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Elaine Paige headlines the international cast of Masterpiece: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a September 2001 concert in Beijing. Paige sings songs from her roles in Lloyd Webber's musicals Evita, Cats, and Sunset Boulevard, while Kris Phillips, Sandy Lam, Tony Vincent, and others provide solid but rarely thrilling renditions of tunes from such shows as Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera. There are also orchestral numbers and some dances, but not much staging or costumes--whether performing "Macavity" or "Masquerade," the dance team members look like refugees from Sweet Charity.

The obvious comparison is with Andrew Lloyd Webber: A Royal Albert Hall Celebration. Filmed three years later, Masterpiece includes more from The Beautiful Game and it's a technically superior DVD with DTS sound and an anamorphic widescreen picture. Royal Albert Hall, however, has bigger stars and better performances overall. But both run over two hours and have plenty of variety, so Lloyd Webber fans don't necessarily need to pick one over the other. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Alright ... Not One of the Best ... Could Have Been Better
The first time I watched this show on PBS, I thought to myself, "This is alright." Alright, yes; meaning that it could have been better. Don't get me wrong: the entire concert is well concieved and all. But I feel the thing as kind of a "rush rush" job just to put more cash in ALW's already hefty pockets and nothing else. Unlike most other Broadway programs, which seem to contain and evoke more passion.

Nevertheless, MASTERPIECE does contain some awesome highlights; and by this regard, is at least worth a look.

Elaine Page is, as always, very good here; her voice just seems to shine. Kris Phillips, on the other hand, while an alright singer, didn't impress me at all in this show. Music of the Night, for example: he literally seems to strain and tense up through the entire song; exhibiting neither emotion nor depth.

He has a good voice. It's just obvious here that Broadway is not his forte.

It is up to you to buy Masterpiece or not. For me, it's not worth it; there is so much better stuff out there: Hey! Mr. Producer, the Lloyd Webber 50th birthday show, Michael Ball at Royal Albert Hall, the Les Mis concert, etc.

Perhaps I have higher standards than some when it comes to musical theater. But to me, MASTERPIECE isn't that great of a concert.

Kris Phillips Shone!
Kris Phillips took passion into his roles, showing a nice bit of acting to create a splash of interest. His duet in the Phantom of the Opera is truly worth seeing; both performers gave it their best and it really showed. It's worth purchasing for a quiet evening spent enjoying the musical arts.

kris phillips is a star!
the performances of the ensemble cast were great no doubt, but it was kris phillips (fei xiang) who really shined. he has an incredible voice and stage presence.

Liked it a lot at the beginning
The first time I watched the DVD, it was truly amazing. I really enjoyed watching all the numbers. There were tracks that I hadn't seen anywhere else (eg. Masquarade from Phantom); The other ALW classics were all very captivating and stirring. I was going to watch it over and over again. A funny thing though - the more I watched, the less I liked it. Being recorded live, there were lots of things that went wrong... missed notes, croaking voices, those awful costumes, etc. These mistakes actually started to annoy me. I also have Les Miserables and the ALW concert in Britain - and those performances were flawless. My advice - if you're going to buy this DVD, sit back and simply enjoy the performance... it really is very well done if you want to be entertained. But if you're a critic and looking for perfection - you'll probably tire of the show after watching 2 or 3 times.

Great!
Being chinese in heritage, it was great to be able to view such use of the building in Beijing. It was also amazing to be able to see such beautiful works performed by such an excellent cast and orchestra. Kris Phillips was awesome, and he had such presence on the stage. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Elaine Paige headlines the international cast of Masterpiece: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a September 2001 concert in Beijing. Paige sings songs from her roles in Lloyd Webber's musicals Evita, Cats, and Sunset Boulevard, while Kris Phillips, Sandy Lam, Tony Vincent, and others provide solid but rarely thrilling renditions of tunes from such shows as Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera. There are also orchestral numbers and some dances, but not much staging or costumes--whether performing "Macavity" or "Masquerade," the dance team members look like refugees from Sweet Charity.

