Phantom of the Opera Sequel

Prediction: half-face masks will be the “It” accessory for the New Year. Andrew Lloyd Webber told the Times of London recently that his Phantom of the Opera is returning to Broadway with an all-new sequel to the original smash musical. The composer plans to open the Coney Island-set [!] Phantom: Love Never Dies at the end of 2009 in New York, in London’s West End, and possibly in Shanghai. “I don’t think you could do this [simultaneous opening] if it wasn’t the sequel to Phantom,” said Webber. “The one which really interests me [in the Far East] would be China … I think to open Love Never Dies in Shanghai would be an enormous thing.” He added, “We are pretty clear who our Phantom is going to be—I can’t say who.” Robert Pattinson, call your agent.