Cat Destroys Lloyd Webber's Phantom Sequel Score

By Andrew Gans
14 Jun 2007

After putting felines in the spotlight for nearly two decades, one would think the furry creatures would have more respect for Cats composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

London's Daily Mail reports that Lloyd Webber's new kitten Otto has managed to destroy the music he has penned for the upcoming sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. The six-month-old cat somehow climbed into the frame of Lloyd Webber's digital Clavinova piano, which features a built-in computer.

The award-winning composer told the London paper, "I was trying to write some new music; Otto got into the grand piano, jumped onto the computer and destroyed the entire score for the new Phantom in one fell swoop."

Lloyd Webber's new musical, titled Phantom in Manhattan, is based on Frederick Forsyth's novel "The Phantom of Manhattan." Lloyd Webber is writing the sequel with Forsyth. The composer also told the London paper, "I've got to write another show soon or I'll go mad. The most important thing is the plot, so I've been writing it with Freddie."

The winner of seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Phantom of the Opera became the longest-running show in Broadway history on Jan. 9, 2006. It surpassed Cats' record-holding run of 7,485 performances. The musical at the Majestic Theatre celebrated its 19th birthday on Broadway Jan. 26.

The musical, based on the Gaston Leroux novel, has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince. Lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Playbill News: Cat Destroys Lloyd Webber's Phantom Sequel Score