\"The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber," presented at 8 p.m Friday in the Auditorium, was an evening of beautiful and diverse music. The national touring ensemble and orchestra gave the audience a taste of the wide variety of Lloyd Webber's work, focusing on the music, not the spectacle, of his acclaimed productions.\nThe ensemble and the Philharmonia Europa, conducted by Brian W. Tidwell, performed selections from some of Lloyd Webber's earliest works, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Cats" to his more recent "Whistle Down the Wind." \nThe songs were enjoyed by audience members both familiar and unfamiliar with Lloyd Webber's repertoire. And the absence of sets, costumes and complicated storylines allowed for an intimate focus on the orchestration.\nAlthough the ensemble was energetic and talented, the presence of some half-hearted choreography often gave the troupe of 14 singers a high school show choir feel. The choreography was often in sharp contrast to the onstage orchestra, transforming what might have been a professional concert atmosphere into a confusing compilation of short scenes.\nAnother performance anomaly occurred when Tangena Church performed "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" from "Evita" in full costume. Her ornate and dramatic dress was highly out of place, as the performers all remained in simple black evening wear throughout the rest of the production.\nBut despite the lackluster choreography and unnecessary costume, the vocals were strong and several pieces captivated the audience. \n"Gethsemane" from "Jesus Christ Superstar," powerfully performed by Mark Rinzel, and the title song from "Whistle Down the Wind," performed by Jason Burke and Aimee Neal, stole the show with their simplicity and grace.\nThe orchestra, when presenting "The Phantom of the Opera Overture" and "Evita Suite" without the singers, proved that Lloyd Webber's music is as moving and beautiful without vocals as with the ensemble.\nDespite the lack of the intricate sets that often accompany Lloyd Webber productions, the simple backdrop of deep blue, which was occasionally set with sparkling stars, was an appropriate and lovely set for the music of the night.\nVivien Leone, the lighting designer who has assisted in the lighting plots for "Sunset Boulevard" and "Fosse," used simplicity to her advantage. She lit the stage in soft blues and greens for the romantic pieces and fierce oranges and yellows for upbeat songs such as "There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel" from "Starlight Express."\nOverall, it was an entertaining exploration of the diversity and depth of the work of a musical theater legend. The music was highly enjoyable and the performers were animated, but the ill-suited choreography transformed what might have been a professional concert setting into a overindulgent production.
A fitting tribute to Lloyd Webber
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