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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2021 2:46:24 GMT
we'd certainly not have got that lush orchestra at the ENO a few years ago. We'd have got this staircase for the 21st century instead of John Napier's creaky, outdated set: You think the original Sunset stage set design is creaky and outdated? Am I reading that right??
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2021 2:54:55 GMT
Didn't ALW blame his cancer diagnosis on why Love Never Dies didn't work out? Don't know about LND, but he blamed Stephen Ward on his pain medication, from his ongoing back problems. To be fair, Act 2 of Stephen Ward was painful for everyone. Court cases and police interrogations do not make for a tuneful musical.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jul 30, 2021 6:10:07 GMT
we'd certainly not have got that lush orchestra at the ENO a few years ago. We'd have got this staircase for the 21st century instead of John Napier's creaky, outdated set: You think the original Sunset stage set design is creaky and outdated? Am I reading that right?? I found Sunset at the Adelphi to be ridiculously over designed as at the end of the day it is a small intimate story.
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Post by TheOneOnTheLeft on Jul 30, 2021 7:08:59 GMT
Court cases and police interrogations do not make for a tuneful musical. I suppose you haven’t seen “The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Takes Oral Evidence on Whitehall’s Relationship with Kids Company” at the Donmar then? Talk about tuneful. Seriously, though: Kander & Ebb have pulled it off. Twice.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2021 9:23:31 GMT
Thankfully i missed it at the Donmar.
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Post by scarpia on Jul 30, 2021 11:05:14 GMT
we'd certainly not have got that lush orchestra at the ENO a few years ago. We'd have got this staircase for the 21st century instead of John Napier's creaky, outdated set: You think the original Sunset stage set design is creaky and outdated? Am I reading that right?? No, merely rephrasing Mr Mackintosh's spin.
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Post by scarpia on Jul 30, 2021 11:07:01 GMT
Perhaps if ALW spent less on the sets and more on the creativity his shows may last a bit longer? Today, his shows sell on his name and few hit songs in his back catalogue but the recent shows don't really surrive. School of Rock ran for 3 years both here and Broadway and more importantly, it made a profit. I noticed he's no longer sole producer on his most recent shows like SOR, Cinderella and even things like Joseph. RUG has nothing to do with the most recent Joseph. They just licensed the rights.
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Post by Jon on Jul 30, 2021 15:56:25 GMT
RUG has nothing to do with the most recent Joseph. They just licensed the rights. Isn't it telling that shows where ALW is not involved in a producer capacity tend to be very good.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2021 17:23:44 GMT
Probably not the place to ask, but ALW has been through more lyricist's than most, and not all of them successfully. Yet Charles Hart has only done 2, Phantom and Aspects, which i think has some of the best lyrics in any ALW show. Can Charles Hart only write romantic/dramatic stuff, and how does ALW decide what lyricist is most suitable for the project??
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Post by Jon on Jul 30, 2021 18:14:58 GMT
Probably not the place to ask, but ALW has been through more lyricist's than most, and not all of them successfully. Yet Charles Hart has only done 2, Phantom and Aspects, which i think has some of the best lyrics in any ALW show. Can Charles Hart only write romantic/dramatic stuff, and how does ALW decide what lyricist is most suitable for the project?? If we include The Likes of Us, Cricket and perhaps The Wizard of Oz then he’s worked with Tim Rice five times. Don Black is second with three musicals
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Post by steve10086 on Jul 30, 2021 18:16:00 GMT
Probably not the place to ask, but ALW has been through more lyricist's than most, and not all of them successfully. Yet Charles Hart has only done 2, Phantom and Aspects, which i think has some of the best lyrics in any ALW show. Can Charles Hart only write romantic/dramatic stuff, and how does ALW decide what lyricist is most suitable for the project?? These days? Whoever doesn’t answer back
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 31, 2021 0:30:34 GMT
Didn't ALW blame his cancer diagnosis on why Love Never Dies didn't work out? Don't know about LND, but he blamed Stephen Ward on his pain medication, from his ongoing back problems. To be fair, Act 2 of Stephen Ward was painful for everyone. Court cases and police interrogations do not make for a tuneful musical. He should have called Stephen Ward he could fix his lower back.
