Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical Cinderella was one of the first theatre productions to delay its opening because of the coronavirus crisis. It is currently slated for October but full-scale pre-rehearsals were still planned for this month with the leading actors. Lloyd Webber has now found himself self-isolating, like so many of us, and in an idle moment asked his Twitter followers which of his songs they’d like to hear him play at the piano. The song that came out on top was All I Ask of You from The Phantom of the Opera and in a video shared on Twitter, Lloyd Webber plays the tune “in C major because my arthritic fingers couldn’t do it in C flat”. He is accompanied by his dog. (“It’s alright, it doesn’t come from Cats,” the composer quips to camera.)
I didn’t think I’d ever get such a response to this little tryout! Here I am in my own self-isolation. The song that came out on top was ‘All I Ask Of You’ - ALW pic.twitter.com/NCSujNwBPd
— Andrew Lloyd Webber (@OfficialALW) March 19, 2020
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was one of many who enjoyed the video, tweeting: “It’s almost your birthday and you give us gifts. Thanks maestro.” Lloyd Webber, who turns 72 on Sunday, replied suggesting they have a play-off.
With a Phantom mask on top of his piano and children’s toys in the background, Miranda duly picks up the challenge from “AL Dubs” and plays Everything’s Alright from Jesus Christ Superstar. Its lyrics strike a note of comfort in these uncertain times: “Try not to get worried / Try not to turn on to / Problems that upset you, oh.” Miranda asks his followers to imagine a red bucket on the piano for donations to a Covid-19 emergency assistance fund. He ends by throwing down the gauntlet to Lloyd Webber: “Sing You’ll Be Back from Hamilton – you know, the one about your friend the queen, the great-great-great-great grandma.”
PLAYOFF ACCEPTED!
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 20, 2020
Here’s “Everything’s Alright” from Jesus Christ Superstar.
Your move, @OfficialALW,
aka A-L Dubs.
(And of course, imagine a red bucket on this piano labeled https://t.co/d5YxoarPgB) https://t.co/ijOty38ymF pic.twitter.com/MTyCPMvqI2
Miranda is no stranger to virtual creative partnerships. In 2018, he sent the Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy some leftover lyrics from Hamilton and they created Ben Franklin’s Song together. Will the coronavirus lead to a collaboration between two of musical theatre’s greatest talents?
