Canadian to play Phantom in musical's sequel

Musical theatre mogul Andrew Lloyd Webber raised the curtain on details of his Phantom of the Opera sequel in London Thursday, with Canadian actor Ramin Karimloo confirmed as the male lead.

The much-hyped London event Thursday morning confirmed a host of rumours, predictions and previously reported information about the eagerly anticipated Love Never Dies, which producers called "a roller-coaster ride of obsession and intrigue."  

Iranian-born, Toronto-raised Karimloo offered reporters a taste of the sequel's music, singing an early song from the forthcoming show.

Karimloo, who has been portraying the Phantom in the original show's West End revival and helped record the concept music for the sequel, has long been tapped as a front-runner for the role. His credits also include turns in Pirates of Penzance, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon and Lost in Yonkers.

Partnering Karimloo will be American actress Sierra Boggess, who has portrayed opera singer Christine Daaé at a production of Phantom of the Opera in Las Vegas and originated the role of Ariel in Broadway's The Little Mermaid.

London theatre-watchers had also predicted the sequel would premiere at London's Adelphi Theatre, a venue favoured by Lloyd Webber.

Love Never Dies will begin previews in February, with the official premiere set for March 9. The sequel is also set to open in New York in November and in Australia in 2011, organizers said.

Details trickled out over past year

Lloyd Webber himself began revealing tidbits about Love Never Dies last year, including that he had moved the action across the Atlantic, from Paris to New York's Coney Island.

Set about a decade after the end of the original tale, the sequel follows Daaé as she travels to perform a special one-off concert at Coney Island, accompanied by her husband, Raoul, and their son, Gustave. There, she once again encounters the Phantom.

At one point, Toronto was mentioned as a possible tryout city for the sequel in advance of a New York debut. The city's production of Phantom of the Opera  ran for a decade, marking a watershed moment in Toronto's theatrical evolution by helping usher in an era of blockbuster musicals.

Lloyd Webber has re-teamed with regular collaborator Ben Elton to pen the libretto for Love Never Dies.