Mermaid's Boggess and Brit Star Ramin Karimloo Rumored for Phantom Roles

Further details are leaking about Phantom: Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, which just celebrated its 21st anniversary on Broadway. According to Brit gossip columnist Baz Bamigboye of The Daily Mail, The Little Mermaid star Sierra Boggess has been cast as Christine in the show, with plans afoot to launch the show in both London and New York simultaneously in late 2009.

In addition to Boggess, who played Christine in Las Vegas’ scaled-down Phantom prior to landing the role of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, British stage star Ramin Karimloo has been cast as The Phantom, having previously played the role in the London production. But with plans to launch two productions at once, it’s unclear as to whether or not Boggess and Karimloo will appear onstage together, or if Boggess will appear on Broadway with Karimloo opening the show in London’s West End.

Lloyd Webber, director Jack O’Brien and designer Bob Crowley are mapping out a plan to bring the show to the Adelphi Theatre in London and at a to-be-announced theater on Broadway in the fall. A third production is expected in Shanghai just a few months later.

Love Never Dies features a book by Ben Elton and songs by Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater, who also wrote songs for The Little Mermaid. In the show, The Phantom is now based in New York City’s Coney Island, where he lures old love Christine, now a famous singer married to a broken-down Raoul, with her teenage son in tow. Guess who’s the father?

The Phantom of the Opera continues to play at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre.

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