MEGHAN PICERNO AND GARDAR THOR CORTES VISIT BROADWAY.COM

Love Never Dies national tour stars Meghan Picerno and Gardar Thor Cortes talk about playing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary star-crossed lovers. Don't miss them pleasantly discussing the show and their character's feelings as well as their own experiences during the North American Tour.

MEGHAN PICERNO AND KAREN MASON VISIT MIDDAY NEWS

Meghan Picerno and Karen Mason, Christine and Madame Giry from Love Never Dies North American Tour visited Midday News to talk about how does it feel to be back at home playing in front of a familiar audience, the pressure of doing a sequel to a show so loved and known, how Picerno's opera training help her daily to get through the show and the travelling routines and sometimes crazy quick change of cities during the Tour. Enjoy the vid and the wonderful Meghan Picerno and Karen Mason; touring currently in Chicago!

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Meghan Picerno y Karen Mason, Christine y Madame Giry del Tour Norte Americano de Love Never Dies visitaron Midday News para hablar sobre cómo se sienten al volver a su ciudad actuando delante de familiares y conocidos, la presión detrás de formar parte de la secuela de un musical tan querido y conocido, cómo la formación operística ayuda a diario a Picerno en su papel y la rutina de ir cambiando de ciudad tan a menudo durante el Tour. Disfrutad del vídeo y de la increíble Meghan Picerno y Karen Mason; ¡actualmente actuando en Chicago!

MEGHAN PICERNO AND GARDAR THOR CORTES VISIT MORNING BLEND

Meghan Picerno and Gardar Thor Cortes stopped by Tampa Bay's Morning Blend to discuss Love Never Dies. Meghan shares an insight of Christine's character and how her life has changed over the years, what can we expect from her after what we learned with Phantom of the Opera, and how her path reunites her again with The Phantom. Watch here the full interview and share the moment with Love Never Dies leads!

LOVE NEVER DIES INTERVIEWS SET TAKE US BEYOND THE STORY

The Tour has visited some cities now and the stars and company are thrilled to share their experiences Touring the American states while getting to show American audiences the amazing story and music of Love Never Dies for the first time. Watch here Meghan Picerno, Sean Thompson and Karen Mason talk about the show, the cast on their impromptu rendition of Bathing Beauty and Meghan Picerno talking about the role of Christine, ten years later.

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER GETS INTERVIEWED AT THE FISHER THEATRE

Andrew Lloyd Webber talks Love Never Dies, why he knew Phantom needed a new conclusion and the journey the musical has come through the years to become a fully masterpiece. Love Never Dies previewed at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit on October 18, and the official tour opening night is October 25, where it will play through October 29. Watch here the full interview with Love Never Dies creator and composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

KAREN MASON GETS INTERVIEWED WITH BROADWAY WORLD

BroadwayWorld offers this wonderful interview with Karen Mason, Madame Giry in the Love Never Dies North American Tour. We get to see the show through her eyes her excitement on being a part of the wonderful show and her understanding about her iconic character and the story.

PLAYBILL AND BROADWAY WORLD TAKE US INTO TOUR REHEARSALS

BroadwayWorld and Playbill invites us to share a moment with the cast in the meet the press that took place on September 8th (read the full article here!). The video shows interviews with Gavin Mirford (associate director), Glenn Slater (lyrics & book), Meghan Picerno (Christine), Gardar Thor Cortes (Phantom), Mary Michael Patterson (Meg Giry), Karen Mason (Madame Giry) and Casey J. Lyons & Jake Heston Miller (Gustave), where they talk about the musical, how did they react when they knew they were chosen to perform the show and their experience so far with the Tour. Enjoy!

NUESTRO EQUIPO ENTREVISTA A JAZMIN GORSLINE

¡Y aquí estamos de nuevo con una nueva entrevista! Tuvimos el placer de entrevistar a Rachel Anne Moore en Navidades (leela aquí!) y a Heidi Karlsson para el día de San Valentín (leela aquí!). Ahora celebramos la llegada de Junio con Jazmin Gorsline. Interpreta a la alternante de Christine, y con esta entrevista cerramos el círculo habiendo entrevistado a las tres grandes actrices que interpretan a Christine  Daaé en Liebe Stirbt Nie.

