Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works by Michael Walsh

From Barnes & Noble

Jesus Christ Superstar. Evita. Cats. The Phantom of the Opera. Webber's hit parade of West End and Broadway musicals has established him as the foremost theatrical composer of our time. In this biography, Walsh examines his personal motivations and professional methods. Includes 100 illustrations, 80 in full color.

From the Publisher

Michael Walsh examines Lloyd Webber's personal motivations and professional methods and recounts his enduring influence on the development of the popular musical. Walsh covers the famous shows as well as Lloyd Webber's lesser-known works, such as Requiem and Jeeves, his only outright flop, which, nevertheless, in 1996 was revived successfully both in England and the United States as By Jeeves. This updated and enlarged version of the book takes the reader to the opening of Sunset Boulevard, through the long-running negotiations for the movie version of Evita, and right up to Lloyd Webber's latest musical, Whistle Down the Wind. Going behind the scenes, Walsh tells of a middle-class boy who dropped out of Oxford and became an international superstar. He also relates Lloyd Webber's mercurial relationships with the press, his colleagues, and his collaborators, including lyricist Tim Rice, directors Trevor Nunn and Hal Prince, and leading ladies Elaine Paige, Sarah Brightman (his second wife), and Glenn Close. Finally, he charts Lloyd Weber's latest milestones - including a third marriage and a lordship - and his transition from composer to impresario to international business entrepreneur.

Publishers Weekly

There is a fairy-tale quality about this biography, for despite persistent negative reviews and accusations of plagiarism, Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose ability to make money may exceed his talent for making music, has risen to the top with Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Starlight Express and Phantom of the Opera. After Phantom he was earning $12 million a year; at the age of 41 he is one of the wealthiest and most successful composers of all time. Walsh, music critic of Time , analyzes the works and their influence on musical theater in England and the United States, and he also takes a close look at the man--his childhood, his marriages and his difficult relationships with associates, particularly lyricist Tim Rice and directors Hal Prince and Trevor Nunn. Written in a bouncy style and illustrated with color photographs from the musicals, the book is as glitzy as Lloyd Webber's shows. (Dec.)

Library Journal

Dozens of color photos from the musicals of England's most famous contemporary composer (Cats, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, etc.) decorate this oversized biography by the appreciative Walsh. Presented as a history (with some analysis) of the shows, with a chapter for each that describes ideas, persons, decisions, and production details, the book is short on items from Lloyd Webber's personal life (his first wife refused to be interviewed.) The sewn binding will stand up well to the popularity this book may experience in libraries, especially if the film version of Evita is released. A companion to Craig Zadan's behind-the-scenes book on Stephen Sondheim, Sondheim and Co. (Harper, 1986. 2d ed.).--Bonnie Jo Dopp, District of Columbia P.L.

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