Andrew Lloyd Webber - Masterpiece (Live in Beijing)
Elaine Paige headlines the international cast ofMasterpiece: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a September 2001 concert in Beijing. Paige sings songs from her roles in Lloyd Webber's musicalsEvita,Cats, andSunset Boulevard, while Kris Phillips, Sandy Lam, Tony Vincent, and others provide solid but rarely thrilling renditions of tunes from such shows asJesus Christ SuperstarandPhantom 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 fromSweet Charity.The obvious comparison is withAndrew Lloyd Webber: A Royal Albert Hall Celebration. Filmed three years later,Masterpieceincludes more fromThe Beautiful Gameand 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