WEBVTT - Andrew Lloyd Webber is cool now. We’re surprised too.

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<v Speaker 1>From The Australian. This is the weekend edition of The Front.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Claire Harvey. Of all the performing arts, musical theater

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<v Speaker 1>has to be the most polarizing, So it makes sense

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<v Speaker 1>that the hero of the genre, Andrew Lloyd Webber, is

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<v Speaker 1>loved and loathed in equal measure. Our own Richard Ferguson

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<v Speaker 1>is a musical feeder fan and an Andrew Lloyd Webber fan.

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<v Speaker 2>No, don't see that. I hear andre Lloyd Webber. If

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<v Speaker 2>I do enjoy some of the musicals, I'll explain that.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, But Richard does think that Andrew Lloyd Weber is

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<v Speaker 1>having a moment right now, just not here in Australia.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that okay to say, yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>But I do not approve of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Just

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<v Speaker 2>meet that very.

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<v Speaker 1>Clear, Richard Ferguson, tell me about the moment Andrew Lloyd

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<v Speaker 1>Webber is having right now.

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<v Speaker 2>Andrew Lloyd Weber, for the first time in about fifty years,

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<v Speaker 2>has become chic, which is unbelievable to anybody that has

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<v Speaker 2>followed musical feared her. So when Andrew Lloyd Webber first

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<v Speaker 2>came onto the musical fearder scene, he was a young

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<v Speaker 2>English composer, working with the songwriter Tim Rice. Probably their

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<v Speaker 2>first big hit was Jesus Christ Superstar, which was so

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<v Speaker 2>controversial at the time because it was pretty irreligious. It

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<v Speaker 2>did not state that Jesus Christ was the Lord and Savior.

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<v Speaker 2>It had Judas as the hero, and it also had

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<v Speaker 2>some of the best songs I think in musical fear

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<v Speaker 2>to history, including probably the best romantic ballad, I Don't

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<v Speaker 2>Know How to Love Him, which is the song by

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<v Speaker 2>Mary Magdalene, and Mary Magdalene goes on to Snogham at

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<v Speaker 2>one point that being Jesus, so you know he was edgy.

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<v Speaker 2>And then they had a Vita which was a pretty

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<v Speaker 2>interesting kind of edgy musical. Then he started Phantom of

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<v Speaker 2>the Opera, and then it really made a turn when

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<v Speaker 2>it came to Cats, which was the musical version of ts.

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<v Speaker 2>Eliott's collection of Poems and at Children, which makes no

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<v Speaker 2>sense whatsoever to anybody who has ever watched the darn thing.

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<v Speaker 2>So when he first came up with the idea of

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<v Speaker 2>doing ts. Eliot's Possum Cats as a musical, he went

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<v Speaker 2>to the great Broadway director Harold Prince, who did many

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<v Speaker 2>of the great Broadway hits with Steven Soheim and Harold

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<v Speaker 2>Prince told the story of saying to Andrew Lloyd Weber,

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<v Speaker 2>I don't really get what this about. Is it an

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<v Speaker 2>I allegory for Victorian politics? Is you know one of them?

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<v Speaker 2>Queen Victoria is one of them, Lord Melbourne. And Andrew

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<v Speaker 2>Lloyd Weber said, Harold, it's about cats. And that's when

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<v Speaker 2>he turned it down and said to ever none did

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<v Speaker 2>it instead, and has ever since made millions and millions

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<v Speaker 2>of dollars off the fact that Trevor Nunn wrote the

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<v Speaker 2>lyrics to the song memory Your Fast to them. But

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<v Speaker 2>very quickly Andrew Lloyd Weber became a goal word for ghosh.

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<v Speaker 2>He was famously Margaret Thatcher's idea of high culture. She

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<v Speaker 2>loved Andrew Lloyd Webber because she said, you know, Andrew

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<v Speaker 2>Lloyd Webber makes money. You know, this has been exported

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<v Speaker 2>to the United States and makes money. So Margaret Thatcher

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<v Speaker 2>loved Andrew Lloyd Webber, which, as you can imagine, did

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<v Speaker 2>him great favors in the British cultural scene of the

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen eighties at the time. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>He was also later at a life pee who said

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<v Speaker 1>in the House of Lords and generally voted with the conservatives,

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't he exactly?

