Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (1998)

Too much of everything

the audience applauded

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Now I don't know all of these musicals , so I'm just going to comment on the ones I do know . Evita was beautifully done . I loved Antonio Banderas . I loved that his eyes were filled with bitterness and guilt . He did a fine job singing . Elaine Paige was wonderful . I wish they had used " You Must Love Me " and " The Walz of Che and Evita " . Cats was great . Again , Elaine was wonderful . Still , I wish they had done more from Cats . " The Phantom of the Opera " well .... The overture was ingenious . Antonio Banderas ' acting was fantastic . He really made you believe that he was drawn to this woman . I hated his costume . I'm not trying to offend anyone , but how can you be the Phantom if you don't at the very least wear the mask ? As for Antonio 's singing , it sounded like he was pushing the sound a great deal . I know that this song is not easy to sing . Still , I'm very impressed that Antonio did the job he did , but he wasn't ready yet to sing this part . I admit I was disappointed that Michael Crawford wasn't there , but I'm not trying to play favorites . Sarah Brightman 's singing was wonderful . However , her acting was awful . Though all of " The Phantom of the Opera " , and " The Music of the Night " all she did was stand there, sing, and move her arms . Her acting in " All I Ask of You " wasn't that much better , but at least she moved . I loved Michael Ball . I thought he over sang a little , but he still did a very good job .

When I watch a DVD I really like to watch it from start to end without skipping anything.With this presentation I felt like 1 hour was great, a half hour was ok, and another half hour was poor. I'm sure if I owned this DVD I'd always wish to skip by the poorer stuff.I really liked Donny Osmond, Elaine Page, Michael Ball and the various "Cats" songs and the song by Boy Zone.I was greatly irritated that they let Antonio Banderas sing the Phantom. He just does not have the voice for Phantom of the Opera. His Evita song was OK though.There were also a couple of songs by people that I did not recognize that had very bad unmusical voices.Sarah Brightman's voice is good but her facial expressions looked a bit odd.DVD lovers will find the Dolby 5.1 track on the DVD sounds very flat. It feels more like Dolby 2.0 or even Dolby mono at times.So overall I'd give it 7/10. Since the best parts can be found on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and on Cats (both of which I own already) I don't feel compelled to buy this DVD. It is worth watching. However, I'd only recommend buying it if you don't have any of the other Andrew Lloyd Weber DVDs.

Being a diehard musical fan, I instantly fell in love with this video. It has its good an its bad, but overall, the good far outweighs the bad.My favourite part is Michael Ball's striking rendition of "Gethsemane". I don't think anyone else can compare when it comes to the pure vocal talent and emotion he shows while singing that song. He has a tremendous voice and, in my opinion, is the most talented individual to appear in this concert.Another part I greatly enjoyed was Glenn Close's "With One Look". Very whimsically insane, very memorable. Also enjoyable was Antonio Banderas' Che, singing "Oh What a Circus". I didn't enjoy his version of "The Phantom of the Opera" as much, but I'll definitely take him over Michael Crawford any day!Not being a fan of Sarah Brightman's, the only part which I have any serious complains about is the amount of time she was on stage. I think she has a decent voice, and average acting talent - but definitely not enough to warrant how many song she sang during the concert.Overall, I'd highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music; or to musical theatre fans in general. 8.5/10

There are not enough superlatives to describe this entertainment event. Antonio Banderas shines on EVITA and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA(with Sarah Brightman no less!). Glenn Glose radiates on SUNSET BOULEVARD songs. Elaine Paige astounds musically. A new group called Boyzone, young men all dressed in white - makes one wonder aloud, when will they take America by storm? Donny Osmond repeats his JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT spectaculars! Kiri Te Kanawa is also a marvel as is Michael Ball (who uplifts the most with his "Love Changes Everything" - which literally had me dancing on my living room floor because of the gospel choir backup). Bonnie Tyler will amaze with her motorcycle rock rouser and Sarah Brightman - as always - is beyond description. Rent buy or borrow (as I did from the Library) this visually and auditory treat...I loved every second. Webber's birthday present is a gift from heaven!