Andrew Lloyd Webber
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Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful English composer of musical theatre and the elder brother of Julian Lloyd Webber.
He was the most popular theatre composer of the late 20th century and is arguably the most popular theatre composer of all time, with multiple showpieces that have run for more than a decade both on Broadway and in the West End. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass. He has also accumulated a number of honours, including three Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Oscar, an International Emmy, six Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006. Several of his songs, notably "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" from Evita, "Memory" from Cats, and "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera have been widely recorded and were hits outside of their parent musicals. His company the Really Useful Group is one of the largest theatre operators in London.
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[edit] Personal history
Andrew Lloyd Webber was born on March 22, 1948 in South Kensington in London. He is the son of composer William Lloyd Webber and piano teacher Jean Johnstone Lloyd Webber, and his younger brother is the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. He was a Queen's Scholar of Westminster School and studied history for a time at Magdalen College, Oxford (although he did not complete the course, deciding instead to pursue his interest in musical theatre).
His first wife was Sarah Hugill. They married on 24 July 1972 and had two children, Imogen Lloyd Webber (born 31 March 1977) and Nicholas (born 2 July 1979). Lloyd Webber and Hugill were divorced in 1983. He then married singer and dancer Sarah Brightman on 22 March 1984. He cast Brightman as the lead in The Phantom of the Opera. However, the marriage did not last, and they divorced in 1990, but remained friends. He married his present wife, Madeleine Gurdon, on 9 February 1991, and had three more children: Alastair (born 3 May 1992), William (born 24 August 1993), and Isabella (born 30 April 1996).
He was knighted in 1992 and created a life peer in 1997 as Baron Lloyd-Webber, of Sydmonton in the County of Hampshire. (His peerage title is hyphenated but his surname is not.) He is ranked the 87th richest Briton in the Sunday Times Rich List 2006 with an estimated wealth of £700m. He also owns much of Watership Down, the down made famous by Richard Adams's novel of the same name.
Politically, he had been an active supporter and promoter of the Conservative Party, even writing special music for a party political broadcast. However, in recent years, he has distanced himself from the Conservatives.
Lord Lloyd-Webber is an art collector with a passion for Victorian art. An exhibition of works from his collection was presented at the Royal Academy in 2003 under the title Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters—The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection.[1].
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Early years
Andrew Lloyd Webber's first musical with lyricist Tim Rice was The Likes of Us, a musical based on the true story of Thomas John Barnardo. This musical was not performed, however, until as recently as 2005 when a production of The Likes Of Us was staged at Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sydmonton Festival. The music and lyrics had a light, breezy charm. Lloyd Webber and Rice wrote many one-off pop songs that were recorded as singles for record labels. Wes Sands, Ross Hannaman, Paul Raven and Gary Bond are among the many artists to have recorded early Lloyd Webber/Rice tunes. A selection of these early recordings were re-released on the 5-CD compilation "Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now And Forever" (2003).
Their next musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a work which they were commissioned to write for Colet Court, a prep school, in 1968, followed the style of The Likes of Us. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a light-hearted retelling of the biblical story of Joseph in which Lloyd Webber and Rice humorously pastiche a number of popular styles such as Calypso and Country and Western music. The musical began life as a short cantata that gained some recognition on its second staging with a favorable review in The Times. For its subsequent performances, Joseph underwent a number of revisions by Lloyd Webber and Rice with the inclusion of additional songs that expanded the musical to a more substantial length. This culminated in a two hour long production being staged in the West End on the back of the success of their third musical, Jesus Christ Superstar (1970).
Jesus Christ Superstar had been released as a concept album starring Ian Gillan prior to being staged in the West End at the Lyceum Theatre. The musical is based on the last days in the life of Jesus Christ. While Joseph was intended as a light-hearted family show, the music in Jesus Christ Superstar is at times dark and unsettling, particularly in the scenes that deal with the crucifixion, the plotting priests and the conflict between Jesus and Judas. The Rock idiom is used as a thematic device in Jesus Christ Superstar and the musical was billed as a Rock Opera in much the same way as Tommy by The Who had been before it. However, some of the music is inherently classical in style, particularly the instrumental passages such as John Nineteen: Forty-One and the more avant-garde music that accompanies the crucifixion scene.
The planned follow up to Jesus Christ Superstar was a musical comedy based on the Jeeves and Wooster novels by P. G. Wodehouse. Tim Rice was uncertain about this venture, partly because of his concern that he might not be able to do justice to the novels that he and Lloyd Webber so admired (Rice, 1999). After doing some initial work on the lyrics, he pulled out of the project and Lloyd Webber subsequently wrote the musical with Alan Ayckbourn who provided the book and lyrics. The musical, Jeeves, failed to make any impact at the box office and closed after a short run of only three weeks. Many years later Lloyd Webber and Ayckbourn revisited this project, producing a thoroughly reworked and more successful version of the musical entitled By Jeeves(1996). Only two of the songs from the original production remained ("Half a Moment" and "Banjo Boy").
