The iconic composer and impresario, 74, shared in a statement on Saturday that he’s “absolutely devastated” about his son Nicholas Lloyd Webber, 43, and his diagnosis.
“As my friends and family know, he has been fighting gastric cancer for the last 18 months and Nick is now hospitalized,” Webber wrote. “I, therefore, have not been able to attend the recent previews ofBad Cinderellaand as things stand, I will not be able to cheer on its wonderful cast, crew and orchestra on opening night this Thursday.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber (L) with son Nicholas Lloyd Webber in 2010.Alan Davidson/Shutterstock
“We are all praying that Nick will turn the corner,” Webber continued. “He is bravely fighting with his indomitable humor, but at the moment my place is with him and the family.”
Nicholas, a Grammy-nominated composer himself, has notably scored the BBC One seriesLove, Lies and Records, the filmThe Last Busand the shortMr. Invisible. He earned a Grammy nomination after scoringAndrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella’s original cast album in 2021.
Andrew Lloyd Webber at the 2018 Tony Awards.Jemal Countess/Getty for Tony Awards Productions
The son of Webber and Sarah Hugill, who Webber was married to from 1971 to 1983, has been carving out his own path for several years. In 2011 and 2012, Nicholas saw his musical adaptation ofThe Little Princeperformed at the Lyric Belfast. At the time, he said he was “very nervous,” aware that there’d be some “attention” on him. “But I’d just like to think that the show will be judged on its own merits,” he said. “That’s all anyone can ask for.”
“For a long time, I dropped the Lloyd bit — to see what the reaction would be,” he toldThe Timesin 2011. “I got some stuff on the radio, so I thought, ‘OK, I’m obviously not a complete idiot.’ Then I thought, ‘Hang on, if other people are prepared to work with me without the surname, then maybe I should just get on with it.’ "
Dave Benett/Getty
As for his father,Bad Cinderella’s opening night is set for Thursday at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. The production is Webber’s first Broadway venture sinceSchool of Rockclosed in 2019 and follows the titular character as she’s on a quest to “create her own happily ever after,” perNew York Theater Guide.
It first premiered in London as Andrew Lloyd Webber’sCinderella, and the revamped version began Broadway performances in February before opening on March 23.Linedy Genao, who appeared in Broadway’sOn Your Feet!, and was an understudy inDear Evan Hansen, stars in the title role.
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According to the release, “This modern retelling of the classic fairy tale is set in the exceptionally beautiful kingdom of Belleville. Our Cinderella is no longer the damsel in distress who needs saving. She finds herself and her prince in new circumstances which cause them to rethink what ‘happily ever after’ really means.”
source: people.com
