S.S. vs. ALW


I've had this thought in my head for awhile now ...

In the ultimate composer war, who would kick whose a**?

Stephen Schwartz or Andrew Lloyd Weber?


I put my money on Stephen.
1. Andrew Lloyd Weber just looks puny against him anyway.
2. Finale in Godspell rocked my world
3. Wicked is one of the best book adapted musicals ever.


Any takers?

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Well, this is a bit difficult. Unlike Andrew, Stephen can also write his own lyrics. He's also the only composer to have three shows play Broadway at once (Godspell, Pippin and The Magic Show). On Andrew's side though, he has three Tony Awards compared to Stephen's none.


"God save my little broken body."-Rizzo the Rat
"We are the music while the music lasts"--TS Eliot

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<<He's also the only composer to have three shows play Broadway at once (Godspell, Pippin and The Magic Show). >>

This is surely not true. Jerry Herman did it in 1969 when Dear World opened (and closed) while Hello, Dolly! and Mame were both still running, and if we go back further we will likely find more examples.

EDIT: Richard Rodgers also had three original shows running simultaneously on Broadway in 1953 when Me and Juliet opened while South Pacific and The King and I were both still running.


"Footman...shine my shoe. Shine my shoe."

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Hmm, I stand corrected. Thank you.

"God save my little broken body."-Rizzo the Rat
"We are the music while the music lasts"--TS Eliot

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And Webber has achieved this numerous times.

1982 - Evita, Joseph (original production), and Cats
1988 - Cats, Starlight Express, Phantom
1990 - Cats, Phantom, Aspects of Love
1993 - Cats, Phantom, Joseph (revival)
1994 - Cats, Phantom, Sunset Blvd

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It's really apples & oranges, though. Each composer is vastly different in style, etc.

I really like them both...just depends on what I am in the mood for. How 'bout you?

Plus you left out the 3rd "great" from that era...the other SS: Stephen Sondheim.

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I can't stand WICKED.

I have to go with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Although I like most of the music from GODSPELL, the movie IMO is atrocious.

I think Webber's JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is superior in every way.

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I think Stephen Schwartz is heads and tails above Andrew Lloyd Weber. I do love Jesus Christ Superstar, but beyond that I don't see the big deal about ALW. Stephen Schwartz has many scores that I adore though. However, in the ultimate composer war, I think neither of them hold a candle to the great Stephen Sondheim.

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My vote goes to ALW. Even if he didn't write the lyrics for JCS, the music is still pretty powerful.

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