Sarah Brightman/Ann Crumb as Rose in Aspects of Love

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 1:44pm

Has anyone on this board seen the Broadway/West End show?
I recently bought the CD and I love listening to it. Any fans of the show?

Updated On: 12/21/08 at 01:44 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 1:53pm

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=938666

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=896515

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=889200

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 1:59pm

Well, I actually did a search, but no one is specifically talking about the Broadway or London version of this show, I am wondering if someone got to see the show on any of these two venues and what cast they saw.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 2:08pm

You know , I was just thinking of making up a thread about this. Because I know what the cast recording sounds like-- but I heard from an interview (unless I misunderstood) that there was a nude scene? And I don't know if there's any truth to that, but I was really curious, because I don't really think of the phrases "ALW musical" and "nude scene" going together...

[Weez]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:25pm

There is a nude scene. Good lord, I had such a horrible experience watching this show that I'd almost blanked that from my memory. O_o Nothing overtly saucy; just a lady stripped to the waist washing herself, iirc.

I can honestly say... I have seen better musicals about painters named George. :P

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:28pm

I dont remember the nude scene at ALL!!!

This is one of the very few ALW pieces that I truly love. (Which is why it was a disaster: his regular fans pretty much hated it!)

I loved the intertwining of the love stories. If it were to be revivied, I think it would be much better rec'd today.


EDIT: Saw the B'wy Version

Updated On: 12/21/08 at 03:28 PM

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:30pm

I saw the original West End production. It's been so long that all I really remember is Michael Ball starred and that damn song got stuck in my head for way too long. I liked it enough to buy the OCR, but I've gone years at a time without listening to it.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:40pm

Well, I saw a video of an interview with Michael Ball on a Certain Site where he implied that HE was naked (and as much as I love Michael Ball, um, the thought of him naked onstage kind of makes me want to vomit). He was saying something like, "I don't mind if they see my... bits... but it's just the fat bits that I'm concerned about" and talked about how he went to the gym, hurt terribly the next day, and said "Well, I'm never doing that again." o_0 Maybe this was something in the Pre-West End tryout that they decided to change later or something?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:49pm

I love this show. My college is doing it in the spring! I can't wait!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 4:06pm

There is no nude scene and the lesbian scene amounts to little more than a kiss. There are several gorgeous melodies in the score, but many of the lyrics are pathetically dull. The book never draws you into this tangled web of lovers and at two hours 45 minutes it overstays its welcome. The friend I went to see the show with dubbed it "Aspects of Trash."

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 4:33pm

Any reviews of Ann Crumb or Sarah Brightman as Rose?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 5:02pm

Well, I saw a video of an interview with Michael Ball on a Certain Site where he implied that HE was naked (and as much as I love Michael Ball, um, the thought of him naked onstage kind of makes me want to vomit).

Wasn't he also in the London production of Passion? I've always wondered whether or not they staged the opening number the same way it was done on Broadway.

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 5:07pm

Ann Crumb looked pretty. Sarah Brightman just helped this stinkeroo close faster.

[matty159]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 5:08pm

Though I was totally in love with Ann Crumb from the recording, I saw Sarah. She was excellent, but for me I think it was the sheer joy of seeing Sarah live. I will forever love "Hand Me The Wine and The Dice"....great ALW song and great staging. Wow...that was my junior year of high school...I don't want to think about that anymore.

I will say that I enjoyed the tour that I saw at the Kennedy Center much more. Less cluttered and a uniformly great cast....if not a little more esoteric in the concept.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 5:43pm

I didn't see the show, but I have the CD. Listening to it is always a mixed experience. I think the music is gorgeous, but the characters are such jerks that it's rather hard to enjoy the album unreservedly!

I do enjoy Sarah's recordings of the songs, especially "Seeing Is Believing" with Michael Ball. That one I could listen to all day.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 7:09pm

"Ann Crumb looked pretty. Sarah Brightman just helped this stinkeroo close faster"

Not only your cheap 50 cents are inappropiate and uncalled for, but they are also not accurate, since Sarah helped keep the show open after Ann Crumb left. The actress that took over the role of Rose was Elinore O'Connor and she was the one that performed on closing night. Get your facts right dahling.

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 7:22pm

Oh, love, how much I missed you! Not since the Bombay Dreams threads have we gotten a chance to do this again! *kiss kiss*

Now, Sarah "helped" the show...I see, well, maybe your idea of "helping" differs from mine. Also, I never said that Sarah closed the show, I just said she helped it close faster, darling, but I know you don't always read threads carefully.

