All posts tagged: Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He’s a Recovering Alcoholic

Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He’s a Recovering Alcoholic

Published by Daniella Wilson

Andrew Lloyd Webber is opening up about his road to sobriety, telling The Times in a new profile that he is a recovering alcoholic. “I am a recovering alcoholic,” the composer told the outlet in an interview published Saturday. “Sixteen months ago I decided that I needed help and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Lloyd Webber previously announced he stopped drinking while producing the Broadway production of School of Rock in 2015 and 2016, though he told The Times that he “started to drink secretly.” “I was doing what they call ‘white-knuckling’, without any backup, and I started to worry that I wasn’t being creative,” he said. “And I thought, ‘But I’ve said to everybody that I’m not drinking.’ So I started to drink secretly.” The EGOT winner explained that he “started getting into a downhill spiral and about 18 months ago the family were in a desperate state.” Lloyd Webber added, “My wife was feeling she couldn’t go on.” He then checked into a clinic, which The Times noted “didn’t work,” which …

Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals he’s a recovering alcoholic

Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals he’s a recovering alcoholic

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed that he is a recovering alcoholic, and that he now attends AA meetings every day – regardless of whether he is at home in London, Hampshire or New York. The British musical theatre impresario behind hit shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar first announced that he had stopped drinking back in 2016. At the time, he sold much of his famous wine collection that included cases of Château Pétrus 1982 worth £50,000 each. But Lloyd Webber, 78, now says that he began drinking again in secret after 18 months. “I was doing what they call ‘white-knuckling’, without any backup, and I started to worry that I wasn’t being creative,” he told The Times. Lloyd Webber said he realised he needed help last year and that getting sober was “the best thing …

Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber diagnosed with prostate cancer

Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber diagnosed with prostate cancer

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This The cellist Julian Lloyd Webber has announced that he is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. The musician, who celebrated his 75th birthday on Tuesday (14 April), returned to live shows on the same day after an absence of 12 years due to injury. He said in a statement: “I did not want to let anyone down, so I kept my diagnosis secret until after my birthday concert, but now I need to begin treatment as soon as possible. “I am encouraged by the expectations of the medical team and look forward to making a full recovery. I am not intending to cancel engagements, and I won’t comment any further on this matter until after the treatment.” Lloyd Webber, the brother of composer and theatre impresario Baron Andrew Lloyd Webber, performed a birthday charity gala concert at the Wigmore Hall on Tuesday. His return …

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to Take on the True Story of an Art Heist

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to Take on the True Story of an Art Heist

Published by Jenni Sidey

Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer behind such durable hits as Cats (1981), Phantom of the Opera, and Evita, has teased a new musical about the early 20th century theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, the Mona Lisa. The news was first reported by the British publication The Stage. Lloyd Webber had already announced he was currently working on a musical based on the 2006 film The Illusionist. Speaking to entertainment journalist Frank DiLella after the April 7 opening of Lloyd Webber’s Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway, the composer told him: “The other one I’m working on is the true story of the theft of the Mona Lisa. It’s a true story about how the Mona Lisa disappeared for three years and ended up in Italy.” Related Articles Leonardo started the portrait around 1503 while living in Florence but did not finish it for more than a decade. Early sources, such as 16th-century art historian Giorgio Vasari, claim that is a likeness of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. But the painting never ended …

How Jessie Buckley went from an Andrew Lloyd Webber reality show to this award season’s golden girl

How Jessie Buckley went from an Andrew Lloyd Webber reality show to this award season’s golden girl

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter “I’ve never done a Marvel, I’m not on Instagram, I’m probably the least bankable [choice].” Assessing her career in a recent Vogue profile, actor Jessie Buckley highlighted why she is something of a Hollywood anomaly. In an era where social media stardom can determine casting and too many talented young things get caught up in superhero movie purgatory, the 36-year-old star has carved her own path, one that has taken her from reality TV fame to indie movie acclaim. In the process, she has established herself as one of the most fascinating actors working today. And despite her self-deprecation, she is surely on the cusp of becoming very “bankable” indeed. Her latest role in Hamnet has generated critical acclaim and audience adoration alike, as well as earning her trophies at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice awards. Starring opposite Paul …