EW names SWEENEY TODD "Show of the Year"

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:34am

Their top 10 list:

1. Sweeney Todd
2. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
3. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
4. Orson's Shadow
5. Glengarry Glen Ross
6. The Pillowman
7. Jersey Boys
8. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
9. After Ashley
10. The Ruby Sunrise

And, their worst list:

1. In My Life
2. Lennon
3. The Blonde in the Thunderbird

[YayJudyYayJudy]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:36am

haha... oops... I actually saw everything on their "worst" list

[AngusN]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:39am

Er... hello....What about 'The Light in the Piazza?'

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:39am

No Piazza?

And I'm waiting for all the Lennonheads to come on this thread and call EW every name in the book...

[ALWrules]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:40am

I'm also suprised that Woman in White isn't mentioned. Probably because of the media bias against ALW.

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:42am

Given the list of shows that ARE there, WIW shouldn't be there. Especially since LITP didn't make it.

[ALWrules]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:45am

I agree. I think that LITP should be on the top five of that list. I just think that WIW belongs their as well. EW has some flaws in their theater reviews. I liked Sweeney, but I wouldn't put it above either LITP or WIW

[YayJudyYayJudy]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:47am

well EW gave WIW a C+... and not exactly a rave review, so I wasn't surprised that it's not on there. But please, what do they know anyway... "The Blond and the Thunderbird" on the worst list, shocked I tell you! Shocked!

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:47am

I would have LITP #1 and Sweeney #2 . . . only because I feel like LITP is a more accessible vehicle. It would be interesting what the next 10 on their list are.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:48am

These lists usually don't feature many musicals. Usually only 1 or 2, and then a bunch of plays.

Sweeney recieved almost universal praise, while WIW was less liked by some critics. Clearly EW was one of those critics.

[ALWrules]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:50am

Right, that is my point. I doubt there is any ALW musical that has gotten "universal praise." Many critics pride themselves on disliking ALW, as does much of the theater community. Really, I'm not that suprised it is not on the Top 10 list, because of the composer.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:54am

Well, can you really fault some people for hating ALW's shows?

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:55am

I definitely would've chosen The Light in the Piazza over The Ruby Sunrise or Judas Iscariot, both of which were mediocre at best.

[ALWrules]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:56am

I'm not challenging the merits of their opinion (at least at this time) but rather am simply making the observation that for better or for worse, many critics dislike ALW's music.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 11:57am

Well, if a lot of people have an opinion, shouldn't that tell you a little something about the quality of the material?

[ALWrules]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:01pm

The majority isn't always correct, you need only to look to many instances of history to discover that.
In this instance, I don't think it tells you much about the matierial because I think in a lot of instances critics have a bias against any Webber show before they even see it. I also think that critics have too narrow of a view of what musical theater should be, which effects their judgement on Webber's musicals. In many of the reviews, critics complained about ALW's songs in the musical, calling them sappy and in essence saying that they sounded too good. These complaints make little sense to me. You are complaining because the music is sweet and memorable. And I think critics tend to forget the sappy roots that musicals come from.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:08pm

I usually agree 100 percent with the critics opinons on ALW. But what do I know...

If he found better lyricists, I might be able to sit through and entire ALW score (except the Rice works, which are brilliant) without wanting to plunge my ears with a sharp object.

[ALWrules]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:13pm

I agree that the lyrics for some of his shows are less than mediocre. For example, in WIW: " I must disregard his charms, and his manly rugged arms." What? I think the Phantom lyrics aren't terrible, and I think Sunset has great lyrics. Of course the Rice works have excellent lyrics.
But despite the lyrics, why can't you just sit back and enjoy the sweeping melodies that are always evident in his shows? Or in the instance of WIW, why not just sit back and enjoy the story? That was the aspect of the show I found the most interesting in London.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:17pm

A bad book, and/or bad lyrics can sink a show. Some of my favorite scores have awful books, and make them unbearable on stage, even though I love the songs themselves.

But most people can't just sit back and enjoy the music when almost every other element is crap. Why do you think ALW has so many instrumental recordings out? His music is fine, beautiful in some cases, but the material he adapts and the people he works with, just don't equal that. Which makes a 3 hour show pretty hard to bear. Since ALW is a producer, I think he will always get more flack for the overall product, even though his contributions are good.

[lildogs]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:18pm

With a name like ALWrules, it's going to be hard to have a fair debate about ALW scores.

It's EW, not American Theatre, it's going to have a slant toward shows with more "buzz," though not all of those shows listed fall into that category.

I agree that Sweeney is a great show, but I personally would've rated Pillowman at #1.

[timote316]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:21pm

Thats exactly how I feel Bobby. I really don't like ALW's work, save for Evita, JCS and Joseph.

[ALWrules]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:24pm

Whay do you mean it's hard to have a fair debate? All of us come in with our opinions and should be able to discuss them. I obviously have an opinion favoring ALW, while other people have names inclining them towards other musicals (I.e. BobbyBubby, wickedfreak, Elphaba, etc...)
I think that lyrics are important, and my more favorite ALW shows have better lyrics. But just because the lyrics are crap doesn't mean that " every other element is crap." The sets are often visually attracitve, and with many ALW shows the story is a fascinating thing to follow. I also again state that I don't believe that his lyrics are always that bad. Yes, David Zippel is inconsistent, as are Don Black and Charles Hart in the various shows they have done. But some of the shows still happen to have great lyrics, or at least good enough for the show to function. I have never found consistently bad enough lyrics in any ALW show that has prevented me from enjoying it.
I think the music can be enjoyed despite less desirable lyrics. What do you think people do when they go to the opera. They can't understand what they are saying on stage, and mostly go there for two things: the music and occasionally the story of the opera itself. ALW is bridging the gap between musical and opera with his works.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:41pm

I don't think Sweeney Todd is the best of the year. It plays only to people familiar to the show, and not to anyone who may not have ever seen or heard it before. Had I not watched the Lansbury video, I would have been lost.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:10pm

I think the Sweeney revival is SPECTACULAR.

I purposely saw it without seeing the Lansbury/Hearn video. I followed the show for the most part, but once I saw the Lansbury video, it cleared some things up for me.

If a newcomer is seeing Sweeney without seeing the video, I think it's important they realize it's taking place in an Asylum, and being told through Tobias. And they should also know an overview of the characters.

[lildogs]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:18pm

Did I say anything about censoring you? No, simply stated that someone who has a name like ALWrules might not be the most objective critic of ALW, same with Bobby and Sondheim, that's all...still not sure what a debate about ALW has to do with EW's list, but I'm a thread jacker myself, so where do I get off?