Some Christian groups, who often protested outside the theater, were upset both with the portrayal of Jesus as a sometimes troubled human being and with the fact that Lloyd Webber and Rice left out the resurrection, choosing to end the story with Jesus' death on the cross. Along with success, the musical also brought controversy. The theatrical production, which finally came to the stage in 1971, was a huge success, running in London for a total of 3,357 performances. The album was a success in both Great Britain and the United States, selling more than 3 million copies. When they could not obtain funding to produce the musical, they released an album of songs they had written for it. Riding on their success, Lloyd Webber and Rice teamed up again to create another musical based on a biblical story, Jesus Christ Superstar. The musical, with its fusion of numerous musical styles, including rock, country, and jazz, proved to be so popular that it was also produced at the Central Hall in Westminster where it received rave reviews. The result was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, based on the biblical story of Joseph, a boy sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, who uses his ability to interpret dreams to overcome the bonds of his captivity. Lloyd Webber and Rice ultimately staged their first production after a local schoolmaster commissioned them to create a musical play for his students to produce. He composed, with lyricist Tim Rice, The Likes of Us, a never-to-beproduced musical based on the life of British orphanage founder Dr. Career DetailsĪfter only one term at Oxford, Lloyd Webber withdrew from school and returned to London. Lloyd Webber was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992 for his service to the arts, and in 1997 became Lord Lloyd Webber of Sydmonton when he was elevated to Britain's House of Lords. Lloyd Webber married for a third time in 1991, this time to Madeleine Gurdon. A year later, Lloyd Webber married Sarah Brightman, a cast member in his musical Cats. They had one daughter, Imogen, before divorcing in 1983. Lloyd Webber married Sarah Jane Tudor Hugill, a singer and musician, in 1971. Lloyd Webber was also extremely interested in architecture, and so in 1965 he entered Oxford as a history major. Around the same time, he won a scholarship to Westminster School in London, where heĬontinued writing musicals. At age 12, Lloyd Webber wrote a fan letter to famed musical composer Richard Rodgers and was invited to meet him. At the age of nine, he wrote his first musical based on Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest. At a very early age, Lloyd Webber became fascinated by musical theatre and made stage models with puppets. Lloyd Webber's brother, Julian, actually became a world-renowned cellist. As a child, Lloyd Webber took lessons in violin, piano, and French horn. Personal LifeĪndrew Lloyd Webber was born on March 22, 1948, in London, England, to William Southcombe Lloyd Webber, a composer and director of the London College of Music, and Jean (Johnstone) Hermione Southcombe Lloyd Webber, a piano teacher. No one, however, can deny his impact on theatre ever since Jesus Christ Superstar hit the stage in 1971. While his critics complain that he often depends too heavily on overdone glitz and glamour, his fans love his fusion of various music styles, including rock and roll, jazz, and classical. In the theatre worlds of London, New York, and around the world, Lloyd Webber has been associated with some of the most popular, longest-running shows ever. He has been the one at the forefront of the creation of the super-show, complete with big budgets, large casts, and elaborate productions. Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the most popular and successful composers of modern theatre.
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