美国国家公共电台 NPR Andrew Lloyd Webber's Genius Is 'Unmasked' In New Memoir

 

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Consider the mega hits of modern musical theater - "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Evita," "The Phantom¹ of the Opera," plus a poetic² tale set in a junkyard populated entirely³ by singers and dancers dressed as felines⁴ - cats gathered for a ball.

(SOUNDBITE OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S "OVERTURE")

MONTAGNE: That's just a short list of the hit musicals composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber since he started mounting shows in a toy theatre as a boy in London. As he tells it in his new memoir⁵ "Unmasked," Lloyd Webber's father was a working-class boy whose own musical talent turned him into an academic and composer. His mother was an educator obsessed⁶ with raising a musical prodigy⁷. Young Andrew's glamorous⁸ Aunt Vi offered massive connections to London's theater and TV world. And always, at every turn in his life was a cat. Andrew Lloyd Webber joins us from our New York bureau. Welcome.

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER: Hello. Hi.

MONTAGNE: Hi. Really nice to have you. And "Cats" does seem like a good place to start. At one point, it was the longest-running show on Broadway and it seems to have started with a cat by the name of Perseus.

LLOYD WEBBER: Yes. Well, Perseus was the family cat when I was a little boy. He lived through into my teens, and he was a lovely, lovely old Siamese cat. But, really, "Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats," the T.S. Eliot poems, was the source and the inspiration for "Cats." My mum used to read them to me - when the poems when I was a kid. And they stayed with me forever. And one of the things when I was working with Tim Rice on the three big musicals we did, "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Jesus Christ Superstar," and "Evita," it was during "Evita" that I realized that on the whole, I had written the melodies before Tim had written the lyric⁹. Although we did all the plots together and we were taught where we wanted the songs and how we wanted them, the lyric came after the tune¹⁰. And I wanted to see if I could compose to existing verse. So I started doing it almost as a bit of fun, you know, at home to see if I could set the poems that were already written.

MONTAGNE: This is kind of a crazy thing to ask, maybe. But why are cats so cool?

LLOYD WEBBER: Well, of course, what Eliot brilliantly did with the cat poems was he gave all of the cats human characteristics, so we recognize something of the human in the cat that he's describing. And we also all know that cats - shall we say (unintelligible) - they're naughty. And whether you get cats like the Rum Tug¹¹ Tugger¹² - you know, when he's in, and you want to be out and all of that kind of thing. Eliot brilliantly summed up human traits and cat traits in the same poem. They're brilliantly witty¹³.

But, of course, what made "Cats" really work was the fact that when I thought seriously that I might do a concert piece, which is where I thought "Cats" might go, I was given by Valerie, his widow, some ideas that he had for a much bigger event. And, of course, a poem about Grizabella, the glamour¹⁴ cat, who was considered to be too sad for children. So that poem was cut from the book. But with that, of course, was unlocked what became the storyline that, in the end, gave us the song "Memory." And so that was a huge moment.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MEMORY (FROM "CATS")")

NICOLE SCHERZINGER: (Singing) Memory, all alone in the moonlight. I can smile at the old days. I was beautiful then.

LLOYD WEBBER: I mean, "Memory" was almost an afterthought in a way when the whole thing was completed. We felt we lacked an emotional center for the piece. And "Memory" came quite later on in the proceedings¹⁵.

(SOUNDBITE OF SNOW GOONS SONG, "SICK LIFE")

MONTAGNE: You write that some consider the project "The Phantom Of The Opera" - and I'm quoting you here - decidedly dodgy. Why? Why would they have thought that?

LLOYD WEBBER: Well, there are always going to be people who think that a subject for a musical is not going to work. I mean, there had been "Phantoms¹⁶ Of The Opera" before. You know, I didn't know them, but there had been. Look. If you think about, what are the four big musicals right now on Broadway? And you think of what their plots are, the new ones. Well, think of "Hamilton" really and think, if somebody had come in three or four years ago and said to you, look. I've got this idea for a hip-hop show about a less well-known than perhaps some Founding Father of America. You'd have said, hang on a moment. I'm not sure about that.

If you'd thought about "Come From Away" and about the idea of a whole load of people turning up in Gander because their flights were all diverted and what happened to them, you'd think, well, is that necessarily a great idea for a musical? I mean, you could go on. The band's visit and the Egyptian band turning up in Tel Aviv, not knowing where they're supposed to go. I mean, it's brilliant musical. But on paper, it sounds a really, really daft idea and that's what I think about musicals. I think anything that actually sounds on paper as if it's a brilliant idea is probably a bad one.

MONTAGNE: And how do you know? I mean if you do. But how do you know when it could be magical?

