For more than 50 years, the composer has dominated the big musical theaters with his shows. After personal setbacks, his creativity seems far from exhausted.
The secret of his success is good stories: Andrew Lloyd Webber once revealed this in an interview. “You always have to start with the story,” said the British musical composer, who celebrates his 75th birthday on Wednesday, a few years ago. He should know: “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Evita”, “Cats” and “Phantom der Oper” – the list of his hit musicals, which have delighted people for decades, is long.
Born in 1948 in the chic London district of Kensington, Lloyd Webber grew up in a musical household. His father is a composer and teacher at the Royal College of Music in London, and his mother is a pianist. Andrew, who has a younger brother, began writing music and performing musicals in the family circle when he was still in elementary school. However, these were “terrible, terrible”, he admits later.
But it’s not just the classical music of his parents’ home, rock and pop also have a strong influence on young Andrew. Finally, he fuses everything into one unmistakable style. His breakthrough came during years of collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice, from which both “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (1968) and “Jesus Christ Superstar” (1970) emerged. The cooperation ends with the musical “Evita” about the former Argentine president’s wife and actress Eva Perón. The song “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” storms to the top of the charts in the UK and other countries.
Surprised by mega successes
Lloyd Webber himself was surprised by the huge success of “Cats” (1981), which became the longest-running musical on Broadway before “Phantom of the Opera” (1986) succeeded it. Also “Starlight Express” (1984), which was not appreciated by the critics, became a success. The fast-paced roller skating musical has been performed in Bochum in a purpose-built theater since 1988, which recently celebrated 18 million visitors.
And the Central Saxony region is also celebrating his work. On Easter Monday, the premiere of a production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, which Alexander Donesch is currently directing for the Mittelsächsisches Theater Freiberg-Döbeln, will take place in the Nikolaikirche in Freiberg. As early as 2008, the Winterstein Theater in Annaberg-Buchholz brought the Webber material to the Greifenstein natural stage. The Dresden State Operetta brought it out in 2006 – with the Berlin rock poet Dirk Zöllner in the title role.
Queen Elizabeth II knighted Lloyd Webber in 1992 and elevated him to the higher nobility in 1997 as Baron Lloyd-Webber of Sydmonton. He has long been regarded as the pope of musicals. He belongs to the exclusive circle of people who have won at least one of the coveted Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. Later it gets quieter around him. He struggles with prostate cancer and back problems. “But he’s fighting back. With “School of Rock” (2015) and “Cinderella” (2021) he proves that he hasn’t lost any of his creativity. In 2017, four of his musicals are running simultaneously on Broadway.
Lockdown opponents on their own behalf
Lockdowns in the corona pandemic hit him hard. He is vehemently committed to opening theaters and concert halls in Great Britain and is publicly annoyed with celebrating football fans at the European Championship in 2021. If the government does not allow performances in front of full seats in time, he will, if necessary, ignore the rules, he announces at. He even wants to be arrested. But he is spared that.
Nevertheless, his latest musical “Cinderella” in the West End has to close after less than a year. Corona cases in the ensemble and ever new lockdowns mean that performances have to be canceled repeatedly. In the meantime, previews of a new production of the play with a new cast entitled “Bad Cinderella” have started on Broadway. Lloyd Webber missed the official premiere of the musical on Thursday, one day after his birthday, for personal reasons. He announced over the weekend that his eldest son, Nicholas, was seriously ill. “As my friends and family know, he has been battling stomach cancer for 18 months and now Nick is in the hospital.” That is why his place is right next to his son.
Lloyd Webber is in his element when he accompanies the title song of “Phantom of the Opera” on the keyboard in a purple suit to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s throne in the summer of 2022 in front of Buckingham Palace. For the coronation of King Charles III. in May of this year he was even commissioned to compose a hymn. He was “incredibly honored,” he says. “I hope my anthem will do justice to this happy occasion,” said Lloyd Webber. Even at the age of 75, the lively Briton seems far from thinking about retirement.