00:00:28 From the outset written as a rock album, because noone was interested in doing it on stage
00:00:54 Oratorio rather than stage show
00:01:04 “I just know what would have happened, if we’d started off in Plymouth or somewhere, and you’d have had some director saying ‘can we have another 20 bars here’ …”
00:01:20 Disinterested reception in UK: caught between stools of uncool subject matter and older people thinking it disrespectful
00:02:00 Number 1 in USA … first incarnations in rock arenas in USA
00:02:50 On appallingness of original Broadway show, and crying with Sarah Brightman
00:03:40 Jim Sharman’s more successful London production closer to a concert
00:04:30 On current production
00:05:45 On filming live shows (Met Opera and NT:Live as models)
00:07:00 “How lovely it would be to have Elaine Paige’s first performance as Evita.”
00:07:20 On Chris Moyles as Herod
00:08:30 On Tim Minchin
00:11:00 On Mel C
00:12:00 On Ben Forster and the reality show casting format
00:14:00 Working with Mark Fisher and Patrick Woodroffe from the Olympics and from the Queen’s Jubilee Concert: came from wanting to do a proper arena version, not a stage version
00:15:15 See bibliography for ‘Superstar’
00:16:15 Are there other biblical stories? ALW and Tim Rice talked about Moses after Joseph, but “one moves on”.
00:16:50 Do filmed versions help in luring people to the theatre: “if they’re good”.
00:17:15 What makes it as compelling today? “Goes from A-B in a straight line … no fat in it at all … I don’t think I could write it again today … seeing if I could write a rock song in 7/4 … when you’re 20, you think ‘why not?’.
Everything’s Alright (music) • 00:18:15 • on writing the ballad in 5/4 time, because he wanted to see if he could
Superstar (music) • 00:15:15 • On composing the tune for Superstar. Can't remember when it came to him, but remembers having forgotten it, and remembered it on passing a restaurant on the Fulham Road and asking for paper to write it down.