{"id":29803,"date":"2018-10-02T16:35:22","date_gmt":"2018-10-02T20:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29803"},"modified":"2018-10-02T16:35:28","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T20:35:28","slug":"on-stage-dont-call-it-a-phantom-sequel-but","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29803","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Don’t call it a ‘Phantom’ sequel, but…"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Love Never Dies<\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s a show running this week that is part of the Kimmel Center\u2019s Broadway Philadelphia series at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333<\/a>, www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>) that is a sequel and, at the same time, not really a sequel.<\/p>\n

The show could be considered a \u201cBroadway Preview\u201d but, at the same time, it is not officially a \u201cBroadway Preview.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show, which runs from October 2-8 at the Academy of Music is Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s \u201cLove Never Dies.\u201d<\/p>\n

At one point, Lloyd Webber was quoted as saying, \u201cI don\u2019t regard this as a sequel \u2013 it\u2019s a stand-alone piece. For me, a great story is the catalyst — that’s why I have taken so long to come up with this.”<\/p>\n

Later, he was quoted as saying, \u201cClearly, it is a sequel, but I really do not believe that you have to have seen \u2018The Phantom of the Opera\u2019 to understand \u2018Love Never Dies.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The show is now in the National Tour stage with plans to bring it to Broadway.<\/p>\n

\u201cLove Never Dies\u2019 had its debut in London\u2019s West End in 2010-2011 and then had a run in Melbourne, Australia from 2011-2012. The hit musical has played Denmark (Copenhagen, 2012-2013, Austria (Vienna, 2013), Japan (Tokyo, 2014) and Germany (Hamburg, 2105).<\/p>\n

It started its U.S. National Tour in September 2016. The current cast features Philadelphia native Sean Thompson in one of the major roles — Raoul, Vicomte de\u00a0Chagny.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started rehearsing last August,\u201d said Thompson, during a phone interview last week. \u201cIt had its first preview in Utica, New York in late September. We\u2019ll be out for a little more than a year and close on December 2 in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe producers are looking at Broadway. That\u2019s no secret. They\u2019re also looking at Asia and another National Tour. This tour has put the numbers up. I don\u2019t think they expected it to do as well as it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was planned for Broadway a few years ago but it didn\u2019t do so well in the West End. That\u2019s when Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to close the West End show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, Simon Phillips took it to Australia and created a brand-new show. He came up with new ideas. Still, this is Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s baby. He had the entire score composed on electric piano. Its success on this tour has been impressive. He was bawling with tears at the Detroit opening.\u201d<\/p>\n

The love story from \u201cThe Phantom of the Opera\u201d continues in \u201cLove Never Dies.\u201d The year is 1907 — 10 years after the Phantom disappeared from the Paris Opera House.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never really know what happened at the end of \u2018The Phantom of the Opera,\u2019\u201d said Thompson. \u201cThe Phantom goes into his throne and disappears. All that is found is his mask.<\/p>\n

The Phantom has escaped to a new life in Coney Island, New York, but has never stopped yearning for his one true love and musical prot\u00e9g\u00e9e, Christine Daa\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Daa\u00e9, who has become one of the world\u2019s finest sopranos, travels from Paris to New York to perform at a renowned opera house. Her marriage to Raoul is suffering because he has developed gambling and drinking habits and they desperately need the money she can make by performing in America.
\nIn a desperate attempt to win back Daa\u00e9\u2019s love, the Phantom lures her, Raoul, and their young son Gustave, from Manhattan to the crazy world of Coney Island. The plot then features a swirl of intrigue, obsession and romance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAndrew Lloyd Webber thinks that it\u2019s important for people to know that this show can be a stand-alone piece,\u201d said Thompson, who graduated from Archbishop Ryan High in Northeast Philadelphia and then majored in theater and English at Temple University.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, it has the Phantom, Christine, Raoul, Madame Giry and Meg Giry, so it definitely is a sequel. A lot of time in the show is spent talking about things that happened 10 years in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of really good things regarding \u2018Love Never Dies.\u2019 It\u2019s an interesting story. And, there are great songs in this show like \u2018Devil Take the Hindmost\u2019 and \u2018\u2019Til I Hear You Sing.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from Philadelphia so I\u2019m super excited to be playing the Academy of Music. It will be my first time to do a show there. It\u2019s pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cLove Never Dies\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/KwYEXyxwDHQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show will run from October 2-8 at the Academy of Music. Ticket prices range from $25-$144.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for musical entertainment in Philly on October 2 and want something other than Opening Night at the Academy of Music, there are several good options at clubs in downtown Philadelphia \u2013 a power-pop band from Los Angeles, a metal band from New Orleans or a singer-songwriter from Minneapolis\/L.A.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dreamers<\/p><\/div>\n

