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[0:06] Robert Peterpaul: Hello, beautiful people. Welcome to the Art of Kindness, where we have compassionate conversations with artists from all areas of the entertainment industry who are using their voice to spread joy and make this big spinning planet in the universe a better place to be. I'm Robert Peterpaul, and I'm so glad you're here.

[0:56] Ruthie: Hello, thank you. Hi. Looks a bit like a seance in here. Hi, over here, Ruthie from Broadway News.

[1:04] Robert Peterpaul: Hey, Ruth. A quick question first. Did you guys get to see Nicole Wynne?

[1:08] Andrew Lloyd Webber: Yes, we just saw her.

[1:09] Jamie Lloyd: We just saw her upstairs, yeah.

[1:10] Ruthie: Okay, good. Just making sure everybody's on the same page. It's really um.

[1:16] Jamie Lloyd: But I mean the vision for the production is obviously so incredible, Jamie. We've spoken about it. Andrew, what makes you say yes when someone has such a different take on one of your shows?

[1:28] Andrew Lloyd Webber: Well, I think the thing is with Auburn's older shows is that it's great when somebody comes to you with a new idea and a new idea of how to do it. Jamie had done a production of Evita in Regents Park in London a few years back now, and is just about to do it again in London with Rachel Zegler. So it's very exciting. And so I obviously knew his work and I've known, I've followed Jamie's work for a long time. And so it was very exciting when he came to me, and also with the thought that Nicole might do it. I've known Nicole for a very long time. She played Grisabella in Cats in London, and that the thought that she would do Norma was incredible for me because she's got such a fantastic voice. I mean, she can really act through music in a way that very few people can. And therefore, I mean, it all seemed to be great. But the most exciting thing was when Jamie told me what he intended to do with it. And it was quite radical.

[2:29] Jamie Lloyd: Yeah. Well, we've spoken a lot about that, haven't we, over the years? But it's amazing that Andrew was just so open-minded and collaborative every step of the way. So really so grateful to him for entrusting us, entrusting the piece to us and allowing us to find that new way to tell the story.

[2:49] Andrew Lloyd Webber: I think the most important thing is I found over the years that if you're working with first-rate directors, it becomes very, very exciting because the process in the rehearsal room becomes just one of those things that you can't repeat. I mean, that's why one's in theatre, why I love working in theatre so much. And we began to make the show darker, and Jamie came up with a quite radical suggestion that a couple of the songs actually were cut, which I think was right because when you look back at it, you know, a little old-fashioned. And I think that it was the right decision, and it made it possible to make the show a lot darker in a way. And anyway, I'm looking forward to working with Jamie.

We're doing a new show together after Evita called The Illusionist, and that'll open in London, I reckon, in September of next year. Produced by the wonderful Michael Harrison, who produced Sunset and is producing Evita, and now we have a partnership together that he's going to, Michael's going to be producing all my work from now onwards.

[4:04] Margaret: Hi, Margaret from Playbill. You both have fostered such a beautiful connection between artists in finding a new way to tell stories that you've told previously and finding new ways to bring colors out of this material. With Evita obviously on the horizon, if you are to go back and pick one other Andrew show to bring to life in your style, if you were to complete the triumvirate, what will come to mind for you and what would you potentially like to see?

[4:34] Jamie Lloyd: What score do you want to have another crack?

[4:37] Andrew Lloyd Webber: Um, Jesus Christ Superstar. Um, I'd love to do at some point. Um, there was an amazing production in London not so long ago, which toured the US as well, so I don't think that will happen anytime soon, but maybe one day Andrew will entrust that one to us as well.

[4:56] Jamie Lloyd: I think, um gosh, there are so many things that would be great. I mean, my main focus now when I get back to London is to keep going with the new show and keep writing that. We've got a week in London where Jamie's going to be with the writers and everything in the week after next. And, you know, I don't know, the most fantastic thing in the world is, I mean, if you're lucky enough to know what you want to do in life, I think. And then if you're lucky enough to actually have a career in it, it's fantastic. And if you've had the sort of career that I've had, I mean, it's just wonderful and, you know, I'm so lucky. I love writing musicals. I've got an idea for yet another one after this new one, and you know, it's just great. I just love theatre, you know. Broadway, of course, is really the home of the musical. I mean, and although we love working in London, there is no substitute for coming here.

[5:57] Ruthie: Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, an honor, sir. Between now we've seen this amazing Sunset Boulevard, we've got Evita coming, we had Cats, the Jellicle Ball, and potentially an immersive Phantom coming our way. As a composer, when these unconventional sorts of productions are brought to you, do you have reservations? And how do you know when a concept is right for one of your shows, you know, something so unconventional as this? And how do you decide which ones?

[6:01] Andrew Lloyd Webber: Well, I think when it's going to be, yes, I know what you mean. I think it's quite difficult to absolutely know something's going to work, but you can have a pretty good hunch. I mean, I think I've been lucky enough to work with some very fine directors, you know, and of course Hal Prince, who was a great friend and was a mentor to me really early on in my career. Hal said something to me which I will always remember. He came to see a show of mine in London very early on in my career. I had an appalling flop musical called Jeeves, and it was, I suppose, had one of the most hideous sets that you could ever actually imagine. And I remember Hal wrote me a letter, and I was really down, you know, because it was just done Jesus Christ Superstar, and then this was the next one, and I thought everything was over.

Hal wrote me this letter saying, "Don't worry about it." He said, "Just remember one thing. You can't listen to a musical if you can't look at it." And I think that that's incredibly, incredibly true. And so what I think is fantastic about this production of Sunset Boulevard is that although it may be radically different in the sense that it doesn't have huge, great sets or anything like that, and doesn't have a great big house for Norma Desmond, what it has is an incredible visual style. And I always feel that with a musical, that's one of the first things you need to talk about with the director.

[8:01] Jamie Lloyd: Over to you, Jamie.

[8:03] Andrew Lloyd Webber: Please.

[8:04] Jamie Lloyd: I've got nothing more to say. I've got nothing more to add.

[8:09] Ruthie: Hi.

[8:10] Andrew Lloyd Webber: Alan was next week. Um, so this, when obviously there's been a lot of talk. I mean, this version of the musical has made people die to have Norma Desmond back on the silver screen. And so, what do you make of the excitement about this story and the excitement of the conversation around a film adaptation of this version of the musical?

[8:31] Andrew Lloyd Webber: Well, we've been hoping to get a film made of Sunset Boulevard now for about 35 years. Um, and I get to be frank. I mean, there isn't a great rush of people saying that they want to make it. Um, I'd love to see it. I mean, I really would dearly love to see it. And it, of course, what, um, well, actually, I'm gonna just go kind of slightly move sideways, but say something that Billy Wilder said to me. Um, I can't do his Austrian accent so I'm not gonna bother. Um, but he remembered after he first saw Sunset in London, he said to me, he said, "Mr. Baber, you've done a good job with my show," he said, "but remember the problem with theatre is everything is in long shot." And I keep thinking what would Billy Wilder have made of Jamie's production?

Do you know? I think he'd have loved it, absolutely loved it. And in a way, after seeing Jamie's production, I'm a little unsure that I know how it could be filmed. You know, it's not, film isn't my real world. I'm afraid I'm a theatre animal through and through. But, um, look, who knows? It'd be great if it was made. I guess. All right, guys, thank you so much. Until next time, remember everything is gonna be okay.