#[I love Moxxie and how much of a musical theatre nerd he is]

[helldustedstories]

Moxxie has Opinions about most of A.ndrew L.loyd Webber's shows.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat -- He has most of the Coat of Many Colours memorized. It gets stuck in his head. "Close Every Door" is another good song, but overall, this one is kind of middling. Would he still go to see it if given the chance? Absolutely.

Jesus Christ Superstar -- Honestly? Kind of overrated. There are only a couple of songs that are super recognizable, and while that's not a requirement of a good musical, it's one that's hard to just sing along to and have fun with. Still, it's an interesting take on the story, but not his favourite of his work.

Evita -- There are some iconic songs in Evita, and if it's done right, it can be visually stunning. He likes both the original recording with M.andy P.atinkin and P.atti L.upone because they're iconic, as well as the version with A.ntonino B.anderas and M.adonna. Not his favourite, but it definitely has its time and place.

Tell Me On a Sunday / Song and Dance -- Other than the titular song and "Take That Look Off Your Face," this one is kind of forgettable. It might be better viewed in person, but it's not a fave.

Cats -- Okay, so Moxxie will be the first to admit that he probably shouldn't have suggested that Blitz start with Cats. It's one of those musicals that kind of grows on you the more you experience it, whether that's hearing it, seeing it live, or performing in it. (Sidenote for this one: Moxxie would love to be IN Cats.) It's pretty high up on his list, though it's one of those "wait no, you don't understand; let me explain the thought behind it" sort of things.

Starlight Express -- Honestly, part of the appeal of this one is the fact that the actors are on roller skates. But the fact that it tells the story of sentient trains makes it up there in the weirdness scale. Probably even weirder than Cats.

The Phantom of the Opera -- And here we have Moxxie's all-time favourite. He loves the story, the music, the spectacle. There is not anything about this show that Moxxie does not love. If he wants to be in Cats, he is desperate to be in Phantom. It almost doesn't matter what role, as long as he gets to participate. (He already knows he'll never be able to play Christine, which broke his heart when he first came to terms with that fact.)

Aspects of Love -- This is one of those shows that has some good tracks ("Love Changes Everything" and "Anything But Lonely" come to mind), but some of the subject matter is pretty uncomfortable, considering several of the 'love interests' are seventeen and fourteen, respectively, while the other person is a full-ass adult.

Sunset Boulevard -- A lesser-known gem, honestly. (Even if P.atti L.upone was 100% in the right to sue.) It tells a complete story, unlike a lot of his other musicals (probably partly because it was based on a film), and it has some good music. It's also one of A.LW's few musicals to star a mezzo-soprano, so it gets points for that, too.

Love Never Dies -- Oh boy, okay. This show is a hot mess. For starters, in the original cast recording R.aoul's voice is better than the P.hantom's, which really shouldn't happen. But the whole thing shouldn't exist. It completely ignores the ending of the original, bastardizes characters, and makes a mockery of the original. Yes, okay, some of the songs are pretty damn catchy ("Beauty Underneath," "Devil Take the Hindmost," and "Why Does She Love Me?" are the standouts to Moxxie), but A.LW's cat had the right idea in trying to delete the whole thing, to keep it from completion.

Cinderella -- Originally, when Moxxie heard that there was a new adaptation of Cinderella, he wasn't sure it was needed. But when he heard it was by A.ndrew L.loyd W.ebber, he had to check it out. And he's honestly glad he did. Sure, it's not the best show, but it's fun. (And the young woman who plays the title role in the original recording sounds a little like Stolas' kid...., or that could just be his imagination. Maybe it's just the accent.) The B.roadway version, though...., seems like it was a mess. And the cast and crew deserved better than what they got.