Andrew Lloyd Webber Talks THE ILLUSIONIST, Immersive PHANTOM, and STARLIGHT EXPRESS

To celebrate the release of the Starlight Express album, Andrew Lloyd Webber stopped by BBC Radio 2 to discuss his various new projects with Dermot O’Leary, including new details on the immersive Phantom of the Opera in New York, his newest musical The Illusionist, and plans for a future transfer of the production of Starlight Express at Wembley Park.

Webber previously stated that there will be an immersive production of Phantom of the Opera in New York next year. While the immersive production of Cats: The Jellicle Ball at The Shed in New York earlier this year was a success, Webber admits that an immersive Phantom could be “the biggest car crash in history or it could be sensational.”

On how the immersive nature of the production would work, Webber revealed that audiences will have the opportunity to "walk through and get into [the Phantom's] mind and what he’s up to.”

Webber's production of Starlight Express is also planning on a move after performances end at the Troubadour Wembley Park Auditorium. He states that the production is “not going to be there forever… as it is scheduled for redevelopment. But at that point we’ll move – as we’ve got numerous options for moving.” The production is currently scheduled to run through October 2025.

Webber also spoke about his newest musical The Illusionist, based on Steven Millhauser's short story 'Eisenheim the Illusionist', which was previously adapted into the 2006 film written and directed by Neil Burger and starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel. The story centers on Eisenheim, a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Jamie Lloyd is set to direct.

“We’re in the process of doing demos for it now. It’s very story-driven – I found one or two problems with the story in the movie, we’ve kind of solved those. I think that I’m writing the music to the story.”

Webber is already thinking of his next projects: “I’ve written The Illusionist and I’m thinking ‘what do I do next?’ and I haven’t a clue.”