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<v Speaker 2>But you have to admit some of the musicals are fantastic.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't cry funny Gentine.

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<v Speaker 2>Some of the songs in particular are brilliant. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>don't Cry for Me. Argentina is actually an extraordinary political satifire.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, don't Cry for Me Argentina is basically full

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<v Speaker 2>of all these Pirhnian kind of platitudes that mean absolutely nothing,

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<v Speaker 2>and that is the point. He is responsible for some

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<v Speaker 2>of the most successful musical fear hits that have their

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<v Speaker 2>own lives as songs, as top cultural moments outside of

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<v Speaker 2>the musicals, which is very hard to do, you know.

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<v Speaker 2>Stephen Sondheim famously said, I'm going to play you a

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<v Speaker 2>collection of my greatest hits played sending the clowns, and

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<v Speaker 2>then he said, well that's it. All the other songs

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<v Speaker 2>don't work outside the context of musicals. While as Andrew

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<v Speaker 2>Willoyd Webber turned his songs into major chart topping hits,

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<v Speaker 2>but then he just develops this reputation for being cheap,

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<v Speaker 2>for being lowest common denominator. But things really get bad

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<v Speaker 2>when they make the film of Cats. So this came

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<v Speaker 2>out about five years ago. Tom Hooper who directed the

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<v Speaker 2>King's Speech, won an Oscar for that. He made a

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<v Speaker 2>very successful version of Le mis Rabelais, which also won

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<v Speaker 2>a couple of Oscars. But then he did Cats. Tonight

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<v Speaker 2>is a magical night film. It is, without a doubt,

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<v Speaker 2>probably the worst big budget film ever made out of Hollywood.

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<v Speaker 1>Going to the Ball could get dangerous.

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<v Speaker 2>It is atrocious, It is weird. They didn't even finish

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<v Speaker 2>the CGI in time for the premiere. They had to

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<v Speaker 2>release another version two weeks afterwards. Didn't matter because anyone

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<v Speaker 2>who saw the fair told everybody else, don't bother going.

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<v Speaker 2>It's extraordinary that you can have a film with Judy

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<v Speaker 2>Dent and Taylor Swift in it, and yet it's still

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<v Speaker 2>absolutely appalling. It doesn't make any sense. The cats look

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<v Speaker 2>so strange. They're weird and kind of creepy with each other,

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<v Speaker 2>like sexually creepy with each other. Just the whole thing

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<v Speaker 2>is a complete disat and it was a real box

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<v Speaker 2>of Was this the end of alw Then Jamie Lloyd happened.

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<v Speaker 2>We know that we can reinvent Shakespeare, we know we

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<v Speaker 2>can reinvent Chickle. Why don't we reinvent angeloid Webber? Let's

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<v Speaker 2>give it a go. So Jamie Lloyd is a terrible

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<v Speaker 2>thing I think for a lot of us more traditional

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<v Speaker 2>fear of lovers, because he has shown that you could

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<v Speaker 2>do post modern deconstructing everybody just wearing black or no

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<v Speaker 2>clothes at all, running around with pants in your head

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<v Speaker 2>kind of theater and actually make it good. But what

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<v Speaker 2>he did was he did Sunset Boulevard, not a great musical,

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<v Speaker 2>but he got in the Coach Schwerzinger, who is most

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<v Speaker 2>famous as the lead singer if the pussy Cat dolls,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, don't yell, don't you wish fund like me,

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<v Speaker 2>don't you Button? You know songs that I'm not sure

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<v Speaker 2>many of our were just from the big fans of

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<v Speaker 2>But she was extraordinary as Norma Desmond. It is one

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<v Speaker 2>of the best performances I have ever seen. She won

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<v Speaker 2>the Olivia on the West End for it, and then

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<v Speaker 2>she won the Tony the Best Actress in the musical.

