Lloyd Webber's relentless passion to get theatre back on track after pandemic

Musical theatre impresario Lloyd Webber has waged a ceaseless campaign on both sides of the Atlantic to get theatres reopened, even vowing to defy authorities and risk imprisonment. Photo: Reuters

Ever since the chandelier first crashed in thunderous fashion, The Phantom Of The Opera has been a fixture of Broadway, becoming as iconic a symbol of theatregoing as the celebrity caricatures that adorn the walls at Sardi’s. Its mixture of soaring romanticism and spectacle fuelled the beloved musical’s history-making run.

Since the show’s debut on Jan 26, 1988, audiences have flocked to the Majestic Theatre to see more than 13,300 performances of the tragic love story – that is, until Covid-19 caused the curtain to come down for 16 months.