Composers you either love or hate

I dont know if I actually HATE Sondheim....but I'm tired of him. Do we have to revive every one of his shows?? Enough! I appreciate his talent, I like one or two of his shows...but I'm very over him.

I think they want Marmite composers. Ones where people are very definite on their opinion, ones with no "I think they're okay" fence-sitting.

Frank Wildhorn and Andrew Lloyd Webber, I reckon. The people who hate them are very vocal about hating them, but there's enough people around who think they're great to keep 'em going. I for one love Wildhorn, even though I recognise I should possibly feel shame at this fact.

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Agreed with Schwartz and Sondheim.

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"majority of Sondheim's stuff. And his attitude."

... says the poster who has Webber under the LOVE category.

but I'll stop right there.

Sondheim's attitude is all there's better things to life than composing music, like making video games.

Atleast Lloyd Webber continues to make it.

I don't entirely hate Sondheim. I do enjoy Sunday + Sweeney & if you want to include Gypsy.

But inregards to Sondheim being more successful than Webber? I say no way. Lloyd Webber in 1988, according to the Time Article, was worth a personal $200 million. (http://tinyurl.com/5ckw9z)

And if you're talking about shows, a lot of Lloyd Webber's shows play for about 1000 performances, give or take, while Sondheim's longest running show is 964. Lloyd Webber is much more popular and well-known to the general public, and his shows generally speaking run over a year. Sondheim shows do not usually, not even the 'recent' revival of Sweeney Todd which starred two broadway 'legends.' http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=12430

Love: Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerry Herman
Not too fond of: Andrew Llyod Webber and Stephen Schwartz

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Updated On: 4/14/08 at 09:49 PM

I like Sondheim's work, but detest the ego-centric man

I cannot stand Michael John LaChiusa's work. Everything I've seen of his has been more dreadful than the last.

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I don't hate any of Sondheim's work, but like any other composer he has his ups and downs.

However, Andrew Lloud Webber has more downs than ups, but out of 100, he's had 5 ups. He can write some nice things, but I just think a majority of it are filler songs and fluff. He does however, write nice anthems.

Larry O' Keefe is definitely a hit or miss with me. Some of it is nice, some of it is...worse.

I don't have many composers that are hit or miss. I really just appreciate what each composer has to offer.

I understand how Sondheim can be hit or miss, but I've never found him ego-tistical. Just a different sense of humor, that's all. And as another poster said: he's older now, he wants to enjoy life, and any theatre composer can tell you how much of a challenge it is to write a show. I just think he likes to poke fun at it now.

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Updated On: 4/14/08 at 11:35 PM