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Article: Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works.
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- November 25, 1989
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER: HIS LIFE AND WORKS
IN DOLLARS and cents, there has never been a more successful composer than Andrew Lloyd Webber. One of his musicals, "Cats", has made a net profit of $58.5m--$20m of it on Broadway--and shown a return on investment of 1,000%. And that was just one show. Add "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Starlight Express" and "The Phantom of the Opera" and the Lloyd Webber phenomenon begins to look like a money factory.
Today his is the music everyone wants to hear. But what sort of music is it? Plagiarism is a charge he has long had to live with. Hum Mr Lloyd Webber's "Memory" to yourself, then Ravel's "Bolero", and see ...