Online trials for LND

There’s nowt more intemperate than an amateur critic – and the web is full of them. Just don’t expect chapter and verse. Take Johnny Fox (quoted in The Times) on “Love Never Dies”, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom sequel: “Saw it last night. It’s rubbish.” Ok, Johnny, that’s to the point. But what point? I haven’t seen the show yet (I shall be there opening night) but I have listened to the score in some detail now (my review of the album will appear in Gramophone magazine in due course) and happen to think it’s some of ALW’s best work. It only remains to be seen if the score and the show come together in the theatre. I’ll be going in without preconceptions and I’ll try to be fair and balanced – that’s my job, and that’s the point, isn’t it: criticism isn’t worth squat without the detail.