Dreamers, a band with good hooks and solid songwriting, will be headlining a show on October 2 at the Voltage Lounge (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602<\/a>,www.voltagelounge.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The power-pop trio — Nick Wold, lead vocals, guitar; Marc Nelson, bass, backing vocals; Jacob Lee Wick, drums, backing vocals \u2013 came together as a band in 2014 and released their eponymous debut EP in November 2014.<\/p>\n

Wold moved from Seattle to New York at the age of 18 to study jazz saxophone at New York University. In New York, Wold was the lead singer and guitarist in the grunge band Motive, along with drummer Chris Bagamery, a longtime friend of his from Seattle. Following the dissolution of Motive, Wold was living and writing songs in a Brooklyn rehearsal space. He and Bagamery met the bassist Marc Nelson (commonly known only by his surname), and the three teamed up to form Dreamers.<\/p>\n

Their first single, \u201cWolves (You Got Me),\u201d was released in July 2014 and was included on their self-titled debut EP. In February 2015, Dreamers signed a deal with Fairfax Recordings. Drummer Jacob Lee Wick joined the band at the end of 2015, replacing Bagamery after the group relocated to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started the band in New York,\u201d said Wold, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Atlanta, Georgia. \u201cIt actually started as a band called Motive and morphed into Dreamers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was living in my practice space in Brooklyn. The brick warehouse used to be a brewery. It was just a cinderblock room with no windows, no bathrooms. I wrote over 100 songs at that time. I met Nelson and we were like-minded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason we moved to L.A. was that we got signed to a record deal in L.A. and then got on satellite radio. We wanted to be near the action.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made demos over the course of two years. They were all fully demo-ed out. We had 50 songs after two years that we liked. Then, we had to whittle it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The songs became part of a project that features the band releasing three related EPs. The first EP, \u201cLaunch,\u201d was released in July. The middle EP, \u201cFly,\u201d was just released and the third will be released at a yet-to-be-determined time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had four songs on the first EP and five on the second,\u201d said Wold. \u201cI don\u2019t know how many will be in the third \u2013 at least four and probably not more than six.<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since our \u2018Sweet Disaster\u2019 single came out, we\u2019ve been thinking about this project. We decided that it would be more fun to tell the story in three episodes \u2013 beginning, middle, end. It\u2019s about breakups \u2013 breakups and changes. All of us in the band have gone through a lot of life changes in the last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also talk a lot about space and the cosmos. As dreamers, we like to think about cosmic experiences. You only get one life \u2013 and it\u2019s short.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Dreamers \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/9G9D9noRuqw<\/a>,<\/p>\n

The show at the Voltage Lounge, which also features Weathers and Morgxn, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $13.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Cane Hill<\/p><\/div>\n

Cane Hill, which is headlining a show at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919<\/a>, kungfunecktie.com<\/a>) on October 2, is a heavy metal band from Louisiana.<\/p>\n

The band — vocalist Elijah Witt, guitarist James Barnett, bass guitarist Ryan Henriquez, and percussionist Devin Clark — formed in New Orleans in 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all in different metal bands in New Orleans,\u201d said Witt, during as phone interview last week from a tour stop in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all grew up in the local scene \u2013 but in different bands \u2013 and then melded together as Cane Hill. We started with five members and, at one point, had a different drummer. This line-up is the real Cane Hill. The others are irrelevant. This line-up has been together four-and-a-half years.<\/p>\n

