Before Reading ‘Andrew Lloyd Webber: Lord, Baron, Rocker’:
Are you a fan of musicals? Do you ever find yourself singing tunes from the “Sound of Music,” “Rent” or “The Wiz”? What’s your favorite musical? Why?
After Reading
Read the entire article and answer these questions, supporting your responses by citing evidence from the text.
1. Who is Andrew Lloyd Webber? Why is he famous?
2. What formative influences growing up led him to musicals?
3. What is the new musical “School of Rock” about?
4. How did a creative team put the musical together? How did the work of the team create a freedom that “seems to have awakened the slumbering rock star inside Mr. Lloyd Webber”?
5. Have you ever seen any of the many musicals Mr. Lloyd Webber composed? What did you think? Which one is your favorite?
Going Further
Mr. Lloyd Webber helped turn a popular film into a new Broadway musical. What movie, book, album or historical figure’s life would you want to turn into a musical? Why? What ideas do you have?
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