CREATIVE TEAM
TIM RICE (Lyricist) was born in 1944. He began songwriting in
1965 in which year the first song he wrote ‘That’sMy Story’(tune
as well as words) was recorded by a rock group called the
Nightshift whose career never recovered. That same year he met
fellow budding songwriterAndrew LloydWebber whose musical
ambitions were in theatre rather than rock or pop. They teamed up
and wrote four musicals together from1965 – 1978. The first, The
Likes of Us (1965-66)was performed for the first time in 2005 and
became available on CD just 40 years after its creation. The other
three, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat (1968),
Jesus Christ Superstar (1969-71) and Evita (1976-78) were more
immediate successes. Feeling certain that they could never top
this lot, the pair went their separate ways in the early eighties,
whereupon Andrew Lloyd Webber immediately topped that lot
with Cats. Tim Rice then wrote Blondel (1983), a mediaeval
romp, with Stephen Olivier, which ran for a year in London but
not for long anywhere else. This was followed in 1986 by Chess,
in collaboration with ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny
Andersson. Chess had a healthy run in theWest End but flopped
on Broadway in 1988, The New York Times bloke being particularly forceful in his disapproval. In 1989 Tim translated the
famous French musical Starmania (by Michel Berger and Luc
Plamondon) into English, which merely resulted in a hit album –
in France. In the nineties heworked primarily and happilywith the
Disney empire, contributing lyrics to the movies Aladdin (music
Alan Menken) and The Lion King, (music Elton John and Hans
Zimmer) and to the stage shows Beauty and the Beast (Alan
Menken), The Lion King and Aida (both Sir Elton). Between
Disney commitments he wrote the words for Cliff Richard’s theatrical blockbuster Heathcliff (music John Farrar), which toured the UK in 1995-96. He is currently reworking an operatic musical he has written with Alan Menken (King David), and on new
treatments, for both stage and screen, of Chess, The New York
Times bloke having been replaced. He also has a brand new idea,
which may or may not see the light of day. He has won a variety
of awards, mainly for the wrong things, or for simply turning up.
He lives in London, Cornwall and on the motorway between the
two, has three children, his own cricket team and a knighthood.
DALLETT NORRIS (Director) has directed National
Touring companies of Grand Hotel, Camelot, South Pacific,
Oliver and the Deborah Gibson / Patrick Cassidy Joseph and
the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat. He staged the
International Tour of Gigi starring Louis Jordan as well as the
Japanese and American productions of Can Can with Chita
Rivera. One of the founding partners of Troika Entertainment,
Mr. Norris, as artistic director from 1981 to 1998, oversaw the
production of numerous musicals presented throughout North
America, Europe and Asia. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon
University, he is also the recipient of two grants from the
National Opera Institute and has directed for both U.S. and
Canadian opera companies. Mr. Norris is a member of the
Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
ARLENE PHILLIPS (Choreographer) first came to the
attention of the British public when she created dance group
Hot Gossip. Since then her choreography has been seen in theatres, feature films, concert arenas, television, music videos
and commercials. Theatre choreography credits include hit
musical We Will Rock You (music by Queen), Starlight
Express, Grease, Matador, Time (starring Cliff Richard), and
The RSC production of A Clockwork Orange (music by U2).