¿Conocías ya el musical? ¿Habías visto alguna producción previa en Londres, Australia, Dinamarca o Vienna?
Cuando Estados Unidos estaba haciendo audiciones para una producción en 2009 (que no llegó a realizarse en ese momento), nunca lo había visto, pero supe en seguida que este musical sería para mí. Intenté desesperadamente tener una prueba, sin suerte. Un día, estando en otra audición, me di cuenta de que las audiciones se estaban haciendo en la sala del lado. Conocía sólo un poco a la directora musical de antiguas audiciones de El Fantasma de la Ópera, pero fue muy dulce y agradable. Cuando tuvo un descanso y salió de la sala le conté lo mucho que me gustaría ser vista y de repente y susurrando, me dijo que no podía hacer nada por mí esta vez "pero no te rindas". Volvemos al presente a esta producción, años después, y no sólo siendo escogida para interpretar a Christine si no teniendo la oportunidad de trabajar CON ESA MISMA directora musical que me dijo que no me rindiera - ¿os lo podéis imaginar? No fue hasta que empezamos a ensayar que recordé la historia. No creo que la vida pueda darte más esperanza que esa.

¿Qué cress, en tu opinión, que hace esta producción única/distinta a las demás?
Bueno, esta producción tiene el mismo y precioso diseño que la producción australiana, pero cuando se estaba escenificando, nuestro director Simon quiso explorar la mejor forma de adaptarla para este elenco, en vez de imitar simplemente la otra producción. Tenemos un grupo de gente único, fantástico, así que se ha diseñado a partir de su talento en muchas formas. Además, Andrew Lloyd Webber tomó parte de nuestro proceso de ensayos y vino a Hamburgo para componer una nueva canción que se añadió a la producción, de la misma forma que hizo algunos ajustes en otra.

OUR TEAM INTERVIEWS HAMBURGH'S CHRISTINE JAZMIN GORSLINE

And here we are again with a great new interview! We had the chance to interview Rachel Anne Moore during Christmas holidays (read here!) and Heidi Karlsson on Valentine's Day (read here!). Now we're celebrating that summer is almost here with Jazmin Gorsline. She's playing Christine's alternate and with this interview, we close the circle having interviewed the three ladies that play Christine in Liebe Stirbt Nie.  Read ahead:

Did you already know the musical? Did you see any previous production in London, Australia, Denmark or Vienna?
When the US was casting its production of Love Never Dies in 2009 (which didn’t end up happening at that time), I had never seen it, but I just knew I would be right for this show. I tried desperately to get an audition, with no luck. One day, I was at another audition when I realized Love Never Dies work sessions/auditions were happening right next door. I knew the music director only slightly, from past auditions for Phantom of the Opera, but she was always so gracious and kind, and when she came out of the room on a break, I told her how much I would love to be seen and she quietly said there was nothing she could do this time, “but don’t give up.” Fast forward to this production years later, and not only being cast as Christine but getting to work with THAT SAME music director who told me not to give up - can you imagine? It wasn’t until we were into rehearsals that I even remembered that happening. I’m not sure if life gets any more fateful than that.

What do you think, in your opinion, that makes this production unique/different from the others?
Well, this production is the same beautiful design as the Australian production, but when it was being staged, our director Simon wanted to explore the best ways for THIS cast to do it, as opposed to just copying everything from Australia. We have such a wonderful, unique and talented group of people, so it is designed around their skill sets in many ways. Also, Andrew Lloyd Webber was part of our rehearsal process and came to Hamburg to compose a new song that was added to this production, as well as make adjustments to another.

RTL NORD SHARES WHAT BEING GUSTAVE FOR A DAY IS LIKE

Have you ever wondered how does the routine work for a little actor in the world of theatre? RTL Nord, a regional news program from Germany, shared this video where the little actors' routine is narrated and Deniz, with just 10 years old, shows us his daily activities in the theatre and tells us what is necessary for playing Christine's son.

Click to watch the video!

OUR TEAM INTERVIEWS HAMBURGH CHRISTINE HEIDI KARLSSON

Photo: Patrick Imhof

We start the year with a new gift for you, Liebe Stirbt Nie celebrated its 100th performance a few weeks ago and Love Never Dies turned SIX years old on March 9th! We had the chance to interview Rachel Anne Moore during Christmas holidays (read here!) and we asked Heidi Karlsson on Valentine's Day for an interview which she kindly agreed to keep growing our community! She's playing Christine's cover in Hamburg and she's also a Swing in the wonderful ensemble.  Read ahead:

Did you already know the musical? Did you see any previous production in London, Australia, Denmark or Vienna?
My first contact with the show was an American colleague and friend asking me 4 years ago if I heard the music from "Love Never Dies". He told me that I had to listen to it and he swore that I would be captured by these beautiful melodies. And he said "Heidi, you have to sing the title song of the show. It would fit you so well". So I watched the Australian version and fell in love with it immediately. I learned the title song and I put it into my audition repertoire.

