Andrew lloyd webber ?- Page 2

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:07pm

Aside from Evita and Superstar, I'm not a fan of his work. While I don't hate him, I do find the longevity of Phantom and Cats annoying when they are not even good shows, let alone great ones (in my opinion).

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:10pm

Has anyone ever considered his songs easy to sing, Spidey? I think a lot of what he writes is very hard to sing.

And for the record, if we're saying who helps a singer out, Sondheim doesn't give ya much help either...

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:10pm

I do find the longevity of Phantom and Cats annoying when they are not even good shows, let alone great ones (in my opinion).

Well blame the theatre going public with that one.

[G_Schlozinski2]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:11pm

all i have to say is, i don't know how to love him.

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:12pm

frontrowcentre2 makes an important point about his shows' dependence on scenic effects.

I've often thought that his work will go the way of much of Gershwin's: Songs are beloved and often peformed, but the shows they come from are long forgotton or rarely produced. Of course, that doesn't apply to Evita, Joseph and some others.

But then again, what do I know? In twenty years every community theatre may have figured out a way to produce Phantom and Sunset Blvd on a showstring?

Updated On: 7/18/07 at 02:12 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:14pm

WW11--I remember a discussion a couple of years back where people complained that his music was too easy to sing and because of that, he couldn't write music or something like that. Every time there is a discussion about Webber, people make up random excuses not to like him. If you just give an honest, simple answer like "I find his music boring" or "It doesn't stimulate me like I think it should" then it would be fine. But, people are giving arguments to why the "hate" (and why do you hate someone just because you don't like their music?) ALW when their argument goes for like 5 other composers that I know they like. For example, what you said about Sondheim. Sondheim does not write the easiest music for vocalists either, but it's never his fault, only Webbers.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:16pm

frontrowcentre2 makes an important point about his show's dependence on scenic effects.

I have only seen one show of his on stage, but I love the music to *almost* all of the rest of his shows. And there are MANY of his fans that have never seen a single show of his that love his material. And again . . . blame the director for the "scenic effects."

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:16pm

Ah, okay, thanks Spidey.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:18pm

No problem WW11

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:23pm

Sondheim's hard to sing because of rhythm and melody. ALW's hard to sing because of the notes themselves. Honestly, I can sing Mozart without too many problems, but "Think of Me" still gives me trouble.

I said earlier that I find his stuff boring, soo...

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:24pm

Sondheim has written some difficult notes too. "Later" in ALNM, anyone?

[D2]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:31pm

I'll vouch for LATER. Try singing that, while playing a cello, 8 times a week. It's not easy. And then when it goes into the trio...

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:38pm

Webber is so successful because a lot of the stuff he writes is commercial and appeals more to the general public. I only like a few of his musicals but find quite a bit of the stuff he writes kind of generic.

[vfd88]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:42pm

spider - I think what frontrowcentre2 meant was that, besides on Broadway, his shows won't be widely produced. They weren't commenting on the quality of the shows, I think.

[bigred3535]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:56pm

I think some of you are incorrect in saying that the people who don't like ALW don't like him because of his success. He's had his fair share of failures (Woman in White?). I'm not a fan of his because I think his shows aren't very good. I think the music is generally very repetitive and boring, and the books aren't strong enough to make up for that. It's just a personal preference thing. Some people don't like Sondheim, some people don't like Spring Awakening, some people don't like ALW. It's the same in any industry - a lot of people might like Pirates of the Caribbean but that doesn't mean I have to.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 10:35pm

I said this on another board, but the reason Andrew Lloyd Webber annoys me somewhat is because his music isn't capable of giving emotion from the scene - if you react to the music, it's because it's a great pop song (like "I Don't Know How to Love Him"), not because it relates to the characters on an intimate level.

Consequently, his work often seems too much like a cartoon - he can't seem to write human emotions.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 3:20am

Well I don't think there is much quality to the shows. Reviewing PHANTOM when if first opened in 1988 I felt that the spectacular staging helped gloss over the deficiencies in the writing. Even spectacle could not obliterate the deficiencies in the writing of SUNSET BLVD. ASPECTS does have several lovely melodies but painfully empty lyrics and a boring script that really goes nowhere.

