Gossip

Ex-Exec Helps Webber Go Global with Love???

| London's West End |

30 January 2009

Andrew Lloyd Webber has appointed Jean-François (JF) Cécillon as the vice chairman of his Really Useful Group (RUG). According to a statement released by RUG, Cécillon has been hired specifically to manage the “global launch” of Love Never Dies, the forthcoming sequel to The Phantom of the Opera (See The Goss, 15 Sep 2008).

Lloyd Webber’s new charge has enjoyed an illustrious media career, with highlights including producing the 46664 Cape Town Concert for Nelson Mandela’s Aids Awareness Campaign in 2003 and signing Robbie Williams to EMI in 1996.

Speaking about his appointment, Cécillon said: “I am delighted to be joining the company at such an exciting time. Phantom is a worldwide phenomenon, and I am proud to have been asked to be part of the next stage of the Phantom’s global development and to be working with Andrew.”

Could Cécillon’s appointment be further evidence that Lloyd Webber is going to launch Love Never Dies in three cities simultaneously (See The Goss, 6 Jan 2009)? If the plan goes ahead, it will no doubt present one of the biggest logistical challenges in the history of musical theatre.