In 2015, the group signed to Rise Records and released its debut EP, \u201cCane Hill.\u201d The band released its debut full-length studio album, \u201cSmile,\u201d in July 2016. In January 19, 2018, Cane Hill\u2019s sophomore album, \u201cToo Far Gone,\u201d was released via Rise Records. \u201cToo Far Gone\u201d reached Number 1 on Billboards Heatseakers Chart.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album in the summer of 2017 in L.A.,\u201d said Witt. \u201cA lot of stuff has been happening since then \u2013 including non-stop touring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cane Hill is now on the road in the middle of its first-ever headline North American tour next weekend.\u00a0In advance of the tour, Cane Hill releases the live album \u201cCane Hill: Live From The Bible Belt\u201d in September 14.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the live album, we recorded those shows specifically for the purpose of as livre album,\u201d said Witt. \u201cThe entire intention was to reward the people who come to our shows \u2013 and to show that we\u2019re a good live band.<\/p>\n

\u201cLive recordings offer things you don\u2019t get from listening to a studio record. This live album was a limited pressing. It\u2019s only available until it runs out. Right now, there is a very limited supply. We wanted to make it incredibly special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cane Hill is a powerful act \u2013 on stage or in the studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur influences are Metallica, Pantera, Megadeth, Godsmack and a lot of post-grunge,\u201d said Witt. \u201cThe heaviness definitely comes from 80s and 90s thrash. A few of us like the industrial side of metal, but I don\u2019t believe a lot of our influences come from that realm.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just write whatever we want to write without focusing on influences. We call ourselves metal or hard rock. If you listen to all three of our records, you\u2019ll hear a lot of different styles \u2013 all of them heavy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I listen to heavy music, I want ti to punch me in the face. With our music, we like to be as blunt as we possibly can be. There\u2019s no fun in being vague.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our first headline tour. It\u2019s awesome not having to figure out what to play in a short set. A 30-minute set is challenging. Now, we can play 60 minutes or more. It\u2019s relieving to be able to give our fans a full table of Cane Hill music.\u201d
\nVideo link for Cane Hill — https:\/\/youtu.be\/BHTtXjc4Utk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Kung Fu Necktie, which has Tallah, Afterlife and Sharptooth as opening acts, will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $13.<\/p>\n

A lot of young musicians leave their hometowns and move to Meccas of modern music such as Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Austin and Nashville.<\/p>\n

Minneapolis native Caroline Smith left Minneapolis and relocated to Los Angeles after signing to Pulse Recording.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Your Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

But Smith, who will be headlining a show on October 2 at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684<\/a>,<\/p>\n

www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>), did more than just change her zip code \u2013 she changed her name. Her new moniker is Your Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lived in L.A. for a couple years now,\u201d said Smith, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in New York City. \u201cI started working for a publishing company \u2013 Pulse Recording \u2013 and was flying there a lot from Minnesota. So, I moved there three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August, Smith released a new EP \u201cThe Bad Habit,\u201d which was her first music effort as Your Smith. Released on Neon Gold Records, \u201cThe Bad Habit\u201d EP features collaborations with Tommy English (B\u00d8RNS), Stint (Gallant, Aluna George), Nicky Davey (Internet, Syd) and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new EP is the first thing I released as Your Smith,\u201d said Smith. \u201cIt\u2019s a new chapter that I wanted to focus on. When you\u2019re making music as long as I have, you want a clean slate. You want to start a new chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Caroline Smith, the singer\/songwriter\/rocker has four album releases dating back to 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always had a proclivity for music and songwriting,\u201d said Smith. \u201cI was influenced a lot by artists such as Paul Simon, Carole King, and Aretha Franklin. It\u2019s always been songwriting or R&B\/funk that I\u2019ve been attracted to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first started playing out at The 400 Bar, a club near the campus of the University of Minnesota. I was a freshman at the university and I\u2019d play at The 400 Bar on Wednesday nights.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never graduated. Instead, I figured out how to play live and ended up going on the road. I started touring when I was 20. I always looked up to touring artists. Still, I didn\u2019t take it seriously until about five years ago when I was 25. Now that I\u2019m in K.A., I\u2019ve been playing live a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m touring with a full band of L.A. musicians \u2013 Nylo on keyboards, Lib on bass and Steph on drums. I didn\u2019t specifically look for an all-woman band. I just looked for the players that were the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally, my music is like alt-pop \u2013 70s songwriters mixed with Minnesota soul. It\u2019s always lyric-forward. I want to be as honest as I can be.<\/p>\n