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 31, 2021 0:33:40 GMT
Probably not the place to ask, but ALW has been through more lyricist's than most, and not all of them successfully. Yet Charles Hart has only done 2, Phantom and Aspects, which i think has some of the best lyrics in any ALW show. Can Charles Hart only write romantic/dramatic stuff, and how does ALW decide what lyricist is most suitable for the project?? These days? Whoever doesn’t answer back Apparently Don Black has collaborated with ALW the most, I actually read some where once.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Jul 31, 2021 1:25:52 GMT
Don't know about LND, but he blamed Stephen Ward on his pain medication, from his ongoing back problems. To be fair, Act 2 of Stephen Ward was painful for everyone. Court cases and police interrogations do not make for a tuneful musical. He should have called Stephen Ward he could fix his lower back. 😂🤣😂😅
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Post by Jon on Jul 31, 2021 1:38:35 GMT
Here's the list of lyricists who have worked with ALW and the shows they've done:
Tim Rice: The Likes of Us, Joseph, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cricket Alan Ayckbourn: Jeeves/By Jeeves Don Black: Tell Me on a Sunday/Song and Dance, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Stephen Ward TS Eliot: Cats Trevor Nunn: Cats Richard Stilgoe: Cats, Starlight Express, Phantom of the Opera Charles Hart: Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love Christopher Hampton: Sunset Boulevard, Stephen Ward Jim Steinman: Whistle Down the Wind Ben Elton: The Beautiful Game David Zippel: The Woman in White, Cinderella Glenn Slater: Love Never Dies, School of Rock
I wasn't sure whether to include The Wizard of Oz since it was only four songs by ALW and Tim Rice or songs added to various shows from Don Black like Whistle Down the Wind and Starlight Express. Indeed, Starlight has had new or rewritten lyrics by many lyricists such as David Yazbeck.
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Post by sukhavati on Jul 31, 2021 1:40:37 GMT
Think the race horses is more to do with his wife Madeline and is her passion. Andrew is all about money, it is his prime driving factor. Good example of this is: If you go to the Tate National Gallery on the Milbank and to be more precise go into room 3 at the back there is a fine painting by Canaletto which is called ‘London: the New Horse Guards from St James’s Park C. 1752-53. In the bottom corner of the description of the painting says it is on long term loan from Andrew Lloyd Webber. On the face of it, it seems a terrific act of altruism, giving a fine painting by one of Italy’s finest Venetian artist, to be viewed by the public for no charge, surely how very selfless and generous. But wait this painting is no more than part of a investment portfolio, storing this painting on his own property would attract hefty insurance, which would then not make it a shrewd investment. There are many painting in both the Tate and National on Long Term Loan for this very reason. He's been well known in art circles as a collector of Pre-Raphaelite art, etc. I used a catalog of an exhibition of some of his artwork as a source for my thesis. Having said that, I can remember magazine interviews with him in the late 80s where they quoted him telling the writer not to mention the specific artworks in his home because he didn't want to attract burglers. Security concerns wrapped in attention seeking and the pretense of refinement... I love some of his music, but as a human being, he's not a favorite even if he is an art lover.
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Post by sukhavati on Jul 31, 2021 1:45:49 GMT
Probably not the place to ask, but ALW has been through more lyricist's than most, and not all of them successfully. Yet Charles Hart has only done 2, Phantom and Aspects, which i think has some of the best lyrics in any ALW show. Can Charles Hart only write romantic/dramatic stuff, and how does ALW decide what lyricist is most suitable for the project?? These days? Whoever doesn’t answer back Such a shame he didn't work again with Christopher Hampton a lot more, because Sunset was the best book/libretto hands down since Evita. As much as I adore Phantom with specific people in the leading roles, the lyrics don't reach the wit or edge of what he wrote with Tim Rice, let alone, the Sunset score. I was really disappointed with Glenn Slater and Ben Elton's work on Love Never Dies, because I had so much love for "Blackadder" and other television series Ben wrote. Not that I expect LND to be a laugh a minute farce, but there was some pointed observation in some of his scripts. The only thing that saved Love Never Dies for me was the leading actors in Australia.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2021 13:48:27 GMT
Such a shame he didn't work again with Christopher Hampton a lot more, because Sunset was the best book/libretto hands down since Evita. Given that the book followed the original film and dialogue very closely, i think his work was probably easier than someone who was doing an original story.
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