Andrew Lloyd Webber Sets Out to Prove Stephen Ward's Innocence

By: Dec. 01, 2013
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
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According to The Telegraph, Andrew Lloyd Webber is bent on proving Stephen Ward's innocence.

The publication reports that the acclaimed composer, whose musical chronicling the man's downfall begins previews this week in London, will launch a campaign tomorrow with MAndy Rice-Davies and lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, petitioning to "overturn the 50 year guilty verdict of the man at the centre of the Profumo affair, claiming he was let down by friends who wanted to save themselves."

Ward, whose actions lead to MP John Profumo's resignation, was living off the profits of 'immoral earnings,' or prostitution, before committing suicide on the final day of his trial in 1963.

Webber told the Sunday Times today: "Ward, once embraced by his friends in high society, became a pariah as the establishment made him a scapegoat."

Stephen Ward, which has music by Webber and book and lyrics by playwright Christopher Hampton and lyricist Don Black, previews at the Aldwych Theatre from 3 December 2013 with press night on 19 December 2013. The production, directed by Richard Eyre, is currently booking to 1 March 2014. The cast album is set to be released by Decca in December 2013.

Set and costume designs are by Rob Howell, with lighting by Peter Mumford, sound by Paul Groothuis, projection design by Jon Driscoll and choreography by Stephen Mear. Stephen Ward is produced by Robert Fox Limited and The Really Useful Group.

The cast for this world premiere comprises Alexander Hanson as Stephen Ward, Charlotte Spencer as Christine Keeler, Charlotte Blackledge as MAndy Rice Davies, Anthony Calf as Lord Astor, Daniel Flynn as John Profumo,Joanna Riding as Valerie Hobson, Ian Conningham as Ivanov, Chris Howell as Murray, Ricardo Coke Thomas as Lucky Gordon and Wayne Robinson as Johnny Edgecombe. Other cast members are Martin Callaghan,Kate Coyston, Jason Denton, Julian Forsyth, Amy Griffiths, Paul Kemble, Emma Kate Nelson, Carl Sanderson, Emily Squibb, John Stacey, Helen Ternent and Tim Walton.

1963. The scandal that shocked society. Stephen Ward charts the rise and fall from grace of the society osteopath. Friend to film stars, spies, models, government ministers and aristocrats, his rise and ultimate disgrace coincided with the increasingly permissive lifestyle of London's elite in the early 1960's. The musical centres on Ward's involvement with the young and beautiful Christine Keeler and their chance meeting in a West End night club which led to one of the biggest political scandals and trials of the 20th century.


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