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Phantom of Manhattan? Seriously? I think our beloved Andrew Lloyd Webber has grown a bit senile...

Of all of the other versions of Phantom, he probably chose the worst one to base the sequel of POTO on. I have never read it, but based on the reviews and what I have heard about it, I think I wouldn't be fond of seeing this upcoming musical.

That makes me wonder why ALW didn't base it on any of the other versions. The two that stick out in my mind are the original (though it may be too close to the actual play to make a separate musical from) and Susan Kay's fabulous "Phantom." Those two and many others were all up for musical versions, but he chose one of the most farfetched, poorly-reviewed ones to base this potential milestone of his life on.

I am severely disappointed. I'd actually rather see a continuation of the current play over an odd parody of it. I wonder if copyright laws had anything to do with it, but I doubt it. After all, both Leroux's and Kay's books were before the Manhattan version, which I believe was released in 1999.

I know there are other boards, but I want to know why you think he chose "Phantom of Manhattan" over other versions. I'm rather puzzled myself, but I wouldn't know.

If he were to base it on Leroux or Kay, there's not much that will happen because in both versions, Erik basically dies after Christine leaves. (yay run-on sentence!)
I guess Kay would be more suited for a musical because it's the prequel to Erik's life and shows what happens after Christine leaves him.

But y'know...ALW has a slew of horrible ideas nowadays. I think he's doing it to please himself rather than his audience.