"Phantom of the Opera" to be Continued

    Andrew Lloyd Webber on Thursday announced a sequel to his massively successful "Phantom of the Opera"  under the pretext that the conclusion of the original was too boring. 

Photo: "Phantom of the Opera" to be Continued

  Webber's new production, "Love Never Dies," is due to open in London in March of next year.

  The musical picks up a decade after the original's conclusion, and has the Phantom trading his hideout beneath the Paris opera house for the iconic Brooklyn amusement park known for its roller-coasters and hot dogs.

  The new musical will also be staged in New York beginning in November 2010.

   The original hit musical, a longtime fixture on the London and New York stages, featured elaborate staging and songs like "The Music of the Night."

   Based on the French novel by Gaston Leroux, the play has been seen by more than 100 million people worldwide and has been translated into 15 languages. The album of the show has sold more than 40 million copies.

   Producers say the sequel will be "a roller-coaster ride of obsession and intrigue."

  The Phantom of the Opera musical is now the longest running Broadway show in history, and one of the most lucrative entertainment enterprises of all time.

The Associated Press  contributed to the report.