And it was just 2 cents, I would never invest 50 cents in an ALW thread!

Love ya! Happy Christmas!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 10:43pm

You need help! =)

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/22/08 at 1:24am

Not only your cheap 50 cents are inappropiate and uncalled for, but they are also not accurate, since Sarah helped keep the show open after Ann Crumb left. The actress that took over the role of Rose was Elinore O'Connor and she was the one that performed on closing night. Get your facts right dahling.

Funny how you whip out all these anecdotes after starting a thread with a post that makes it sound like you're an Aspects newbie trying to learn everything you can.

Posted: 12/22/08 at 1:47am

I have a massive soft spot for Aspects. Yeah the book can be silly (but I like soap operas so doesn't bug me :P ), some awful lyrics, and Love Changes Everything is an overdone bloated song. But most of the music I think is gorgeous, some of ALW's loveliest and I love the kinda melancholy tone of the whole piece.

I became obsessed with it when I was 9 or 10--shortley after I found the tape at the library (I had just seen the tour of Phantom and was briefly Phantom obsessed--my love for Aspects lasted a lot longer though). Then, since I lived in Edmonton, I saw the premier at the Citadel there of Robin Phillips's revised production. It was a big deal, Lloyd Webber came to town, and I remember thinking ti was amazing. Everythign was done very simple with vague sets and a lot of white on a small stage. I wish I could remember more (I have the souvenir program for the later tour of it--it's THIS production that then went on to tour N America, eventually with Sarah Brightman as Rose, though I didn't see her). At the time I thought there were small changes made to the score, but now I can't be sure.

From the Aspects book it looks like Maria Bjornson's original designs were, as expected from her, absolutely gorgeous but the production was probably too large for the story. ALW was in a tough spot at the time as he was known for HUGE spectacle and here was this small intimate show. It sounds like the production was too big for the story--though it did have a moderate run in London (ultimately without profit though) but of course flopped on Broadway.

Anyway for all tis flaws, I admit to shamelessly loving the show and especially the score. I know it was touring in yet another production in England the past few years but can;'t find any pics or anything.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 12/22/08 at 4:59am

I think the show works better in a smaller space, the original staging was great. I only saw the Australia production once in Sydney ( where the show was in a larger theatre and failed to draw you into the story ) and then about 8 weeks later in Melbourne ( at the Comedy Theatre ) and the show was a perfect fit, and an enjoyable night of theatre.

[jo]

Posted: 12/22/08 at 6:44am

ASPECTS OF LOVE is my favourite Andrew Lloyd Webber musical - the score is gorgeous, lyrical, and achingly romantic. I had read the novella (by David Garnett, of the Bloomsbury Group known for their rather bohemian lifestyles) on which this tale of entertwining loves was based and that made it easier to appreciate the relationships.

I was lucky to have seen the show both at the West End and on Broadway. The major leads were brought in from London to perform on Broadway, except for the young lady who played Jenny ( a pity because the casting in London was perfect). The team of Michael Ball, Ann Crumb, Kevin Colson and Kathleen Rowe McAllen was a gorgeous singing team! And if you're a fan of Michael Ball, his voice was in glorious form!

A few years ago, I had seen a much lighter revival, and the musical score continues to charm.

[kissmeimirish]

Posted: 12/22/08 at 11:04am

This is my favorite ALW musical. I saw both Elinor O'Connell (who was standby and also played the role twice a week) and Brightman. O'Connell was wonderful with a gorgeous voice. Brightman did a beautiful job especially with the score. I remember they turned Giuliana's solo 'There is More to Love' into a duet with Brightman and it worked great.

Did Elinore O'Connell really perfom closing night? Where was Brightman?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/22/08 at 2:11pm

Brightman had just a limited engagement.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE6DB1E30F935A1575AC0A966958260

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/22/08 at 4:41pm

Hands down my favorite Lloyd Webber show. I only wish I could have seen the original cast perform it in London. My ex saw the London production and didn't care for the story at the time, but he loved the score and the staging. His favorite scene was Hand Me the Wine and the Dice, which he described as the highlight of the entire show, mainly due to Crumb's performance.

I did see the Robin Phillips production on tour and it was stunning. I do think it works so much better as a smaller chamber piece than trying to amplify it into some sort of spectacle, which is probably why the original West End and Broadway productions failed. There really isn't anything about this show I don't like.