[edit] Mid-1970s onwards
Lloyd Webber collaborated with Rice once again to write Evita (1976), a musical based on the life of Eva Peron. As with Jesus Christ Superstar, the musical was released first as a concept album and featured Julie Covington singing the part of Eva Peron. The song "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" became a hit single and the musical was staged at the Prince Edward Theatre in a production directed by Harold Prince and starring Elaine Paige in the title role. Much of the music in Evita is classical in style, the opening featuring a choral piece (Requiem for Evita) as well as a choral interlude in Oh What a Circus. There are a number of instrumental passages throughout the musical such as the orchestral version of the Lament and the introduction to Don't Cry For Me Argentina, all of which form an integral part of the framework of the composition. There is, however, quite an eclectic use of styles in Evita, with some gentle ballads such as "High Flying, Adored" and "Another Suitcase In Another Hall", and the rhythmic, latinate styles prominent in pieces such as "Buenos Aires", "And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)" as well as the slower "On This Night of A Thousand Stars". There is even some Rock music that can be heard briefly in "Oh What A Circus", "Peron's Latest Flame" and "The Lady's Got Potential" (a Rock song that was cut from the original production but reinstated for the 1996 movie with revised lyrics by Tim Rice). Evita was a highly successful show that ran for ten years in the West End. It transferred to Broadway in 1979. Rice and Lloyd Webber parted ways soon after Evita.
[edit] 1980s
Andrew Lloyd Webber embarked on his next project without a lyricist, turning instead to the poetry of T. S. Eliot. Cats (1981), is a dance musical based on Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats(1939) which the composer recalled as having been a childhood favorite. The songs of the musical comprise Eliot's verse set to music by the composer, the exception being the most famous song from the musical, "Memory", for which the lyrics were written by Trevor Nunn after an unrelated Eliot poem entitled "Rhapsody on a Windy Night". An unusual musical in terms of its construction, the overture incorporates a fugue and there are occasions when the music accompanies spoken verse. The set, consisting of an oversized junk yard, remains the same throughout the show without any scene changes. Lloyd Webber's eclecticism is very strong here; musical genres range from classical to pop, music hall, jazz and electroacoustic music as well as hymn-like songs such as "The Addressing of Cats" which Old Deuteronomy sings. Cats was originally intended to be a song cycle but when Valerie Eliot provided some fragments of unpublished poetry by her late husband that included a character named Grizabella who is shunned by the tribe as well as the concept of a rebirth for a chosen Cat at the Jellicle Ball, it was apparent that there might be a story that could provide a possible framework for a musical. Cats was to become the longest running musical on Broadway, spanning a reign of eighteen years which later would be broken by another Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.
Starlight Express, a musical also directed by Trevor Nunn, is similar in its theatrical concept to Cats in that it also features dancers in costume representing non-human characters. However, unlike Cats, the music is mostly in the realm of disco and pop with one or two pastiche songs such as the Country and Western styled "Uncoupled". In some ways this musical could be seen as more of a return to the style of Joseph, although the latter was more varied in its use of musical styles and influences. Starlight Express was a commercial hit but received negative reviews from the critics. It enjoyed a record run in the West End, but ran for less than three years on Broadway.
Lloyd Webber wrote a Requiem Mass which premiered in New York on 25 February 1985 at St Thomas Church. This composition had been inspired by an article he had read about the plight of Cambodian orphans. It was dedicated to his father, William Lloyd Webber, who had died in 1982. Although this might seem like a surprising shift in direction from the modern musical, church music had been a part of the composer's upbringing and Lloyd Webber had on a number of occasions written sacred music for the annual Sydmonton festival (Snelson, 2004). Lloyd Webber received a Grammy Award in 1986 for Requiem in the category of best classical composition. Perhaps surprisingly given the classical nature of the work, the Pie Jesu from Requiem climbed to the top of the popular music charts in Great Britain.
In 1988, Lloyd Webber premiered his next musical, The Phantom of the Opera, inspired by the 1911 Gaston Leroux novel. He wrote the part of Christine for his then wife, Sarah Brightman who played the role in the original London and Broadway productions alongside Michael Crawford. The production was directed by Harold Prince, who had also directed Evita. Charles Hart wrote the lyrics for the musical with some additional material provided by Richard Stilgoe, and Lloyd Webber co-wrote the musical's book with Stilgoe. Although the musical received mixed reviews from the critics, it became a phenomenal hit and is still running in both the West End and on Broadway; in January 2006 it overtook Cats as the longest running musical on Broadway.
[edit] 1990s to present day
Aspects of Love followed in 1990, a musical based on the story by David Garnett. The lyrics were by Don Black and Charles Hart and the original production was directed by Trevor Nunn. Whereas Phantom had a very elaborate staging, Aspects of Love was more simple in its design, the emphasis being placed on the intimacy of the theatrical experience. Lloyd Webber decided to use a smaller pit orchestra making the through composed score somewhat more akin to a chamber work. The musical had a successful run of four years in London but did not fare nearly as well on Broadway, where it closed after less than a year.
