Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Overlook This Show, American Fans, December 13, 2003
I saw this show in London a few years back. At the time I wasn't as big a theater fan as I am now (in fact, living in London's West End is what really got me into theater in the first place), yet The Beautiful Game manages to be the first & only Andrew Lloyd Webber show I've ever seen. His other shows don't really appeal to me, so I'm by no means a fan of his. I am, however, very familar with his other scores.
I was drawn to this show b/c of the offbeat subject matter: football (soccer), the IRA, etc. It's certainly not your typical musical. It's basically a coming of age tale centered around a local football team, all set amongst the political/religious turmoil of Northern Ireland during the 1970s. The teenagers are forced to live their lives against a backdrop of violence & rivalry. Some of the characters get involved in the conflict, others stand aside, wanting to get on with their lives in peace, etc. The show was a lot of fun, though at times quite dark & violent.
It's also very inconsistent. For the book & lyrics, Lloyd Webber teamed up with noted English humorist Ben Elton, his first foray into musical theater (Elton went on to write We Will Rock You). The songs teter from corny & campy to deeply morose & meloncholy. Some are quite memorable, while others are laughable. Think of it as a guilty pleasure.
That said, some of the more silly songs include "Don't Like You" & "The First Time." The former is a rather juvenile song of flirtation with silly, simplistic lyrics ("Don't like you / Don't like you / I don't think I like you"... which segueways to, naturally, "I like you / I like you / I really like you."). The latter is sung on the two leads' honeymoon... Yes, it's about having sex for the first time ("Hope there's lead in my pencil when / I lose my cherry this very first time, / 'Cos my God I don't half fancy her."). With the help of Ben Elton, it seems that Mr. Webber has come a long way from singing & dancing cats.
I do love the title track-- the love song to football with a strangely irresistable melody. It'll have you cheering.
But it's the ballads that fare better. Songs like "Let Us Love In Peace," "God's Own Country," & the heartbreaking "Our Kind Of Love" stand out as the best of the bunch. "Our Kind Of Love" (actually sung by a supporting character) is an absolute show-stopper & one of the best musical theater ballads in recent memory. It gives me chills each & every time I hear it.
The rest of the songs are just okay. They're rather bland & don't come close to the aforementioned tracks.
So all in all, this was a fun show. Like I said, a bit campy (half naked guys in football kits; shaggy 70's hair & gaudy costumes), but tremendously emotional. It got mixed reveiws in London & never took off. It's nothing like Webber's other shows, but I guess audiences couldn't help but compare it to his previous acheivements. I'm glad Decca released the CD in the States, though. While the show would have defeinitely flopped here (too dark for Broadway tourists; also too Irish/European), the music deserves to be heard.
Webber fans should definitely give it a shot. As should fans of offbeat musicals, like myself. There was a lot of ambition in this show, & it comes through with this CD. The booklet doesn't include a synopsis, but it does have all the [priceless] lyrics.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Show with Amazing Music, December 17, 2005
I saw this show in London firsthand. The music amazed me with its beautiful sound and message. I thought the show could run for years, but unfortunately, it closed rather quickly. However, the music is still available and I encourage one to purchase this wonderful soundtrack, you will NOT regret it.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful CD, January 28, 2006
The CD is a recording of the songs in the play The Beautiful Game. It follows a Catholic boys soccor team in 1969 Ireland. The story has wonderful songs with lots of excitement surrounding a winning season of soccor and the turmoil of the day. The lyrics on the company songs are a bit hard to understand and the dialect is sometimes different, but the CD is wonderful! The album jacket can help with the storyline and it is well worth the effort. I highly recommend this CD,
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~ Andrew Lloyd Webber
~ Steve Rossell
~ Andrew Lloyd Webber
~ Michael Ball
~ Alain Boublil
by Andrew Lloyd Webber 
