Lloyd Webber-Rice The Likes of Us Airs on BBC, Sept. 30

On September 30th, BBC Radio 2 will broadcast the concert of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's first musical collaboration, The Likes of Us. 

The world premiere concert was performed on July 12th as part of the Sydmonton Festival at The Mermaid Theatre-Puddle Dock, Upper Thames Street, Blackfriars.

The first joint effort between composer Lloyd Webber and lyricist Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat being the others), The Likes of Us features a book by Leslie Thomas.  Thomas had been a client of the humanitarian Dr. Barnardo, the subject of the musical.  The Likes of Us had been intended for a West End production but only made it into demo stages (in a tape released by Southern Music).

The exclusive 40th anniversary performance was introduced by Paul Gambaccini and featured Stephen Frye (Wilde) as narrator; Frye filled the audience in on relevant plot points.  The Likes of Us, which was directed by Chris Luscombe and featured Simon Lee's music direction, was enhanced by one added song, but otherwise remained as it was in 1965.

With other lyricists, Lloyd Webber has written such shows as The Phantom of the Opera, Cats (no less a poet than T.S. Eliot was his collaborator there), Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, The Beautiful Game and most recently, the Broadway-bound The Woman in White.  Without Lloyd Webber, Rice has worked on Chess, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aida and others.

For more information, visit www.bbc.co.uk.