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<v Speaker 2>Nicole Scherzinger is here to perform with one look from

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<v Speaker 2>the critically acclaimed Broadway musical sun Set Boulevard, Take it Away.

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<v Speaker 2>So this brings everybody back saying they can make Sunset

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<v Speaker 2>Boulevard cool? Can they make anything seem cool. So then

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<v Speaker 2>we come to Avita. So Avita on the West End

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<v Speaker 2>stars Rachel Zegler as Eva Peron, the first Lady of Argentina.

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<v Speaker 2>She has just come out of doing Snow White, which

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<v Speaker 2>may be the only film to ever rival Cats for

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<v Speaker 2>being the worst big budget film ever produced by Hollywood.

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<v Speaker 2>Absolute disaster. But what Jamie Lloyd also does, as well

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<v Speaker 2>as screens and people running out round looking like their

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<v Speaker 2>backstage at the Rockus Deedford, is he does parts of

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<v Speaker 2>the performance outside. So every time she sings Don't Cry

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<v Speaker 2>for Me Argentina, Rachel Zegler goes onto the balcony of

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<v Speaker 2>the theater out on the London Street and she sings

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<v Speaker 2>it to the crowd outside. She doesn't sing it to

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<v Speaker 2>the audience wow, which is quite controversial because people say,

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<v Speaker 2>we're paying, you know, up to two hundred pounds for

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<v Speaker 2>these seats and she's going to sing main the main

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<v Speaker 2>song outside. But it has been a triumph. This has

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<v Speaker 2>led to some other really interesting things with alw They

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<v Speaker 2>seem to have found the way to do Cats, which is,

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<v Speaker 2>don't do it with stupid leatards and people with silly makeup,

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<v Speaker 2>do it as a ballroom competition. So just like the

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<v Speaker 2>ballroom culture of the nineteen eighties in the early nineties

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<v Speaker 2>in New York where a lot of these street kids,

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<v Speaker 2>gay kids, trans kids will go to these ballrooms and

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<v Speaker 2>do basically disco competitions. That's putting it very simply. There's

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<v Speaker 2>a great film about it called Paris Is Burning, which

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<v Speaker 2>is a great documentary. But this is where voguing came from,

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<v Speaker 2>which of course was popularized by Madonna and song vogue.

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<v Speaker 2>So they're doing Madonna style dancing as a competition, because

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<v Speaker 2>the whole point of Cats is that the cats are

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<v Speaker 2>competing to go to Heaven. Then you've had the Jesus

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<v Speaker 2>Christ Superstar Concert at the Hollywood Bowl where Cynthia Reevo,

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<v Speaker 2>who is obviously the Wicked witch and Wicked playing Jesus Christ,

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<v Speaker 2>Adam Blambert, the winner of American Idol playing Judas. That

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<v Speaker 2>has never been an absolute huge hit in America.

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<v Speaker 1>Coming up, how Australia is responding to the alw face

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<v Speaker 1>lift happening overseas.

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<v Speaker 2>So in Australia they're celebrating the fortieth anniversary of Cats,

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<v Speaker 2>not by doing the cool ballroom thing, not by trying

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<v Speaker 2>to make it interesting. They're doing leotards and funny makeup.

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<v Speaker 3>Let the Memory Live Again. Cats, the musical loved all

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<v Speaker 3>around the world, is celebrating its fortieth Australian anniversary and

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<v Speaker 3>the original cast and creative team from that historic production

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<v Speaker 3>are all still in fine voice.

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<v Speaker 2>They're about to do Phantom of the Opera again, which

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<v Speaker 2>will be beautiful, but it's the same production. Opera Australia

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<v Speaker 2>have been in a big crisis recently. Lynnin Terrencini, who

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<v Speaker 2>left Opera Australian twenty twenty two, had a big success

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<v Speaker 2>bringing musicals into the fold. But the artistic director who

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<v Speaker 2>succeeded Tera Sini, Joe Davis, she left in twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 2>fours just nine months into our contract. The CEO for that, Allen,

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<v Speaker 2>was out the door in January twenty twenty five. They

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<v Speaker 2>haven't been replaced, but once again ALW comes into the picture.

