Why School of Rock struck a chord for Andrew Lloyd Webber
HE’S composed the music for Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest musical is personal.
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ALWAYS leave them wanting more. The show must go on. There’s no such thing as bad publicity.
The metaphorical showbiz manual is full of these old adages, arguably none quite as emphatic as the W.C. Field’s forewarning: “Never work with children and animals.”
But musical theatre impresario, Andrew Lloyd Webber, tore up that rule book decades ago.
“Well, cats and children have really been quite wonderful for me,” he remarks with his signature wry wit.
SCHOOL OF ROCK YOUNGSTERS BELT OUT FOOTY ANTHEMS
Now 70, the composer of the music for Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar is pumping up the volume on his rebellious streak once more with a hit new musical that “sticks it to the man”.
Critics have hailed School of Rock, based on the 2003 Richard Linklater film starring Jack Black, as a triumph for Webber, the Guardian declaring it his “most exuberant show in years”.
Since opening on Broadway to gushing report card-reviews in 2015, School of Rock, based on the popular film, has been playing to packed houses across the US and London’s West End, and next month the high-voltage hit will knee-slide its way into Melbourne.
The riotous plot follows failed rock star, Dewey Finn, who poses as a substitute teacher at a posh prep school where academic achievements are measured in gold stars. But the antics of their unorthodox teacher puts a spin on the traditional three R’s, turning the class of straight-A students into a headbanging, guitar-shredding, roof raising rock and roll band.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE SCHOOL OF ROCK AUDITIONS
Lloyd Webber, who last month reached legendry EGOT status (that’s an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony) might not seem the likely candidate to compose a musical of a tweenage rock rebellion and a boilerplate stomper soundtrack having been knighted by the Queen in 1992 and made an honorary member of the House of Lords in 1997. But as the composer points out, the musical has, rather romantically, taken him back to where it all began.
“Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat started in school, so it has taken me full circle,” he says of his original rock musical which began its life as a pop cantata, performed by boys aged eight to twelve at a preparatory school.
But he also admits, it wasn’t his idea to turn the shaggily upbeat and good natured storyline into a musical, for that we have his wife, Madeleine, a former equestrian sportswoman, and now executive producer, to thank.
“I first watched it with our children,” Madeleine says. “They were aged about eight to 12 at the time, and I just thought ‘oh my god, the charm of it’.
“So I said to Andrew, you need to see this film. We watched it again and Andrew said this is the most charming, lovely film.
“I wrote the first letter to Paramount in 2007 asking for the stage rights and they said no and made up some stupid excuse. I wrote back saying that was for the wrong reasons and the excuses were rubbish and I will write to them again in a year.”
A lesson in resolute persistence, Madeleine continued to write to Paramount, for seven years.
“And finally a letter came back saying yes.
“I didn’t know then whether Andrew was going to write the music or not; but when he focused on it, he knew he had to do it, he really couldn’t resist it,” she says.
Rather than being a jukebox romp (because as Lloyd Webber explains, there are only fragments of existing rock songs featured in the film) School of Rock features 14 new songs, composed by Lloyd Webber with lyrics by three-time Tony nominee Glenn Slater as well as the three original songs from the film.
Irresistibly funny and charming, Lloyd Webber also admits that musical, also taps into a much deeper vein.
“In many ways I do identify with the children. I was being pushed by my parents,” he says, alluding to the pressure-cooker environment the students of School of Rock find themselves in. “I still love my architecture and history; it’s what I really love to do as a hobby, but I was very much being pushed to do that because my mother didn’t really think I was going to be a professional musician.”
“She also made you play the French horn and the violin,” Madeleine interrupts.
“And by the time he was eight he was already on the front page of some nursery world magazine thing. Very pushy mother.”
“I was three actually,” Lloyd Webber corrects her.
“Three?! I mean how pushy is that? Makes the School of Rock parents look soft,” his wife remarks. “You could have done with a Dewy.”
“I just decided I was going to do it myself, just play” says Lloyd Webber. “So the moment in the show where they pick up the instruments and they rock out, I really find quite emotional.”
The spirited narrative of music empowering children, is something the couple have been fostering offstage too, having set up the Andrew Lloyd Webber Program, which pioneered a scheme to guarantee underprivileged students a free musical instrument and weekly music tuition for three years.
“One of the reasons I wanted to write it is because I hugely believe in the importance of music in schools,” Lloyd Webber says.
“Our foundation is one of the key things we do. We’ve sponsored 6000 students in Britain now, and an increasing number in America who we pay to have proper music lessons because music is being marginalised in schools,” he says.
“The whole point of having music in schools is not to turn the students into musicians, but to empower them.”
Madeleine, a proud trustee of the foundation, adds that music is a democratising social force.
“In most of the schools that we support, there are between 40 and 50 languages spoken, and while they all learn English, the only language they have in common, is music.
“When they arrive at age 11, whether they like it or not, they are given a violin. Most of these kids have never been given anything worth anything, and they are responsible for their instrument, which they guard with their life,” she says.
“But what we are doing is a drop in the ocean; it’s only 6000 students, really governments should be doing it.
“It builds self-confidence, helps them meet other kids, and then it’s cool to play music and practice and listen to classical music. It was while we were setting up this foundation that the story of School of Rock just made sense,” she says.
