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Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber has given an exclusive interview to The Telegraph, explaining his strong stance on the UK government’s promise to reopen the nation on 21st June. Giving new details and insight into his action saving theatres over the last year, Lloyd-Webber told his story and his fears for the future.
The composer stated that he would defy the government and reopen “come hell or high water” if the plans for reopening on 21st June are cancelled. The worry about the ‘roadmap to reopening’ getting cancelled comes as there is much trepidation at the air, as certain scientists and advisors are recommending to British PM Boris Johnson that the date be postponed.
Lloyd-Webber has explained that the only way to save the theatres is to fully reopen them, and even shared that he has remortgaged his home and there is a very real possibility that he may sell the six West End venues he currently owns if things do not improve in the near future – they are allegedly costing £1 million per month while closed. In the interview, Webber refused to comment on rumours that he has borrowed more than £50 million.
The timing for reopening is crucial; as previously reported by TheatreArtLife, Lloyd-Webber’s new show Cinderella is due to preview in June, prompting the latest strong words in a year of action, vaccine and scientific tests undertaken by the musician. He elaborated:
“I’ve seen the science from the tests, don’t ask me how. They all prove that theatres are completely safe, the virus is not carried there. If the Government ignore their own science, we have the mother of all legal cases against them. If Cinderella couldn’t open, we’d go, ‘Look, either we go to law about it or you’ll have to compensate us’. We are going to open, come hell or high water”. What if the Government demands a postponement? “We will say: come to the theatre and arrest us.”
Also reported in Lloyd-Webber’s interview was the £6 million cost of his first new show on the West End in five years, and his 17th since the 1968 debut of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The new Cinderella show has been in the works since 2018, and its book is by Webber’s close family friend Emerald Fennell, the Oscar-winning writer, director and producer of Promising Young Woman. Lloyd-Webber described the twist on the classic story as:
“A world where people go to extreme lengths to make themselves beautiful, and our Cinderella looks at it and goes: this is weird. It’s about being obsessed with changing yourself and being like the Kardashians.”
Lloyd-Webber also described working with lyricist David Zippel as being a joyful one, and praised the creative process of the trio as a team effort, while the scale of the show is set to be another impressive team – the ensemble consists of a busy 34.
While Cinderella is an exciting upcoming show, Lord Lloyd-Webber has also been busy preparing a new production of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre from 27th July, as well as a revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Palladium soon after. Additionally, Lloyd-Webber’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane is set to premiere a UK stage show of Disney’s Frozen in August following its £60 million renovation project. Though certainly an exciting time if all shows are able to go ahead, it’s easy to sympathise with the defiant gesture of Lloyd-Webber with so many potential commitments ahead:
“I don’t think the government understand it. We’ve never taken any profit out of the theatres. I’ve always tried to put back in, which is why we’re in a muddle now because we never had a big reserve.”
Links:
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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