Was Andrew Lloyd Webber Born Into Money?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 3:14am

I was reading Reidel's column today, and he wrote about this festival that Webber has every year at his estate in England. The highlight of the event is when Webber unveils a fully-staged reading of his new musical. He says that "Sunset, "Cats," and "Evita" were all unveiled there.

Was he rich before Evita? I would think Evita is when he was becoming an up-and-comer, but he must have had money before that to throw such a lavish festival?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 3:18am

I'd guess he was upper middle class, because he probably had piano lessons, etc. as a kid.
Although that's just what I'd think, I haven't googled him or anything.
But he certainly created his own empire and made a lot of money himself, which is very well deserved. A huge talent.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 3:38am

I don't know if he was born into money, but I know he wasn't a child of poverty and was at least middle class. I know he had a fascination with the theatre since seeing a live show during early childhood, and he'd express his fascination the same way I did when I was a tyke--recreate.

As in build miniature stages and stage shows with replicas of their sets and characters. I'd think someone who grows up dreaming of staging his own shows would eventually come to do exactly just that should they have the means.

However, ALW's Sydmonton Festivals weren't lavish. For you and I, yes, but they didn't include the fully staged productions we know. They were staged with minimal sets and costumes, in an old church on his estate. I have the Sunset Boulevard performance from the festival in the early 90s starring Lupone, and she doesn't even wear costumes. Orchestra consists of a piano. Not sure how much more lavish or not were his other presentations, but I know Evita wasn't even staged at his festival. It was an audio/visual presentation to his concept album.

While such presentations would cost us an arm and a leg, they were minimal to someone with bank like ALW, but they did not include floating mansions or chandeliers either, hehe.

There are more details about his Sydmonton Festival presentations at this site: http://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/about/sydmonton-festival/

[Nickhutson]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 4:06am

He made a lot of money from Jesus Christ Superstore and probably a bit from Joseph and the Technicolor Doodaaa...

He lived, as a child, in Kensington and went to a boys' school in West London called St Pauls (for whom he and Tim wrote Joseph) and then he studied at the Royal College of Music.

He wasn't born on the country estate - that wold have been what he bought. The shows you mention were all post Evita and Jesus, so he would've made enough money off them to buy a nice house in the country.

[jv92]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 11:27am

Riedel makes factual errors all the time. I don't believe EVITA was done at his festival, though the concept album was made in 1976. If someone can correct me, and back up Mr. Riedel, by all means, do so.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 11:42am

:)

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 12:03pm

I agree with JV. I'm almost 100% certain there was not a presentation of EVITA at Sydmonton.

[DeNada]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 12:22pm

The Lord's own website states that there was an "audio-visual presentation of the original concept album" at Sydmonton in 1976. PBS states that he bought Sydmonton Court with his royalties from Jesus Christ Superstar so he had a few years in which he could have done so prior to that.

Edited to add - it's not SIR Andrew Lloyd Webber, it's Lord Lloyd Webber of Sydmonton :) Updated On: 1/16/13 at 12:22 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 1:16pm

Oh. Interesting. I guess, since JCS hasn't been such a hit in recent years I forget it was pretty successful in its first runs. Same with Joseph.

Say what you want about him, but the man is talented. And I think he's done a lot of great things for the theater. Wish he'd build a really nice Broadway theater.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 1:37pm

While such presentations would cost us an arm and a leg, they were minimal to someone with bank like ALW, but they did not include floating mansions or chandeliers either, hehe.

Just as a correction, it's mentioned in the complete Phantom of the Opera book that Maria Bjornson actually did manage to fashion a falling chandelier for the Sydmonton production.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 1:38pm

I just think that's so cool. My new goal as an actor is to be invited to be part of one of those presentations.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 1:43pm

JCS was a big hit, but an even bigger hit was the original double album. It was at the top of the charts for a couple of years!

He could have bought the place on royalties from the album sales and singles alone.

EDIT: By the way, both Yvonne Elliman and Helen Reddy had Top 40 hits simultaneously with "I Don't Know How to Love Him."

Updated On: 1/16/13 at 01:43 PM

[Scripps2]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 4:59pm

"I'd guess he was upper middle class, because he probably had piano lessons, etc. as a kid."

