RainyCrystal
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When and how did you become interested?When and how did you become interested in ALW's musicals? Were his shows your introduction to musical theatre, or did you just happen to like them the first time you saw/heard them? Also, what was the first musical that got you into ALW?
~Sissi
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olly
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I guess I was caught by his genious through Phantom. I have never been more enthralled by musicals than through Les Mis and Phantom.
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MrsJemimaMistoffelees
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At a very young age, my dad lead me into Andrew Lloyd Webber's work with Phantom. And ALW's work lead me into other musicals ^_^
Veel Liefs,
Jemima 
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RainbowJude
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ALW: First Contact | RainyCrystal wrote: | | When and how did you become interested in ALW's musicals? Were his shows your introduction to musical theatre, or did you just happen to like them the first time you saw/heard them? Also, what was the first musical that got you into ALW? |
Andrew Lloyd Webber was most definitely not my introduction to musical theatre; I was introduced to musicals because my grandmother used to play me the cast recordings of The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and South Pacific as a toddler when I was put down for a nap.
I could be mistaken, but I think my first exposure to the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber was seeing the promotional music videos for The Phantom of the Opera on television, particularly the melodramatic titular number. I think, at that age, I was most attracted by the spectacle of it all.
My mother also had an LP single of the Julie Covington "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", with her "Rainbow High on the B-side. I also really enjoyed that - I remember how excited I was by the music and the performance, although I don't think I was old enough to understand the content at the time.
Later days
David
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musikal_geek
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it's actually kind of a funny story. when i was seven years old, BARNEY'S GRAND ADVENTURE came out on video. dont ask me why, but a preview for CATS was on the video. what a weird thing to put on a barney video. but it looked really cool and two years later the show came to edmonton, so i went to go see it for my birthday. been in love with andrew's musicals ever since!
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PAMIE
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When I was 6 years old my father force us to watch the Flower drum song and I say it was good also he will put the Evita record on and listen "Don't Cry for me Argentina" and I love the song, that how I like musical so much and discover ALW music.
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Jordan
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Re: ALW: First Contact | RainbowJude wrote: | I could be mistaken, but I think my first exposure to the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber was seeing the promotional music videos for The Phantom of the Opera on television, particularly the melodramatic titular number. I think, at that age, I was most attracted by the spectacle of it all.
Later days
David |
Are you me? I pity you if you are. I was about 12 and remember it clearly and being very excited by it.
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Red_Caboose
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blame the parents!I grew up with musicals. my parents are obsessed, and took me with them!
They were in an amateur society and I used to be in some of the shows. Things like oliver and annie. and also, songs used to be on in the car, mainly ALW. I remember Love Changes Everything was the first song I ever knew all the words to. While everyone else my age was Take That mad, I was singing starlight express. Things haven't really changed all that much.
i was taken to see Joseph (with Philip Schofield) when I was about 7. since then, there's been no stopping me, and I can now officially say I'm more addicted than them!
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Emperor of the Fiends
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My first exposure to musicals in general was the film versions of Annie and Sound of Music, but my first exposure to ALW was in late elementary school, I became interested in Phantom of the Opera. The OLC is the only cast recording that I have on casette tapes.
(Though nowadays my favorite is Evita. POTO has some nice melodies, but plotwise it's not as satisfying.)
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Lastnightoftheworld
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I saw Starlight Express when I was about 9 years old and was obsessed with it! I saw it about 6 times whilst younger, and even now it always reminds me of my childhood. After that I saw Joseph, then progressed to his others.
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Bex
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the first show i ever saw was good old JTDC! i was so gripped! but now...well..ALW...sometimes he bugs me a bit...he's just a little repeative with his tunes sometimes...
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All_For_Laura
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Well, it was Phantom for me.
And yes, ALW is extremely repetitive with his music, but in ways, that makes him distinct. You will always leave the theatre humming something from that show you just saw! 
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lost in the darkness 101
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whell, 3 years ago my mother took me to see it live and it just changed my life! John Cudia was amazing!!!!!! by the end i was in tears!!
i was never really the same after...... 
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krisavalon
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I saw Jesus Christ Superstar the movie when I was ten. Changed my life forever.
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Guinevere
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I was interested in musicals since I was a little kid. Mainly films, though. My brother was interested in some theater. So, I knew a lot from him. Not any of ALW's shows, though.
