Unmasked

A Memoir

By: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Narrated by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Derek Perkins

""You have the luck of Croesus on stilts (as my Auntie Vi would have said) if you’ve had the sort of career, ups and downs, warts and all that I have in that wondrous little corner of show business called musical theatre.""

One of the most successful and distinguished artists of our time, Andrew Lloyd Webber has reigned over the musical theatre world for nearly five decades. The winner of numerous awards, including multiple Tonys and an Oscar, Lloyd Webber has enchanted millions worldwide with his music and numerous hit shows, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera—Broadway’s longest running show—and most recently, School of Rock. In Unmasked, written in his own inimitable, quirky voice, the revered, award-winning composer takes stock of his achievements, the twists of fate and circumstance which brought him both success and disappointment, and the passions that inspire and sustain him.

The son of a music professor and a piano teacher, Lloyd Webber reveals his artistic influences, from his idols Rodgers and Hammerstein and the perfection of South Pacific’s “Some Enchanted Evening,” to the pop and rock music of the 1960s and Puccini’s Tosca, to P. G. Wodehouse and T. S. Eliot. Lloyd Webber recalls his bohemian London youth, reminiscing about the happiest place of his childhood, his homemade Harrington Pavilion—a make-believe world of musical theatre in which he created his earliest entertainments.

A record of several exciting and turbulent decades of British and American musical theatre and the transformation of popular music itself, Unmasked is ultimately a chronicle of artistic creation. Lloyd Webber looks back at the development of some of his most famous works and illuminates his collaborations with luminaries such as Tim Rice, Robert Stigwood, Harold Prince, Cameron Mackintosh, and Trevor Nunn. Taking us behind the scenes of his productions, Lloyd Webber reveals fascinating details about each show, including the rich cast of characters involved with making them, and the creative and logistical challenges and artistic political battles that ensued.

Lloyd Webber shares his recollections of the works that have become cultural touchstones for generations of fans: writings songs for a school production that would become his first hit, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; finding the coterie of performers for his classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar; developing his first megahit, Evita, which would win seven Tonys Awards, including Best Musical; staking his reputation and fortune on the groundbreaking Cats; and making history with the dazzling The Phantom of the Opera.

Reflecting a life that included many passions (from architecture to Turkish Swimming Cats), full of witty and revealing anecdotes, and featuring commentary written by numerous celebrities—Elaine Paige, Sarah Brightman, David Frost, Julie Covington, Judi Dench, Richard Branson, A.R. Rahman, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone, Richard Rodgers, Norman Jewison, Milos Forman, Plácido Domingo, Barbra Streisand, Michael Crawford, Gillian Lynne, Betty Buckley, and more—Unmasked at last reveals the true face of the extraordinary man beneath the storied legend.

Unmasked

Andrew Lloyd Webbers


Unmasked brilliantly portrays the genius that this
man is! Andrew Lloyd Webber 's own words are both captivating and persuasive as to the power of music!!!!

Wonderful dry British humor!

I am really enjoying this book! I sometimes laugh out loud! Great to hear stories of Andrew Lloyd Weber and his work with Tim Rice as well as bits about their lives and loves. Lots of history of the roots and machinations, trials and travails of their productions. Plus it’s like tracking back through my own history and my relationship with their music! It’s inspiring and I think of many people who would love it as I’m listening to it. I highly recommend it . Lloyd Weber’s voice is pleasant as the reader of the memoir as well!

For every fan of musicals

Andrew Lloyd Webber takes us in to his brilliant mind as he describes
The thought and ideas that went into his greatest creations. Most were planned but some just came by accidental inspiration. His discussion of Superstar and Cats and Phantom is not to be missed by anyone who has seen some or all of the shows.

I wanted to hear more . . .

and was sorry to have it end with Phantom. Loved the narrator, who almost sounded like the author himself. At times his work was described in too much detail, nevertheless most interesting to learn what goes into these productions, especially from the financial angle. Hopefully there will be more for him to share with us in the future. .

Inside the musical genius of Andrew Lloyd-Webber

I loved this book and the narrator was terrific. It allows the reader to see Mr. Lloyd-Webber's development of a story and than turned into the intricacies of musical theater. I didn't want it to end and I hope he writes a second book that would continue on from the ending to his current works. It was wonderful.