LLOYD WEBBER: You never necessarily know. The thing about musical theater is that it's unbelievably collaborative and every ingredient of a musical has to be right. It's not just me with the music. I mean, I get very involved with the plot, but the plot has to be a great plot. I don't think a great score can save a bad plot. I mean, maybe "Cats" is an exception. But - because it doesn't really have a plot - but in the main, a bad plot can't be saved by a great score. Whilst, I think an OK score can be carried by a great plot. It's so many ingredients. The set and design has got to be right.

Something I was told very early in my career by Harold Prince was that you can't really enjoy a musical if the design of the show is all wrong for the material. And, for example, "Phantom Of The Opera" - the design of the show, which Maria Bjornson produced, triumphantly¹⁷ fits what I wrote with the music. And it's rare. It's very, very rare in musical theater that all those ingredients really come together.

MONTAGNE: So you have all these influences, but how far back do you think you were who you came to be?

LLOYD WEBBER: Oh, I can't answer that question.

MONTAGNE: Well, I mean, as a child, it seemed like you were doing things that not every child was doing, like the little toy theater that you had.

LLOYD WEBBER: Yes, I had my own theater, and I put on ghastly musicals which bored parents were made to come and listen to. I loved it all from the very earliest times I can remember. And it was a parallel love of mine. I had a huge love of architecture. And history is - still is the subject that I was - am pretty passionate¹⁸ about, particularly medieval history, which interests me a lot. Theater overtook, and it became the thing I loved. And I knew pretty early on. I knew in my teens that that's what I really wanted to do.

MONTAGNE: You also have an album coming out next week, also called "Unmasked," connected to the memoir. Talk to us about that.

LLOYD WEBBER: Oh. This album is a very, very sweet thing the record company have done, which is a sort of, I suppose, an album for my 70th birthday, which is not exactly a new album, although there are a few new tracks on it of songs that have been cut by other artists who have not done them before like Lana Del Rey. And so it's a great excitement for me, but it's really a sort of compendium¹⁹ of some of my best songs.

MONTAGNE: Do you have a favorite cover?

LLOYD WEBBER: Oh, well, I never like to single things out, but there's a pretty good version of "I Am The Starlight" from "Starlight Express" by Mica²⁰ Paris. And there was some really, really good things - the Lana Del Rey track of "You Must Love Me," which was the song that Tim Rice and I added into Evita for the film. She does that beautifully.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU MUST LOVE ME")

LANA DEL REY: (Singing) Deep in my heart, I'm concealing²¹ things that I'm longing²² to say. Scared to confess what I'm feeling. Frightened you'll slip away. You must love me. You must love me.

MONTAGNE: Andrew Lloyd Webber's book is called "Unmasked." Thank you very much for talking with us.

LLOYD WEBBER: OK. Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU MUST LOVE ME")

DEL REY: (Singing) Why are you at my side? How can I be any use to you now? Give me a chance, and I'll let you see how nothing has changed. Deep in my heart, I'm concealing things that I'm longing to say.

1 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

2 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

3 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

4 felines   

n.猫科动物( feline的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Any of several felines, such as the cheetah or the snow leopard. 这片地区是濒临灭绝的雪豹的栖息地。 来自互联网
• Search in the basket of life, you will find it, answered Felines. 它在生命的篮子里＂巴思特女神回答道。 来自互联网

5 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

6 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

7 prodigy   

n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆

参考例句：

• She was a child prodigy on the violin.她是神童小提琴手。
• He was always a Negro prodigy who played barbarously and wonderfully.他始终是一个黑人的奇才，这种奇才弹奏起来粗野而惊人。

8 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

9 lyric   

n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的

参考例句：

• This is a good example of Shelley's lyric poetry.这首诗是雪莱抒情诗的范例。
• His earlier work announced a lyric talent of the first order.他的早期作品显露了一流的抒情才华。

10 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

11 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

12 tugger   

n.拖拉器，拖拉式卷扬机

参考例句：

• Lower the drill pipe joint into the mouse hole, and remove air tugger and lifting cap. 下放单根进小鼠洞，摘掉气动绞车和提丝。 来自互联网

13 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

14 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

15 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

16 phantoms   

n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They vanished down the stairs like two phantoms. 他们像两个幽灵似的消失在了楼下。 来自辞典例句
• The horrible night that he had passed had left phantoms behind it. 他刚才度过的恐布之夜留下了种种错觉。 来自辞典例句

17 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

18 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

19 compendium   

n.简要，概略

参考例句：

• The Compendium of Materia Medica has been held in high esteem since it was first published.“本草纲目”问世之后，深受人们的推重。
• The book is a compendium of their poetry,religion and philosophy.这本书是他们诗歌、宗教和哲学的概略。

20 mica   

n.云母

参考例句：

• It could not pass through material impervious to water such as mica.它不能通过云母这样的不透水的物质。
• Because of its layered structure,mica is fissile.因为是层状结构，云母很容易分成片。

21 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

22 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。