Andrew Lloyd Webber Talks Oz & Next TV Star Hunt - Jesus

Interviewed this week on Sir Terry Wogan's Weekend Wogan was composer Andrew Lloyd Webber who gave a special interview live from the London Palladium (soon to be home to THE WIZARD OF OZ) in which he talked about a wide range of subjects, including the upcoming show and his recent knack for casting in television hunts. Here's what was said:

TW: Tell us about The Wizard of Oz, we all have seen the search for herself, Danielle Hope. Are you happy with your choice for Dorothy?

ALW: I absolutely am happy with Danielle. I think she's going to be a superb Dorothy, I know that and we're also very lucky that Michael Crawford is going to play The Wizard so I think that's going to be wonderful for Danielle. They've already met, and there isn't a trick in the book that Michael Crawford doesn't know so Danielle is going to learn a lot in think.

TW: Have you cast the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man?

ALW: Yes, the only role that we haven't cast at the moment is Glinda, so if everyone wants to audition for Glinda, put your hand up. Glinda is the good witch, she's a nice witch.

TW: But in WICKED, she's wicked...

ALW: She is wicked in WICKED, but she's nice in ours.

TW: So, congratulations and when does it open?

ALW: We start previewing in February and open in March, but we're having a long preview period because it's going to be a very complicated production and as you've noticed, there's not a lot of room backstage. And for a theatre that everyone thinks is the place where spectacles happen - remember those old Palladium pantomimes that looked vast? It's not a big stage.

It's the 100th Anniversary of the theatre, it's 100 years old and we're going all of the people back who have been on the Palladium stage that are still around, it's an amazing place where Judy Garland played and Danny Kaye Played.

TW: You've searched for so many, are there any left?

ALW: Well, there are, but the thing is that you have to choose a subject where people know the character. The one that I really want to do, that I think might cause an uproar - but I hope not - is that I'd like to cast Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. That's what I'd like to do. One of the interesting things, is that we are quite short in the West End of big, male stars.

You've got some Michael Ball of course, but he likes dressing up as a girl and you've John Barrowman, of course - we won't go further. But, we need a search for a bloke I think.

TW: You're looking for a man.

ALW: Yes, I man.

TW: Well, I'm sure it's going to be absolutely fantastic.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the composer of The Likes of Us, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat®, Jesus Christ Superstar, By Jeeves, Evita, Variations and Tell Me On A Sunday later combined as Song & Dance, Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game, The Woman in White and Love Never Dies. He composed the film scores of Gumshoe and The Odessa File, and a setting of the Latin Requiem Mass Requiem.

In 2004 he produced a film version of The Phantom of the Opera directed by Joel Schumacher and, in 2006, a unique spectacular version of the show in Las Vegas. His new musical Love Never Dies, which continues the story of The Phantom and Christine, opened at London's Adelphi Theatre in March this year.

He pioneered television casting for musical theatre with the Emmy award-winning BBC series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?. He repeated his success with Any Dream Will Do which cast the title role of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and in 2008 he cast the musical Oliver! for the BBC. This year in the BBC series Over The Rainbow he has cast Danielle Hope in the role of Dorothy for his new theatrical production of The Wizard of Oz which will open at the London Palladium in 2011.

His awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre and The Kennedy Center Honor.

He currently owns seven London theatres including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Palladium.

He was knighted in 1992 and created an honorary life peer in 1997.

 

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