Broadway puts back Phantom sequel opening

Broadway will have to wait a bit longer to find out what happens to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom.

The producers of Love Never Dies announced that the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera will now open in New York in spring 2011 instead of this November.

As a reason, they cited the composer's "postoperative problems" following his successful surgery for prostate cancer last year.

According to the statement, Lloyd Webber's doctors advised him not to travel long distances by air "until the problem has been investigated." No further details were provided.

In the meantime, he will work on Over the Rainbow, a BBC reality television series in which a young woman will be chosen to play Dorothy in Lloyd Webber's London stage version of The Wizard of Oz.

"I am extremely frustrated that I cannot travel to New York for the time being," Lloyd Webber said in a statement. "I will be focusing my time on producing The Wizard of Oz in London now and plan to be available for the creative process of bringing Love Never Dies to Broadway as soon as possible."

Speculation about the show's possible Broadway postponement began immediately after Love Never Dies opened in London last month to wildly divergent reviews.

Meanwhile, both the London and New York productions of the original Phantom are still running, with the New York Phantom the longest-running show in Broadway history.