What do you think, in your opinion, that makes this production unique/different from the others?
Our production has some changes from previous productions. And Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber himself composed and created a whole new number with us, which was very exciting. And it was, of course, a big honor to be able to work with him.

How would you describe your first performance as Christine? 
Being Christine is my first main role on Germany, actually my first big, completely professional musical production ever. My first performance as Christine was about two months earlier than planned! A few days after the premiere Rachel and Jazmin both got sick. So I had to go on as Christine without any rehearsals! Which of course should be almost impossible.

NUESTRO EQUIPO ENTREVISTA A HEIDI KARLSSON

Photo: Patrick Imhof

Empezamos el año a tope con un nuevo regalo para todos, Liebe Stirbt Nie celebró hace unos días su actuación número 100 desde que se estrenó el pasado octubre y Love Never Dies cumplió SEIS años el 9 de Marzo! Después de poder entrevistar a Rachel Anne Moore (¡lee la entrevista aquí!), le hemos pedido una entrevista a Heidi Karlsson el día de San Valentín, understudy de Christine en Hamburgo y parte de la ensemble de la producción, que accedió encantada a pasarse por el blog. Lee a continuación:

¿Conocías ya el musical? ¿Habías visto alguna producción anterior en Londres, Australia, Dinamarca o Viena?
Mi primer contacto con el musical fue a través de un compañero y amigo americano preguntándome, hace cuatro años, si había escuchado algo acerca de "Love Never Dies". Me dijo que tenía que escucharlo y me prometió que me capturarían sus hermosas melodías. Y me dijo "Heidi, tienes que cantar la canción principal. Te encajaría genial."Así que miré la producción australiana y me enamoré inmediatamente. Aprendí la canción principal y la añadí a mi repertorio de audiciones.

¿Qué es, en tu opinión, lo que hace única/diferente esta producción de las anteriores?
Nuestra producción tiene algunos cambio respecto a antiguas producciones. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber compuso y creó un nuevo número completo con nosotros, fue muy emocionante. Y fue, por supuesto, un gran honor poder trabajar con él.

Describe tu primera actuación como Christine.
Christine es mi primer gran papel en Alemania, en realidad es mi primera producción completamente profesional musical. ¡Mi primera actuación como Christine tuvo lugar dos meses antes de lo previsto! Unos días después del estreno Rachel y Jazmin se pusieron enfermas. Así que tuve que tomar el papel ¡sin ensayo alguno!  Lo que, por supuesto, debería ser casi imposible.

OUR TEAM INTERVIEWS HAMBURGH CHRISTINE RACHEL ANNE MOORE

Ho-Ho-Ho! Merry Christmas. We bring to you an early Christmas gift. We had the great honor to interview Rachel Anne Moore, our lovely Christine in Hamburg's production, Liebe Stirbt Nie. This production has been playing on the Stage Operettenhaus theatre since it premiered on October 15th.

We thought that, just as ourselves, many of you won't have the chance to visit Hamburg and watch the musical and so we thought it would be a nice gesture if we brought here a tiny bit of this production. Rachel wanted to do so, and she brought us these amazing first person impressions about the show, with no further delay... Rachel's answers!

Did you already know the musical? Did you see any previous production in London, Australia, Denmark or Vienna? 

When I first heard of Love Never Dies, I was already playing Carlotta and heard about the auditions for the upcoming German production. At that point, I looked up every version I could find via youtube. I have seen the full Australian version, and just a few small clips from the London and Viennese productions. I haven't been lucky enough to come across any Japanese or Denmark clips but I would love to see them as well. I haven't been fortunate enough to see any of the other productions live since I only heard about it after they were finished.

As we could see on rehearsals, there was a lot of Australia production studying going on, how did you keep your character fresh and different from Anna O’Byrne’s?

In order to keep a fresh perspective I only watched the lovely Australian version prior to the auditions. Once I was actually in rehearsals, I found it more helpful to just focus on what we were staging (especially since there are quite a few differences in staging, some large and some small). We all bring a bit of ourselves to the role and so I imagine my version is quite different than Anna O´Byrne's just because of that. Her version of Christine is very lovely and I really enjoyed watching it.

NUESTRO EQUIPO ENTREVISTA A RACHEL ANNE MOORE

¡Ho-Ho-Ho! Feliz navidad. Os traemos un regalo de Navidad adelantado. Hemos tenido el grandísimo honor de entrevistar a Rachel Anne Moore, nuestra encantadora Christine en la producción de Hamburgo, Liebe Stirbt Nie. La producción sigue representándose en el Stage Operettenhaus desde su estreno el pasado 15 de octubre.

