Andrew Lloyd Weber an Original

Andrew Lloyd Weber

An Original Showman -- Andrew Lloyd Webber's Personal and Professional Biography loved it! It was better than cats!' Andrew Lloyd Webber's contributions to musical theater in England and America have become so ubiquitous they are subjects of frequent jokes. Lloyd Webber's musical presence on the Great White Way is substantial and controversial. Some highbrow critics blame him for bringing too much glitz and glamour to the musical stage, and even roller skating in "Starlight Express." His critics charge that he has allowed pop music and spectacle entertainment to infiltrate the classical, pure song-and-dance medium of the West End and Broadway. Others love his music -- either as a guilty pleasure or as a devoted adherent of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Evita." Fans say that his musicals are daring, for who else would have thought of bringing the Bible to the stage in the form of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," and made both musicals and dramatic themes accessible to contemporary audiences? Not every composer, one might argue, could make T.S. Eliot's feline poetry popular and moving to watch for people all over the world.

Love him or hate him, no critic can deny that he has composed some of the most memorable music of the latter half of the 20th century, and that his influence continues to be felt today. When one speaks of a spectacular end to a first act, everyone says "she's bringing down the chandelier." This is a direct reference to a breath-taking, awe-inspiring (and some would say overly melodramatic) scene from "Phantom." And even the noted pop star Madonna fought to play Evita Peron in the cinematic biography of the Argentinian dictator's wife, which Webber first immortalized on stage.

For all of his extravagant visions for the theater, Andrew Lloyd Webber was born to humble beginnings on March 22, 1948. His parents lived in South Kensington, England. His father, William Southcombe Lloyd Webber, was a professor of music theory at Royal College of Music in England. His mother, Jean, was a singer and violinist. Unsurprisingly, with these beginnings, young Andrew showed an early love and aptitude for music. Andrew was an undoubted musical prodigy. At only three years old, he played violin and at six he composed his first songs (Larsdotter, 1997).

These were not simply the jottings of an amateur, however. At the tender age of nine he had his first piece of music published. But it was Andrew's aunt who first ignited the young boy's interest in stage musicals. Lloyd Webber says he can still remember going with his Aunt Vi to "My Fair Lady." He even built a small theater of his own at home and wrote compositions for it (Larsdotter, 1997).

Andrew Lloyd Webber's fruitful collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice began when Andrew was only seventeen, and Tim was twenty-one, while both were studying at the Royal College of Music ("Andrew Lloyd Webber, Answers.com, 2007). The Royal College of Music is noted for its operatic and classical focus, but Lloyd Webber and Rice wanted to make music accessible and exciting to the middle and lower classes. The West End at the time was in decline, due to the radical, countercultural influence of the 60s and the fascination with pop music, rather than musicals. Webber and Rice did not share many of their student colleague's disdain of commercialism and they loved musicals and rock n'roll.

Their first production together was "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" a revolutionary musical that fused pop songs and an enthusiastic 60s spirit with religious images. This followed with "Jesus Christ Superstar" in 1969 (Larsdotter, 1997). The latter was a hit because of the way that it portrayed Jesus as a man of the people, rather than an inaccessible icon, a message which resonated profoundly with 1960s audiences seeking spiritual meaning in a difficult world. Some critics were shocked by these musicals, particularly "Jesus" that portrayed Judas in a more sympathetic light, as a man tormented by his destiny to be the betrayer of Christ.

After the success of these Biblical musicals, Lloyd Webber severed from Rice to explore different methods of conveying his musical vision, such as the more dance-inspired "Cats." In this musical, Lloyd Webber abandoned many of the rock elements of his former work "in favor of what critics found a pastiche style that borrowed from classical and opera sources. He had also become a brand name" and created his own a corporation, the Really Useful Company that attempted to bring commercialism, in a positive fashion, to the musical theater industry ("Andrew Lloyd Webber, Answers.com, 2007).

Cats" was not simply one of the most successful musicals of all time, it also spawned t-shirts, mugs, and yes, many jokes, as well as a soundtrack album and other, more conventional methods of generating interest in the show -- and revenue. Since "Cats," was created by Lloyd Webber, almost every other major musical has attempted to create a fan base and a commercial industry around its success, to justify the expense of constructing an elaborate set and putting large cast on stage night after night.

Lloyd Weber's most famous musical continues to be "Phantom of the Opera." It starred Sarah Brighton, his wife at the time, who had also featured in "Cats." Webber left his first wife for Sarah, who was to become Christine, the inspirational muse of the hideous creature living below the Paris Opera House. "Phantom" inspired repeat traffic, as fans again and again returned to see the story of Erik, and to thrill to the recreation of the twisting and turning labyrinths beneath the Paris Opera House. It was Webber's homage to the opera and classical music that originally inspired him, even though his career and musical style wildly deviated from it, for most of its course. "Phantom" contained elements of opera, pop music, ballet, and cinema, all fused into one show that the critics panned, musically and theatrically, but fans lined up for hours to see. Its staying power has even outlasted Webber's marriage to Brighton.