The Complete Aspects of Love

When I turned 16, I saw Aspects of Love on Broadway, and had the opportunity to go backstage and meet the original lead, Michael Ball, the famous West End performer and recording artist. This, for a theatre geek such as myself, is approximately equivalent to meeting the Pope. Aspects of Love is one of the less popular Lloyd Webber musicals, and did not play for very long on Broadway, despite the fact it starred Ball (Les Miserables, Marius) and Anne Crumb (Les Miserables, Fantine/Crone). The plot is a bit convoluded (the fault of the original novel, not Lloyd Webber), the subject matter a bit less accessible than Cats or Phantom (the multi-generational saga of a strangely incenstous french family), the music (with the exception of "Love Changes Everything") less imminently hummable. However, despite these points, the acting was brilliant, the music is excellent, and the sets were astonishing. Ball did an unprecedented job of convincing the audience that he matured from a 17-year-old boy at the beginning of the show to a 30s soldier by the end. This book is the bible for anyone who remembers this show, and offers behind-the-scenes information, amazing photography, and a pull-out poster of the logo created for the musical. If you are one of the people who remembers and admired Aspects beyond its theme, this book is an absolute must-have fountain of information on the cast, sets, costuming, and all other... well... Aspects of the production. Highly recommended for all 15 Americans like me that loved this play.

If you've seen the Webber musical, this book will provide great memories. Rich photos and artwork, premium stock paper, all the lyrics and scenes. Great gift for fans of Webber! Contains pull-out poster.

Why is this book out of print? It's really quite good. It gives a great look at the hard work that is put into a show before, during, and after each performance. I got it after years of searching in a used bookstore. It's really worth the hunt if you want it. It comes complete with a nice poster and there's a picture of a young Michael Ball with a rat tail. How can you lose?

This book has oodles of photographs and information about the musical. It is very well researched, and includes information about David Garnett, the history of the time period of the musical, and of course Andrew Lloyd Webber's writing the musical.

Kurt Ganzl has written an excellent book about a musical that unfortunately flopped. Complete with background history on David Garnet's novel, pictures of the production, and complete libretto. A must-read for anyone into musical theatre. Sadly, it's out of print.