Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, king of Broadway, is reopening the world renowned Royal Drury Lane Theatre. The venue, which is owned by Sir Webbers company, has been undergoing a £60 million restoration for the over two years. Andrew, along with an 81 piece orchestra, recorded a brand new album in the venue last week.
All theatres in the UK were ordered by the Government to close on March 20th 2020. The doors remain closed to this day, over 12 months later. To bring an 81 piece orchestra into the newly refurbished Royal Drury Lane Theatre, as Lord Webber commented, feels like a huge step in the right direction.
Symphonic Suites, the new album due for release in June, will feature three newly orchestrated suites from Broadway sensations Evita, Phantom Of the Opera and Sunset Boulevard. Lord Lloyd Webber hopes that the album will bring joy to those who have lived without live music for over a year. He hopes the album will have new meaning in a post Covid world. That the music represents the triumphant return of live shows, entertainment and theatre to the world.
Sticking to current restrictions, recording engineers Peter Cobbin and Kirsty Whalley said that the large Drury Lane stage allowed them to socially distance the entire orchestra. This is not a possibility in any recording studio in the world. It is record breaking. The sound captured truly shows the wold class recording venue at its best.
“The sonic clarity, depth, detail and warmth of the theatre sits beautifully in the breathtaking aesthetic, surly an inspiration for any musician and performer.”
A theatre saved by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Royal Drury Lane Theatre has a long history, it is iconic within the circles of Broadway enthusiasts. In January 2019, the doors closed as the refurbishment began. The reworks are going to return the venue to its former glory as well as making the theatre easily accessible. New street level entrances will be added, 20 more wheelchair spaces across three levels or parking and more ladies toilets.
This is not the first reconstruction, in fact Drury lane has had four since its opening in 1663. The theatre is famous for staging the most breath taking spectacles. The chariot race of Ben Hurr, the legendary showing of Oaklahoma! after the blitz depression and it was where the British public first heard the National Anthem.
Despite its splendor, and star spangled castings, it is known for taking risks. Its stage has acted the gruesome Sweeney Todd, the risque The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and even The Pirates of Penzance. More often than not, these risks have paid off. Cameron Mackintosh’s Miss Saigon is the longest running with 4,263 performances. Each one with a helicopter landing during the show.
In a deal rumoured to be worth £85 million, Lord Lloyd Webber took control of 10 of West Ends Leading Theatres in 2000. The Royal Drury Lane Theatre is due to reopen in its entirety in August with Frozen the Musical.
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