The obvious comparison is with Andrew Lloyd Webber: A Royal Albert Hall Celebration. Filmed three years later, Masterpiece includes more from The Beautiful Game and it's a technically superior DVD with DTS sound and an anamorphic widescreen picture. Royal Albert Hall, however, has bigger stars and better performances overall. But both run over two hours and have plenty of variety, so Lloyd Webber fans don't necessarily need to pick one over the other. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Read the fine print!
Thought this was the real deal.What a disappointment to discover the artists are NOT the original artists.My fault for not reading the fine print.

Poor Quality
This has to be the worst quality CD I've ever heard. Sounds like it was recorded in a gymnasium. Orchestra drowned out the performer. Lighting and set design were extremely poor.

WOOWW!!!
GOOO KRIS PHILLIPS, ELAINE PAIGE, and especially SOPHIE CROSATO!! Moving as always with Webber's music, but that duet of Pie Jesu was tremendous... beautiful...

Kris Phillips Shone!
Kris Phillips took passion into his roles, showing a nice bit of acting to create a splash of interest.His duet in the Phantom of the Opera is truly worth seeing; both performers gave it their best and it really showed.It's worth purchasing for a quiet evening spent enjoying the musical arts.

kris phillips is a star!
the performances of the ensemble cast were great no doubt, but it was kris phillips (fei xiang) who really shined. he has an incredible voice and stage presence. ... Read more

Description

For the first time in China, The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber is presented in concert as a world-class showcase incorporating the best-known and best-loved songs from Lloyd Webber's internationally acclaimed stage musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Sunset Boulevard. This is a hit-driven production, a spectacular event starring Elaine Paige, one of the most established and highly regarded West End and Broadway stars, direct from a year-long sell-out season in the London production of The King and I, and recording sensations Coco Lee and Kris Phillips (Fei Xiang), amongst the most successful artists of their generations. For China Concert Tour 2001, this world-class lineup will be joined by a full company of established performers drawn from the U.K., U.S., and Australia and a 60-piece orchestra led by the renowned Patrick Vacciarello, who has conducted musicals for Lloyd Webber on Broadway and on national tours in the U.S. and Australia.

Tracks: Superstar Overture, Superstar, I Don't Know How to Love Him, Any Dream Will Do, Evita Suite, Buenos Aires, And the Money Kept Rolling In, Don't Cry for Me Argentina, The Heart Is Slow to Learn, Beautiful Game Overture, Let Us Love in Peace, Take That Look Off Your Face, Jellicle Ball, Acidity, Gethsemane, Aspects of Aspects, Love Changes Everything, Pie Jesus, Phantom Overture, Phantom of the Opera Journey, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, All I Ask of You, Masquerade, The Music of the Night, Car Chase, Sunset Boulevard, The Perfect Year, As if We Never Said Goodbye, Memory, Friends for Life, No Matter What. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Alright ... Not One of the Best ... Could Have Been Better
The first time I watched this show on PBS, I thought to myself, "This is alright." Alright, yes; meaning that it could have been better. Don't get me wrong: the entire concert is well concieved and all. But I feel the thing as kind of a "rush rush" job just to put more cash in ALW's already hefty pockets and nothing else. Unlike most other Broadway programs, which seem to contain and evoke more passion.

Nevertheless, MASTERPIECE does contain some awesome highlights; and by this regard, is at least worth a look.

Elaine Page is, as always, very good here; her voice just seems to shine. Kris Phillips, on the other hand, while an alright singer, didn't impress me at all in this show. Music of the Night, for example: he literally seems to strain and tense up through the entire song; exhibiting neither emotion nor depth.

He has a good voice. It's just obvious here that Broadway is not his forte.

It is up to you to buy Masterpiece or not. For me, it's not worth it; there is so much better stuff out there: Hey! Mr. Producer, the Lloyd Webber 50th birthday show, Michael Ball at Royal Albert Hall, the Les Mis concert, etc.

