Further interesting news in the case of the Phantom, whose mythos continues to spread like a particularly pernicious but prettily colored mold. Apparently, Andrew Lloyd Webber confirmed back in March that he was going to be starting work on a sequel musical to his original adaptation of Phantom, supposedly based on Forsyth's The Phantom of Manhattan, which is currently sitting on my coffee table pining because I haven't started it yet. It's a daunting undertaking; it's hard to imagine a sequel being able to measure up to the smash-hit popularity of the first one, which is one of the most popular musicals of all time at this point.

Leaving aside all the industry scuttlebutt/gossip that goes along with it--who would get cast? Quick, develop your Dream Casts and follow along!--there's the question of fan response. It appears that The Phantom of Manhattan is almost universally hated by fans of Webber's musical, though as I have yet to read it I don't yet know why. Thematically, as well, the idea is problematic; I mean, a lot of the themes of the original story, including the poignant loss at the end, could be invalidated by suddenly plunking the same characters back together as though nothing had happened.

But! I will analyze themes later. When I've actually read the book. For now, I'll just spend time I should be doing work (actual work in my office, that is) scouring the internet for further information. Even knowing it'll be a disaster in terms of the themes of Webber's first musical, I'll still probably be disappointed if it doesn't get made.

...that's the great thing about being a literary vulture. I'm happy if it's good, and I'm happy if it's a hideous carcass of a production. Both will give me insight. Ain't psychology grand?