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<v Speaker 2>Recently they did a production of Sunset Boulevard. They brought

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<v Speaker 2>out Sarah Brightman, who was in the original Phantom of

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<v Speaker 2>the Opera, former romantic partner of ALW. She hadn't been

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<v Speaker 2>on stage in many, many years, so people were very

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<v Speaker 2>excited to see her. But she played Norma Desmond and

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<v Speaker 2>was very disappointing according to a lot of ruts. Now

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<v Speaker 2>there are some people who feel that this was unfair,

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<v Speaker 2>but it was a disaster. It was a critical and

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<v Speaker 2>box office disaster. It did a lot of damage to

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<v Speaker 2>Opera Australia. But what was coming to popularity at the

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<v Speaker 2>same time, Sarah Brightman was in this tired Opera Australia

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<v Speaker 2>production of Sunset Boulevard. The pussy Cat Doll, who was

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<v Speaker 2>about to become the new Douyena musical theater was just

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<v Speaker 2>starting in the West End. So this is a problem

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<v Speaker 2>that Australia is having. It is behind theatrical trends. It

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<v Speaker 2>is unwilling to take risks. There are some examples. You know, Sydney.

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<v Speaker 2>Theader companies obviously come out of a bit of a

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<v Speaker 2>funk with the picture of Dorian Gray. It's about to

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<v Speaker 2>do Dracula again with Cynthia Ravel playing Dracula on the

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<v Speaker 2>West End. But after the hey days of Linden Terrenceiny

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<v Speaker 2>at Opera Australia, Cate Blanchette and Andrew Upton at the STC,

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<v Speaker 2>let's not even start on Melbourne. Theoder there's this andre

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<v Speaker 2>Lloyd Webber revival of people being innovative, different, but still

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<v Speaker 2>going to classic hits that everybody loves and making them cool,

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<v Speaker 2>making them, making them big financial winners. And yet we

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<v Speaker 2>can't seem to grasp this, despite the fact that it's

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<v Speaker 2>happening in front of our eyes. We're still going for

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<v Speaker 2>the leatards.

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<v Speaker 1>Staging seems to be a part of the problem, doesn't it.

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<v Speaker 1>I recently saw the arena spectacular version of Le miserab

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<v Speaker 1>at the ICC in Sydney and I was hugely disappointed

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<v Speaker 1>because there was no acting. It was a standard and

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<v Speaker 1>deliver format where the actors stood at microphones are just

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<v Speaker 1>sang into the audience, which meant that the.

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<v Speaker 2>Plot was very difficult to follow.

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<v Speaker 1>I wonder our theater producers a bit lazy when it

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<v Speaker 1>comes to Australia because we do love musical theater and

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<v Speaker 1>we'll kind of go and see anything. Does that mean

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<v Speaker 1>they don't have to work as hard here?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah? I think this is absolutely true. So Tim mentioned

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<v Speaker 2>had a huge success with the musical version of Matelda.

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<v Speaker 2>It is one of the great musicals in the past

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<v Speaker 2>twenty years, and he was talked about it lasting for

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<v Speaker 2>a long time on the West Stand as long as

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<v Speaker 2>the Phantom of the operank At and he said, well,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not sure about that because I just went to

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<v Speaker 2>see The Lion King, which has been on Broadway for

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<v Speaker 2>nearly friddy years now, and he said, and it just

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<v Speaker 2>looks so tired. It looks so tired.

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<v Speaker 1>Richard Ferguson is the Australian's canber Bureau chief. You can

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<v Speaker 1>read his work anytime at the Australian dot com dot au.

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<v Speaker 1>This episode of the Front was hosted by me Claire

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<v Speaker 1>Harvey and produced by Jasper Leak, who edited the episode

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<v Speaker 1>and also wrote our theme. Thanks for joining us on

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<v Speaker 1>the Front this week. Our team is Kristin Amiot Leat, Samaglue,

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<v Speaker 1>Tiffany Dimac, Joshua Burton and Stephanie Coombs.