Aspects of Love is one of the less well-known musicals from Andrew Lloyd Webber. It’s back in London in 2023 with a new production. Here’s my Aspects of Love theatre review.
Overview of Aspects of Love
Aspects of Love is written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote some really famous musicals such as Phantom of the Opera. However, Aspects of Love is less well known than some of his other musicals. But I still enjoyed this show, so my Aspects of Love theatre review is fairly positive.
The show tells the story of Rose over a period of 17 years. Rose is an actress, and at the beginning of the production she has a brief affair with Alex, a young fan of the actress. However, when Rose meets Alex’s uncle, George, she is attracted to him. When Alex leaves to join the army, Rose and George begin an affair and eventually get married, much to Alex’s despair.
Years later, Rose and George have a daughter called Jenny. Jenny is very taken by Alex when they meet and it seems like the two will fall in love. However, when George finds out, he is angry and collapses, dead. Alex then leaves with Giulietta, who was George’s lover before he met Rose.
What I liked about Aspects of Love
The highlight of the show for me was Michael Ball’s performance of the song ‘Love Changes Everything’. Michael Ball sang this famous song in the original production of Aspects of Love, and it’s one of the songs that helped him become so famous. This production in London in 2023 slightly altered the original plot of the musical, so Michael Ball could still sing this famous song even though he is now playing the older male character. The song now appeared later in the musical, but the timing still worked. And I think it was a great decision from the producers. Michael Ball was amazing. It was like he really felt and meant every single word of the song. Some of the lyrics were half spoken and half sung, and then he had so much power in the final notes. It was a really memorable performance.
I enjoyed other parts of this show as well. The acting was good – especially from Michael Ball, but also from the other cast members. There were some other good songs. And it was generally an enjoyable performance.
What I wasn’t so sure about
I enjoyed this musical, but I wasn’t completely in love with it. I found the plot a bit weird – especially how the characters kept on having affairs with each other, including other family members. It was an ok plot, but a bit weird at times.
I’m also not super keen on musicals that have very little dialogue that’s just spoken. This was one of those musicals where pretty much everything is sung. So even parts that should just be lines of dialogue are sung, but not to a particularly memorable tune. I prefer musicals that have talking, and then a song.
Would I recommend Aspects of Love
I’d definitely recommend going to see Aspects of Love if Michael Ball is starring. He really was brilliant, and made the performance really good. If he wasn’t in it, I think it would have been an ok show and still worth seeing, but not an amazing show.
Hope you enjoyed my Aspects of Love theatre review! There are loads more amazing shows touring theatres across the UK and in London’s famous West End. Check out more of my theatre reviews here.