Hey! I had piano lessons when I was a kid - I must be upper middle class too.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 6:07pm

Good to know. Hm. So much success in so little time.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 6:23pm

Don't forget middle class means something different in the US than it does in the UK.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 7:16pm

Ditto what best12 says about the JCS album. I was a teenager at the time and didn't know anyone who didn't have that album plus the singles.

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 10:55pm

According to Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works by Michael Walsh, Lloyd Webber bought Sydmonton Court in 1973. (Yep, JCS money.) Around this time, Tim Rice was becoming infatuated with Eva Peron, but Lloyd Webber insisted on pursuing Jeeves first. The idea for the Sydmonton Festival was born on the day Jeeves closed in 1975. Evita was the first show presented at Sydmonton Court during the summer of 1976.

ETA:

"For a composer coming off a flop, Sydmonton Court was a major financial extravagance. Even though manor houses were selling for a song in the wake of the British stock-market crash and the lowest ebb of the Labour government, the house still cost a fortune to keep running, and the acreage that came with it required looking after as well. Andrew, however, was determined to hang on to it, no matter what the cost, and he redoubled his efforts to make Evita the hit that both he and Tim dearly wanted it to be."

Updated On: 1/16/13 at 10:55 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/16/13 at 11:47pm

I forgot all about By Jeeves. I'm going to have to do some research on that one.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 1/17/13 at 4:04pm

"Don't forget middle class means something different in the US than it does in the UK."

It does?

And I thought the US didn't have a class system at all!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/17/13 at 4:52pm

Well, I don't want to shoot mouth off in areas I'm not 100% certain, but I thought there was a different distinction between what constitutes the middle class in the UK and what constitutes the middle class in US, but now I'm not sure. I guess my (tenous) understanding is that the Middle Classes in Britain tend to be more on the affluent side, whereas our lower middle class overlaps with what would be the UK working class?

As for the US not having a class system, I tend to think that the terms are largely symbolic here. Middle Class is pretty much the lifestyle the American Dream tells us we want to achieve or maintain. This is from Wikipedia, and I think it sums up what most people think of when they think of the American Middle Class. [S]ociologists such as Dennis Gilbert of Hamilton College commonly divide the middle class into two sub-groups. Constituting roughly 15% to 20% of households is the upper or professional middle class consisting of highly educated, salaried professionals and managers. Constituting roughly one third of households is the lower middle class consisting mostly of semi-professionals, skilled craftsmen and lower-level management. Middle-class persons commonly have a comfortable standard of living, significant economic security, considerable work autonomy and rely on their expertise to sustain themselves.

Truth be told, I could totally be talking out of my ass, so if what I'm saying is off, I hope someone will tell me, cause I'm rereading what I'm saying I don;t think I know what the hell I'm talking about at all.


Updated On: 1/17/13 at 04:52 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 1/17/13 at 5:02pm

Huh?!?!?!?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/17/13 at 5:05pm

I loved Les Mis.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 1/17/13 at 5:22pm

LOL Phyll!!

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 1/17/13 at 5:50pm

I heard someone say, you get two types of people that live in New York, the ones that can afford to hail a taxi and the ones that can't.

When I arrive at JFK tomorrow afternoon, I will be taking the E train.

Updated On: 1/17/13 at 05:50 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/17/13 at 9:32pm

No, you're on the right track, Phyl. Speaking in VERY broad terms, "class" in England is based on lineage and discussed openly; "class" in the U.S. is based on income and we vehemently deny it exists.

You can be dead broke and still "upper class" in England if you are the Earl of La Di Da.

So Rupert Murdock is upper class in the U.S. (Sssssh!) but will still be middle class in England even if he's the richest man in the country.

Again, I'm speaking in very broad terms: English titles can be bought, attained by marriage, etc. But on the whole the difference is that we pretend class is not inherited in the U.S., even though almost everyone tends to end up the same class as his or her parents.

And, alas, I'm not sure how this applies to Lloyd Webber, who had been dubbed a Lord the last I heard. I don't know how the English regard such titles, but I can't think they carry the same weight as a title that has been in the family for centuries.

Updated On: 1/17/13 at 09:32 PM