Lloyd Webber was asked to write a song for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and composed "Amigos Para Siempre - Friends for Life" with Don Black providing the lyrics. Lloyd Webber's many other musical theatre works include Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, Song and Dance, The Beautiful Game and The Woman in White. While some of his works have had enormous commercial success, his career has not been without failures, especially in the United States. Song and Dance, Starlight Express, and Aspects of Love, all successes in London, did not meet the same reception in New York, and all lost money in short, critically panned runs. In 1995, Sunset Boulevard became a very successful Broadway show, opening with the largest advance in Broadway history, and winning seven Tony Awards that year. However, owing to high weekly costs, it became the biggest economic musical failure in history, losing 25 million dollars. His subsequent shows (Whistle Down the Wind and The Beautiful Game) did not make it to Broadway, and his most recent musical The Woman in White closed after a very short run in New York. This closing is largely credited to many absences in the cast for many of the shows; only 39 of the 108 performances had the full cast. Maria Friedman and Michael Ball both missed shows frequently; the former was battling breast cancer and the latter suffered a throat infection.
Somewhat unusually, Lloyd Webber (along with Nigel Wright) was responsible for a 1992 Eurodance single featuring music from the computer game Tetris.[2][3]Released under the name Doctor Spin, Tetris reached reached #6 on the UK charts[4], although Lloyd Webber's involvement was not publicised. He was also involved with Bombalurina's 1990 cover of Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (UK #1).[5][6] The band, whose lead singer was children's TV presenter Timmy Mallett[7] was named after a character in the musical Cats.[8]
Lloyd Webber is currently producing a staging of The Sound Of Music, which debuted November 2006. He made the controversial decision to choose an unknown to play leading lady Maria, through the reality TV show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, where he was a judge. The winner was Connie Fisher.
There have been a number of film adaptations of Lloyd Webber's musicals: Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) was directed by Norman Jewison, Evita (1996) was directed by Alan Parker, and most recently The Phantom of the Opera was directed by Joel Schumacher (and coproduced by Lloyd Webber).
Lloyd Webber produced Bombay Dreams with Indian composer A. R. Rahman in 2002.
It was announced on 25th August 2006 on his personal website that his next project would be the Master and the Margarita (however, Lloyd Webber has stated that the project will most likely be an opera rather than a musical).
In September 2006, Lloyd Webber was named to be a recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors along with Zubin Mehta, Dolly Parton, Steven Spielberg, and William "Smokey" Robinson. He was recognized for his outstanding contribution to American performing arts.[9] He attended the ceremony on December 3, 2006.
[edit] Shows
 The Likes of Us (1965) |
 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat |
 Jesus Christ Superstar (1971) |
 Evita (1976) |
 Cats (1981) |
 Song and Dance (1982) |
 Starlight Express (1984) |
 The Phantom of the Opera (1986) |
 Aspects of Love (1989) |
 Sunset Boulevard (1993) |
 By Jeeves (1996 reworked version ,1975 as Jeeves) |
 Whistle Down the Wind (first version 1996, second version 1998) |
 The Beautiful Game (2000) |
 Tell Me on a Sunday (1979/2003) |
 The Woman in White (2004) |
[edit] Other works
- Variations (1978) - An album Lloyd Webber wrote consisting of musical variations on the A minor Caprice of Paganini. This piece of work featured guitarist Gary Moore and piano man Rod Argent and made #2 in the UK album chart upon its release. It was later combined with another work to form one show, Song and Dance.
- Requiem (1985) – A classical choral work composed in honour of his father, William Lloyd Webber.
- Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Premiere Collection Encore (1992)
[edit] External links
- Any Dream Will Do: the Musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber
- A Brief Biography of Lloyd Webber at SBGMusic.com
- Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters—The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection — article by Christopher Wood at the Art Renewal Center
- Andrew Lloyd Webber at the Internet Movie Database
- Ladyghost's site
- 'Andrew Lloyd Webber's Meesterwerken'
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/sections/art/art_thecollection.php?section=art
- ^ "Doctor Spin - Tetris" record details, Discogs.com. Article retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ "Andrew Lloyd Webber", Discogs.com. Article retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ *Roberts, David (Managing Editor) (2005), British Hit Singles & Albums (Edition 18), Guinness World Records Limited, ISBN 1-904994-00-8
- ^ Songfacts: Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, songfacts.com. Article retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ Timmy Mallett recordings, Brilliant TV corporate website. Article retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ "Timmy Mallett" article, Wikipedia. Article retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ "Bombalurina in Cats", PeoplePlayUK. Article retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/home.html
- Andrew Lloyd Webber's Official Web Site
- Andrew Lloyd Webber's biography at the Really Useful Group
- Rice, Tim (1999) Oh What A Circus Hodder and Stoughton: London
- Snelson, John (2004). Andrew Lloyd Webber. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10459-6.
- Walsh, Michael (1989, revised and expanded, 1997) Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works Abrams: New York
[edit] See also
- (2003) Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection. London: Royal Academy of Arts. ISBN 1-903973-39-2.
- View of Geelong, 1856 painting once owned by Lloyd Webber
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