Evita

TIM RICE

Tim Rice began his professional life with the intention of being a solicitor, but very soon wound up working for EMI records under the supervision of Norrie Paramor. When Paramor left EMI to form his own company, Tim went with him. It was through Desmond Elliot (who Tim had gone to with the idea of a book about pop history) that Tim met Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The two began a collaboration that produced the work they both are best known for—Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita. Tim later collaborated with Stephen Oliver on Blondel, Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (from the pop group ABBA) on Chess, and John Farrar on Heathcliff for Cliff Richard. He also worked for Disney on projects with Alan Menken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast for the stage, and King David); and Elton John (The Lion King, Aida). In recognition of his work in film and theatre, Tim was inducted as a Disney Legend in March 2002 at the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris during celebrations for the 10th anniversary of Disneyland Paris. Tim teamed up with Elton John again for the 2000 Dreamworks film The Road to Eldorado. On numerous occasions, Tim has been called upon to contribute a single song to a soundtrack for projects as diverse in theme as a James Bond movie to a song for the children’s film Stuart Little.

In between all these musicals and films, Tim wrote many pop songs, some of which enjoyed chart success. He launched a publishing house (Pavillion Books ƒº¿1981), played cricket, wrote about cricket, and started the Guinness Hit Singles series on pop with Paul Gambaccini, Mike Read, and his brother, Jo Rice. His passion for pop music not only had him appearing on many quiz shows about pop music, but won him the title “Rock Brain of the Universe” in 1985. Tim also found the time to appear in a movie, have a stint on the Board of Directors of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, do radio programs on pop music, translate the French musical Starmania into its English format Tycoon, participate in concerts of his work, including an extensive tour of Australia in 2000, and serve on a mind-boggling number of committees for music and sport. He had the honor of being the president of the internationally recognized MCC from October 2002-2003.

Tim’s autobiography covering his life and career until circa opening of Evita in London was first published in England in 1999. His work has won him numerous awards including 12 Ivor Novello awards, 4 Tonys, and 3 Oscars. Tim was inducted into the songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999. During the Broadway run of Jesus Christ Superstar revival in 2000, he had a total of four shows playing simultaneously on the Great White Way. This record was equaled in Japan when, in December 2003, with the opening of Aida, he had four shows playing simultaneously: Beauty and the Beast, Aida, and two productions of The Lion King. Tim was knighted in 1994.

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the composer of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Jeeves later reworked as By Jeeves, Evita, Variations and Tell Me On A Sunday later combined as Song & Dance and rewritten for Denise Van Auten in 2003 with the addition of five new songs, Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down The Wind, and The Beautiful Game. For film he wrote Gumshoe, The Odessa File, additional music for Evita; and Requiem, a setting of the Latin Requiem Mass.

His productions include Daisy Pulls It Off and La Bete, both Olivier Award winners, The Hired Man and A.R. Rahman’s smash hit musical Bombay Dreams which he is preparing for its North American premiere.

He is currently working on a musical based on Wilkie Collins’ classic novel, The Woman In White with playwright Charlotte Jones and lyricist David Zippel, and a feature film version of The Phantom of the Opera to be directed by Joel Schumacher.

His awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys, six Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, an International Emmy, the Premium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, and the Critics’ Circle award for best musical 2000.

He was knighted in 1992 and created an honorary life peer in 1997.

In her last hours, images, people and events of her life flow through Eva’s mind, while the nation’s grief knows no bounds. To the masses, she has become nothing less than a saint. As her life draws to a close, she wonders whether she would have been happier as an obscure person. Maybe then her life would have been longer. But, even in death, she is denied obscurity. The moment she dies the embalmers move to preserve her fragile body to be “displayed forever.”

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