Lloyd Webber admitting the story warmed the cockles of his ageing heart.
“It struck a chord with me,” he says.
“Because you’ve got children who, for a number of reasons in the School Of Rock story, are being turned into academics, but music empowers them. They come out of themselves. It just struck me as a lovely story because it’s actually also true — that’s what happens.”
Helping Lloyd Webber take the story from screen to stage, and adding to the peculiar pedigree of the show, is book writer Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey.
“He may not seem an obvious choice, but in fact he is a very obvious choice,” Lloyd Webber says.
“One of the issues that we had in casting the children, was, if say we wrote a part for a boy drummer, but we ended up wanting a girl drummer for the role.
“In his experience of TV writing, and because he is a supreme craftsman, he is used to things changing, so if we found a bass player who was entirely different to who we had intended to cast, it didn’t matter, he could rework it.”
Casting is of course crucial in the show because, as Lloyd Webber reminds theatregoers every night through a prerecorded message, the cast of children are playing every scorching guitar riff and pounding drum beat, 100 per cent, live.
Thirty-six pint-sized musical prodigies aged nine to 13 years old will make up the rotating Melbourne cast of fist-pumping students while Brent Hill will fill the broad comedic shoulders of Jack Black’s character Dewey and Amy Lepalmer will play the role of straight-laced principal, and closeted Stevie Nicks tragic, Rosalie Mullins.
“They are little professionals; it says a lot for music education in Australia,” says Madeleine.
“It was a pretty rich scene,” affirms Lloyd Webber. “We’ve got a really great Australian cast, and what will be interesting is that you will have three different casts of students, so you’ll get a slightly different dynamic every night because you get a different combination of kids, who will each form their own little rock band.
“A lot of people don’t realise the kids play absolutely everything live. I’ll do my announcement again — you have to.”
The couple, who have three adult children, are expected to attend the School of Rock premiere on November 9 — 30 years after their first visit to Melbourne as an engaged couple for the premiere of Phantom of the Opera.
“We feel real affinity to Melbourne,” Madeleine says.
“It’s great that it’s the third after Broadway and West End; I always wanted to get the show to Australia quickly and Melbourne is just a brilliant city to kick off a tour.
“We’ve entrusted Melbourne. There have been other people that wanted it but we chose Melbourne because we know they’ll do it well.”
Lloyd Webber agrees that Melbourne is well rehearsed for an education in rock.
“Of course I remember when we planned to put Phantom originally into Melbourne,” says Lloyd Webber. “It was when we were engaged 30 years ago, and Melbourne was a ghost town. Everybody thought it was a strange decision to go to Melbourne.”
Madeleine jokes, “We had the opening night party in the theatre and it was derelict, we virtually had hard hats on.”
“It was when The Princess’ future was not at all assured,” adds Lloyd Webber. “I think they decided to do it in there and the Victorian Government put up a lot of the money to get Phantom into Melbourne and I just remember it so utterly different to what it is now. But then it just shows you, that if you get the right entertainment and a reason for people to come, it can sort of kick start it all.”
Lloyd Webber says he is both surprised and grateful to have a hit on his hands at 70, admitting that after a battle with prostate cancer and debilitating back pain in his 60s, he considered the reality that he might never work again.
“When you’re in troubles with great pain, you think that everything is over,” he says.
“I was very lucky I was introduced to chiropractor who actually sorted me out completely about four years ago; but the trouble is the painkillers can affect other areas of your health; many are actually mood changing and depressants.”
“See you go into a spiral of pain and depression and frankly you can’t work at all,” says Madeleine.
“We had a really tough couple of years to get through that; but look, the important thing is that he got out the other end and has a hit musical.”
“It was just great timing,” says Lloyd Webber. “You know, musicals are really hard; most musicals are flops, really. So it was just really good timing to have one of those very rare hits, because it just felt fantastic.”
“I’ve never had such a good time as I have had with School of Rock, and I know it’s going to be fantastic in Australia,” he says.
So given he has his wife to thank for School of Rock, does Mrs Lloyd Webber have any other adaptations in mind?
“Yes, not that I’m going to tell you,” she laughs. “It will probably take me another 10 years.”
The pair’s rhythmical banter makes their 30-year marriage seem like the romantic equivalent of a rock band.
“I’ve had a wonderful take on Cinderella sent to me so I’m going to do that,” says Lloyd Webber.
“Yes, that’s going to be Andrew’s next project and I’ve obviously got Cats the movie,” says Madeleine, of the film adaptation of her husband’s famous felines, starring Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and James Cordin.
“Cinderella is a new announcement; it sounds boring but it’s not,” Madeleine remarks.
“Yes, Cinderella, I’m definitely going to do that,” asserts Lloyd Webber.
“It’s had hilarious treatments,” says Madeleine.
“It is modern and it’s very, very funny,” says Lloyd Webber.
“Every top composer does a Cinderella so it’s about time he’s got to do one,” Madeleine jokes.
“Rogers and Hammerstein did one,” Lloyd Webber adds.
“The score that Andrew has written is terrific. So yes, that would be his next one and my idea will take another 10 years,” Madeleine laughs, without a hint if either project will involve children or animals.
SCHOOL OF ROCK OPENS NOVEMBER 9 AT HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE
ANNA BYRNE TRAVELLED TO LONDON COURTESY OF SCHOOL OF ROCK
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