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Sunset Blvd.
British songwriterBruno Majoris also attached.
The show premiered at the St. James Theater on October 20 to ecstatic notices from the majority of critics.
Andrew Lloyd Webber in his Covent Garden officeBaz Bamigboye/Deadline
I mean, it could be New York, it could be here [in London].
Id like it to be here, but it could be New York.
Its also important to emphasize that its very, very early days.
(L/R) Michael Harrison and Andrew Lloyd Webber in Covent Garden, LondonBaz Bamigboye/Deadline
That part is much reduced in the new show.
Lloyd Webber stresses that the musical is not going to be a straight rehash of the film.
We are not hugely based on the movie, he declares.
I think what weve done is taken the idea of it and developed it into another area completely.
For instance, he and Terrio have expanded the Sophie character.
And so youve got people coming to Vienna and all of them for different reasons.
Some of them because they want to hear a waltz, the musical lord surmises.
But its the second act numberAlways Everything to Me, a passionate love song that lingers most.
Thats a classic, says Harrison, breaking the silence.
I felt the same emotional jolt withAlways Everything to Me.
And as an oldie now, to have somebodys whos younger, just challenges me, says Lloyd Webber.
He notes how the pair developed a close friendship and working relationship onSunset Boulevardwhere they challenged each other.
They managed to chop two numbers fromSunset Boulevardwithout falling out.
And Lloyd Webber seems energized by Terrio and Major.
Having Harrison as producer is fantastic says Lloyd Webber because I can just be a creator again.
The show also ushered in a new star in Jeevan Braich who plays Rusty, the discarded steam engine.
[Disclosure: this writer was on the judging panel].
Casting forThe Illusionistwill begin as soon as Lloyd Webber, Harrison, and Lloyd have assembled their creative team.
I gather theres already a wish list.
