Andrew Lloyd Webber scandal with Mandy Rice Davies in battle of double barrel names.
Lloyd Webber reveals he loves society call girl Mandy Rice Davies.
Andrew Lloyd Webber today launched his new musical, Stephen Ward, at a smoke filled seedy nightclub in Soho, The Box. This exclusive preview of four songs from the show was also attended by one of the real life central characters in the John Profumo affair, former call girl, Mandy Rice Davies.
Glamourous former call girl Mandy Rice Davies
Andrew Lloyd Webber said he was inspired to write the Stephen Ward musical after reading a book by Ludovic Kennedy about the unfortunate scapegoat, the society osteopath, Stephen Ward. Andrew contacted his Sunset Boulevard collaborators, lyricists Don Black and Christopher Hampton and so Stephen Ward the musical was born.
Lloyd Webber even declared that he had a tenuous link with the real life scandal revealing that his former mother-in-law Paula Brightman, worked at the night club central to the story of Stephen Ward. Exactly how she was employed, Lloyd Webber was more coy.
Stephen Ward the musical opens at the Aldwych theatre with previews from 3rd December and an opening night scheduled for the 19th December 2013. Click here to book tickets for Stephen Ward at the Aldwych theatre.
Alex Hanon stars as Stephen Ward at the Aldwych theatre in London
West End leading man. Alex Hanson who stars as Stephen Ward song two beautiful songs, Human Sacrifice and This Side Of The Sky with Charlotte Spencer, who plays Christine Keeler. Alex previously starred as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium and Charlotte Spencer made her West End debut as 10 year-old Jane Banks in Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward theatre. Coincidently Richard Eyre the director of Mary Poppins is now the director on Stephen Ward, and announced that he could spot Charlotte’s future star potential then even at such a young age.
Next up was an up-tempo ensemble number, Never Had It So Good, sung by the cast. A song reminiscent of Ascot Gavotte from My Fair Lady, although the lyrical theme of sex, spanking and dominance is very different.
Finally Andrew Lloyd Webber took to the piano himself to accompany Joanna Riding who stars as John Profumo’s wife, actress Valerie Hobson, in an enchanting love ballad entitled I’m Hopeless When It Comes To You, which is destined to become a Lloyd Webber classic.
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 political scandal when Secretary of State for War John Profumo had an affair with prostitute, Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Soviet spy. This was at the height of the cold war and Profumo compounded his problems by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it. He was later forced to resign and was instrumental in damaging the reputation of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s government.
Stephen Ward a society osteopath who attended many of the same parties and mixed in the same circles became embroiled as a notorious figure central to the ensuing scandal. Ward introduced John Profumo to Christine Keeler at a house party hosted at Lord Astor’s country home, Cliveden, in the summer of 1961. Following the Profumo scandal, Ward was charged with living off immoral earnings, he later committed suicide on the last day of the trial.
