Andrew Lloyd Webber: I sense there’ll be a new Phantom of the Opera film soon

Andrew Lloyd Webber took to the airwaves this morning, cycling through a range of topics about his current and forthcoming projects.

He initially alighted on the success of Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Sunset Boulevard, which picked up three Tony Awards on Broadway including the Best Actress in a Musical prize for Nicole Scherzinger.

Speaking to Scott Mills on BBC Radio 2, he spoke of his relief at Scherzinger’s win: “I was quite worried she might not… the theatre politics and everything in New York.”

Subsequently asked whether the production might make a return to the London stage after its New York season (as some had rumoured it might), Lloyd Webber was less optimistic: “I don’t think that production will – maybe… you’d need a star like Nicole to bring it off. I guess it’s not up to me.”

Speaking at the Tony Awards, Lloyd Webber kiboshed the idea of there being a new Sunset Boulevard film, as you can hear in our dedicated podcast episode here:

Repeating the point to Mills, he was however more eager to discuss the possibility of a new Phantom of the Opera film, stating outright: “I sense there’ll be a Phantom of the Opera remake fairly soon. I think that might well happen.”

The previous Phantom film, released in 2004, starred Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum and was met with mixed reviews.

Lloyd Webber said an actor in “their early 40s” would be needed for the title role, adding “I don’t think you want anyone too young as the story is about Christine mistaking the Phantom for her father. There’s no firm plan for it but I sense people are talking about it.”

The Cats composer also promised that the multi-award-winning revival of Starlight Express will “stay in Wembley for as long as the theatre can stay”, adding that the producers are always looking for a versatile space to house the show if it needed to move when the space is redeveloped: “You need a great big warehouse – four walls, flexible seating and the ability to fly scenery.”

Lloyd Webber also waxed lyrical about the star performance of Rachel Zegler leading Evita at The London Palladium, describing the “absolute high” of hearing her perform in rehearsals and how her take on hit number “Rainbow High” may be the “best I’ve ever heard it.”

As to the much-reported free performance on the Palladium’s balcony, Lloyd Webber says it is “an extraordinary thought” though admits he “hopes it doesn’t get out of hand” as crowds of hundreds of onlookers stand outside the venue.

Looking forward, Lloyd Webber teased “two new [musicals] on the go at the moment – one I can’t talk about and one is The Illusionist.” The latter is due to hit the stage in the next year or so, and is also directed by Lloyd (in a longstanding partnership between the duo).

Lloyd Webber, an ardent fan of sound tech, also went into a long explanation as to how Remember Monday’s audio mix for Eurovision didn’t do the band any justice – in fact undermining their televised performance.