Best ALW Score

[HereForTheatre]

Please vote and discuss

[Someone in a tree]

I've voted for sunset. I think ALW would appeal to me more if he ditched some of the recitative

[vickyg]

I've only seen six of the options but even so it was a pretty tough toss up between my top three. In the end Phantom won out for me. I struggle to think of anything better in musical theatre life than that 25th anniversary Albert Hall recording. The perfect combination of a magical score that I can listen to in full, repeatedly and a perfectly cast production.

[dontdreamit]

JCS- it had me on that opening!

[Deleted]

Tough choice between Phantom and Evita for me, I love both scores.

I voted for the latter in the end for its sheer variety even though as a show it can just as easily be done badly (Regent's Park) as it can be done well (the tour years ago).

Some of the others have great individual songs (The Beautiful Game; Sunset; The Woman in White) but I struggle to remember the whole scores, whereas Phantom and Evita are ingrained on my brain even though I've only seen each show twice.

[danb]

I plumped for ‘Sunset’ due mostly to the underscoring and those gorgeous strings all over the place. It doesn’t necessarily have the best stand alone songs, but as a musical whole it is just sublime.

[HereForTheatre]

I never felt that attracted to ALW shows I must say but over the last few years I found a new appreciation after slowly working my way through them.

This year was supposed to be a bumper year for ALW shows for me because I think I was due to see 6 of his shows for the first time, however it looks like I'll only have managed one, which was the Phantom tour just before lockdown, rather luckily now one of only a few people to have actually seen it.

I voted for Sunset.

[TallPaul]

Jun 18, 2020 8:02:50 GMT Someone in a tree said:

I think ALW would appeal to me more...

...if he changed his name to Stephen Sondheim. 🙂

'Best' means different things to different people, and as some of the happiest nights of my life, probably 25 of them, have been spent watching Joseph, that's where my vote's gone. It's clearly not ALW'S most sophisticated score, but I'm not a very sophisticated theatregoer!

[westlondon]

JCS or Evita for me. Both are youthful, exciting and musically interesting.

Phantom is a superb story but is very ballad-heavy. Sunset has a great Act 1 but Act 2 feels underwritten...there’s only two new tunes in the entire act...everything else is a reprise!

[AddisonMizner]

This is very difficult.

In terms of his best SHOW, that is JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR for me. There is absolutely no question about that.

In terms of his most cohesive score, I would say THE WOMAN IN WHITE. There is also some extremely beautiful music in that score! Gosh, even some of the recitative is gorgeous to listen to.

However, LOVE NEVER DIES also holds a very dear place in my heart, much more so than the original PHANTOM. Yes, the story is questionable so it cannot be one of his best shows, but in terms of the SCORE, it is one of the most luscious things that ALW has written. I think my vote will go for that.

However, I also like SUNSET BOULEVARD and JOSEPH has very special memories for me.

[steve10086]

What about By Jeeves ?!?!

[n1david]

I think it was the 193 he got in Scrabble against Patti by playing QUAGLINOS on a triple word. Patti said it was a proper noun and shouldn’t be allowed. Their relationship never recovered.

[jaybird89]

Tough one for me, Evita and Superstar always two that I go back to time and time again and are strong lyrically which I think helps. I went for evita in the end some parts of it musically I just find wonderful the time signatures in Eva and Magaldi the relentless power in the notes needed by Eva oh it just sends me crazy. Superstar is so close though again the music is wonderful and some great Male material which is always nice.

[oxfordsimon]

The score I know the best is Phantom - there are some absolutely fabulous moments (but also some moments that seem over-extended - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again feels like it was added just to give Christine a big Act 2 solo - and it does nothing to advance character or story. Also I find Don Juan Triumphant really hard to deal with at full length - it doesn't show musical genius!)

I think the one I most admire is Aspects - it is closest to being a chamber opera and one that works for me.

But I will ponder a while longer

[pianowithsam]

Sunset Boulevard.

Hands down.

[Deleted]

If By Jeeves had been included I'd have been torn between that and Evita, but without it there's no contest.

[oxfordsimon]

Sunset is too heavy on very repetitive recit for me - good moments but too many sections which would have worked better as dialogue (as others have said)

I know Aspects come close to that - but I think the balance (and variety) is better.

I could be tempted to vote for Tell Me on a Sunday - but only in the earlier incarnations. It didn't do well with the revisions (which is also very true of Starlight - which has got worse each time numbers were added/cut - the original is great)

[theatreian]

Sunset for me. I have seen all shows apart from School of Rock. I think Sunset is the show I have seen most. The lush strings and lovely melodies do it for me.

[westlondon]

Jun 18, 2020 10:22:55 GMT oxfordsimon said:

Sunset is too heavy on very repetitive recit for me - good moments but too many sections which would have worked better as dialogue

“Wooooooooouuuuuuuuulllllllllld yooooooooooooouuuuuuu raaaaaaaaaaaaatheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrr IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiixed
for you a dry martini? Or shall I open the champaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagne?!”

Er...thanks Max...I’m not even gonna ask what we’re eating tonight...

[ptwest]

Very close for me between JCS and Sunset but in the end I went for Superstar. The energy and the drama in that score just wins out.

[oxfordsimon]

I just happened to flick on Classic FM as I was getting dressed and they were playing the slow movement of the Bruch Violin concerto - and there was the 'inspiration' for Anything but Lonely...

[theatregeek]

Very hard choice because he has written so many lovely pieces of music - even though I have a few other composers higher on my favourite list - but I go with the tunes I sing out loud and in my head most often, so Sunset Boulevard for me. JCS, Evita and Phantom were in the mix too though.

[MusicalTalk]

By Jeeves says hai.

[HereForTheatre]

Sorry guys I missed By Jeeves off by mistake.

Also i notice now i missed off TWOO but to be fair he only added a few new songs to an existing score, so.

[viserys]

Went for Jesus Christ Superstar in the end - all that energy, not a dud among the songs. Evita would be my second-fave.

Sunset Blvd, as someone said, too many dull recitative moments in-between the songs, same with Phantom. Strikes me how I wouldn't even consider my two favourite ALW shows - Cats and Starlight Express. But while both have some GREAT songs, there's also a bit of bland rubbish in-between.