Today, we celebrate the 75th birthday of our owner, custodian and champion of our theatres, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and his remarkable contributions to musical theatre.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed the scores of some of the world’s most famous musicals. From Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969) to Bad Cinderella (2023). Lloyd Webber has had shows running continually in the West End for 50 years and on Broadway for 43.

When Sunset Boulevard joined School of Rock, CATS, and The Phantom of the Opera he equalled Rodgers & Hammerstein’s record of four shows running simultaneously on Broadway. He is one of the select group of artists with EGOT status, having received Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.

Lloyd Webber owns six London theatres including the iconic London Palladium and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Reopened in July 2021, the latter was completely restored and renovated at a cost of over £60 million. It was one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by a private theatre owner in recent times. Her Majesty’s Theatre on Haymarket has been home to his The Phantom of the Opera in London for 36 years. His mantra is that every penny of profit made from his theatres is ploughed back into the buildings.

Lloyd Webber is passionate about the importance of musical education and diversity in the arts. Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation provides 30 performing arts scholarships every year for talented students with financial need and supports a range of projects such as the Music In Secondary School Trust and commissioning research into diversity in theatre.

His musicals formed an integral part of the Platinum Jubilee concert held outside Buckingham Palace in 2022. He was recently announced as the composers of the new anthem for the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023.