As a director & choreographer productions include Saturday
Night Fever (starring Adam Garcia), The Music of Andrew
Lloyd Webber with stars Michael Bolton, Sarah Brightman,
Petula Clark, Michael Crawford & Elaine Paige, Black Goes
With Everything (the songs of Don Black) and EFX at the
MGM Grand (starring David Cassidy). She directed Michael
Flatley’s acclaimed arena production Lord of the Dance and in
2002 was invited to be Director of Choreography for the
Manchester XVII Commonwealth Games ceremonies. In film
choreography, she has worked with notable directors such as
John Huston (Annie), Ridley Scott (Legend) starring Tom
Cruise, Clint Eastwood (White Hunter, Black Heart), Ken
Russell (Salome’s Last Dance) and Terry Jones (Monty
Python’s Meaning of Life). On other films she has worked
with The Village People (Can’t Stop The Music) and The Pet
Shop Boys (It Couldn’t Happen Here). Television credits
include Ken Russell’s The ABC of Music, The Benny Hill
Show, The Hot Shoe Show, the US syndicated Dancin’To The
Hits, The Kenny Everett Video Show featuring dance group
Hot Gossip, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa & Friends and An Evening
With Michael Ball. Her work has also been seen on The Brit
Awards, The Royal Variety Show, The Prince’s Trust, Children
in Need, Party in the Park and the legendary Party at the
Palace.Arlene has also appeared as a judge for the BBC UK’s
hugely popular Strictly Come Dancing and Strictly Dance
Fever. In Music videos she has worked withAC/DC, The Bee
Gees, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Erasure, Aretha Franklin,
Whitney Houston, Joan Jett, Elton John, Kiss, George
Michael, Freddie Mercury, Queen, Cliff Richard, Diana Ross,
Tina Turner, and RobbieWilliams and has choreographed over
one hundred TV commercials in England andAmerica.Arlene
has worked with numerous stars from Lauren Bacall to Elliott
Gould and Vinnie Jones to Ozzy Osbourne. Arlene has
received an OBE by Her Majesty The Queen and a
Companionship Award from LIPA for her contributions to
dance.
LOUANNE MADORMA-WILLIAMS
(Associate Choreographer) began her career as a dancer, performing on cruise ships, in theme parks, music videos and feature films. She soon moved on to Musical Theater, acting as
Dance Captain in Peter Pan, West Side Story, and Starlight
Express in Germany, where she met Arlene Phillips. She has
assisted Arlene as the resident choreographer of both Starlight
Express in Las Vegas, and Saturday Night Fever in Germany.
Louanne is the associate choreographer of the Starlight
Express US Tour, and UK Tour, as well as this production of
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. She has choreographed for
"No Angels" European pop group, Mercedes Benz Industrial,
AIDS Benefit Shows, Evita television commercial, and many
competitive dance teams.
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ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER (Composer) is the composer of The Likes of Us, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, By Jeeves, Evita,
Variations and TellMe On A Sunday later combined as Song & Dance, Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game and The Woman in White. He composed the film scores of Gumshoe and The Odessa File, and a setting of the Latin Requiem Mass Requiem. He has also produced in theWest End and on Broadway not only his own work but the Olivier award-winning plays La Bête and Daisy Pulls It Off. In summer 2002 in London he presented the groundbreakingAR Rahman musical Bombay Dreams. In 2004 he produced a film version of The Phantom of the Opera directed by Joel Schumacher. Earlier this year he oversaw the new production of Evita in London and a unique version of The Phantom of the Opera in Las Vegas. This winter he will present a new production of The Sound of Music at the London Palladium having cast the leading role via the BBC TV series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? He bought the Palace Theatre in 1983 and now owns seven London theatres including the Palace, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Palladium. His awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem, six Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, an International Emmy, the Praemium Imperiale and the Richard Rodgers award for Excellence in Musical Theatre. The Beautiful Game, which used the sectarian war in Northern Ireland as a metaphor of the tragedy of religious conflict worldwide, was his first to receive the London Critic’s Circle Award. He was knighted in 1992 and created an honorary life peer in 1997.mposerof The Likes of Us, Joseph and the Amazing
BILL STABILE (Scenic Designer) designed the Tony Awardwinning Broadway production of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy, Graham Reid’s Remembrance starring Francis Sternhagen and Milo O'Shea (off-Broadway) and Sam Shepard’s States of Shock starring John Malkovich (The American Place Theatre). He has designed several concerts for jazz percussionist Max Roach including To The Max at the Umbria Jazz Festival and JuJu at Lincoln Center, New York City, both directed by George Ferencz. He has been scenic designer on many productions for director Tom O’Horgan including Arrabal’s The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria, Starmania - Le Spectacle at the Palais de Congress Paris, Leon Kirschner's Lily at the New York City Opera, Leonard Bernstein’s Mass 10th anniversary Kennedy Center production with PBS-TV, and over 24 productions with Ellen Stewart’s La MaMa Theatre in NewYork, SouthAmerica and Europe. In television, Bill is responsible for the production design of Children's Television pioneer “Mister” Fred Rogers’ Josephine
the Short-NeckedGiraffe shown annually on PBS-TV.He is currently the assistant art director of DickWolf's Law and Order on NBC. Bill is the recipient of design awards including the Obie Award, the Maharam/Theatre Wing Award, and the 1994 Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACPTheatreAward for his design of the tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar.
