There has never been a more deserving musical production to be produced in a Widescreen video version than this electrifying Andrew Lloyd Webber presentation. Viewed on a regular 4:3 full screen TV, it's deserving of it's thousands of accolades. But viewed on a Widescreen TV, it becomes a mutilated disaster. I have both types of TV's in my home, so I know whereof I speak. Heads are clipped, and the stupendous choreography is shattered. Oh, Universal Studios, I join with Argentina in crying for a Widescreen version! Even so, the entire presentation merits a resounding 5 STARS, and the astonishing performance of Glenn Close 5+ STARS!!!

When I watch a DVD I really like to watch it from start to end without skipping anything.With this presentation I felt like 1 hour was great, a half hour was ok, and another half hour was poor. I'm sure if I owned this DVD I'd always wish to skip by the poorer stuff.I really liked Donny Osmond, Elaine Page, Michael Ball and the various "Cats" songs and the song by Boy Zone.I was greatly irritated that they let Antonio Banderas sing the Phantom. He just does not have the voice for Phantom of the Opera. His Evita song was OK though.There were also a couple of songs by people that I did not recognize that had very bad unmusical voices.Sarah Brightman's voice is good but her facial expressions looked a bit odd.DVD lovers will find the Dolby 5.1 track on the DVD sounds very flat. It feels more like Dolby 2.0 or even Dolby mono at times.So overall I'd give it 7/10. Since the best parts can be found on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and on Cats (both of which I own already) I don't feel compelled to buy this DVD. It is worth watching. However, I'd only recommend buying it if you don't have any of the other Andrew Lloyd Weber DVDs.

Being a diehard musical fan, I instantly fell in love with this video. It has its good an its bad, but overall, the good far outweighs the bad.My favourite part is Michael Ball's striking rendition of "Gethsemane". I don't think anyone else can compare when it comes to the pure vocal talent and emotion he shows while singing that song. He has a tremendous voice and, in my opinion, is the most talented individual to appear in this concert.Another part I greatly enjoyed was Glenn Close's "With One Look". Very whimsically insane, very memorable. Also enjoyable was Antonio Banderas' Che, singing "Oh What a Circus". I didn't enjoy his version of "The Phantom of the Opera" as much, but I'll definitely take him over Michael Crawford any day!Not being a fan of Sarah Brightman's, the only part which I have any serious complains about is the amount of time she was on stage. I think she has a decent voice, and average acting talent - but definitely not enough to warrant how many song she sang during the concert.Overall, I'd highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music; or to musical theatre fans in general. 8.5/10

This video is a must see for all Andrew Lloyd Webber fans. Over all it is spectacular, with a few (small) exceptions. Donny Osmond does a triumphant reprise of his Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat role, Elaine Paige is riveting as Eva Peron singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina (made me want to run right out and buy the original London cast album!), and also singing Memory. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with Sarah Brightman's performance. . . don't get me wrong, she has a beautiful voice, but it lacks the energy of her younger years. Still, she did a lovely turn singing Pie Jesu. Antonio Banderas was very entertaining as Che, but I honestly thought that having him sing the part of the Phantom was a bad idea. . . Michael Crawford he is not.I also thought the guy who sang Superstar seemed a little off key. Maybe it was just my hearing. However, the highlight of the evening for me, was Michael Ball. He has one of the most beautiful and powerful voices I have ever heard, capable of singing with great emotion . . .which he did in this performance. Michael is always best in front of a live audience, and this performance is no different (if you like this, get the concert video of Les Miserables, it is awesome.) Michael Ball's performance of Gethsemane is the very best I have ever heard. . . it is amazing. Even if the rest of the video had been bad, that song would have made it for me. He also does a lovely job on his trademark tune, Love Changes Everything, and The Vaults of Heaven. Over all, I give this video ***1/2 out of ****.