Worst ALW show (besides Love Never Dies)- Page 3

[kdogg36]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 1:19pm

To answer the question: I think it's Starlight Express.

But I'm two messages into this thread and already two of my favorite shows have been singled out for abuse. :) 

(1) Aspects of Love: I love the score very much, though I agree that the lyrics (and the story) leave much to be desired. The assertion about "a 34 year old man trying to screw his 14 year old cousin" is simply false: she spends most of the act pursuing him, but he resists throughout.

(2) American Idiot: Not ALW I know, but it was mentioned in the second post. This is my favorite musical of the 21st century so far. I know this is a cliché, but I really identify with this show. I felt much the same way as the protagonist circa 2005, and even took my own escapist trip to get away from boredom and self-decay (though it was a much more constructive experience than Johnny's). I'm very glad this show was produced, and that I got to see it quite a few times.

 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 1:28pm

LizzieCurry said: "Of the ALW shows I've seen, Aspects of Love is the worst. I saw it at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philly. Beautiful music, but it's a pity he didn't write more than 5 melodies."

I know you may be being deliberately hyperbolic, but I respectfully disagree with you here. I count at least 14 full-fledged songs with different melodies (listed below), which I think is about typical for a musical. Now, it is true that most of these melodies are used multiple times throughout the score, which some might understandably find repetitious. But I don't think it's true to claim that there's such an extreme paucity of different melodies compared to other shows.

"Love Changes Everything"
"Parlez-vous français"
"Seeing Is Believing"
"A Memory of a Happy Moment"
"Chanson d'enfance"
"Everybody Loves a Hero"
"She'd Be Far Better Off With You"
"Stop. Wait. Please."
"Leading Lady"
"Other Pleasures"
"There is More to Love"
"Falling"
"Hand Me the Wine and the Dice"
"Anything But Lonely"
 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 3:00pm

Personally, Aspects is my favorite ALW show.  I love the intricacies of the plot and I think the score is sumptuous and sublime.  It does sound like several people here simply aren't very familiar with it based on some factual errors.

The score introduces 15 different melodies, not including reprises, most of which are full and complete songs (with a couple being motifs or a background melody to serve the counterpoint in the foreground, like Parlez-Vous Francaise).  The story was adapted from the novel by David Garnett.  The action takes place in several locations in France from 1947-1964.

My least favorite ALW scores are Likes of Us and Stephen Ward, though I haven't seen them.  My least favorite show of his I've actually seen was Whistle Down the Wind with By Jeeves being a close runner-up.

I saw the final performance of Beautiful Game in London and loved it, though I admit the score comes off MUCH better in context of the actual show than on the cast recording.

Updated On: 8/6/16 at 03:00 PM

[MCfan2]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 3:34pm

I forgot all about Woman in White. Actually, that perfectly sums up the problem with it -- it's eminently forgettable. The melodies were just blah and the lyrics were horrendous.

I quite liked By Jeeves, though. It had a clunky moment or two, but mostly it was great fun and captured the Wodehousian spirit nicely.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 3:40pm

'I know I'm veering off topic here, but are there any fans of "The Beautiful Game" here? I saw the original production in London and loved it... '

 

I was in the development cast and workshops of this show (but then got another show), it was better before it opened In the West End.

cats is a dreadful show, as is Starlight Express.

his best is Sunset by a mile.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 3:41pm

Kdogg - I also included A Small Theatre in Montpellier, the first song after the prologue.  It's the dressing room sequence after the performance of The Master Builder when Rose meets Alex.  A lovely recurring conversational motif.

I actually saw the US tour of the minimalist Toronto production and loved almost everything about it (the staging of Journey of a Lifetime was the only bit that truly didn't work).  I wish I could have seen the chamber production of the London revival.  Just talking about the show will have me listening to the recording again for the next couple of weeks.

Updated On: 8/5/16 at 03:41 PM

[kdogg36]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 5:11pm

Mister Matt said: "Kdogg - I also included A Small Theatre in Montpellier, the first song after the prologue.  It's the dressing room sequence after the performance of The Master Builder when Rose meets Alex.  A lovely recurring conversational motif."

Thank you! I was running through the show in my memory, so I'm not surprised I missed something. :) Come to think of it, I also forgot "The First Man You Remember," so that's at least 16!

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 5:45pm

And I think I left out Leading Lady from my count, so I believe 16 is correct.  To me, the score is a treasure trove of gorgeous melodies and I love the original arrangements, though I think they'd translate well to a small intimate chamber ensemble as well.  I think people can't get past the repeated motifs (more effectively used in than in Phantom, in my opinion) and forget how much is really going on in the score because so much of it is transitioned seamlessly and sounds almost effortless.

[jo]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 7:09pm

What about The Mermaid Song -- the lovely little song between the young Jenny and the amused Alex?

 

If you read the novella by David Garnett, young Jenny eventually spent a few years in Paris where she blossomed into young womanhood and where Alex would look her up every now and then as an indulgent relative.

 

One of the musical passages I love to repeat listening to is not even a song but the recitative exchange on Track 23 -- when Jenny finally realizes that Alex is mature enough not to return her affection and attention...and they repeat the motif of Love Changes Everything in a different context.

 

I think it does help to have seen the staging of the show to appreciate the musical score and book. I have seen both the London/Broadway productions as well as a scaled-down local production based on the Gale Edwards staging and I thought the score remained in mint condition in any type of staging.

 

Another interesting sidelight -- the song Chanson d'Enfance was supposed to have been based on a melody that a nine year-old Andrew composed on his piano.

 

 

Updated On: 8/5/16 at 07:09 PM

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 9:14pm

I didn't see Lady in White, but I could never get through the CD. On various trips to London, I saw and enjoyed Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game and Love Never Dies. Whistle and LND were enjoyable, but The Beautiful Game was heartbreaking and, I believe, at the top of his game.