When Andrew Lloyd Webber had three hit musicals on Broadway and in the West End of London simultaneously he was the first composer ever to do so. At the age of only 36 he has proved himself a master of melody and theatrical effect, and there is a thrilling quality to his sound which has captivated audiences across the world. The son of a music teacher, he went to Westminster School in London and for a term to Oxford University. But it was a letter from Tim Rice in 1965 which started him on his life's career. With Tim as lyricist their first success was an end-of-term school cantata - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. There followed Jesus Christ Superstar, which began as a recording and became a smash-hit stage musical, and Evita in 1978. In writing this book, Gerald McKnight has had the benefit of exclusive interviews with Andrew Lloyd Webber, many of his colleagues and several members of his family. He tells how the Rice-Lloyd Webber partnership eventually foundered; why Jeeves failed; how Cats came about; and how Starlight Express and others were born. This book gives a fascinating insight into the life and work of a superstar composer; a composer whose career continues to expand in exciting new directions.
