Deadline has reported that award-winning composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and Oscar-nominated actor Antonio Banderas are collaborating on a new project which aims to produce theatre, musicals and live entertainment for Spanish-speaking audiences.
The pair recently met in Madrid to announce the launch of their new company, Amigos Para Siempre (APS), a reference to Lloyd Webber’s pop ballad of the same name written for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group has granted the company stage rights to Spanish language versions of the composer’s musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and School of Rock. There are also reportedly plans for new works to be developed in the future.
Their new initiative is a testament to their longstanding friendship, which ostensibly began when Banderas played Ché in Alan Parker’s 1996 adaptation of Evita.
“Not only is Antonio Banderas entertainment royalty, he is also one of the most versatile, creative minds I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Webber.
Even before they crossed creative pathways, the actor was already a great admirer of Webber’s work.
“I had the great privilege to work closely with Andrew during the recording and shooting of his celebrated musical Evita in 1996, but it was when I saw Jesus Christ Superstar back in the early ’70s that I became attached to the music, the theatre and the fabulous talent of Andrew Lloyd Webber.” said Banderas.
Words by Katie Heyes
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.
Image Credit: Tracey Nolan from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
