it without a dash of remorse.