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Andrew Lloyd
Webber Composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber is composer of theatre works Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Jeeves (later reworked
as By Jeeves), Evita, Variations and Tell Me on a Sunday (later combined
as Song & Dance), Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera,
Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, and The
Beautiful Game. He has composed music for the films Gumshoe and The
Odessa File, additional music for the film of Evita, and a Requiem
(a setting of the Latin Requiem Mass.) His other theatre productions
include Daisy Pulls It Off and La Bete, both Olivier Award winners,
and he produced the musical Bombay dreams in London on 2002. He is
sole owner of the Really Useful Group whose management, in addition
to producing his own work, is active in developing and producing the
works of other writers.
The Really Useful Group is co-owner of Really Useful Theatres, London¹s
largest proprietor of West End theatres, including the Theatre Royal
Drury Lane, the London Palladium and The Palace.
His Awards include six Broadway Tony Awards, three British Grammy
Awards, five British Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, the
Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Music
Theatre and the Critics¹ Circle award for Best Musical 2000. He was
knighted in 1992 and created a life peer in 1997, becoming The Lord
Lloyd Webber of Sydmonton.
T.S Eliot Poet
Thomas Sterns Eliot was born in St Louis, Missouri, on September 26,
1888. He was educated at Harvard, at the Sorbonne in Paris and at
Merton College, Oxford.
Eliot¹s book of poems, Old Possum¹s Book of Practical Cats appeared
in October 1939. ŒPossum¹ was Eliot¹s alias among his friends. His
ther works include; Sweeney Agonistes, The Rock, Murder in the Cathedral,
The Family Reunion and Four Quartets. Eliot received the Order of
Merit in January 1948 and in the autumn of the same year was awarded
the Nobel Prize for Literature. Among many other honours and distinctions
he was an Officier de la Legion d¹Honneur.
T.S Eliot died in London in January 1965. There is a memorial to him
in Poet¹s Corner, Westminister Abbey, beside Tennyson and Browning.
Trevor Nunn
Director
Trevor Nunn was educated at Downing College, Cambridge and in 1962
he won an ABC Director's Scholarship to the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry,
where, as resident director, his productions included The Caucasian
Chalk Circle, Peer Gynt and a musical version of Around the World
in Eighty Days. In 1964 he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where
he was made an Associate Director in 1965, and became the company's
youngest ever Artistic Director in 1968. He retired from the RSC in
1986.
His productions for the RSC included The Revenger's Tragedy, The Relapse,
The Alchemist, Henry V, The Taming of the Shrew, King Lear, Much Ado
About Nothing, The Winter's Tale, Henry VIII, Hamlet, Macbeth, Antony
and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, Romeo
& Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, All's Well That Ends
Well, Once In a Lifetime, Three Sisters, Juno and the Paycock, Othello,
The Blue Angel and Measure For Measure With his colleague, John Caird,
he co-directed Nicholas Nickleby (winner of five New YorkTony Awards);
JM Barrie's Peter Pan and Les Miserables, which won eight Tony Awards
and has become the most performed musical in the world.
In 1982, he opened the RSC's new London home, the Barbican Theatre,
with his production of Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts I and II. 1986
saw the opening of the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon which he
conceived and for which he directed one of the finest productions,
The Fair Maid of the West.
Outside the RSC, he has directed the Tony award-winning Cats, Starlight
Express, Aspects of Love and Sunset Boulevard for Andrew Lloyd Webber;
Chess, The Baker's Wife, Timon of Athens and Heartbreak House. At
Glyndebourne he has directed Idomeneo, Porgy and Bess, Cosi fan tutte
and Peter Grimes and at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden Porgy
and Bess (revival) and Katya Kabanova.
For the Royal National Theatre, he has directed Arcadia, An Enemy
of the People, Mutabilitie, Not About Nightingales, Oklahoma!, Betrayal,
Summerfolk, The Merchant of Venice, Albert Speer, The Cherry Orchard,
My Fair Lady and The Relapse.
His television work includes Antony and Cleopatra (winner of a BAFTA
award), The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, Three Sisters, Nicholas Nickleby
(winner of an Emmy Award) Word of Mouth, Othello and Porgy and Bess.
He has directed three films: Hedda, Lady Jane and Twelfth Night. Trevor
Nunn is currently the Director of London's Royal National Theatre.
