World Famous Comics: Andrew Lloyd Webber - Masterpiece (Live in Beijing)
Andrew Lloyd Webber - Masterpiece (Live in Beijing)
Starring: Elaine Paige, Fei Xiang, Sandy Lam, Tony Vincent (III), Belinda Allchin Directed By: Jo-Anne Robinson Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, Live, NTSC Label: Warner Home Video Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: December 03, 2002 Running Time: 1.8 USD Theatrical Release Date: November 12, 2002
Description: For the first time in China, The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber is presented in concert as a world-class showcase incorporating the best-known and best-loved songs from Lloyd Webber's internationally acclaimed stage musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Sunset Boulevard. This is a hit-driven production, a spectacular event starring Elaine Paige, one of the most established and highly regarded West End and Broadway stars, direct from a year-long sell-out season in the London production of The King and I, and recording sensations Coco Lee and Kris Phillips (Fei Xiang), amongst the most successful artists of their generations. For China Concert Tour 2001, this world-class lineup will be joined by a full company of established performers drawn from the U.K., U.S., and Australia and a 60-piece orchestra led by the renowned Patrick Vacciarello, who has conducted musicals for Lloyd Webber on Broadway and on national tours in the U.S. and Australia.
Tracks: Superstar Overture, Superstar, I Don't Know How to Love Him, Any Dream Will Do, Evita Suite, Buenos Aires, And the Money Kept Rolling In, Don't Cry for Me Argentina, The Heart Is Slow to Learn, Beautiful Game Overture, Let Us Love in Peace, Take That Look Off Your Face, Jellicle Ball, Acidity, Gethsemane, Aspects of Aspects, Love Changes Everything, Pie Jesus, Phantom Overture, Phantom of the Opera Journey, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, All I Ask of You, Masquerade, The Music of the Night, Car Chase, Sunset Boulevard, The Perfect Year, As if We Never Said Goodbye, Memory, Friends for Life, No Matter What.
Amazon.com: Elaine Paige headlines the international cast of Masterpiece: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a September 2001 concert in Beijing. Paige sings songs from her roles in Lloyd Webber's musicals Evita, Cats, and Sunset Boulevard, while Kris Phillips, Sandy Lam, Tony Vincent, and others provide solid but rarely thrilling renditions of tunes from such shows as Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera. There are also orchestral numbers and some dances, but not much staging or costumes--whether performing "Macavity" or "Masquerade," the dance team members look like refugees from Sweet Charity.
The obvious comparison is with Andrew Lloyd Webber: A Royal Albert Hall Celebration. Filmed three years later, Masterpiece includes more from The Beautiful Game and it's a technically superior DVD with DTS sound and an anamorphic widescreen picture. Royal Albert Hall, however, has bigger stars and better performances overall. But both run over two hours and have plenty of variety, so Lloyd Webber fans don't necessarily need to pick one over the other. --David Horiuchi
Webber in Beijing I really enjoyed this DVD, it has songs from Andrew LLoyd Webbers Musicals. The selection was slightly different from the norm, but that was good, because almost all the songs were my favorites. The British company sang very well. I thought the Chinese female singer needed to project her voice a bit more. I find Chinese who sing Western operas, are not able to project their voices while singing. I loved the DVD, and have watched it several times since receiving the DVD about two months ago. Elaine Paige sang quite a few arias,she was in good singing form. I rated this DVD with five stars, would have given more stars if they were available.
An Excellent Performance video This is indeed an Excellent performance video of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The best thing i liked about this video is that almost all orchestra is chineese. A good collectors video.
unknown territory Surely, this concert is a big advance into unknown territory China of millions of funs greeted their favourite personally was.
A very practical approach to present the most of hits live on stage as a set Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway Favorites Collection (Cats / Jesus Christ Superstar / Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat / The Royal Albert Hall Celebration) is really more exiting.
Disappointing I was very disappointed with this purchase - the singing was very amateur - didn't sound professional at all.
Lousy Loud, raucous, barren, forced, didn't finish it. As far as I got it seemed like they just picked the noisiest Lloyd Webber tunes and pranced and shouted them. It all started off with a glowing cross and JC Superstar. It was a drag. Sondheim is a mediocre hack (his one song is "Send in the clowns"), but at least he's quiet. Never did like Bway, though I grew up on OBC albums. Just some songwriters (Rodgers & Hart, Porter, Berlin, Gershwin without his dreadful brother Ira, a little Jule Styne but not much, he was mostly Tin Pan Alley and movies anyway until I think "High button shoes"). Bway shows are long and creaky and back-breakingly boring. And with the exceptions I mentioned, it's all children's music anyway. Sondheim is nothing; ALW does/did have some talent. But it's all children's music. Some pretty or catchy tunes if you're lucky, but mostly blah to terrible. With the exceptions I mentioned. A few (like Kern or Hoagy Carmichael or Frank Loesser) got off some good tunes, but not enough to qualify them for the big time. Loesser started out as strictly a lyricist, then with "Praise the lord and pass the ammunition" (hardly a gem, but a WWII hit, and he liked it) began writing his own music. But with only 3 hit shows (unless you count that awful "Most happy fella") and a few stray pop tunes, hardly a full canon. One last note. America did not invent the musical comedy. It just diluted it. About this ALW DVD. It is drab and loud and the one slow tune I heard ("I don't know how to love him") was sung with a very weak ineffectual voice. The voice that yelled Superstar and the song from Joseph wasn't weak and ineffectual though. Just colorless and LOUD! It reminded me of an aging Gruberova. "Roberto Devereaux." 2 females dressed like something out of "How to succeed in business..." YELLING Donizetti. Or Ethel Merman. At least she had some personality. So much shop talk about Bway. I hate it. Only 3 musicals I ever saw I did not hate were 2 by Rodgers and 1 by Coward. I saw the other ALW special (his 50th birthday), all rock and religion. But if I were tied to a pole and had to choose which to be subjected to, I would take the 50th birthday DVD. More musical, more colorful. But I hated and didn't finish it too.
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