Anti-Andrew Lloyd Webbers, unite!

okay. so call me blasphemous, i don't like him.
CATS--should have closed at intermission.
JOSEPH AND THE REALLY LONG TITLE--don't...even...get...me...started
SONG AND DANCE--i like. so sue me. hypocrite, you say?
SUNSET BOULEVARD--wow. wow. wow. LOVE. i'm talking about thes sets. hold you horses. now for the score. WITH ONE LOOK. good. rest was not amazing (decent, though)
EVITA--NNNOOOOO!!! Am I the only person that doesn't like EVITA? please say I'm not.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR--not horrible. actually not horrible.

i'm sorry. i had to say it. whew! now i feel the start of a hurricane. it could be a whirling revolution, or a whirling destruction. don't be frightened, you closeted LLOYD WEBBER haters. orrrr maybe not "haters", just despisers. or "not-fan" people.

d.b.j

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Hate his work. All of it.

Updated On: 4/8/04 at 09:27 PM

Phanotm is amawesom.

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Enjoy most of what he has done except CATS

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That is true. Most ALW musicals have something in common. Most ALW musicals are also BIG too! I admire some of his work. You have to admitt he has made a big impression on broadway and the west end.

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Andrew is a uniter, not a divider. And he treats women well.

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actually he was sober in front of a piano when he wrote CATS, thank you very much.

Oh, you're ridiculous. Everybody knows Sondheim considers the lord his peer.

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His shows follow the same format..the same musical styles..yeah the songs may not sound EXACTLY the same..but in some its just a difference of a key signature or a few notes..but hey whatever works..music that sounds familiar is easier on the ear then non familiar music..so if you have that de ja vu feeling throughout the show then the music may sound nicer to you. Who knows..while hes at it..alot of times people go to the theatre to escape the outside world..so dont bother putting substance on stage..just alot of lights and falling chandeliers, majestic set changes, and staircases that go on forever..but people may be more comfortable with substancless shows..

The only webber i like is "tell me on a sunday" also..Its nice..but i still get that..hmm I heard that song before. But I never will sit though another rendition of Joseph..its like a disney acid trip around the world of music..where one never actually masters the culters its trying to copy. And I couldnt even listen to "Puccini's Top 40" AKA Phantom..maybe im missing something by not seeing the majesty of the chandelier and rowboats..but honestly..if the show depends on spectacle..isnt that basically using that spectacle as a crutch to hold up a weak script and score?

by the way? are the copywright laws in Europe different than here?

yay, i'm not the only one.

ahh yes, as KING SONDHEIM wrote in one of his myriad of timeless pieces...a-HEM!

"...no one is alone..."

thank you. no autographs, please.

d.b.j

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The webber/sondheim argument will continue forever, and certainly will not grant any conclusions in a broadwayworld message board. Everyone, of course, is entitled to their own opinion...so i shall give mine. Webber is good at what he does, which is producing blockbuster musicals that Joe and Sally from Bumblescum, Tennessee love to listen to on Friday night as they drive to the Dairy Queen - jk! He writes singable, hummable, melodic music (for the most part) and is proud of it, and damn well should be - it's not what i prefer, but some of his songs are great.
I think it's pretty standard that everyone appreciates what he did with JCS and I must say it's the only part of his work that is groundbreaking; it is however, in my opinion one of the most controversial, exciting, original musicals ever written (tim rice's awesome lyrics included).
There is some good work in Cats (cool meter changes, and some revolutionary work on paper), but the show itself in my opinion falls a little short. Unfortunately most people (critics included) didn't take it seriously, whether they liked it or not.
Phantom is an interesting situation. I had not seen the show in maybe 8-10 and I can't handle listening to the music on CD. But I went to see the show with a friend in the city, expecting the worst - that it turned into a lazy production - like many other enduring Broadway productions. I am truly surprised to say I was wrong, it was tight, exciting, and had high-energy from all of its performers; probably just as good/entertaining as ever...
I could go on but I won't :)

- - - - in thick new york jewish accent - - - -
"Murray, let's go see Phanton of the Opera at the Majestic. It's such a beautiful musical...and I hear the chandelier falls at the end." - Estelle (random 78 year old woman)

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I'll keep my opinions to the ones I've actually seen or listened to-
CATS was my first Broadway musical, so I'll always have a bit of a soft spot for it. I was just in awe of the spectacle of it.

I didn't like Phantom of the Opera when I saw it. Just didn't impress me in any way. I've only listened to Evita, but I don't like what I've heard. And I doubt I could ever love something called Jesus Christ Superstar. So I guess I'm not much of an ALW fan.

But really, comparing Sondheim and Weber brings apples and oranges to mind- they're trying to do completely different things. Both of them have been successful at their respective goals, so why invent a rivalry?

I find Sondheim to be very hummable- but it's easier after a second listening. Lots of people aren't even listening the first time. I guess it's discouraging for Sondheim supporters that other people don't appreciate him, too. So they (we?) take it out on his antithesis, the populist- ALW.

I enjoy Andrew Lloyd Webber.
He makes musicals that are enjoyable to middle america.
Some of his newer stuff such as Beautiful Game and Whistle Down the Wind are more thought provoking and beautiful. I am looking forward to the new one.