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

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

If you are a die-hard Andrew Lloyd Webber fan like myself, this is an absolute must-have for the permanent collection. I loved every minute of it. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th Birthday Celebration was the night to remember.Sarah Brightman sang beautifully, as she soared into the stratosphere in the "Phantom of the Opera" duet with Antonio Banderas. Donny Osmond offered clean phrasing and vocalism in his selection from "Joseph and the Technicolored Amazing Dreamcoat." Glenn Close brought Hollywood style and charisma to her selections from "Sunset Boulevard." Julian Lloyd Webber brought technical mastery and pitch-perfect intonation to the "Varations for Cello and Orchestra" piece.And then, almost towards the very end, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber himself came out and personally introduced Dame Kiri Te Kanawa to the audience. Dame Kiri, a few moments later, sang the world premiere of his new song, "The Heart is Slow to Learn," intended for the sequel to his magnum opus, "The Phantom of the Opera." Well, it was in a word, stunning. Te Kanawa sang passionately, and with the sincerity a famous classical performer would bring to Wagner or Puccini. Absolutely breathtaking.And then, the entire cast came out to sing "Happy Birthday" to Sir Andrew, with Kiri Te Kanawa and Sarah Brightman soaring above the entire orchestra and chorus. There was no dry eye in the audience.An absolutely wonderful performance!

Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th birthday party was certainly something to behold...oh what a circus, oh what a show! Don't you get me wrong, it was absolutely stunning - from Donnie Osmond and his affectionate treatment of the children's chorus, to Antonio Banderas, and his star turns both as Che, and as the Phantom. Sarah Brightman, as always, just blows one away with her sheer beauty and presence, not to mention a dynamite set of pipes. I also was totally mesmerized by the staging, done on a giant ribbon of what looked like staff lines from sheet music, all in black and white. The cast, which was composed of singers and dancers ranging from 8 on up, was also adorned in black and white, making the whole staging visually stunning. The Hosanna set, from both Superstar and Requiem was moving and beautiful. Marcus Lovett struts his way through Superstar with tight black jeans, long flowing hair and muscle shirt.For me, the high point of the concert is when Michael Ball steps on stage to sing Love Changes Everything, which has become a standard in just a few short years. The entire cast joins him onstage for this one, which serves as sort of a grand finale, even though there's another song after it.I will always love anything that comes from Sir Andrew, and this DVD is no exception. It is beautifully sung and staged, and is a must have for any fan.

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

This video is a must see for all Andrew Lloyd Webber fans. Over all it is spectacular, with a few (small) exceptions. Donny Osmond does a triumphant reprise of his Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat role, Elaine Paige is riveting as Eva Peron singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina (made me want to run right out and buy the original London cast album!), and also singing Memory. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with Sarah Brightman's performance. . . don't get me wrong, she has a beautiful voice, but it lacks the energy of her younger years. Still, she did a lovely turn singing Pie Jesu. Antonio Banderas was very entertaining as Che, but I honestly thought that having him sing the part of the Phantom was a bad idea. . . Michael Crawford he is not.I also thought the guy who sang Superstar seemed a little off key. Maybe it was just my hearing. However, the highlight of the evening for me, was Michael Ball. He has one of the most beautiful and powerful voices I have ever heard, capable of singing with great emotion . . .which he did in this performance. Michael is always best in front of a live audience, and this performance is no different (if you like this, get the concert video of Les Miserables, it is awesome.) Michael Ball's performance of Gethsemane is the very best I have ever heard. . . it is amazing. Even if the rest of the video had been bad, that song would have made it for me. He also does a lovely job on his trademark tune, Love Changes Everything, and The Vaults of Heaven. Over all, I give this video ***1/2 out of ****.