Pensamos que, al igual que nosotras, muchos de vosotros no podrá ir a Hamburgo a ver el musical, así que creímos que traeros un pedazo del musical aquí sería un bonito detalle para las fiestas. Rachel también quería ayudar, así que nos contestó con estas fantásticas respuestas, sin más dilación, ¡las respuestas de Rachel!

¿Conocías ya el musical? ¿Habías visto alguna producción anterior en Londres, Australia, Dinamarca o Viena?

Cuando escuché por primera vez acerca de Love Never Dies, ya estaba actuando como Carlotta y supe de las audiciones para la nueva producción alemana. A partir de ese momento miré todas las producciones que pude encontrar vía youtube. He visto entera la producción alemana, y algunos vídeos cortos de las producciones de Londres y Vienna. No he tenido la suerte de encontrar ningún vídeo de la producción de Japón o de Dinamarca, pero me encantaría verlas también. Tampoco he tenido la suerte de ver ninguna en directo, ya que sólo supe de las demás producciones después de que hubieran terminado.

Tal y como pudimos ver en los ensayos, hubo un estudio exhaustivo de la producción alemana, ¿cómo mantuviste el personaje original y diferente al de Anna O'Byrne?

Para mantener una perspectiva nueva y original sólo vi la encantadora producción australiana antes de las audiciones. Ya durante los ensayos, encontré más útil centrarme únicamente en lo que estábamos escenificando (especialmente porque hay bastantes diferencias en la puesta en escena, algunas mayores y otras menores). Todos ofrecemos un poco de nosotros mismos al papel y por ello imagino que mi versión es un poco distinta a la de Anna O'Byrne. Su interpretación de Christine es encantadora y disfruté realmente viéndola.

REHEARSALS WITH RACHEL ANNE MOORE & GARDAR THOR CORTES

German NDR radio and tv channel have shared this behind the scenes video where we get to know better Rachel Anne Moore (Christine), her experiences with the musical so far, rehearsals and some impressions Gardar Thor Cortes (Phantom) has on her. The musical premieres next month! You can check the channel's page here. SAT.1 REGIONAL's channel has shared this second video where Rachel Anne Moore and Gardar Thor Cortes share a nice evening together visiting the city and more interviews. You can check the video page, here.

INTERVIEW WITH GARDAR THOR CORTES

Gardar Thor Cortes (The Phantom) was interviewed yesterday evening with StarChat and answered a bunch of questions related to the musical and his new role as The Phantom. Although questions are made in German, Gardar's answers are in English (it makes things easier to us, right?). Find the interview's site here.

HAMBURG IS GETTING READY FOR LOVE NEVER DIES

Página web oficial de Love Never Dies Hamburgo

Love Never Dies is coming to Hamburg and the musical's promotion has started! You can find the latest news, such as a few videos with Andrew Lloyd Webber's interviews and our little Gustave casting on Love Never Dies Hamburg official page. Visit the official page to take a look at those new videos!

And remember, the musical will be premiered under the name of "Liebe Stirbt Nie" in Stage Operettenhaus on October 16th. You can read all about it here!

NUESTRO EQUIPO ENTREVISTA A MILICA JOVANOVIC

Milica Jovanovic, actriz que interpretó a Christine Daaé en los ocho conciertos de Love Never Dies que se celebraron en Viena del 18 al 26 de octubre (x), accedió amablemente a contestar nuestra entrevista con todas vuestras preguntas. Le agradecemos muchísimo su tiempo y amabilidad, ¡aquí van las preguntas!

¿Conocías el musical? ¿Viste alguna representación en Londres o su grabación australiana? 
Conocía el musical porque formé parte de un proyecto con Sir Webber cuando éste estaba acabando su trabajo con Love Never Dies. Así que ya sabía lo espléndido que era.

Fuiste la primera Chrsitine en cantar las canciones en alemán, ¿basaste tu técnica en alguna de las originales? Si es así, ¿trabajaste a través de Sierra Boggess (Londres), Anna O'Byrne (Australia) o Louise Fribo (Dinamarca)? 
Intenté desenvolupar mi Christine con mi propia voz. O'Byrne, Boggess y Fribo son geniales, pero tuve que hacerlo a mi modo.

¿Cual fue tu canción favorita a interpretar? 
Love Never Dies. Es mágica.

¿Tu canción favorita non-Christine? 
Cuando el Fantasma canta "Till I Hear You Sing". Es mi canción favorita.

¿Cómo fue poder conocer a Andrew Lloyd Webber? 
Alucinante. Él es mi héroe y fue muy agradable, incluso tímido. Pero estaba tan nerviosa que fui incapaz de decir una sola frase bien. Así que, por favor, ¡no preguntes sobre nuestra conversación!

