SHORT TAKES : Lloyd Webber Marries Secretly

Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of “Cats,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Aspects of Love,” secretly married Madeleine Gurdon days before their planned church wedding.

The couple were married in a private ceremony at Westminster Register Office in London, a spokesman for the composer said Wednesday.

No date for the ceremony was announced, but the spokesman said it was held “several days ago and only a few very close relatives were in attendance.”

Lloyd Webber, 42, and Gurdon, a 27-year-old equestrienne, had planned to marry Saturday. Heavy media coverage had been expected. The composer’s divorce from actress Sarah Brightman, 30, who starred in his shows, has been a popular tabloid topic.