Mr. Webber, Get Thee to ‘Island’

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

c/o The Really Useful Group

Tower Street

London WC2, England

Dear Andy,

First off, belated congratulations on your new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! We Angelenos have always been your biggest fans. “Phantom” should run forever, “Cats” was great and “Evita” taught me everything I know about Argentine politics. Back in college, my roommates and I used to observe the Sabbath by putting “Jesus Christ Superstar” on the turntable and cranking the volume up to 9.

But Andy, I’ve got to admit, I was worried back in February when Music Theater International, the New York licensing company that handles your work, refused to allow Van Nuys High School to stage “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” because it would compete with the “Joseph” revival at the Pantages in Hollywood. It all looked very silly, as though Sir Andrew and his minions were ganging up on a bunch of teen-agers.

And not just any teen-agers, but the students at a Performing Arts Magnet. After two months of practice for “Joseph,” these kids were so disappointed and angry I was afraid they’d repay you in kind. (Can’t you just hear the musical parody? Some people were already having their little fun, sung to the tune of “Evita”: Don’t cry for Andrew Lloyd Webber / The truth is he’s made a fortune . . . )

But now maybe I understand why you didn’t want Van Nuys High to perform “Joseph.” Could it be that you realized that these talented teen-agers should set their sights higher?

You see, I caught opening night of “Once on This Island” last weekend, the West Coast amateur premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. That’s the production Music Theater International offered as a substitute for “Joseph.” It’s a beautiful story about the star-crossed love between a peasant girl and an aristocrat. Suddenly, the Van Nuys High troupe--chosen largely for its singing skills to perform “Joseph”--had to transform itself into a singing and dancing company to move to the calypso beat of “Island.”

Without much time for rehearsals, there was reason for worry. In a preview performance Thursday before some students, “there were a lot of screw-ups,” admitted Rowena Roberts, who seemed born to play Asaka, Mother of the Earth.

But Andy, on Friday night, the troupe did Van Nuys High School proud. When the standing ovation was over, the cast members were talking about how glad they are that your people wouldn’t let them perform “Joseph.”

“Oh yeah, we’re all really glad ‘Joseph’ didn’t come through,” said Philip Zlotorynski, a standout in the role of Papa Ge, God of Death. “Once we got this, once we heard the soundtrack, we knew it was much better.”

Danielle Rodriguez, cast as one of the storytellers, is a model of diplomacy. I wanted to know what this 17-year-old senior from Sylmar, who boards a school bus at 5:30 a.m. to attend this Performing Arts Magnet, would say to you if she had the chance.

“I’d tell him I’m glad his show did well,” Danielle said. (She was referring to “Joseph’s” run at the Pantages, I’m sure.) “Maybe I’d just like to thank him for what they did, because we ended up with a great show. We love it.”

Robin Share and Linda Blackwell, the teachers who produced this play, suggested that the students, after preparing for “Joseph” and performing “Island,” learned something about the difference between style and substance. (Even you would admit “Joseph” is long on fun and flash.)

“I’m so happy things ended up the way they did,” Share said. “This is a show that has heart and soul. It’s a story we can believe in. It’s not just one novelty song after another. And when it’s all over, you feel something.”

Which is, I’m sure, not a knock on “Joseph.” We fans understand that it was your very first collaboration with Tim Rice and that you were just a lad of 19 yourself when you wrote the score.

You certainly were the Wunderkind , weren’t you?

And that brings me to the real point of this letter: The nurturing of young talent. Van Nuys High School still has tickets available for the final performances of “Island” at 8 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, and if you happen to be in town, it’s my treat. The kids would love it. You could pose with the cast and sign a few autographs.

Speaking of autographs, did you hear about those generous contributions to help Los Angeles from Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Simon and Garfunkel? Linda Blackwell tells me that Van Nuys High School is desperately in need of more rehearsal and performance space for its budding stars.

Perhaps we could call it the Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber Center for the Performing Arts.

Just a thought.

Best regards,

Scott