I believe the transformation of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber into Erik, his prized Phantom of the Opera, is complete. I played Andre, the opera manager, on the First National Tour of “Phantom” and I can’t help but see the similarities in his latest missives and the ones I got as the hapless opera impresario.
The ones I received were signed in his musical ….by the Opera Ghost!
Yours,
OG
His are on Twitter now, but they’re full of the same maniacal fury, petulance and ego of the Phantom. They’re the rantings of a little boy who wants something he can’t have. Something he doesn’t possess, but sees in his obsession …Christine Daaé.
Love, empathy. Innocence. Erik wants his way. He wants to feel power over something..someone that he thinks he can subdue by ranting, raving, making shit fly around and crash and stuff like that. So he can feel love. Again.
This time, it’s not Christine.
His obsession is a virus.
Sir Andrew is closing his “Cinderella”. By choice. Cue the chandelier.
Sir Andrew has been an outspoken critic of said 🦠 for quite some time, and I have seen nothing in his previous rantings that took into account, well, humanity. It appears the people who’ve gotten sick, or died, are more of an inconvenience than anything else.
They’re just in the way of the chandelier.
He’s mocked the government, health officials, and anybody else who’s expressed concern over the reality that Covid-19 makes people sick, and has a very real potential to kill people. It makes people suffer.
This pandemic is not over yet.
It you’re vaccinated, you are better protected. No doubt. You are not, however, invincible. It remains to be seen if vaccinated people who have mild symptoms can get long haul disease down the road. Hopefully not. Because it really sucks.
The thing that interested me when I first read about a 2 show cancellation over the weekend was that there was no reason given, other than “Covid precautions”. Like maybe cleaning the theater? Fogging the restrooms?
Nope.
A cast member tested positive.
That we found out today.
Not to worry, he or she or they had a “cameo” role… so in his mind not very important. They don’t matter as much as, let’s say, a principal role …ok let’s even say featured for perhaps a slightly more dire press release that might mention a person in the cast got a serious 🦠. It’s only a cameo. Meh.
But, I’m sure Cinderella’s carriage must be more important. Maybe the glass slipper had a bunch of lights in it too. That would make up for it.
Don’t worry, you may get your chance to see the dancing mice. He’s gonna hold on to your money… not offer you a refund, until he decides how mad he is. How much you deserve your chance to see his musical.
He’ll still be furious at the government for ruining the ball.
I am grateful for the several shows I’ve done that he’s written…I benefited a great deal. I will always be thankful for that. The opportunities I was given were important in my life. I truly enjoyed being in his shows.
I have to say in person he sorta looks like he just sucked a lemon though.
Anyway, maybe because I’ve had those wonderful experiences in his shows it’s just crazy to me that he has no regard for not only his cast and crew, but primarily his audience. It seems in his world, you’re just an alarmist asshole if you are even aware of the toll this 🦠 takes.
Sound familiar?
It’s more important to get your asses in the seats. Fuck the “impossible position” he’s in because the government is doing what it can to save lives.
He has not expressed any empathy or concern for that cast member… or the hundreds of arts workers who’ve gotten seriously ill and some who have died.
Ok, kids. Broadway is about to reopen. It seems. Frankly, the fully vaccinated only caveat that’s been put into place by the 2 shows so far that have announced is problematic. And, if you’re not vaccinated, proof of a negative test is even more problematic. And, everyone wearing a mask until you get to your seat and then you can take it off for 2 and a half hours while you sit an inch away from a thousand people indoors is ludicrous.
At least we’re trying. I get it.
I don’t think that’s gonna work in the short term. At all. The road will be bumpy and shitty. We’ll get there eventually I think.
What I hope is we look at all of the upcoming, inevitable tumult through the lens of empathy and respect during what I know will be a very difficult restart.
Compassion and empathy instead of greed and ego.
That’s the only way to bring the magic of live performance back. It’s a two way street.
I think the future of theater truly depends on it.
None of us are smarter than a 🦠
Robert DuSold 
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