Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...The score to "Love Never Dies" (lyrics are by Glenn Slater) stacks up nicely with the Lloyd Webber oeuvre and there is a trio of songs that truly are tours de force. "Before the Performance," especially the part sung by the Phantom, is extraordinary. If you're a student or aficionado of Lloyd Webber's savvy skills, and I'm kinda both, you'll hear echoes of many other shows and still maybe think this to be some of the Lord's best compositional work, overall."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...The best parts of "Love" are its visuals - the marvelous and eye-popping costumes and massive set pieces by Gabriela Tylesova and the magical lighting by Nick Schlieper - which take your breath away. The glittering sideshow parade near the musical's onset is a feast of sight and sound on every level, from the garish to the beautiful and everything in between."
Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended
"...There's no denying that "Love Never Dies" boasts lush melodies, beautiful designs and impassioned performances. Yet composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to his 1986 smash "The Phantom of the Opera," now making its Chicago debut at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, ultimately suffers from a poor script that comes across like mediocre fan fiction."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...It's hard to jump-start a story whose source satisfactorily concluded 108 years ago. You need to know when to let go. It's doubtful that anyone who loved The Phantom of the Opera will necessarily even like the "aspects of love" in Love Never Dies (it sure doesn't while there's money to be made). Not all spells bind: Lord Webber's sequel has not played Broadway, just the West End and Australia. But, face it, you can't keep a bad facially challenged, frustrated composer down."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...The lyrics of "Love Never Dies" by Glenn Slater were outstanding and the ghoulish scene from "The Beauty Underneath," was fascinatingly delightful like candy to a child. Its multiple arrays of lights filled with mysterious creatures caged in a glass sphere pulled the audience into this whimsical Coney Island of freaks. All in all, I thought Love Never Dies was an exquisite and stunning array of theatrical joy that we highly recommend!"
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Chicago was the place for a special theatrical presentation tonight. In particular, the Cadillac Palace Theatre where the Broadway In Chicago Series unveiled the Chicago Premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Love Never Dies", the sequel to his monumental "Phantom Of The Opera". I , for one, was among those who went to the theater tonight not anticipating much. Sequels in theater seldom do well, and in the case of a musical ( almost opera), how could they? The word from those who saw the production in London, was that Webber wasn't comfy and kept changing and re-writing. Perhaps, after fiddling and fiddling he finally found the recipe for taking this story to the next level."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...In this production it’s Webber’s score that’s the true star of the show, along with the degree of finesse with which this talented cast, masterfully backed by Dale Rieling’s brilliant, full orchestra, conveys that music. Sadly, by the end, audiences may have forgetten the details of this trite story because Andrew Lloyd Webber’s lavish and alluring score doesn’t match Ben Elton’s forgettable libretto. But, then, that’s “Once Upon Another Time,” isn’t it?"
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Recommended
"...Listen to her soliloquy midway through Act Two, a callback to Phantom's "Twisted Every Way." The long wordless stretches are because they dropped some lyrics from the original that weren't quite applicable to this new context. Such lyrics include "Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live;" or even "[the Phantom] kills without a thought [and] murders all that's good." What worked for a tragic Gothic romance doesn't quite work as the more straightforward and traditional romance the Lord had in mind. In fact, it's so straightforward, there's no mystery, really. (Ben Elton on book; Glenn Slater on particularly rod A-into-slot B lyrics.)"
Chicago On Stage - Somewhat Recommended
"...Love Never Dies, the sequel to the long-running Broadway hit Phantom of the Opera, is an ambitious, beautiful and seriously flawed musical. Its production values are off the charts high-this is a show to be seen just for the costumes and sets-and the performances are solid to outstanding, but the play itself lacks the polish and stunning music of the original. For everything that is so right about this play, there are things that just don't stand up. And even worse, it suffers from sequel syndrome: the tendency to rely too much on its predecessor to function as a stand-alone play."
Picture This Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...In the world of movies, sequels are frequent, heading to the big screen if there’s money to be made, or direct-to-home release if the sequel isn’t anticipated to be as hot a ticket the second time around. In the world of musical theatre, sequels are few and far between (did you know there was an Annie 2, attempted?) Love Never Dies, the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, now playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre gives the musical sequel an admirable shot."