Andrew Lloyd Webber – Dance Direct Blog. News, Reviews & Advice About Dance

Broadway’s School Of Rock

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical – School of Rock – is set to open on Broadway in December this year, great news for fans of the film of the same name. Based on the 2003 film, the musical will feature songs from it also, in addition to new music by Lloyd Webber. Previously the mogul had spoken about opening the musical on Broadway, rather than in the UK’s because of the more relaxed child performance rules.

In New York a child can be employed as an actor for six months to a year, without enforcing the triple casting rules of the UK: if a show finishes after 10pm a child can only perform eight nights every six weeks. In New York however, the rules governing children are less stringent, permitting child actors to work up to 9 hours a day.

When the show premieres on Broadway, it will mark an important point for composer Lloyd Webber, as his last show to open in New York before London was Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971. With School of Rock his next musical, it will become his first in more than 40 years to open on Broadway ahead of the West End. While the UK is Lloyd Webber’s home, opening in Broadway would be significant – School of Rock is an American story, so to open in the iconic city would pay homage to this.

The story of School of Rock is much about how music can empower children to take control and to achieve something huge. Like the UK, there are an abundance of talented musical theatre child performers in the US. It has been stated that casting for the show will begin in the US in January for the show to open the following winter.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Pop Princess Nicole Scherzinger To Star In Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats

Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger will make her West End stage debut this year when she takes to the stage as Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical Cats. The musical, directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographer by Gillian Lynne, will return to the West End for a strictly limited run from 6 December at the iconic London Palladium.

Having trained in theatre and dance at the Wright State University in Ohio, Scherzinger found fame with American pop group the Pussycat Dolls which sold 50 million records worldwide. She has since enjoyed success as a solo artist, selling 16 million records and having number one singles in the UK. In 2011 she joined the UK version of the X Factor as a judge and also performed one of Lloyd Webber’s songs at the Royal Variety Performance, “Phantom of the Opera”, alongside John-Owen Jones, Ramin Karimloo, Earl Carpenter and Simon Bowman.

Also joining the cast will be Zizi Strallen (niece of Bonnie Langford, sister of Summer, Scarlett and Sasi) as Demeter alongside Cameron Ball (Macavity/Admetus), Kathryn Barnes (Tantomile), Cassie Clare (Cassandra), Ross Finnie (Skimbleshanks), Charlene Ford (Bombalurina), Adam Lake (Alonzo), Paul F Monaghan (Bustopher Jones/Asparagus/Growl Tiger), Joel Morris (Carbucketty), Natasha Mould (Jemima), Benjamin Mundy (Coricopat), Joseph Poulton (Quaxo/Mistoffelees), Nicholas Pound (Old Deuteronomy), Sophie Ragavelas (alternate Grizabella), Clare Rickard (Jellylorum/Griddlebone), Adam Salter (Bill Bailey), Laurie Scarth (Jennyanydots), Hannah Kenna Thomas (Victoria/White Cat), Callum Train (Munkustrap) and Dawn Williams (Rumpleteazer) who are joined by swings Ryan Gover, Barry Haywood, Alice Jane, Grace McKee, Dane Quixall and Libby Watts.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber To Fund Arts Apprenticeships

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s charitable foundation has announced six grants which will support apprenticeships within professional arts organisations. The grants total more than £150,000, meaning young people will be able to gain better access to the arts, and gain a better chance of success with funds behind them as part of organisations.

Five theatre organisations and one music festival will receive funding: Shared Experience will receive £105,000 over three years to support one trainee director and producer per year as a result of paid six-month apprenticeships; Tangled Feet will receive £14,000 over two years to help fund its participation programme for young people; Manchester Royal Exchange’s Young Company will receive £10,000; Chickenshed will receive £15,000 towards its Young Creators Programme; Icon Theatre in Medway will receive £9,000; and the Lake District International Summer Music Festival will receive £10,000. There is great variety in the organisations which have gained support, meaning benefits will be across the board of the arts industry.

Since the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation was re-launched in 2011, it has donated over £8.5 million to more than 120 projects. The foundation’s support of these projects will give young people valuable experience within professional arts organisations, and not just those which place performers on stage. It seems relatively common that talented individuals working behind the scenes are forgotten or glanced over. However, as the trust advocates, it is equally important to provide training for these skills as it is for performers, because without those behind the scenes – or in other, equally important, areas of the performing arts industry – there would be no show for the performers to work in.

As a result of the grants by the foundation, arts across the UK can continue to produce to high standards having provided solid training and opportunities for those aspiring to work in the arts.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Cats The Musical

Since Cats the musical opened on the West End stage in 1981 it has become one of the world’s best known and best loved musicals. Originally directed by Trevor Nunn, the show has since been presented in over 20 countries and in around 250 cities, including diverse destinations such as Buenos Aires, Seoul, Helsinki and Singapore, and has been translated into 10 languages for audiences all over the world. The show has translated into Japanese, German, (three versions for Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Hungarian, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, Swedish, French, Spanish (two versions for Mexico and Argentina) and Italian, with the Swiss production requiring a bilingual cast who performed in German and English on alternate nights

The original production opened at the New London Theatre in the West End on 11 May 1981: eight years later it celebrated its first important milestone and became the longest running musical in the history of the British theatre after 3,358 performances. Within two and half years of the London opening there were productions in New York, Tokyo, Budapest and Vienna, and the first of tour US touring productions had begun. Cats opened on Broadway in 1982 and ran until 2000, with 1997 seeing the show become the longest running musical on Broadway and 1991 marking Cats as the longest, continuously touring show in American theatre history.

In addition to the incredible dance and staging of the iconic production, the musical numbers of the show have also been hugely popular. “Memory” has been recorded by over 150 artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Johnny Mathis, with Barry Manilow’s rendition was a top-40 hit in the U.S. The Original London Cast Recording of Cats also won the 1982 Grammy Award for Best Cast Album, in addition to a number of other awards over the years, and the following year the Original Broadway Cast Recording won the same award.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Years

ITV are set to celebrate Andrew Lloyd Webber’s impressive and vast 40-year career with a 90-minute television special to mark his musical achievements. Stars such as Samantha Barks, Kimberley Walsh, Tim Minchin and Nicole Scherzinger are among the performers who will take part in the show which aims to celebrate the on-stage work of Lloyd Webber, rather than be a tribute to said work, which is sure to continue far into the future.

Aptly named ‘Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Years’, the 90-minute programme will be hosted by musical theatre icon Michael Ball, donning his top hat and tails to make sure the show goes down a storm for viewers. The show will include performances of songs from the Lloyd Webber’s shows, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats and Evita. Both Jesus Christ Superstar and Cats have seen recent revivals for the stage, giving younger audiences the chance to see musicals that they may have been unable to see in the shows’ heyday. However, these examples alone demonstrate the power of Lloyd Webber’s music to communicate with audiences and continue to attract them to fantastic shows up and down the country, and even all over the world.

The evening will also feature the first performance of a song from Lloyd Webber’s forthcoming show, Stephen Ward, and will include Lloyd Webber sharing anecdotes and discussing his musical influences in creating for a blockbuster show. Contributions from those people within the performing arts industry who have worked with him will not be thin on the ground, with the programme detailing Lloyd Webber’s unrivalled contribution to theatre.

Lloyd Webber will be using the ITV programme to celebrate his four decades in the West End with an evening that promises some spectacular performances and a deeper insight into the man himself.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.