Video link for Your Smith — https:\/\/youtu.be\/dIOxq6jgBaE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, which has Baum as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Illiterate Light<\/p><\/div>\n

On October 3, Illiterate Light brings its distinctive sound to the area for a show at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528<\/a>,www.bootandsaddlephilly.com).<\/a><\/p>\n

Patrons at the bar outside the listening room probably think that a full band is on stage when Illiterate Light performs. If they venture in to the performance space, they are amazed to realize that such a full sound is coming from just two players — Jeff Gorman\u00a0on guitar and synthesizer and\u00a0Jake\u00a0Cochran on drums.<\/p>\n

Gorman\u00a0and\u00a0Cochran have known each other for more than a decade. \u00a0As Illiterate Light they transcend\u00a0expectations of typical rock music through their limitations as a duo.\u00a0\u00a0Gorman elevates his gritty guitar melodies\u00a0and honest lyricism by stomping out thunderous synth bass with his feet as\u00a0Cochran layers lush vocal harmony and\u00a0explodes with convulsing energy around\u00a0his minimalist standing drum kit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Towson, Maryland and Jake grew up in D.C.,\u201d said Gorman, during a phone interview last week. \u201cWe met in 2010 in Harrisonburg, Virginia when we were students at James Madison University.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe played together in different bands there before graduating in 2012. Jake moved away after he graduated but I convinced him to come back in 2015. That\u2019s when we started Illiterate Light.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we just have one single \u2013 \u2018Better Than I Used To\u2019 \u2013 and another one coming out on September 29 \u2013 \u2018Growin\u2019 Down.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just recorded an album with Adrian Olsen in Richmond, Virginia. We mixed it with Vance Powell\u00a0in Nashville. The album will be coming out next spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cVance Powell got this gig \u2013 a film company is pitching this show about Sun Studio artists from the past to Sun Records. So, we\u2019ll be going back to Nashville to work with Vance and choose a Sun song to record for the project. I\u2019ve spent the past few weeks listening to a lot of songs from Sun Records\u2019 archives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Gorman\u2019s main focus is on Illiterate Light.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band came into existence in November 2015,\u201d said Gorman. \u201cWe were playing six months prior as a trio. Then, we became a duo in November. Our sound really developed over the course of the next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter Than I Used To<\/a>\u201d was featured in\u00a0NPR Music\u2019s \u201cHeavy Rotation: 10 Hot Summer Songs<\/a>\u201d column.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we\u2019re ready to release a new album,\u201d said Gorman. \u201cIt\u2019s already mixed and mastered. These first two singles are songs from the album \u2013 a preview of what\u2019s to come. Right now, we\u2019re just waiting for the record label deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Illiterate Light \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/vhcIZd9gUvQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle, which also features The Sleepwalkers and Not Fur Long, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $13.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times There\u2019s a show running this week that is part of the Kimmel Center\u2019s Broadway Philadelphia series at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelcenter.org) that is a sequel and, at the same time, not really a sequel. The show could be considered a \u201cBroadway […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[10658,9761,6518,10660,10657,10659],"class_list":["post-29803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-cane-hill","tag-dreamers","tag-featured","tag-illiterate-light","tag-love-never-dies","tag-your-smith"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29803"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29804,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29803\/revisions\/29804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}