Customer Reviews

The Beautiful Game (Original 2000 London Cast)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was lucky enough to be see the original cast of this show in London, and after the show, knew I had to have the album so I could constantly play the gorgeous score to myself over and over, and relive the wonderful experience! Unfortunately, the CD pales a bit in comparison to the live production; most CDs do so, but I found that this one especially does. That is the main reason why I didn't give this five stars. Josie Walker gave a tremendous, heartbreaking performance onstage, and while she still shines on the CD, it doesn't do her justice. Another person's review mentioned that the vigor of the opening title song is for the most part lost, and this is also true. But the lovely, engaging melodies are not lost, and the passionate performances by the entire cast (but especially Josie Walker) make this CD worth it. Ben Elton's lyrics are simple, sometimes a little irritating (mainly in "Don't Like You"), but I found them to be very powerful and starkly poetic much of the time. In summation: if you love Andrew Lloyd-Webber, this is a CD you should not be without. If you don't like ALW, buy it anyway, because I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

"The Beautiful Game" is Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest contribution to London's West End Theater community and the community of Really Useful Group theaters. The show takes place in Belfast between 1969 and 1972 during the time of the conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. The story centers on the friendships and budding love relationships of a high school aged team of Irish football players and how these relationships become effected by the violent conflict surrounding them. The CD contains all of the songs and their reprises as well as a libretto that contains the lyrics. The libretto lacks any scene synopses, which might aid the listener in their appreciation of the score and understanding of the story line.

On the whole, this CD does not capture the raw power and driving vocal energy of the original London cast. The opening number "The Beautiful Game" is about as close to an Irish drinking song as you can get and still be musical theater. In the London production, the cast sang with a zealous, hearty lust on the verge of shouting. They were staged on the lip of the proscenium. Their feet pounded the stage floor where the music dictated (cast members actually jumping and stomping the floor with both feet). There was an "in-your-face" energy that teen-agers have on the day of the big homecoming game. Their sound was HUGE. Although the lead rock guitar and drums sound strong and crisp on this cut, the ensemble members sound distant and muted, as if they are located in the back of the room. The vocal strength of the cast is nearly lost by this overpowering imbalance. Hannah Waddingham, an incredibly talented singer with a powerful voice who sings the show's featured love anthem, "Our Kind of Love", becomes drowned out twice by the orchestra at the song's climax. Josie Walker (also a wonderful singer who gives a very strong performance as the female lead, Mary) reprises this song in the Finale but again the recording becomes orchestra-heavy as she holds her final note just before the modulation into the ending of the song. Although the listener WILL recognize their talents, neither cut does justice to the powerfully strong singing these women actually produced in performance.

The score to The Beautiful Game has some very nice melodies, but lacks variety. Almost every song could be the national anthem of someone's homeland. Even the love ballad "Our Kind of Love" sounds as if it could be played (sans lyrics, of course) while standing on the medallists' pedestals of the Olympic Games. The only variations are the very melodically repetitious "Don't Like You", "Let Us Love In Peace" and "All The Love I Have" which comes as the second to last number in the show. The latter has a lovely romantic melody, which I would like to have heard as a stronger melodic theme throughout the score.

Ben Elton's lyrics are humorous in places and serve well to develop the characters in Act I. By Act II however, they become preachy and overly dramatic Lyrics like, "You're in the death zone. Satan sits on his throne. Even the strongest are frightened" made me think more of Uncle Scar and the hyenas rather than the very real violence of the Northern Irish conflict. The wedding song, "To Have And To Hold" has a feel of having been written specifically to be pulled from the score and used at the matrimonials of musical theater enthusiasts for years to come. The ensemble vocals in this number sound as if they were recorded by the Robert Shaw Chorale and seem out of place with the youthful energy found in the rest of the recording.

Although there are some fantastic new talents on this recording (Josie Walker, Michael Schaeffer and Hannah Waddingham in particular), this is an OC recording I definitely would have passed on had I not wanted a momento of having seen the production.

I saw this show while in London recently and was blown away by the story, the cast and the music. The musical is about the fortunes of the players in a teenage soccer team in Belfast in 1969, the start of "the troubles". It shows how some embrace the strife, some run away, some try to remain aloof; but all are affected. The songs, sung in an attractive Irish brogue, convey the passion and raw emotion of the characters. There are more sweet love songs than in any other Webber musical, yet they are needed as there is much in the show that is ugly and sad. Buy the CD. See the show.It is an experience not to be missed.