FABIOTOBLINI (CostumeDesigner) Musical National Tours: Fame, Godspell. Off-Broadway world premieres: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Lucille Lortel nomination); Bat Boy TheMusical, Intrigue with Faye. Dance world premiere: Romeo and Juliet for the Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre, Regional Theatre Credits include: the Alley Theatre in Houston, TX, The Shakespeare Theatre in DC, the Children's Theatre Company and The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, The Long Wharf Theatre in NewHaven, CT. A production of A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, the Holiday Spectacular for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and The Nutcracker for Ballet Arizona in Phoenix, are scheduled to be performed every Christmas. Opera:
Macbeth (Portland Opera), L’Opera Seria (Nederland Nationale Reisopera), Beatrice et Benedict (Manhattan School of Music), The Magic Flute (Juilliard School).
RICKBELZER (Lighting Adaptation) To quote hismother, “At
13 I took him to a local theatre and I haven’t seen him since!” He turned pro at age 16; at 19 he became the youngest admittedmember of the United ScenicArtists in their lighting design category . For the past 30 years he has mainly focused on theatrical design and production. He has worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Theater Company for 20 years and on productions of Evita, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Starlight Express; on Broadway, Nationally and Internationally.He hasworked in over 20 countries over the past 10 years and enjoys the diversity and challenges of the language and cultural differences.As a quirky accident he did the lighting design for a Titanic artifact exhibit which has blossomed into a huge 2nd career. Having designed over 45 different Titanic exhibits in the USA and worldwide (Titanic has enough recovered artifacts for 7 exhibitions) Rick was hired to design other museum exhibitions which culminated last year with the blockbuster opening in Los Angeles of Tutankhamen and the golden age of the Pharaohs,which is breaking records in theUSA and soonworld. Rick’s approach tomuseumlighting incorporates a lot of “theatrical” techniques which has put him on the front page of the NY Times and The Chicago Tribune. Tonight’s production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR marks the 10th time he has lit this wonderful work by Sir Timand Lord Andrew, and a return to working again with Ted Neeley ...ENJOY !!
DUNCAN ROBERT EDWARDS (SoundDesign) has worked
in sound design for the past 25 years and has designed a significant amount of theater, television, special event and installation audio systems in venues of all shapes and sizes, on land or sea, everywhere in the world.When not traveling to the far reaches of the planet, Duncan is sailing or working his farm in Connecticut with his wife Patricia and their children Francesca and Lucas as well as their horses Scarlet, Valiente,Monty and Keliade.
PHIL EDWARDS (Musical Supervisor) is a graduate of the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and as a percussionist and keyboard player in manyWest End productions. Phil became Music Director of the UK National Tour of Annie and subsequently fulfilled the same position in the West End production of Starlight Express whose tour of Japan and Australia he also supervised. He was the original Music Director of theWest End production of Miss Saigon. He works regularly as composer and arranger for t.v. and radio in Great Britain. He has written and orchestrated several film scores including The Most Dangerous Moment and Cupid broadcast on R.T.E., and composed incidental music for the Las Vegas mega-show EFX. He works as an arranger for several European pop bands, notably Natural Born Hippies. He was Music Supervisor of the New Zealand production of Cats and the first German production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat. He was the musical supervisor of Starlight Express in London and Germany and the Hamburg production of Cats. Phil was Music Director and co -orchestrator of the original production of Saturday Night Fever at the London Palladium, which subsequently had a two year run on Broadway. He composed and produced music for the Closing Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. A fascinating and enjoyable recent project was as Musical Director and vocal
coach for Vinnie Jones on his debut album Respect. Phil is
Musical Supervisor and co-orchestrator of Sleeping Beauty a new musical which was in workshop in 2005 and due to open in the West End in 2007. He has recently conducted the
London Symphony Orchestra and is currently Musical
Supervisor of the U.S. National Tours of Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat and JESUS CHRIST
SUPERSTAR, the German production of Saturday Night
Fever and the UK National Tour of Starlight Express.
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