ALW Shows Break Records — Page 2

For instance, my family (no members of which are theatre-savvy) easily know about Phantom, Cats, and Jesus Christ Superstar. They can even sing a line or two of a song from those shows. If I asked them to name a song from Carousel or Oklahoma, they'd be stumped.

Unless that has more to do with the fact that Rodgers shows are significantly older.

It could be that or the age of the person you are asking and/or their preferences. Ask them about a song from Sound of Music and I'm sure they'll come up with more than one. King & I and South Pacific have major classic hits as well. All three of those have songs that are probably more commonly known by the general public today (Sound of Music, Do Re Mi, My Favorite Things, So Long Farewell, Edelweiss, Climb Every Mountain, Shall We Dance, Getting to Know You, Wash That Man, Some Enchanted Evening) than Carousel or Oklahoma.

I've always had a theory that could be totally wrong, but, to me, ALW's success is mostly timing. If he had begun writing 20 years prior, during the generation of Rodgers, Hammerstein, Styne, Bernstein, Lerner, Lowe, etc., no one would have given him the time of day. His style of spectacle over substance came at the perfect timing, when the Broadway producers were unable to fill the void left by those giants.

I was referring more to a melodic spectacle; not necessarily the physical staging. Big, overly emotive compositions with huge swells that repeat the same chord progression for 6 minutes at a time. Believe me, while I do love SUPERSTAR, I wish I had a taste for ALW. I just find his writing repetitive and uninteresting. Clearly, I'm in the minority. He's the most commercially successful musical theatre composer of all time.

And while I think he's clearly talented, for me, his talent is vastly overrated, and his success has more to do with the timing of his career. He's no Leonard Bernstein or Richard Rodgers or Jule Styne or Frederick Loewe. Again, clearly I'm in the minority of the mainstream, and sometimes I kinda wish I wasn't lol.

Updated On: 1/4/17 at 11:26 AM

PThespian said: "I think it's unfair to characterize ALW's style, and it's success, to being one of spectacle over substance.

Yes, some of his shows (Cats, Phantom, Stsrlight Express, etc) are the epitome of Broadway grandeur."

I've never understood the suggestion that a sumptuous visual design precludes an engaging story. Those who deride ALW love to dismiss Phantom as a "spectacle" (why that's an insult is also a mystery to me), and while it's certainly a beautiful show to look at, it's the story and the music that keep me coming back.