Perhaps I have higher standards than some when it comes to musical theater. But to me, MASTERPIECE isn't that great of a concert.

Kris Phillips Shone!
Kris Phillips took passion into his roles, showing a nice bit of acting to create a splash of interest. His duet in the Phantom of the Opera is truly worth seeing; both performers gave it their best and it really showed. It's worth purchasing for a quiet evening spent enjoying the musical arts.

kris phillips is a star!
the performances of the ensemble cast were great no doubt, but it was kris phillips (fei xiang) who really shined. he has an incredible voice and stage presence.

Liked it a lot at the beginning
The first time I watched the DVD, it was truly amazing. I really enjoyed watching all the numbers. There were tracks that I hadn't seen anywhere else (eg. Masquarade from Phantom); The other ALW classics were all very captivating and stirring. I was going to watch it over and over again. A funny thing though - the more I watched, the less I liked it. Being recorded live, there were lots of things that went wrong... missed notes, croaking voices, those awful costumes, etc. These mistakes actually started to annoy me. I also have Les Miserables and the ALW concert in Britain - and those performances were flawless. My advice - if you're going to buy this DVD, sit back and simply enjoy the performance... it really is very well done if you want to be entertained. But if you're a critic and looking for perfection - you'll probably tire of the show after watching 2 or 3 times.

Great!
Being chinese in heritage, it was great to be able to view such use of the building in Beijing. It was also amazing to be able to see such beautiful works performed by such an excellent cast and orchestra. Kris Phillips was awesome, and he had such presence on the stage. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

wish I'd watched it sooner
This movie was very interesting. As with most of Sammo's movies, they're always great, but rather confusing at times..maybe its because the lack of translation with the Chinese/English. But if you're a fan of Sammo or Yuen, you shouldn't be disappointed. I bought the movie just because the incredibly talented Mr. Biao is in it..never disappoints me..His pole scene at the beginning is fantastic, running through a mine field hysterical..and the fight between Sammo and Yuen was awesome. I had this dvd for 6 months before I watched it. Now I wish I had watched it sooner. Anita Mui has "quite a set of legs" as my guy friends put it! She's incredible. Don't watch it for the history, watch it if you like the cast.

The Romance of History
This film takes place at the end of an era as Chang Kai Shek's rule of China comes into conflict with the growing people's revolution. Set against this historical backdrop is a tale of cops, mobsters, stolen money, a nightclub, and the dreams of a pair of brothers... one a cop, one flirting with the wrong side of the law.

I originally watched this just because Sammo Hung is in it, but found myself paying attention all the way through because of the story. Aside from the action, it's a story about allegiances/responsibilities and dreams coming into conflict.

It's more than just an action film, though somewhat less than a great historical drama, and it seems to have trouble deciding which it wants to be more, thus only three stars.

The juxtaposition of the action element with a fairly complex historical plot is a bit hard to reconcile for both the viewer (and it seems the filmmakers too), but the historical element is what really makes it worth watching if you enjoy both history and action.

Very nice movie
Very interesting story. Creative ideas. Nice characters. George Lam is GREAT!

Shanghai Shanghai
I am a little let down with this one. I'm not sure what catagory this movie was intened for but given the cast I thought it was a martial arts movie. If this was its goal I'm afraid it comes up a bit short. There is some sparse action sprinkled about, but it's not enough for it to get by on. Sammo Hung and Anita Mui only get one chance to show off their skills near the end, and even then is is only a fair display of their talents. As for the story line, maby it was just poorly subtiled. I had an unusualy difficult time trying to make sense of what was going on and who people were. Still if you are a fan of the cast, some of it is rather enjoyable and worth seeing once. A little tip, stick with the Mandarin track, the Cantonese needs help. If your looking for something to own along the same lines I recomend "My Father is a Hero." with Jet Li and Anita Mui. ... Read more