Unmasked: A Memoir

Unmasked: A Memoir by Andrew Lloyd Weber           Audiobook:  16 hours, 34 minutes    Hardback Book:  528 pages              

When I first heard of this book, I was excited because by reading it I would get to learn all the background on one of my favorite rock operas, “Jesus Christ Superstar,”  by one of the two men who created it, Tim Rice being the other.    I was not disappointed.    Reader, there is so much good information to be found in this book.   If you are a fan of any of the musicals that Andrew Lloyd Weber has done, you will thoroughly enjoy his telling of his life up through his huge success with the Phantom of the Opera.     The author tells his inspirations for every project he has ever undertaken, he gives his history with some of the biggest names in showbizness both on the celebrity side and the business side.    You will learn such jewels of trivia like a young Bette Midler who was singing in gay clubs at the time was suggested by one of his most trusted friends to let her audition for the part of Mary Magdalen in Jesus Christ Superstar.     He was blown away by her soulful, heartfelt, moving rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” and would have given her the part hands down but Tim Rice was having a fling with Yvonne Elliman and he and Andrew had a confab prior to and after Yvonne’s audition for the part which had been quite a while before Bette was brought in and Elliman had been promised the part.    It could have been an entirely different story if the Divine Ms. M. had done it, but, we will never know.   Just like in the original “Cats,”  Judi Dench was onboard to play the part of Grizabella and would have sang that unmeasurably beautiful tune, “Memory.”   Can you imagine?    Andrew says that he would have made the song even more intentionally touching for her as she gave a performance so moving in rehearsals he was moved to tears and didn’t see a dry eye in the house.   Unfortunately, during rehearsals, Judi at that time had a dance routine she did in another part of the show and fell and injured herself to the point she was unable to do the dance routines and after falling once again during another rehearsal it was deemed that she ought not to proceed in the role and it was eventually given to Andrew’s second wife he affectionately dubbed, “Sarah B”  as his first wife was also named Sarah.   A lovely book, you won’t mind the length because it is so gripping and surprising all the way through.    You will come away knowing not only the view from the footlights, but, what it takes behind the scenes from the ground up on what it takes to get a show done from finding angels and backers, to crew to venues, the many hours involved in deciding just how to pull lyricist and composer together to make the magic that we all love so much.    A thoughtful, honest look at a flawed but phenomenal life.    I enjoyed it start to finish and I believe anyone who is a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber or the performing arts will too.   BRAVO!    Standing ovation!    I highly recommend this book.    I think it ought to be added to the curriculums of all drama courses to give an inside view of how to go about producing a theatrical piece from writing, pulling together crew, actors, backers, venues, working through writer’s block, believing in your project and perservering.   Great stuff to be found here.