Lord (Andrew) Lloyd Webber (Composer) - Information, Featured Articles, London's Movers & Shakers

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Lord (Andrew) Lloyd Webber (Composer)

Andrew Lloyd Webber was born on March 22nd 1948 to William and Jean Lloyd Webber. In 1951 his younger brother Julian was born.

Even from a young age, Andrew loved to make his own music, he also had a great interest in inspecting ancient monuments around England, and many people thought he would choose to do to study history as a career.

However, his Aunt Vi introduced him to the theatre, and under her advice started writing music of his own. In 1956, Andrew went to Westminster and started composing music for the school's plays.

In 1962, Andrew won a Challenge Scholarship that reduced his tuition at Westminster, and then got another scholarship in 1964 to transfer to Oxford.

Tim Rice and Andrew met in 1965 and consequently, Andrew dropped out of Oxford to pursue music with Tim. The first musical, The Likes of Us, was a failure, but soon afterwards Joseph was created with the first showing at Colet Court in 1968. Jesus Christ Superstar came next.

In 1971, Andrew married Sarah Jane Hugill. In 1975 Andrew and Alan Ayckbourn, the renowned playwright, started work on a new musical, Jeeves, but it was not a success and Andrew went back to Tim; together they wrote Evita in late 1975.

The next musical, Cats, paired Andrew with the work of the deceased poet T.S. Eliot and producer, Cameron Mackintosh. It was an incredible hit and beat A Chorus Line for longest running and highest grossing musical.

Cats made Andrew rich and famous and left him poised to start a musical about trains, Starlight Express was created in 1984, the most expensive musical ever produced up to that point.

The same year, Andrew divorced Sarah Hugill and married Sarah Brightman. Andrew's next work was Requiem, it wasn't a musical, but serious music for a Mass, and Sarah Brightman sang the female soprano part. Andrew's next work, Phantom of the Opera also included Sarah. One of Andrew's most famous and successful works, Phantom was first performed in 1986.

Aspects of Love, Andrew's next venture, opened in 1989. Its intimate setting and songs were critically praised, but compared to his other works it did not succeed. In 1991, Andrew and Sarah decided to call it quits and on February 15, 1991, Andrew got married yet again to Madeleine Gurdon.

The glittery and tragic musical, Sunset Boulevard came out in 1993, but closed after a few years due to lack of star power. In 1992, Andrew was knighted and became Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, and was then further elevated by being created a Life Peer in 1997.

Also in 1997, Whistle Down the Wind came out. The show had a lot of promise, but closed due to extensive problems, it has si