The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (the 1995 "Surender" Tour), with Sarah Brightman


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Love him or hate him, British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has had a substantial impact on the musical theatre over the last 25 years. In fact, in his pre-curtian speech on the opening night of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, St. Louis Municipal Theatre Association ("The Muny" to us locals) executive producer Paul Blake went so far as compare Lloyd Webber's influence to that of Rogers and Hammerstein in the post-World War II era. It's the sort of thing that causes high blood pressure among a certain sub-genus of theatre reviewer, but any objective survey of the recent musical scene indicates that the comparison has its merits.

The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, which opened the 77th season at the Muny's outdoor theatre in Forest Park, is pretty much what its title implies - a concert of selections from various Lloyd Webber shows and symphonic compositions. The orchestra is on the stage, with a small cast of singers and (this time around) dancers performing in front. There are some dramatic lighting effects here and there, but otherwise it's pretty much a straightforward presentation of the music.

This was the second local appearance for the show - the last one was in 1993 - and the specific selections had changed considerably since then, as had their order in the program. The Phantom of the Opera sections were greatly expanded (largely in deference to the show's star, Sarah Brightman, the original Christine from Phantom and Lloyd Webber's ex-wife) and the producers added selections from Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love, the moving "Pie Jesu" from the Requiem Mass (which Brightman dedicated "to vicims of terrorism all over the world"), and the 1977 "Variations" for 'cello and rock orchestra, in a substantially re-worked version from the short-lived musical Song and Dance.

Unfortunately, this version of the "Variations", while the same length as the original (around a half-hour), has fewer actual variations, and most of them are lacking in Lloyd Webber's usual melodic inventiveness. It served as accompaniment for some spectacular dancing by Sean Martin Hingston and Amy Splitt, but the choreography Anthony Van Laast gave them was as pedestrian as many of the variations themselves. It was followed by Brightman's rendition of an Italian-language version of "Memory" from Cats - also not the best decision, since in this form it really sounds like Puccini. But what the hell, it's still a great song and she sang it beautifully.

In fact, Brightman sang everything beautifully, and with more stylistic range than I expected. Her long suit is the standard operatic sound, of course, but she was surprisingly good at the more "Broadway"-style vocals of "Macavity", from Cats. Her performance was worth the price of admission all by itself. She was backed up by an energetic and talented cast, including Francis Ruivivar (who replaced Jonathan Pryce in Miss Saigon), who started the evening off with a powerful version of "Heaven of Their Minds" (Jesus Christ, Superstar); Alice M. Vienneau, who provided a sassy "Buenos Aries" (Evita); and Kris Phillips, as an impassioned Jesus in "Gethsemane" (Jesus Christ, Superstar, again). Major congratulations are also due to 'cello soloist Eliana Mendoza for her high-voltage performance in the "Variations".

The bottom line here is that anyone who enjoys Andrew Lloyd Webber's music (as I do, for the most part) almost certainly enjoyed The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, although many apparently decided to use some of the several lengthy guitar solo breaks in "Variations" for a trip to either the rest room or the beer both, according to their lights. Those who were foolish enough to leave during the curtain call, however, missed a full-cast rendition of "Aspects of Love" and a killer performance of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" by Brightman. That'll teach 'em!

The show played St. Louis through Sunday, June 25th, and then continued on a nationwide tour.


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