Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Songs Cut From Musical Written With Tim Rice Ahead Of London Run

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music will no longer be part of Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas, the festive comedy that reunited him with longtime writing partner Tim Rice, ahead of the show’s London revival next month.

The show, which features a book by Humphrey Ker and David Reed, premiered at Birmingham Rep last year with original songs by the pair behind Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It is set to play Alexandra Palace Theatre in London beginning with previews on November 24.

The two writers, however, have given conflicting explanations for why Lloyd Webber’s score is being dropped. Speaking to The Times, Rice said that Lloyd Webber had chosen to withdraw his music, explaining that changes were needed for the new production and that the composer, who oversees a large theatrical operation, had decided his attention was better spent on bigger projects. Rice added that he was unsure whether the two would collaborate again, and that the team would move forward without him.

Lloyd Webber has disputed that characterization, stating that the decision not to use his music came from Donald and Eva Rice, Tim Rice’s children, who developed and produced the show through their father’s company, Heartaches Limited. According to Lloyd Webber, he was asked to sign over the rights to his music for a five-year period without any approval over how it would be used, in a production he had not seen and with a creative team he had not previously worked with. He said the producers declined to grant him that approval, which he described as a standard expectation for any writer. He also noted that the additional work the project required would not have been possible given his schedule this year.

Rice is now understood to be reworking the songs with composer Howard Goodall. Lloyd Webber said he wished the production well, praising Goodall as an excellent choice to take over the music.

The Birmingham Rep production starred co-writers Ker and Reed as Holmes and Watson and was directed by Phillip Breen with Becky Hope-Palmer. Read BroadwayWorld’s review of the Birmingham Rep premiere and revisit the original casting announcement.