Andrew Lloyd Webber didn’t enjoy it. Clarin photographic archive
Author of works that are part of the great history of the musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber was booed with his latest production, Cinderellawhich he himself did not hesitate to define “a costly mistake”.
The production of the musical was presented at western end London and had its last performance last Sunday. However, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, who composed the music for the new adaptation of the classic fairy tale, was not present at the Gillian Lynne Theater that evening.
To justify his absence, Webber wrote a letter that was read aloud by the production manager, Laurence Connor. In addition to thanking the members of the production, he himself went on to say that the production was a “costly mistake,” which caused a general whistle from the audience.
Andrew Lloyd Webber Self-criticism and subsequent denial. Twitter photo
“I’m so sorry I can’t be with you today, but I want to thank everyone from our fabulous cast, crew and musicians, to the excellent creative team, Laurence,” Connor read, listing all the key attendees.
setbacks
The author and director referred to the setbacks imposed by the pandemic as an explanation of its theatrical failure. “I still think that if we had only opened three months later, we wouldn’t have had to postpone our opening twice due to Covid. I promise we would have been here for a long time, “he assured him.
“My huge thanks to everyone. We have maintained our firm position against the opening of the West End “, wrote Webber, who was one of those who expressed himself more in the face of the serious crisis that the theatrical activity had to go through during the total closure of the theaters. due to the pandemic.
Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and his wife Madeleine Gurdon pose before Rupert Murdoch’s wedding in 2016. Photo Reuter
“It may have been a costly mistake, but I am proud of what we have done and will always be grateful to everyone who has supported me,” he said. When the director read “costly mistake,” murmurs and confused looks emerged from the audience, as well as from members of the production who were still on stage.
In his defense, Webber (avoid) concluded: “Cinderella It has gotten some of the best reviews of my career and I am immensely proud of it and I owe it enormously to all of you. With all my love, Andrew. “
After a brief pause, the boos were not long in coming, especially when Webber’s name was mentioned by the director commenting that he had sent a letter instead of being present.
The composer, with the Sydney Opera House in the background. Twitter photo Andrew Lloyd Webber
The opera, which, in addition to music by Lloyd Webber, has lyrics by David Zippel and libretto by Emerald Fennell, debuted in that London hall in August 2021, after several delays due to the Covid pandemic.
Forced to interrupt its functions during the following Christmas period due to a resurgence of the virus which occurred in England at that time, the work had many twists. Like other productions, Cinderella suffered from limited presences and unpredictable suspensions due to the pandemic.
The musician did not go to the last function of “Cinderella”. They read his letter and booed him. Twitter photo Andrew Lloyd Webber
Finally, the work ended its functions this Sunday, June 12th. When the end of the season was announced last May, the decision took a large part of the production team by surprise, which led to several claims for compensation from Equity, the union of artists and creative workers.
“What I feel about this production is that we have created something very special,” Connor said in front of the audience, taking the floor. For his part, Webber retracted the self-criticism and made it clear that his comments had been “misunderstood”.
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Source: Clarin
