19 Best Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals

Aspects Of Love

Love is something that seems to exist in more forms than can almost be imaginable. It is something that all artists have reflected on at some point, and it’s this facet of life that is explored in Aspects Of Love.

This musical may not be the colossal career landmark as many of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s other works. However, it is one that continues to enjoy revivals well beyond its original 1989 debut. 

Aspects Of Love was in various stages of development for nearly an entire decade. Perhaps it’s this factor that plays into the fact the plot studies the relationships of its characters over the course of 17 years of their lives. 

Since its debut, Aspects Of Love has had a few revisions, especially where its script is concerned. Nevertheless, Aspects Of Love is a musical that every human from any generation can likely relate to on a personal level. 

School Of Rock

Just about everybody who has seen their fair share of movies over the last 20 years has seen School Of Rock. The film, which starred Jack Black, became an international phenomenon.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, the main character is kicked out of his band and lies about his credentials to get work as a substitute music teacher. In turn, he ends up discovering and nurturing the talents of his students, helping them to win a battle of the bands. 

This same story arc is applied to the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which made its debut on Broadway in 2015. Like the film, Lloyd Webber’s musical was a great success and is still one of his most successful musicals from the last 15 years. 

While the Broadway production officially ended in 2019, School Of Rock continues to be performed around the world. The musical has since found its way to regional shows as well as school productions, ensuring that younger audiences continue to be inspired to become musicians. 

The Beautiful Game

Outside of the US, it’s safe to say that soccer (or football, depending on where you live) is maybe one of the most popular sports in the world. It only makes sense that the sport would eventually find its way to providing the backdrop for a full-production musical.

Sometimes called, The Boys In The Photograph, The Beautiful Game made its debut in 2000. The musical is set in the year 1969 in Northern Ireland amidst the highly-violent 30-year period when the country was seemingly at war with itself.

The Beautiful Game shows that Andrew Lloyd Webber is not afraid to collaborate on projects that seem to have a political background. One could almost draw parallels between The Beautiful Game and the setting of Evita, though each is wholly different from one another. 

While this might not be an overtly famous musical like others on this list, it is still in production around the world. In fact, the musical eventually made its debut in Ireland in 2012. 

Tell Me On A Sunday 

Have you ever seen a musical that has only 1 act and consists of songs that are meant to be sung sequentially? This is a bit of a rarity as far as musical theater goes, but if you have seen something like this, there’s a good chance that it may have been with the musical, Tell Me On A Sunday.

Tell Me On A Sunday originally began as a collaborative effort between Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The duo seemed to have differing agendas, which eventually prompted Lloyd Webber to work with Don Black on the project.

Tell Me On A Sunday has an ironic plot that mirrors the irony that often plays out in everyday life. Its main character falls victim to and becomes that which she feared the most at the beginning of the musical. 

Because of its song cycle nature, Tell Me On A Sunday was recorded as an album, similar to Jesus Christ Superstar. It even had a live telecast that was broadcast on the BBC channel in 1980.

Starlight Express

Leave it to Andrew Lloyd Webber to come up with a musical whose characters aren’t even human! The 1984 musical, Starlight Express, follows the story of a steam engine train that wishes to be faster than other engines in hopes that he might win the fancy of his desire.

If this sounds like Thomas The Tank Engine with a twist, it’s because the popular children’s franchise served as inspiration for the production. But don’t think you’ll attend Starlight Express expecting to see its performers wearing boxy train car costumes.

One of the things that Starlight Express is known for is the fact that all of the performers wear roller skates throughout the musical’s duration. The musical also set a record for the most people in attendance for 1 show. 

Starlight Express continues to be insanely popular thanks in part to the fact that it’s regularly performed internationally every few years. 

Song And Dance 

Song And Dance is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that you might not be too familiar with compared to the big giants. However, Song And Dance is a bit of an unusual entry in Lloyd Webber’s career, though it does share some parallels with Tell Me On A Sunday.

Song And Dance debuted in 1982 and is the result of Lloyd Webber’s collaboration with Don Black. If you’ll recall, the duo created Tell Me On A Sunday, which featured only 1 act.

Song And Dance is similar in the sense that it was originally designed to be a 1 act show performed by only 1 person. It was even recorded and broadcast on BBC in 1980, whereafter the idea became combined with another 1 act project.

Cricket

Wondering what the greatest Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that you’ve never heard of is? While there might be a few that you are unfamiliar with, the 1986 musical, Cricket, remains obscured to history.

Cricket would be the last time that Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice would work together until 2011. Unfortunately, not too many people got to experience the 30-minute musical in its entirety, considering that there were only 3 performances. 

You might be wondering, how, then, could Cricket be considered one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best musicals? The answer is that the collaborative partnership of Lloyd Webber/Rice felt it fitting enough to serve as a birthday present to Queen Elizabeth.

While it would never see the stage beyond those initial performances, songs from Cricket did find their way into other Lloyd Webber musicals. Both Aspects Of Love and Sunset Boulevard are examples of this. 

Stephen Ward

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 2013 musical, Stephen Ward, is another that might be a bit of an obscurity, at least to US audiences. The reason for this is that its story follows the scandal surrounding the British politician, John Profumo, and the affair he had with a teenage model. 

Stephen Ward is yet another product of the collaboration with lyricist, Don Black. However, this is yet another instance where things were not necessarily as successful as they could have been.

In a way, Stephen Ward seemed to be somewhat doomed from the beginning. For starters, the press who were in attendance for the show’s debut was forced to cover a disaster that took place during a show at another nearby theater. 

Despite its lackluster reception, the music featured in Stephen Ward is considered some of Lloyd Webber’s best modern works. In fact, the recorded album had so much demand that its record label released it earlier than announced.

The Woman In White

Some people might get up in arms about the fact that The Woman In White is mentioned here. The musical debuted in 2004 and was met with extremely mixed reviews, especially where Lloyd Webber’s composition is concerned.

However, sometimes, things just take a little bit of extra time to develop themselves entirely to the listener’s ear. There are those that feel that the music in The Woman In White is a slow-burner that makes Lloyd Webber’s mastery more apparent with each revisit.

In terms of subject content, The Woman In White dives deep into some serious and dark themes. Ultimately, a secret seals the fate of one of its main characters. 

Top Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals, Final Thoughts

Not every musical that Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed and/or written has turned out to be a box office hit. However, this further proves the point that even the masters are not successful 100% of the time. 

Regardless of flops, history has shown that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals have the substance required to ensure they remain relevant throughout every following decade. His catalog of musicals will continue to be studied by those who have dreams of revolutionizing the musical in a similar fashion.