> > > Even if one is to look strictly at his songs in isolation, rather than the context of a broader work, and they look like safe, unambitious formula.
> >
> > This is where some of the difference lies. I don't look at his songs in isolation.
>
> I don't either, hence the word "even" -- I suspect Howard might be, given his liking of Cats, which is why I tried addressing the matter from that angle. Still, Evita's the only Webber musical that's struck me as one that employs music for anything other than their inherent attributes as individual songs. I suppose Phantom is probably the next closest.

Have you seen Webber's Sunset Boulevard? That's my favourite of his shows, and I think it does well at creating both the coherence of a show that's story-driven rather than set piece-driven, and also the weird dichotomy that Sunset Boulevard requires - the distinction between the gritty (but increasingly clean-seeming) world of Hollywood and the garish, faded glamour of Norma's dream world.

But I'm not a big Webber fan either. Similarly, I prefer Sondheim; Sweeny Todd is one of my favourites.

And, by the way, you're still wrong; Guys and Dolls is still the best musical ever. ;-}