Hit Edinburgh Fringe satirical musical Webber! is coming to Reading this weekend

He is the Lord who has helped create some of the biggest West End hits of all time: Cats, Phantom, Evita are just some of his many compositions. And now, a satirical parody of his life is coming to Reading. 

Webber! is a bawdy musical that offers a roasting of Andrew Lloyd Webber. A hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it is making an encore performance at The Face Bar as part of a new tour. Reading gig maestros Future Transmissions are promoters for the show, which is written, composed, and produced by Grant Sharkey. 

It starts with a surreal, fictional story about a young boy named Webber, who was born unable to generate original ideas. After watching the 1953 Coronation, he makes a wish to become incredibly rich and entirely useless. The sheer strength of his desire cracks open the universe, summoning his Fairy Greed Mother – in the form of Margaret Thatcher (played by Laura Clare Reid). Together, the pair embark on a raucous journey through West End history, sucking the wealth out of everything good in the world in the process.

Translating all this into a two-person show required some creative liberties.

“You have to have a journey for the main character, with something that drives them,” Grant says, adding that he feels that Andrew Lloyd Webber “was born winning and won” and that wouldn’t allow the creation of the show he wanted to make. “I had to devise a way to what he actually wanted,” he explains of the fictional early days of the famous composer. After all, no one really does have a Fairy Greed Mother.

It’s fair to say the musical won’t be everyone’s cup of tea; that’s the nature of satire, but Webber! does have its fans. It gained a four-star review from the British Theatre Guide, which described it as “a real treat”; The Scotsman newspaper felt it was “gleefully filthy”; and Speak the Speech website said it was “a beautiful hot mess of a musical indictment”. 

Grant says: “The show has just turned a year old. Our first performance was in Southampton, and we didn’t know what it would be like; we didn’t know if anyone would like it, let alone enjoy it. We went to Edinburgh, did well, and thought – while we still know the words – we might as well go back on tour, including a visit to Reading.

“The people at the Rising Sun Arts Centre said, ‘Can we book a show in and see how it goes?’ It was a really fun one, we packed out the venue, and it was a lovely, lovely show.”

The result was an invite back to the Ding this summer … and a larger performance space in the form of The Face Bar. “Reading has been a stop on my tours for a long time; I’ve always enjoyed visiting, and I haven’t played at The Face Bar for many years,” Grant says. “The town is one of those places that has so much going for it in terms of culture and little bits of everything everywhere. You’re spoilt for choice.”

The return visit to Reading comes days before Grant and Laura head over the border and into Scotland for a return to the Fringe. They will be in Theatre 2 at theSpace from August 17-22. https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/webber

Grant views comedy roasts as an important performance tool to challenge powerful public figures. 

“I’ve always felt that no one should be sacred in satire; it shouldn’t be partisan as such,” Grant says on his comedic approach. “I always think if you’re using satire to help people see the truth behind people, then it’s doing a good job. To make people laugh and dance at the same time is all good.”

His artistry has been shaped by a lifelong love of boundary-pushing satirists, particularly Frank Zappa, whose uncompromising politically charged work he discovered as a teenager. 

“He was one of the first things I truly loved in the world,” Grant recalls. “There was an amazing album he did called Broadway The Hard Way, which was all about the 1988 elections in the US. I knew nothing about US politics, but I knew he was skewering almost everyone mentioned. For me, that felt like the correct use of a stage.” 

This exposure, alongside other favourites like the Rocky Horror Show, Monty Python, and the raw energy of 1980s and 90s alternative comedy like Not The Nine O’Clock News, The Young Ones and Bottom, as well as repeats of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, cemented his belief that the stage should be a place of welcoming oddity rather than corporate greed: “It’s about never treating your audience like they’re just a purse to be robbed,” he says.

This philosophy influenced how Grant constructed Webber!, with its surreal narrative centred on a real-life figure and inspired by real-world events but with plenty of creative licence.  

“I think it hits the target quite well; I like it when satire is brazen, but it also has to be factual,” he says. “Every event that happens in Webber! – once he starts working, once he starts writing things – is based on true events or, at least, a best guess. There are only a couple of best guesses; I’ve glazed over some things, and I’ve omitted some things as well; I could have written twice as much if I did every aspect of his life.”

