Gossip

Lloyd Webber & Slater Pen New Songs for Oz???

Editorial Staff
London's West End

The plot has thickened regarding the speculated forthcoming West End production of The Wizard of Oz (See The Goss, 12 Mar 2009). According to today’s Daily Mail, Andrew Lloyd Webber is in negotiations with the rights-holders to the film and L. Frank Baum’s original story to get permission to “add five or six new songs”.

Such an addition would constitute a major overhaul of one of the best-loved film musicals of all time. Lloyd Webber has apparently enlisted the services of lyricist Glenn Slater – who is also working on forthcoming Phantom sequel Love Never Dies – to work on the project.

Slater told the Mail‘s Baz Bamigboye: “It doesn’t have an opening number; it doesn’t have a song for the witch … it’s missing what it needs to become an actual theatrical piece.” Jeremy Sams has apparently been approached to direct.

The restructured musical is due to hit the West End next year, though whether it will go to the Palladium, soon-to-be host of Sister Act, is doubtful. Lloyd Webber told the Mail: “It’s not going there now. There are other theatres … we haven’t written anything yet!”

On the subject of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bamigboye also reports that the opening night for Love Never Dies will be 26 October. An official spokesperson told Whatsonstage.com that although this is “in the ballpark”, the date is still to be confirmed.