Las Vegas Weekly

October 20, 2009 · 8:02 AM

Former Las Vegas Phantom star headed to London show

By Robin Leach

Sierra Boggess.

Photo: BroadwayWorld.com

Singer-actress Sierra Boggess had her big break when she debuted in Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian in 2006. The musical propelled her last year to Broadway in the adaptation of the 1989 Disney blockbuster The Little Mermaid.

Now it’s the ultimate accolade for the 27-year-old Denver beauty: Sierra has been personally picked by legendary theatrical titan Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber for his new musical Love Never Dies, which will premiere in London’s West End next March.

The brilliant, award-winning composer says that the new show is not a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, even though the character returns, this time to America to live in old-time Coney Island 10 years after the Paris murders. Sierra will reprise her role as Christine Daae when previews begin on Feb. 20.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Says Andrew: “I don’t regard this as a sequel. It is a completely standalone piece. When we began to talk about it, I thought there was unfinished business with The Phantom and Christine.”

The new, eagerly awaited $20 million production is already generating buzz in England as the biggest theatrical opening of all 2010. Tickets are already booked out to February 2011! All of the music in Phantom -- Love Never Dies will be original and will include a strong circus element in keeping with the fairground and amusement wonderland at the turn of the century.

Sierra will be one of the three main leads of the 30-strong company alongside The Phantom and Raoul. She began her career as an understudy on the U.S. national tour of Les Miserables, and her previous roles include Maria in West Side Story and Charity in Sweet Charity.

Photo: BroadwayWorld.com

Sierra Boggess performs "Think of Me" as Christine Daae in Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular.

Andrew has not yet determined when or how his newest spectacular will be launched in America. A well-placed insider told me that decision won’t even be up for discussion until after the London opening. BASE Entertainment, which operates Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular in Las Vegas, confirms that as yet there are no plans for Love Never Dies in Las Vegas.

However, the last time I talked with Andrew about Las Vegas and the possibility of Love Never Dies one day being staged here, he told me: “I love Vegas. I want to do more shows in Vegas. When the time is right, it is highly possible that Love Never Dies could be produced in Vegas.”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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