Gillian Lynne
Associate Director and Choreographer
Gillian Lynne was a leading soloist with Sadler's Wells Ballet, as
well as the London Palladium's principal dancer and Errol Flynn's
co-star. When she turned to choreography, she was instrumental in
the development of British jazz dance, leading to her groundbreaking
work on film, television and stage. Gillian Lynne¹s 50-plus Broadway
and West End shows include Tonight at Eight, Once Upon a Time, The
Match Girls, Tomfoolery, Jeeves Takes Charge, Cabaret, What The World
Needs Now, Gigi, and Dick Whittington. For the Royal Shakespeare Company
she has directed The Boyfriend, co-directed A Midsummer Night's Dream
and staged The Comedy of Errors, The Way of the World, As You Like
It, Once in a Lifetime and The Secret Garden. As Choreographer and
Stager her numerous productions include The Roar of the Greasepaint,
Pickwick, How Now Dow Jones, The Ambassador, The Card, Phil The Fluter,
Hans Christian Andersen, The Yeomen of the Guard, My Fair Lady, and
Songbook but she is best known for her worldwide direction/choreography
of Cats, and her staging of Phantom of the Opera. Her opera works
includes The Trojans, The Flying Dutchman and Bluebeard, and her ballets
Fool on the Hill, Lippizaner, The Brontes, Some You Win, Journey (for
the Bolshoi), and A Simple Man which won her a BAFTA. Her BBC production
of Morte d'Arthur received the Samuel Engel Award. She staged many
Muppet shows, and her 11 feature films include Half-a-Sixpence, Man
of La Mancha and Yentl. She was made a Commander of the British Empire
in 1997.
John Napier
Designer
John Napier studied Fine Art at Hornsey College of Arts and subsequently
theatre design at the Central School of Arts and Crafts under Ralph
Koltai. He is an associate designer of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Notable productions for the RSC include Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors,
King Lear, Once In a Lifetime, The Greeks, Nicholas Nickleby, Hedda
Gabler, Peter Pan and Mother Courage. His productions for the Royal
National Theatre include Peter Shafter's Equus, later seen worldwide,
Trelawny of the 'Wells', An Enemy of the People, Peter Pan, Candide
and South Pacific. John Napier's designs for opera include Lohengrin
and Macbeth for the Royal Opera Covent Garden, Idomeneo for Glyndebourne
Festival Opera, The Devils for English National Opera and Nabucco
for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In musical theatre he has
designed Cats, Starlight Express, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and
Sunset Boulevard. These productions have been presented on Broadway
and around the word. Other designs in LOndon include Time, Children
of Eden and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Lyceum. Mr Napier designed
the Captain EO video starring Michael Jackson for Disney. He designed
and co-directed the spectacular Siegfried and Roy Show at The Mirage
in Las Vegas, followed by Steven Speilberg's film Hook. He created
Burning Blue at the Haymarket (1996 Olivier award for Best Set design),
The Tower and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? both at the Almeida,
the new production of Martin Guerre and the musical version of Jane
Eyre on Broadway. John Napier's design awards include three Society
of London Theatre Laurence Olivier awards, a BAFTA and five New York
Tony awards, for Nicholas Nickleby, Cats, Starlight Express, Les Miserables
and Sunset Boulevard. Mr Napier is a member of the American Academy
of Achievement and in 1996 was elected Royal Designer for Industry.
David Hersey
Lighting Designer
David Hersey has designed the lighting for over 250 plays, musicals,
operas and ballets. His work has been seen in most corners of the
globe and his many awards include Tonys for Evita, Cats and Les Miserables
and a Laurence Olivier Award for Lighting in 1996. His work has been
represented in London's West End by Cats, Starlight Express, Les Miserables
and My Fair Lady. He has also been active in the world of theme parks
in Florida and Italy as well as lighting extravaganzas at The Mirage,
Treasure Island and Belaggio hotels in Las Vegas. He is founder of
DHA Lighting, which concentrates on the design and manufacture of
specialist lighting. For ten years he was lighting consultant to the
Royal National Theatre and is past Chairman of the Association of
Lighting Designers. David has recently returned from a two-year sabbatical
during which he travelled over 38,000 miles around the world.