¿Experiencias positivas con el elenco? 
Fue un privilegio trabajar con el elenco. Drew [Sarich] fue especialmente encantador.

Si pudieras ser cualquier personaje del musical, hombre o mujer, ¿cuál te gustaría interpretar? 
El Fantasma. Grandes canciones, gran interpretación.

¿Supuso un gran esfuerzo meterte en el papel de Christine Daaé? 
No.

Los conciertos en Viena fueron todo un evento, ¿cómo fue la experiencia? 
Creo que han sido las mejores actuaciones de mi carrera. Fue un sueño hecho realidad.

¿Te ves interpretando a Christine en una futura producción alemana? 
Me encantaría, por supuesto, pero eso está más allá de mi voluntad.

¿Hacia dónde se dirigirá ahora tu carrera artística? 
Hacia arriba, espero. En serio, ya se verá. Me alegro por cada canción que se me permite cantar e intento dar lo mejor de mí en cada momento. Vamos a ver.*

*¡Milica dijo esta parte en castellano!

Muchísimas gracias a Milica y a los grandes conciertos que nos ofreció, ¡esperamos más en el futuro!

Love Never Dies Es

OUR TEAM INTERVIEWS VIENNA CHRISTINE MILICA JOVANOVIC

Milica Jovanovic, the actress who played Christine Daaé in the eight Love Never Dies concerts that were celebrated in Vienna between October 18th and 26^th  (x), kindly agreed to answer a few questions from us! We highly appreciate her time and her kindness. Here we go with the questions!

Did you already know the musical? Did you see any previous production, in London or Australia?
I knew the musical because I took part in a workshop with Sir Webber when he was finishing his work on Love Never Dies in London. So, I knew how splendid the musical is.

You were the first Christine who sung the lyrics in German, did you base your acting or singing in any of the previous actresses who took the role? If so, was it in Sierra Boggess (London), Anna O'Byrne (Australia) or Louise Fribo (Denmark)?

I tried to develop my own Christine with my own voice. O'Byrne, Bogges and Fribo are great but I had to do it my way.

Which one was your favorite song to play?
Love Never Dies. It is magical.

And your non-Christine favorite scene?

When the Phantom sings "Till I Hear You Sing". That is my favourite song.

How it was the experience to meet Andrew Lloyd Webber?
Awesome. He is my hero, and he was so nice and even bashful. But I was so nervous that I was unable to say a straight sentence. So, please do not ask about our conversation.

Positive experiences with the cast?

It was a privilege to work with this cast. Drew was especially lovely.

If you could be any other character, male or female, which one would you choose to play?
The Phantom, great songs, great act.

Was it a great effort to get into the character of Christine Daaé?
No.

These concerts in Vienna were a big event, how it was the experience?

I think it could have been the best show of my entire career. It was a dream come true.

Do you see yourself playing Christine in the future, maybe in a new German production?

I would love to, of course, but that lies beyond my will.

Towards where will be directed your career now?
Up, I hope. Seriously, we will see. I am glad for every song I am allowed to sing, and I try to give my best in that very moment. Vamos a ver.*

*We'll see!

A huge thank you to Milica and the great concerts she offered to us. We will be waiting for more in the future! 

Love Never Dies Es

DENMARK PREMIERE

Did you miss Love Never Dies live broadcast? Don't you worry! We bring you this amazing video with the public entry to the theatre, cast and team interviews in the theatre's hall and dressing rooms! The video, we are afraid, only lasts till the show starts, those people who watched the broadcast at the time had a glimpse of the first musical numbers (Till I Hear You Sing and Coney Island Waltz), lucky them!

You'll find interviews with Paul Farworth (scenographer), Louise Fribo (Christine Daaé), Tomas Ambt Kofod (Phantom/Mr.Y) and Really Useful Group's Patrick Murphy discussing about the 2013's UKTour and confirming a new German production in two years or so, as well as some meetings that are being held with and american producer regarding Love Never Dies going to Broadway. You'll also see how the theatre gets his seats full, the freaks costumes and last minute arrangements in The Phantom's and Christine's dressing rooms.

As a gift to those watching the live broadcast, and not showed in this video, the company also offered us a peek to 'Till I Hear You Sing and Coney Island Waltz. Differing the UK production where Christine appears first as an automat and the Australian production where she was first seen as a portrait, the Danish production chose to reflect her figure as a shadow in a cloth that covered the stage, leaving visible only the Phantom and his piano. The Coney Island Waltz number shares more resemblance with the Australian. The broadcast was cut just before Only For Him started.