The Chinese version of the autobiography of Weber, the musical master who created "Cat" and "Phantom of the Theater", is launched
Take off the mask and remember life
Since Weber’s masterpiece "Cat" was first introduced to China in 2003, "The Phantom of the Theater", "Evita", "Sunday Love Songs" and "Rock School" have been staged one after another, setting off an upsurge of viewing performances, not to mention those classic chants, such as "Remembrance" The influence of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is over.
In March 2018, Weber launched the English version of his autobiography on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
After three years of polishing, the Chinese version of "Weber's Autobiography: Genius and Ecstasy Behind the Mask" recently met with Chinese readers.
The English book title of this autobiography draws on the iconic elements in Weber’s masterpiece "The Phantom of the Theater", and hits the hearts of musical lovers with the word Unmasked. The phantom behind is his secret self?
Fei Xiang, a star who has appeared in Weber's musical, wrote: "Reading Sir Weber's autobiography is like attending a feast, scene by scene overturning all imagination."
By Sun Jun, All Media Reporter, Guangzhou Daily
Born in a family of artists
Destined talent for drama
Andrew Lloyd Webber was born into a musical family.
His father was a composer, and Weber's mother opened a well-known piano school in London, and is Weber's "first-class children's piano teacher".
Compared with his father who can understand and support his artistic pursuits and life choices, his mother is a "tiger mother" who hopes to have a child.
And his closest aunt, "Aunt Wei", has not only acted in dramas, but also the guide who brought him into the drama circle and his spiritual guide.
Growing up in an artistic environment, Weber's memoir shows his special and interesting family.
He later became the cellist's younger brother and his younger brother's classmate, and the pianist John Lille, who won the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, all added a lot of color to his childhood life.
The family habit of regularly going to London's Palladium Theatre to see plays made him interested in stage performances. He even made a toy theater by himself, and planned many performances for this "theatre" together with his younger brother.
The puberty of the master is also rebellious
Despite growing up in an enviable artistic family, Weber still has a lot of pressure and distress.
He could not satisfy his mother’s expectation of his artistic achievements; after entering the campus, he was not gregarious because he was below the normal entrance age; he worked hard to complete his school work and was admitted to the Oxford University School of History, but he could not give up his own right. Instinctive love of music, he spent a lot of energy on artistic creation, so he was forced to suspend school...This "rebellious young man" finally made a key stroke in his life with a decision: to drop out of Oxford University for musicals!
Although he did not know where the way forward was when he made the decision to drop out of school that his family saw as a "self-destructive future," his love for musicals made him firmly rush towards this path and never looked back. .
From "Cat" to "Phantom of the Theater"
Create a highlight moment on the musical stage
In this memoir, Weber spends a lot of space on the creative process of those classic works, from "Joseph and the Magical Colored Clothes" to "Superstar", from "Evita" to "Sunday Love Song", from "Cat" to "The Phantom of the Theater"... readers will see the creative process of a musical from scratch.
He carefully reviewed how the "Reminiscence" that touched the heartstrings of countless people was written; what kind of casting process Elaine Peggy went through in the first version of "Evita" who starred in the first Mrs. Veron; the world-renowned "Argentina" "Don't Cry for Me" was born under what circumstances; the first draft of "The Phantom of the Opera" was also included, which made people wonder how the first draft of this classic work was completed in one go, almost indistinguishable from the performance on stage today.
Those who made Weber
Weber, who has been immersed in the art circle for most of his life, is an important review of the history of British and American musicals in his memoirs. It not only shows the glorious successes, but also the frustrating failures. Celebrities have appeared...There are also actors who are active on the stage of contemporary musicals, showing us a colorful showbiz life.
His three marriages, his emotional entanglement with Sarah Brightman, are also included in the book: his first wife had just turned 18 when he married him; and his current wife Madeleine was the strongest in his career. Helper.
These roles in life, together with Weber, perform his wonderful dramatic life.
Repeated box office miracles
The double legend of art and business
Weber's musical works are not only attractive at the artistic level, they have achieved unsurpassed commercial success.
"Cat" has been performed in the West End of London for 21 consecutive years, and on Broadway in New York for 18 years. "The Phantom of the Opera" celebrated its 30th birthday in London in 2016, breaking the record of "Cat" and becoming the longest consecutive performance on Broadway. A long repertoire, this play has been staged in 166 theaters around the world, and it is still being performed worldwide.
According to statistics, he has won 8 Tony Awards, 4 Grammy Awards, 7 Oliver Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award, 1 Oscar Award, 2 International Emmy Awards, etc. so far. At the Tony Award Ceremony, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The "really good" company he founded by borrowing the name of Thomas Locomotive has now developed into a huge cultural performance group.
At the same time, he already owns seven theaters under his name. The dreams of his childhood are reflected in reality, and the children's games in the toy theater change into every star-lit theater night.