Jo-Anne Robinson
Adapted Direction and Choreography
Jo-Anne trained in all aspects of theatre in London, winning scholarships
to further her studies until graduating with a teachers diploma, after
which she performed on the West End in various musicals and television
shows utilising all her skills. She has worked with Australian, American
and English choreographers and directors on productions as diverse
as No No Nanette, Billy, Flowers For Algernon, Minnie¹s Boys, A Chorus
Line and Oklahoma! in England; Song and Dance, Little Shop Of Horrors,
Phantom Of The Opera and Miss Saigon in Australia. She has choreographed
The Hunting Of The Snark and Aspects Of Love in both Australia and
England (the latter for the British Tour) and assisted Gillian Lynne
and Trevor Nunn on CATS in London, New York, Vienna, and has recreated
the production in Germany, Asia and Australia. Jo-Anne has also choreographed
the musical NINE with husband John Diedrich directing: the Logies
and People¹s Choice TV productions in Australia. Also choreographing
scenes, as required, in various mini-series and films. For eight years,
Jo-Anne was Resident Director and Choreographer on Australia¹s longest
running musical Phantom of the Opera, during which she studies Italian
and Fine Arts and also worked with acclaimed Australian director Gale
Edwards on Manon Lescaut, for Opera Australia and the workshop of
The Boy From Oz. Then she conceived, choreographed and directed Chinois,
a production for Chinese acrobats in Beijing. She choreographed scenes
for the film Noah¹s Ark and worked on the production of Romeo et Juliette
for Opera Australia in March 1999. Work on the mini-series Journey
to the Centre of the Earth preceded her adapted choreography and direction
for the Australasian production of Cats Runaway to the Circus. This
year Jo-Anne directed Mack and Mabel. Her most recent work was The
Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Really Useful Group Ltd in Beijing
starring Elaine Paige and Kris Phillips.
Fiz Shapur
Musical Supervisor
After pursuing a classical training Fiz has worked in many different
fields of the music and theatre industry as a Musical Director in
London for over twenty years, both in theatre and television. His
theatre experience covers a wide range of musicals that include Working,
110 in the Shade, Company, Sweet Charity, and the London premieres
of Merrily We Roll Along, and Little Shop of Horrors. He spent three
years conducting Les Miserables at the Palace Theatre with a brief
excursion to the Donmar Warehouse for the Kander and Ebb celebration
How Lucky Can You Get, followed by the ill-fated King at the Piccadilly
Theatre. After the UK tour of the National Theatre production of Guys
and Dolls he spent a happy year conducting the Zurich production of
Cats before returning for the acclaimed new production of Aspects
of Love that returned to the Prince of Wales theatre. He then went
on to be Musical Director for Five Guys Named Moe. Most recently he
was Musical Director for the London Premiere of The Best of Times,
the new Jerry Herman revue. Fiz is also a Musical Supervisor for The
Really Useful Group. On the "other" side, as a Music Director / Pianist,
Fiz has worked with many Jazz / Cabaret and Pop artists across the
UK, Europe, and the USA, ranging from Adelaide Hall and Elizabeth
Welch, to Shalamar, Candi Staton, The Three Degrees, The Supremes,
Rose Royce, Sister Sledge, Leo Sayer, The Trammps, The Real Thing,
Odyssey, Tavares and Jocelyn Brown. Fiz also composes and arranges
for television, and was seen recently as Musical Director for the
BBC series Bob Monkhouse on the Spot.
Björn Lehnberg
- Sound Design
Björn Lehnberg has been a sound designer since the mid of the 70¹s
and has toured with artists like Ted Gärdestad, Tomas Ledin, Eva Dahlgren,
Jerry Williams, Ulf Lundell etc. In the beginning of the 80¹s he had
the pleasure to work with ABBA on their TV-show "Dick Cavett meets
ABBA" which started the beginning of a long co-operation with Björn
Ulveus and Benny Andersson and their musicals "Chess" and "Kristina
från Duvemåla. Björn also made the sound design to the great success
concert B&B with music written by Björn and Benny. One of his latest
assignments is the Swedish musical "Jerka" where he once again worked
with Jerry Williams.
Stephen Wickham
- Associate Lighting Designer
Began lighting theatre in 1978 at Salisbury Playhouse UK. Became resident
lighting designer for theatre companies in Cheltenham and Plymouth
followed by three years with English National Opera Lighting Department
at the London Coliseum and as a freelance designer.
Relocated to Perth Australia in 1987 and designed numerous works for
the WA State Opera, The State Ballet and The State Theatre Company.
Received critical acclaim during this time for his work with contemporary
dance choreographer Chrissie Parrott. Relocated to Sydney in 1995.
Sydney credits include: Aida, Carmen, The Force of Destiny, Romeo
et Juliette, La Boheme and Simon Boccanegra for Opera Australia at
Sydney Opera House. For The Australian Ballet: At The Edge Of Night,
Sydney, Melbourne and New York. For Meryl Tankard: The Deep End and
Possessed for the Adelaide and Sydney Festivals. For The Melbourne
Festival and Opera Australia: Orlando.