ALW was my own discovery. Growing up, I knew of "Cats", JCS and "Phantom". Then I was 13 when I read the novel of The Phantom of the Opera. It was at that time that I became interested in listening to the recording. As soon as I bought it I was hooked. The second addition to my ALW obsession was "Aspects of Love", and then the rest went on from there.
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Yip1982
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Although I had grown up with some of the Disney musicals and SOM, I first got to know the ALW shows when CATS was staged in Singapore in 1993, and I was at the tender age of 11. I had only heard some of his individual songs in places, namely Memory and Don't Cry for Me Argentina, and I once heard my school choir sing Any Dream Will Do, which I discovered was from Joseph. Needless to say, I happened to have a "best of ALW" compilation CD and from there I got to know some of his songs, but I was really fascinated by CATS. Maybe this was partly because I had read the T.S. Eliot poems first. Anyway, I saw CATS in 1993 and was fascinated and hooked onto that one ALW musical. There was a hiatus in 1994 because of Les Mis (by Boubhil and Schonberg), and then ALW was staged again in Singapore, this time POTO. In the same year I was introduced to Joseph proper in my school. However, through the years, while I've seen my liking for Joseph and POTO sag, I've held the strongest regard for CATS, despite its weaknesses. There was something very quaint about this unconventional musical, and I feel that out of the ALW musicals I have grown to appreciate it even more through the years. And yes, I do own the Brightman CDs of ALW songs, as well as the JCS film soundtrack and the Evita London revival version, so I am familiar with a good number of his songs.
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jelliclesongs
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my dad got me CATS on video when i was seven, then he took me to go and see it in london. all i can say is that was a life changing moment, believe it or not and one of the best things my dad has ever done for me. i've seen it five times since, six come november 
then naturally i decided to look into some more of ALW's works, jesus christ superstar is one of my favourites, that and CATS. the others i have less regard for/haven't seen.
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xsophiex
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Joseph.
Suprisingly. We did the show in school about 5 years ago. Really got into it. Got the video and such. Never really bothered with his musicals until not long ago when I watched Cats and heard the music from Phantom of the Opera.
Been slightly obsessed ever since.
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santtu
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When I saw the Helsinki production of CATS in 1987. It was one of the first productions which got the permission to create completely different sets, costumes, make-up & wigs and choreography. And I loved it!
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Paula74
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For me, it started with "The Phantom of the Opera."
I was in 8th grade when it opened on Broadway and, one day, my English teacher brought the original cast recording in and played most of it for us.
I was hooked from the beginning of the Overture and, by the end of "The Music of the Night," I was in love with this show.
I bought my own copy that same day and still have the worn LPs.
After that, I started looking for recordings of his other shows...
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LaGataNegra
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I grew up loving Julie Andrews-every time Mary Poppins or The Sound of Music was on TV, it was a must-see for Mom and us three kids. The musical bug really bit, however, when I had choir class in 8th grade. Our teacher was musical-obsessed, more specifically, she was ALW-obsessed. We actually had a test about ALW's life story. I still remember that he collects 'pre-Raphaelite art'. (The goofy things that stick in your head...)
We were required to learn the songs from CATS, and we had a field trip to see the show on tour. (the best $25 Mom and Dad ever spent on my behalf) We learned some Phantom songs, but this was just as Phantom was opening, so sheet music was hard to come by. The teacher learned Music of the Night by ear, and gave us hand-written lyric sheets to sing along to her piano-thumping. (Hot as lightning, soft as candlelight..  )
I've been hooked since!
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MunkuSwarley
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I heard the music and then saw Phantom on Broadway, and I became interested in his work. Then as soon as I found out that I was gonna be doing Cats, I aw the dvd and I loved it, so i researched his other shows and became a big fan of his.
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soph-les-mis
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When I was around seven, my dad and I used to listen to an old LP of the original cast on "Phantom". Then it went years, and in 2004 I went to see the POTO movie, with Gerard Butler. I know the movie isn't like the musical, but I think I listened to the soundtrack almost everyday for 1-2 years, and it was my first step into the musical-world.
I havent seen the musical yet, but I want to see it soon 
Writing all this wonderful music without any education in music theory really makes ALW a true genious...
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Flamy
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For me it started with Cats. I was so ridiculously obsessed with it Now I've cooled down a bit, fortunately. Next came JCSS, Evita and Phantom.
And... and... that's all. Then came Stephen Sondheim. He somehow killed my love for ALW.
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