Amazon.com essential video: In 1998 a concert at the Royal Albert Hall celebrated Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th birthday and featured more than two hours of hits from a body of work spanning almost three decades. In this keepsake of a memorable night, star after star steps on to a massive, Eurovision-style set to revisit golden moments in their long association with Britain's most successful composer of musicals. Elaine Paige in big frocks and an even bigger voice delivers "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" and "Memory" with her usual power; Michael Ball and Donny Osmond stretch the last vestiges of boyish charm to the very limits but still sound great; and Boyzone gets the youth vote. Then there are Kiri Te Kanawa, Bonnie Tyler, Tina Arena, and, of course, another encore for brother Julian Lloyd Webber and those Variations on the cello. But the stars are Sir Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Brightman in an outstanding selection from The Phantom of the Opera (probably his best work), Antonio Banderas (who really can sing), and Glenn Close, a stupendous, moving Norma Desmond in songs from Sunset Boulevard. All in all, a deserved celebration for someone who has given so many people a great deal of pleasure, and a treat for musicals fans of all ages. --Piers Ford
Be Prepared!!! I bought this DVD in April to watch with my parents when I came to visit on break from college. We're all Andrew Lloyd Webber fans but had never seen this concert before, so I knew we'd enjoy it.
I was prepared to love the DVD; I was not prepared to spend $300 in the 2.5 months following the purchase of the DVD buying up all the Michael Ball items I could get my hands on--including joining his fan club.
He steals the show, and you absolutely fall in love with him from his first song. Words cannot describe...so I will not even try.
As for the other performances, Elaine Paige was amazing, of course. Antonio's Evita performances were very enjoyable but found him lacking in Phantom. Tina Arena gives a powerful performance, and Donny and Glenn were better than I expected.
Outside of Memory and Ball's performances, my favorite has to be "No Matter What" by Boyzone. They give boy bands a good name.
This DVD will be watched and re-watched and become a household favorite but be prepared to become hopelessly devoted to Michael Ball.
A brilliant celebration This is what I call A REAL EXPERIENCE! By far, it's the most brilliant celebration on the work of a musician I've ever seen. If you look for highlights, all the pieces are. There's not even one moment that you may say, "well, this was better than the previous one". Absolutely all the singing and the artists are from another world. You'll get goose bumps with Glenn Close in SUNSET BOULEVARD, and with Michael Ball - and the whole cast - singing LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING. It's an unforgetable show you'll want to see over and over again. Fascinating from the first image to the very last. Don't miss the chance to live a real experience!
Fabulous renditions of some old and new favorties. Though not all the songs were performed by the original performers, these were wonderful live rendtions by extremely talented and well known individuals such as Michael Ball, Sara Brightman, Antonio Banderas, and Donnie Osmond among the other greats. Boyzone became one of my favorite unknowns. I have loved this special since it previwed on PBS and see this as a wonderful addition to my DVD collection.
Andrew Lloyd Weber tribute Wow, I ordered this for a friend. It arrived right away and the friend insisted I borrow it and see if I liked it. I enjoyed it immensely. Of course I love all the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber but seeing these fabulous stars perform it was particularly enjoyable. We lent the dvd to another friend, and now I intend to purchase my own copy! Great transaction.
A talented writer I am not a real critic of performing and producing. I was not familiar with many of the performers so I could not say how they compared with other works that they had produced. I appreciated the variety of works, and that is what you would expect from someone who produced Broadway musicals. Some of the music was not the type that I would choose on its own, but I knew that ahead of time from other reviews. Even though it might not have been something I would choose I appreciated everyone's effort. Some performers are past their prime and I can't expect as much from them as when they were younger. Possibly other choices of performers could have been made, but maybe that was not possible on that night at that location. I enjoyed the performance and will enjoy listening to it many times. Some performers were better than others, but that is always the case with entertainers. Some you will like and others you will not. Try to choose those that you do like. I found the performance pleasant and relaxing and isn't that what entertainment is all about?
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