Stephen has also designed numerous works for Sydney Theatre Company
and several large-scale exhibitions. He has designed gala productions
for The Pacific Rim Forum in Bangkok, Shanghai, at The Handover of
Hong Kong and The Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Recent credits include concerts for Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber at The
Great Hall Of The People in Beijing and Shanghai, a Meryl Tankard
production for Tiffany & Co at The Museum of Natural History in New
York City, a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber¹s musical CATS
staged for the first time in the open air at the Beiteddine Festival
in Lebanon and La Boheme for the West Australian Opera in Perth.
Stefan Lombard
Musical Director
Has been involved with music from an early age. He made his solo debut
with the CAPAB Orchestra at the age of sixteen, resulting in a personal
invitation from the late Steven de Groote to study piano at the Arizona
State University. Stefan went on to study music at the University
of Cape Town, receiving a degree in Piano Performing. Subsequently,
he studied abroad at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
England. His classical background, combined with his interest in more
contemporary musical styles has presented him with opportunities to
work and record with a wide variety of performers in various styles.
His recent theatrical events include Carousel, Divine Divas, Old Wicked
Songs, Grease, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I Love You, You¹re
Perfect, Now Change. He was also the musical director for the Vita
award winning production of Honk! The Ugly Duckling, directed by Anthony
Drewe and supervised by composer, George Stiles. Stefan also does
work for television and stays constantly busy as pianist, musical
director and arranger.
Tim McFarlane
Managing Director
Tim McFarlane is Managing Director of the The Really Useful Company
Asia Pacific and is responsible for The Really Useful Group¹s activities
in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and South Africa.
Prior to joining RUC Asia Pacific, Tim was General Manager of the
Adelaide Festival Centre Trust and the world renowned Adelaide Festival
from 1986 to 1994. Tim produced many theatre events while at the AFCT,
including co-producing with John Frost the acclaimed production of
The King and I, a production of South Pacific which toured Australia
and Hong Kong. Tim also co-produced with Helen Montague the Australian
and New Zealand tour of 42nd Street, beyond its Sydney season.
Since starting with Really Useful Tim has produced productions of
Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolour Dreamcoat and the Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber in Australia
and Asia including the company¹s first production in China, a first
for a Western entertainment company. Tim was president of the Entertainment
Industry Employers Association, Australia¹s national theatre industry
body, from 1992 to 1994 and is currently a member of the Executive
Council. He is also a Trustee of the Sydney Opera House Trust and
on the National Councils of Musica Viva and the Adelaide Festival.
Kerry Comerford
General Manager
Kerry has over 20 years experience in the arts and entertainment industry.
She has worked for many of Australia's leading theatrical companies
including, the MLC Theatre Royal, The State Theatre Company of South
Australia and The Adelaide Festival Centre Trust. As Executive Producer
for the AFCT she was responsible for the national and international
tour of Me and My Girl, the Australian tour of Stephen Berkoff's One
Man and the national tour of Hello Dolly.
In 1996 Kerry joined the The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific as
Executive Producer. For RUC Asia Pacific she has been Executive Producer
for Cats, the Australian and Asia tour of the Music of Andrew Lloyd
Webber in 1996 and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat for
New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. In 2001 Kerry was appointed
General Manager for The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific and continued
in her role as Executive Producer for The Phantom of the Opera in
South Korea, the Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, in Beijing and Shanghai,
the Australian Production of The Graduate and Cats Tour to Lebanon,
Kuala Lumpur and Seoul.
The Really
Useful Group Limited
The Really Useful Group Limited (RUG) was founded in 1977 by Andrew
Lloyd Webber and is an established international entertainment company
actively involved in theatre, film, video and concert production,
licensing and merchandising, and record and music publishing. The
group is also co-owner of Really Useful Theatres which is London¹s
largest proprietor of West End theatres, thirteen in total, including
the London Palladium, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Her Majesty¹s
Theatre, the Adelphi Theatre and the Palace Theatre, all in the heart
of the capital¹s theatre-land.
The Really Useful Group Limited is a UK based company with its head
office in London and offices in New York and Sydney.
The Really Useful Group Limited produces, co-produces and licences
theatrical productions world-wide. At the heart of the business lie
the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber; these include: The Phantom of
the Opera, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Starlight
Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Whistle Down the Wind, Aspects of
Love, By Jeeves, Evita, Song & Dance, Sunset Boulevard and The Beautiful
Game.