STARLIGHT EXPRESS is empty and the current version of SONG AND DANCE is so muddled it makes no sense at all.

Note that aside from PHANTOM all of these were huge failures on Broadway. We never saw BEAUTIFUL GAME or WHISTLE DOWN TEH WIND here but based on the cast records the scores were not the strongest assets of those shows.

So I don't get people saying that ALW is hated because of his success. He has had some successes and some failures just like everyone else.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 4:22am

Frontrow hits the nail on the head.
People tend to think of Andrew Lloyd Webber as overtly successful because he has had two of the most commercially successful shows on Broadway. It's absurd to think that anyone would be envious of him for being famous since he has had a number of flops, as many as any other composer. THE BEAUTIFUL GAME, WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, THE WOMAN IN WHITE, two JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR revivals, EVITA revival, ASPECTS OF LOVE, SONG & DANCE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, and SUNSET BLVD. (a show some scholars argue has been the costliest Broadway flop, not sure if they're right) have all flopped on Broadway or never been financially successful to get a transfer.
I find his shows to be boring and lacking in terms of character development. His songs are so rarely connected to the character's actual personality.
I do enjoy some of his shows. I find EVITA to be a very interesting take on politics, celebrities, and women and the Broadway version of SONG & DANCE boasted one of my favorite cast recordings (though as the reviews pointed out, it was Bernadette Peters' acting that gave Emma's story the spark it lacked in its score). However, Lloyd Webber managed to make a masterpiece like the SUNSET BLVD. movie (featuring what is in my opinion one of the best screenplays in Hollywood history) into a somewhat good story that has a lackluster ending. The rest of his shows are just as boring, lackluster, and simply fail to engage me.

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 7:08am

I agree and disagree with the general concesus here.

On the point that Spring Awakening is hated because of its success, I don't hate it because of its success, I just have no interest in seeing it because I don't like the premise, the music, the lyrics, anything. And I've been told the choreograhy is non existent.

On the other hand, I like ALW. I think some of his stuff is good. I love Whistle Down the Wind, which I saw twice in London. The Beautiful Game is a good score. Not Brilliant, but good. Sunset Boulevard is beautiful. Tell Me on a Sunday has some lovely melodies in it. Evita is entrtaining and fun. JCS is one of the very best. Phantom is epic and grand.

On the other hand, I dislike Joseph because I don't like the score, or the idea, or pretty much anything about it. I don't like the Woman in White. I have seen Starlight various times, and although I enjoy the spectacle and staging, strip it down and the music sucks, frankly.

I judge each show on its own merits, and how much I like it, I don't judge it on the reputation of the composer or how much other people like the show or author.

Posted: 7/19/07 at 9:10pm

I think the thing with ALW is he's so much more opera, so much less musical theatre, or atleast, what we call it. He doesn't have really very many upbeat songs, or atleast ones that are happy. Happy/upbeat... ah, w/e.

I think the problem with the songs everyone's mentioned is they're girl songs. ALW probably didn't know exactly how difficult it was for someone to sing because he couldn't do it himself.

I will never forgive him for Cats, though. Evita I can somewhat stand, I love JCC, no idea about Joseph, and Phantom I love, but Cats needs to die.

[JRybka]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 9:24pm

Could We Start Again Please?

Posted: 7/19/07 at 9:27pm

What?

[BobbyErikValjean]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 9:34pm

"Some claim that ALW just rips off Puccini."

ALW rips off himself, haha! Listen to "Jacob in Egypt" from Joseph, and then the theme from Jesus Christ Superstar. Parts of melody are exactly the same!

But I love ALW, for he is the reason why I love musical theatre. I will always respect him.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 10:12pm

Very few composers in musical theatre today seem to even know how to write for the voice.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 10:17pm

"You're the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber!"

Stewie Griffin to Peter Griffin.