We are coming upon the closing date for the first run of this amazing show. Due to the tourism slow down of the UK, theatres were hit hard including the Cambridge Theatre which presented the first production of The Beautiful Game. I had the priviledge of going to both a preview of this show and a later performance last autumn. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber returns with the power he once mastered with shows like Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera. The score embodies both struggle and grace pulling you through football matches and carrying you along a funeral march. "Our Kind of Love," which was performed at the Inaugural Ball for President George W. Bush, delivers during the show and has also proven to be somewhat of an enjoyable pop song. The cast is powered by many recognizable voices and the orchestra is brilliant. While you may not be able to see this show in the near future, this recording will take to Belfast and into these young peoples' lives for an amazing journey that will leave you crying in the end. BUY THIS CD. Actors and singers, purchase the music, there are some excellent audition pieces.

Saw this show in London recently and instantly bought the CD. I was so incredibly moved by the show in a way I have not been in years. Weber and Elton beautifully capture the pain, misery, self-deprecation, and tepid hope that is Ireland. Yet the audio recording cannot come close to capturing the energy of the cast. The stomping, the very real facial expressions. Still, worth the buy just for the memories.

I also saw the original London cast and was so emotionally overwhelmed by the intensity and power of the INCREDIBLE music and acting that I went out and bought a copy of the soundtrack within an hour after seeing the show! "God's Own Country" and "The First Time" definitely rank in my favorites--I have never been so moved by music as I have with this score.

If you are a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber, this is a must have. The songs are beautiful, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, all together amazing, but could you expect any less from Sir Lloyd Webber? Perhaps one day The Beautiful Game will make it to New York and then we can see what an grand show this is. This is about conflict, love, war, and the strive for peace. It is a subject that is universal and not just in Norther Ireland. Anyhow, get this CD and you will definatley not be disappointed.

The was one of the last shows I saw in England in the summer of 2001 - pre 9/11. I suggest the previous reviewer go back and listen to the words of wisdom when love triumphs over hate (and vice versa).

I believe this to be the most simplistic of Webber & Co.'s musicals and to me, it really works. Twenty people, a bare stage and boundless energy in the singing and dancing give this musical its edge before you start thinking about its politics. It reminded me of how youth is wasted on silly stuff, much in the way WEST SIDE STORY did a two generations ago.

We are not a soccer country. Many Americans know no more about Ireland than what happens on St. Patrick's Day (Green beer?). But we do understand sport, love, sex, loyalty, betrayal and internicine strife. Just image white and black instead of English and Irish, and you might get the picture.

Did I mention that the music is wonderful? Lyrical? Did I mention that the music was "singable" (people left the theatre singing)? Sometimes, we need a little sparkle without the glitz. If I could get away directing this musical with Palestinians and Israelis -- and still make it work (because it would), I would choose this one to direct in any university in America. The London production was that good. The music is that good. The book is that good.

Take back the fangs and listen to the music. Be innocent again, and listen to a simple musical with straightforward motives. I hear that it will never come to the US. Unfortunate. It is surely needed.

If you like musical theatre, buy the CD. If you are inspired when soccer players defy gravity, then imagine such deftness of foot in a musical and buy the CD. If you are curious about England and Ireland, buy the CD. If you want to be conscientious about world events aesthetically recreated, but still want to enjoy something soooo beautiful in its intent and execution, buy the CD. It is worth every cent.

I'll be concise - Beautiful Game offers three of Lloyd Webber's most glorious melodies - Our Kind of Love (can we say WOW!), God's Own Country, and All the Love I Have. The voices are superb, and the story is a worthwhile retelling of Romeo and Juliet/West Side story. It is quite disappointing to think that this seemingly moving and poignant musical will never be seen on Broadway...but then again, By Jeeves just opened on Broadway 25 years after it first premiered in the West End...so I suppose anything is possible. This would make an excellent addition to the collection of any fan of Lloyd Webber or musicals...period!

I like the score. It's for sure one of the better Webber musicals. I feel like the only reason that people are reveering him is because he actually wrote a serious musical. I am suprised at the high caliber of singing on the recording (london recordings are never as good)...