Webberwatch
October 20th, 2008 by Jonathan DudleyIt’s been a while since we last checked in with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, the nation’s very favourite composer, talent scout, thrower of birthday parties, businessman and all round top chap. Last time, Webber was in Canada chatting to ladies named Maria and was also feverishly planning his 60th birthday party.
This time, we have all sorts of Webbertastic antics to report. In mid-september the National Concert Hall in Dublin hosted a celebration of all things Webber. Aoife Mulholland and Jessie Buckley were joined on stage by Irish stars including Michael McCarthy and David Shannon. Songs from a collection of Webber’s best loved works were performed and by all accounts, everyone present had a jolly good knees up in celebration of the Webbster.
Back in London, Lloyd Webber was benevolently offering free theatre tickets to bankers made redundant by the credit crisis, working on Phantom 2 and getting ready for his massive birthday blowout at Hyde Park. After some particularly spirited performances from the likes of John Barrowman, the I’d Do Anything gang and the intriguingly surname-free Rhydian, Lloyd Webber made a surprise announcement.
Pause for effect.
Apparently, Phantom: Once Upon Another Time, as we have been erroneously calling it here at Show and Stay® towers will be called something completely different! What will it be called?! I hear you cry. Well, I’m about to tell you ladies and gents. The name of Phantom 2 will be……Phantom: Love Never Dies. Bit of an anti-climax eh? Never mind gentle readers, my next Lloyd Webber tit-bit will make everything all better.
For those of you who have somehow missed this on every other theatre blog, the news, West End discussion boards and in general conversation, this will come as a real treat, a delight perhaps. As we all know, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the most celebrated composers of our time, he is the man who brought us countless hours of toe-tapping West End showtunes. Lloyd Webber is the genius behind Timmy Mallet’s cover version of ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ (that’s my fact of the day) and now he has perhaps reached the pinnacle of musical achievement, he is going to compose the UK’s entry for 2009’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Just what the Webbster has in mind is anyone’s guess but you can bet it will probably involve a television talent competition! Perhaps Lloyd Webber will bring together Katrina and the Waves, Samantha Janus, Whigfield and Sir Cliff and form some kind of British Eurovision supergroup. Or perhaps he will use Eurovision to promote Phantom 2 somehow. Whatever it is that his lordship is planning it sure as heck has me interested.
Oh, and for those of you who are wondering just what Webber’s supergroup will look like. Here’s a photo I took this week on the underground of them on their way to band practice.
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