“Phantom” fans, rejoice. The sort-of-but-not-quite sequel to the age-old love story of Christine Daaé and the Phantom will once again take center stage during “Love Never Dies.”
The production, which will be performed at the Robinson Performance Hall Nov. 20-25, picks up in 1907, 10 years after the Phantom disappeared from the Paris Opera House. He now lives in New York where he owns a successful vaudeville house on Coney Island. Christine travels to New York City with her husband Raoul and her son to perform at a world-renowned opera house. In a last-ditch effort to win back Christine, the Phantom lures the family to Coney Island with all the twists and turns along the way that you come to expect from the mega-musical mastermind Andrew Lloyd Weber.
Before the production comes to Little Rock, we chatted with Mary Michael Patterson, a Fort Worth native who has been with the tour since the beginning — more than 350 shows ago. Patterson plays Meg Giry, returning from the original production, a young woman who performs in the Phantom’s vaudeville shows. We chatted with Patterson about her role, her favorite moment from the show and what makes “Love Never Dies” such a moving production.
Tell me a little about yourself. How did you get into the business?
Mary Michael Patterson: I grew up doing theater and dancing. When I got to high school, I decided I wanted to study musical theater in college. I started doing all of my auditions and application process and I decided I wanted to go to the University of Michigan for their musical theater department because it’s really great. So I went there for four years and after that, I moved to New York City. That was about 10 years ago. I’ve been doing it professionally for about that much time. It’s crazy.
What have been some of your favorite roles over the years?
MMP: Gosh, that’s a hard one. I’d have to say probably Christine in “Phantom.” I got to do that one for about two years on Broadway. It was pretty amazing and a dream role to get to play.
And actually playing Meg in “Love Never Dies” has been really fun. I don’t even think I realized how much fun I would have doing it. I’m having a blast.
What do you love the most about being on stage?
MMP: I love that, if I’m doing it right, I’m not thinking about anything else. I’m the most present that I ever am in my life when I’m on stage. I can’t think about my grocery list or what I’m doing later. I mean, I can, but it means I’m not really doing it justice. It’s a challenging thing to keep that part of it every night, especially with something like “Love Never Dies,” which we’ve done about 350 times. It’s really difficult to keep it fresh and new and exciting, but I love that about it. Because it’s such a challenge.
Tell me a little about “Love Never Dies.” Were you familiar with this sequel to Phantom before working in the production?
MMP: I was not. I’d heard a little bit about it when it was in London in college. The version now is very different from the London version. There were a lot of changes made and it’s kind of a different show altogether. I didn’t really know the show but once I auditioned, I read it a bunch and did some research and I watched the Austrailian production, which is the one we’re doing now.
It’s a sequel, but it’s not really a sequel. I think Andrew Lloyd Weber feels very strongly about it standing on its own. It is the same characters. If you’re familiar with the original production, you’ll get so much more out of it. But if you’re not familiar with it, you’ll still understand what’s happening. That’s the good part about it.
Tell me a little about your character. Who is she?
MMP: I play Meg Giry. She’s the lead showgirl on Coney Island at this vaudeville burlesque house that the Phantom has started. I get to do a lot of showgirl numbers. It’s funny because I don’t usually associate Andrew Lloyd Weber’s music with that kind of style, that vaudevillian classical musical theater. It brings a nice lightness and levity to the story, which is a pretty dark story all in all. It’s nice to have those little bursts of joy — musical comedy joy.
What scene or moment do you look forward to every night?
MMP: I think right now my favorite moment is one of the very first scenes that I’m in and I’m on the stage with my mother, Madame Giry, who is played by Karen Mason. We’re having this scene, just the two of us, and it’s a quiet scene and sort of simple. There’s not a lot of that in the show, you know, it’s a huge production. I end the scene basically standing downstage center singing right in front of the orchestra pit. It’s a really strange little gem of a moment and it’s unlike the rest of my show, which is very big and loud and brassy.
What do you think the audience will be most moved by when they see the show?
MMP: I like to say that “Love Never Dies” is the mature look at love, or what happens to love after many years. The original is about when you’re falling in love with someone it’s very romantic and new and bubbly. “Love Never Dies” is much more about how that ages and when problems arise, how you deal with them. All of these complex and nuanced issues, it’s not always a lens you get to look through in a musical.
The main theme still prevails and that’s what people take away. That’s why they’re so emotional. We have a lot of people stand by the stage door afterward that are still very moved and are crying and want to talk about it. It’s very cool because it’s a very moving piece.
For more info on the production or to purchase tickets, head to Celebrity Attractions’ website.