- Title: 'School of Rock - The Musical' opens in London
- Date: 14th November 2016
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 14, 2016) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS SHOTS OF EXTERIOR OF NEW LONDON THEATRE AND SCHOOL ROCK POSTERS SCHOOL OF ROCK BUS (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMPOSER, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, SAYING: "They've been marvellous, yes absolutely incredible. In fact we planned to open next April because I didn't think we'd find the children this quickly and so we brought it forward because they were so good." GROUP OF YOUNG CAST POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS ON RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMPOSER, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, SAYING: "Well look - this is an American musical and an American story so we had to open on Broadway first. In fact it's about the first British musical to open on Broadway, but we had to do that so we've come here really knowing what we had so we haven't really made any changes at all except it's a different theatre." SCHOOL OF ROCK BUS (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMPOSER, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, SAYING: "Well look they are both the centres of theatre and Broadway's incredibly important and to have a big hit on Broadway is something that you dream of and it's tough. It's very tough out there. Here is equally important and it's great to be here you know this time around but we had to open there first." ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, MADELEINE LLOYD WEBBER, EMMA JOY KITCHENER AND JULIAN FELLOWES POSE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMPOSER, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, SAYING: "It is more or less all brand new music. We have kept a couple of songs from the movie. No... the original Jack Black movie is a wonderful story about how music empowers kids and empowers all of us. In fact everybody in this story is touched by music in some way or another and that is the reason I really wanted to do it. It takes me right back to Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat nearly fifty years ago it is for me, so there you go." WRITER JULIAN FELLOWES POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WRITER, JULIAN FELLOWES, SAYING: "It's a very exciting show. For me it's been a nice jump away from Downton for a moment - you know there aren't many ladies maids and footmen in this one and I've enjoyed it I've had a very good time working on it. We had a terrific time in New York. We opened it there a year ago and now here we are." VARIOUS OF CLIFF RICHARD POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WRITER, JULIAN FELLOWES, SAYING: "I've got this tie on to try and make a bit of an effort and in fact a friend of my wife's came up to me just before, we were having a drink and said 'oh I see you've got lovely violins' so clearly that's the assumption but we're here to prove them wrong." PHOTOGRAPHERS ON RED CARPET JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER AND FAMILY ON RED CARPET MODEL VOGUE WILLIAMS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS COMEDIAN JIMMY CARR AND KAROLINE COPPING POSING FOR PHOTOS MUSICIAN CONOR MAYNARD POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
- Embargoed: 29th November 2016 20:51
- Keywords: School of Rock Musical London West End Andrew Lloyd Webber stage show Broadway
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK AND UNKOWN FILMING LOCATIONS
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK AND UNKOWN FILMING LOCATIONS
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Theatre
- Reuters ID: LVA00258F3XOT
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'School of Rock - The Musical' opened in London's West End on Monday (November 14) at the same theatre where 'Cats' premiered 35 years ago.
The story centres around the character Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star who poses as a substitute school teacher and turns a class of straight-A students into a rock band.
It's a role made famous by actor Jack Black in the 2003 film which was directed by Richard Linklater.
Speaking ahead of the show, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber told Reuters:
"The original Jack Black movie is a wonderful story about how music empowers kids and empowers all of us. In fact everybody in this story is touched by music in some way or another and that is the reason I really wanted to do it. It takes me right back to Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat nearly fifty years ago."
The stage show first opened on Broadway in 2015.
The production subsequently garnered 20 Broadway theatre awards nominations including four at the 2016 Tony Awards - Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey wrote the book for the stage show and said it was a welcome move away from the period drama.
"For me it's been a nice jump away from Downton for a moment - you know there aren't many ladies maids and footmen in this one and I've enjoyed it I've had a very good time working on it. We had a terrific time in New York. We opened it there a year ago and now here we are," said Fellowes.
Stars including Cliff Richard, Conor Maynard and Vogue Williams were among the audience for the opening night. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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