The Really Useful Group Limited theatre productions have long been
synonymous with excellence in performance and production. These outstanding
stage musicals are also remarkable for their abiding durability. Cats,
which opened in London in 1981, is the longest running musical in
theatre history; it has played in over 20 countries world-wide, including
every major city in the USA, Australia and Japan, and many European
capitals. Cats closed in London on the 11th May 2002 completing an
amazing run of 21 years.
The world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber¹s production of A R Rahman¹s
Bombay Dreams, took place at London¹s Victoria Apollo theatre on 19th
June 2002.
Bombay Dreams is a stage show set against the background of the Bollywood
film industry. The book of Bombay Dreams is by Meera Syal and the
lyrics by Don Black. The show is directed by Steven Pimlott with production
design by Mark Thompson. Choreography is by Anthony Van Laast and
Farah Khan. Musical supervision is by Christopher Nightingale.
The Really
Useful Company Asia Pacific
The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific (RUC) is a fully owned subsidiary
of the London based The Really Useful Group Ltd (RUG), which is owned
by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based in Sydney, RUC Asia Pacific is responsible
for RUG¹s activities in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and South Africa,
including producing, co-production and licensing.
Past RUC Asia Pacific productions in Australia have included Aspects
of Love, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, The Music
of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Boulevard and Cats.
In October 1999 RUC Asia Pacific opened the first full-scale musical
to tour regional Australia in a circus style Big Top in the Northern
Territory. The production of Cats played for 15 months to nearly 500,000
people. Following this success in June 2001, in conjunction with GFO
and SEL, RUC Asia Pacific opened a brand new production of Grease,
which ran until February 2002 and followed this up with a production
of the Australian musical Shout! with Jacobsen Entertainment.
In Asia RUC Asia Pacific has presented Cats, The Phantom of the Opera,
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, The Music of Andrew
Lloyd Webber and Cats. Recent productions include The Phantom of the
Opera in Korea and Cats in South Africa. There are also licensed productions
of Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar currently
playing in Japan.
In September and October 2001 RUC Asia Pacific presented its first
production in China. The production of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
was presented to capacity audiences in Beijing at the Great Hall of
the People and in Shanghai at the Shanghai Grand Theatre and was subsequently
telecast nationally on Chinese Central Television and in Hong Kong.
RUC Asia Pacific has also made initial forays into the Middle East
with the current International Touring production of Cats presenting
the production at the Beiteddine Festival in Lebanon in July 2002
before the production moved on have successful seasons in Malaysia
in October 2002 and Korea in January and February 2003.
International
Touring Company Company
Manager Simone Condon
Stage Manager Ronel Jordaan
Deputy Stage Manager Lindsey McEvoy
Resident Director Paul Warwick Griffin
Dance Captains Duane Alexander and Emma Delmenico
Musical Director Stefan Lombard
Keyboard II David Taljaard
Guitar/Bass Bruce Muirhead
Drums Heindrick Kruse
Technical Co-ordinator Theresa Famularo
Head Mechanist Robert Laverick
Asst. Technical Stage Manager Cameron Malacari
Lighting Supervisor Hunter Frith
Wardrobe Supervisor Darren Noyes
Wigs Supervisor Colin Muir
Wigs Dresser Madelein Krugell
Physiotherapist Louis Fourie
Cats Production Team
Producer Tim McFarlane
Executive Producer Kerry Comerford
Associate Producer Torben Brookman
Associate Director and Choreographer Jo-Anne Robinson
Production Musical Supervisor Fiz Shapur
System Sound Technician David Letch Associate
Lighting Designer Stephen Wickham
Wigs and Make-up Supervisor Roslyn Camuglia
Costume Supervisor Ron Morrison
The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific
Managing Director Tim McFarlane
General Manager Kerry Comerford
Associate Producer Allie McCann
Production Coordinator Torben Brookman
Chief Accountant Dawn Brown Accounts
Assistant Olivera Colman Accounts
Assistant Janna Parfenova
Receptionist Tanya Stein
Corporate Counsel Sonya Veltman
The Really
Useful Group Limited
Director Andrew Lloyd Webber
Director William Taylor
Director Jonathan Hull
Director Jonathon Wheeldon
Acknowledgements
System Sound Peter Grubb
Adelaide Festival Centre Scenic Workshop
Phil Duncan and ATS Logistics
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