Anti-Andrew Lloyd Webbers, unite!

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 9:14pm

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

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 9:22pm

Wow- I guess someone here doesn't like Lloyd Weber!

Personally, I love everything Lloyd Weber (especially JCS) except Sunset Boulevard. I think the guy is a complete genius, but that's just my opinion.

Everyone has a different opinion.

[thebigkrakowski]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 9:27pm

Hate his work. All of it. Updated On: 4/8/04 at 09:27 PM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 9:51pm

Woah NuggetMonkeys, thats so weird I like the ALW shows you hate and I hate the ones you love...

And you forgot Phanotm

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 9:53pm

Phanotm is amawesom.

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 10:55pm

ahh yes, PHANTOM.

i don't like PHANTOM and i think it is wasting perfectly good space at the Majestic.

hehe, this is fun.

d.b.j

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 10:58pm

Enjoy most of what he has done except CATS

[Cutielyricist]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 11:31pm

oh wow...andrew lloyd webber wrote more than one show..listening to the scores, i was confused in to beliving they were all the same show.. I mean..they sound so..uh...similar..if not IDENTICAL

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 11:43pm

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.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 11:50pm

I don't even want to comment on this. Webber is a genius. He just has different goals in theatre than other composers. And to say his music all sounds the same is fu**ing retarded. It's uneducated. You're telling me that if you listened to a song from By Jeeves and a song from Jesus Christ Superstar you'd think it was from the same show? That's sad.... and for the record Andrew isn't even producing the Broadway Bombay Dreams. So all you Anti-Andrew Lloyd Webber's should, please look elsewhere to criticize.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 11:56pm

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

[Amneris]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 11:59pm

if bart simpson had a comb-over hairdue, he'd look like ALW.

I wonder if he was drunk in the bathtub when he wrote cats.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:01am

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

[bestofbroadway]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:20am

CatsNYRevival- What were his "different goals?" To create the spectacle epic musicals that have polluted Broadway in recent years.

I for one like (not love) a lot of his earlier work. I think that his more recent work however is GARBAGE! The fact that people compare this man to Sondheim infurriates me. The man's work doesn't hold a candle to Sondheim's. His best falls far behind Sondheim's worst.

As far as the shows go...
CATS- I think that anyone who says that this show isn't about anything is completely ignorant. With that said- does it work? In my eyes no. Maybe it's just my hatred towards cats....and Betty Buckley (the dying goose)

JOSEPH- Gotta say that this show makes me want to throw up. It's fine for a little community church show, but how it ever made it's way to a professional arena is beyond me.

SONG AND DANCE- Alright I'm gonna have to agree with NuggetMonkeys. I happen to like this musical (particularly the "Tell Me on a Sunday" portion.) I think "Tell Me On A Sunday" is ALW at his best. The story itself is pretty weak though.

SUNSET BOULEVARD- didn't see it. Didn't want to. Heard the CD...all sounded the same to me.

EVITA- I actually like Evita. Not much else to say on that.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR- Probably his best work.

PHANTOM- Not as good as Yeston's.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:39am

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

[Juliette Capulet]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 2:17am

I agree with those who said that ALW was a genius.

Tendres Baisers,
Juliette Capulet

[Cutielyricist]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 4:41am

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?

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 6:23am

i LOVE...
Jesus Christ, Superstar, Aspects Of Love, and Evita

i LIKE...
Joseph, Sunset Boulevard

i like PARTS of...
Song And Dance, Whistle Down The Wind

HATED!!!
Cats, Phantom Of The Opera

i don't know much about...
By Jeeves, Starlight Express, The Beautiful Game
Updated On: 4/9/04 at 06:23 AM

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 11:58am

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

[Princess MimiChica]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:11pm

ah what the hell, i'll join in:

I hate Phantom and Cats. I actually think Joseph is pretty cute, but I don't think it's ground-breaking or anything. I don't know much about some of his other shows, but, eh, I think he's possibly the most overrated composer in history. Not that he doesn't have talent, I just don't think he's the best. Sondheim RULES! =)

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:31pm

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)

[sweeedboy]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:36pm

Yeah I'm also on the bandwagon of not enjoying ALW very much. I must admit he is talented however, in his ability to write musicals for the masses which also have staying power. If i ever have to sit through Cats or Phantom again i think i will hang myself. The only show i like of his is Evita and while i think JCS has a good score i don't like it when staged for some reason. The rest could have never been written and i wouldn't have minded.

[Plum]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:46pm

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.

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:54pm

The sad part is that there are the same amount of people who dislike Sondheim, that dislike Webber. I think many people can't handle the complexity in listening to Sondheim music on recording. It's true, comparing the two is like apples and oranges. Sondheim is obviously superior in my opinion, not only because of the music he creates but also his need to challenge an audience in the way he creates it...gotta love stephen!

"it's so amazing to originate a sondheim role, and now stephen will call me periodically to talk, and it's surreal...next week, we are having lunch!" - gavin creel

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 1:24pm

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.