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Unmasked
- Narrated by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins
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Unmasked
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Summary
“You have the luck of Croesus on stilts (as my Auntie Vi would have said) if you’ve had the sort of career, ups and downs, warts and all that I have in that wondrous little corner of show business called musical theatre.”
One of the most successful and distinguished artists of our time, Andrew Lloyd Webber has reigned over the musical theatre world for nearly five decades. The winner of numerous awards, including multiple Tonys and an Oscar, Lloyd Webber has enchanted millions worldwide with his music and numerous hit shows, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera—Broadway’s longest running show—and most recently, School of Rock. In Unmasked, written in his own inimitable, quirky voice, the revered, award-winning composer takes stock of his achievements, the twists of fate and circumstance which brought him both success and disappointment, and the passions that inspire and sustain him.
The son of a music professor and a piano teacher, Lloyd Webber reveals his artistic influences, from his idols Rodgers and Hammerstein and the perfection of South Pacific’s ‘Some Enchanted Evening,’ to the pop and rock music of the 1960s and Puccini’s Tosca, to P. G. Wodehouse and T. S. Eliot. Lloyd Webber recalls his bohemian London youth, reminiscing about the happiest place of his childhood, his homemade Harrington Pavilion—a make-believe world of musical theatre in which he created his earliest entertainments.
A record of several exciting and turbulent decades of British and American musical theatre and the transformation of popular music itself, Unmasked is ultimately a chronicle of artistic creation. Lloyd Webber looks back at the development of some of his most famous works and illuminates his collaborations with luminaries such as Tim Rice, Robert Stigwood, Harold Prince, Cameron Mackintosh, and Trevor Nunn. Taking us behind the scenes of his productions, Lloyd Webber reveals fascinating details about each show, including the rich cast of characters involved with making them, and the creative and logistical challenges and artistic political battles that ensued.
Lloyd Webber shares his recollections of the works that have become cultural touchstones for generations of fans: writings songs for a school production that would become his first hit, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; finding the coterie of performers for his classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar; developing his first mega-hit, Evita, which would win seven Tonys Awards, including Best Musical; staking his reputation and fortune on the groundbreaking Cats; and making history with the dazzling The Phantom of the Opera.
Reflecting a life that included many passions (from architecture to Turkish Swimming Cats), full of witty and revealing anecdotes, and featuring cameo appearances by numerous celebrities—Elaine Paige, Sarah Brightman, David Frost, Julie Covington, Judi Dench, Richard Branson, A.R. Rahman, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone, Richard Rodgers, Norman Jewison, Milos Forman, Plácido Domingo, Barbra Streisand, Michael Crawford, Gillian Lynne, Betty Buckley, and more—Unmasked at last reveals the true face of the extraordinary man beneath the storied legend.
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Critic reviews
‘It seems there is nothing Andrew Lloyd Webber can’t do. Besides his feats as a composer and creator of musicals, this memoir proves that he can write stylish and witty prose too.’ – Sunday Times
‘There is much of this autobiography that is, quite simply, hilarious…His is an authentic voice, the real deal, and you emerge feeling as if you have been allowed inside the tornado that is ALW.’ – The Times
‘I laughed, I cried, it was better than cats!’ – Sloane Crosley, Vanity Fair
‘An autobiography that has… wit, suspense, contemporaneity, audacity, and an appealingly shrewd sense of the occasion.’ – Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
‘Charmingly idiosyncratic, surprisingly endearing and ruthlessly entertaining.’ – Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal
What listeners say about Unmasked
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- Anonymous User
- 24-07-20
Loved this book
Wondeful book. Full of details and anecdotes. Witty and entertaining. Highly recommended for musical lovers.
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- Alexandra
- 03-05-20
Unmasked
What a story. What a great audio book. What an amazingly talented mind. What a treat to share this journey..
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- Amazon Customer
- 30-05-20
A curiosity satisfied.
it's long, but always interesting. I laughed at the humour, enjoyed the irony and the open invitation to share In the successes.
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- Cluckypete
- 29-03-18
All I Ask
What a sheer joy to get the inside story of this contemporary genius. As a lover of Puccini and having visited his home I longed to meet his successor and this is as close to ALW I am ever likely to get
The intrigues and shenanigans that go between melody and show are revealing as are the sadness that occur through his productive life. Like me he had suffered the indignities of Prostate Cancer but rebuilt his creative juices and will surely produce yet another masterpiece. I can not recommend this book more highly to anyone who enjoys the musical theatre
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mr A Bennett
- 12-04-21
ALW BRILLIANCE
Superb insight into a genius.
Can't wait for Andrew to pen the next chapter and to hear the inside story of Love Never Dies.
Thank you Andrew for this.
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- Hedgehog
- 01-02-19
Fascinating
Really enjoyed this epic!
*Occasional strange pronunciations by narrator - The words ‘theatre’ and ‘maddening being two examples.
A great holiday listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anna Diehard
- 10-02-21
Fascinating
The most interesting thing l’ve read in ages!
Delicate humour and it just flowed. Gonna read it again immediately.
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- Brianne S.
- 14-03-24
What a remarkable insight into the world of a genius
What a book. I have loved Andrew’s musicals since I saw Starlight Express as a teenager.
This book really shows what goes in to the creation of performances that touch your heart so dearly. It also gives you a true feeling of how delicate the process is and how a slight change in events could lead to the final versions never reaching us.
Thankyou for sharing this insight into your world and your life.
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- Jill Penrose
- 12-02-21
Would love to see phantom!
I really enjoyed this memoir of Andrew Lloyd Webber. I think he must be a wonderful, clever man! I would love to see Phantom of the Opera but l fear l am too old, but I will buy a video of it if I possibly can! Xx
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- Eileen
- 23-11-22
One of the best I’ve ever listened to
Andrew has put much detail into his autobiography which makes it so interesting and the narration brings it all together.
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