He’s been quite constrained; the two-person show is a tight 55 minutes to meet Fringe requirements. Even so, it gives Grant an opportunity to share his views: “People believe that he’s talented and some sort of genius, but he’s OK, and there are much more talented people out there. 

“Writing a musical about him was the only way to politely troll him; it felt the gentlemanly thing to do. It’s fully composed and has parts for a full orchestra. We obviously perform to a track, but it’s big, it’s got timpanis, it’s got double basses, and all sorts of things.

“The only way to really do this was to write something that I’m not sure he would, and then be in as well – again, something he doesn’t do. He never gets on the roller skates and never licks his own bum as a cat; he lets actors do that bit.”

Importantly, every song in the production is original, as Grant prides himself on maintaining strict creative integrity.

“I’m obsessed with not copying ideas,” he says. “It’s that thing of not wanting to be accused of stealing a joke. I desperately live my whole life trying to be as original as possible.” 

This dedication to originality even led him to reach out to the comedy duo Flo and Joan when he discovered they were producing their own Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, One Man Musical. This was also performed at Edinburgh’s Fringe and starred Saturday Night Live UK comedian George Fouracres.

“I wrote to them and said, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m also writing a musical about Andrew Lloyd Webber. I haven’t seen your show; I know you haven’t seen mine, so I just wanted to say if there’s any sort of shared jokes, I just want you to know they’re coincidental, and I’ll change mine.’ They wrote back saying there’s plenty of room for two musicals about the Lord. 

“Theirs is so funny, and I’m glad we have two different slants on it. I’m going for the full biography; they’re going for a more ethereal approach.” 

He also wrote to Lord Webber, and this forms the blurb for the show. Part of this missive reads: “I’m simply making you aware of the piece. I composed every note and wrote every word. I’ve cast myself in the role of Webber!, and I hope you’ll agree Laura Clare Reid as Thatcher is sublime with her innate hilariousness and incredible voice.

“There is a more detailed reasoning for why I was compelled to write Webber! … the truth is: I became fascinated with how your life and political actions are diametrically opposed to the teachings of the main characters of your foundational works, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. That, to me, is a compelling story I wanted to tell.”

Where did the germ of the idea for Webber! come from? Grant explains the emotional core of his criticism stems from what he feels is hypocrisy on Lord Webber’s part.

“It was when he became a lord and flew back to London at the behest of George Osborne to cut tax credits,” he says. (At the time of the 2015 vote, a spokesperson for Lord Lloyd-Webber stated he had travelled to London at his own expense and for a theatrical opening. His vote was to support democratic convention.)

Grant has his own opinion on this: “That man made all of his money out of the story of Jesus Christ. For me, that was the ultimate hypocrisy. I’m not a big believer in Christianity or God, but I do believe that if you’re going to make the money out of the story of a good man, you should probably try and learn from your main character at some point.”

A musical of this nature won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Even with all the pre-show warnings and the synopsis making clear the show’s satirical nature, Grant is still ruffling feathers. A recent performance saw an audience member leave, unhappy with how the 1980s prime minister was being depicted. 

“We did have someone walk out the other day,” he recalls. “It was just after Thatcher had appeared, and they stood up, and this woman said she was a role model to women across the world, and then she walked out. I think if you’re a Thatcherite, possibly [it might offend]. But that’s the idea of satire. 

“I’ve had more meaningful conversations with people I disagree with through doing satire than I have through doing songs that they like. That’s the point of it all; I’ve had my opinion changed, and I think I’ve changed some opinions as well.” 

Away from Webber!, Grant’s co-star is one half of the Isle of Wight-based comedy-song duo The Ventnor Darlings. This allows her to showcase her talents as a singer and pianist, skills that are helpful in her role as Thatcher. 

“Laura’s amazing to work with, and we’ve got a really good rapport on stage and off stage,” he says. “It’s very professional and wonderful, but also hilarious. We find plenty of time to get unexpectedly drunk in Edinburgh and the like. 

“We are having fun, and we are ruffling some feathers, but also mainly finding people just laughing, which is a wonderful thing a lot of people need.”

So why should people come and see Webber! When it comes to The Face Bar on Sunday, 2 August? 

“I like to think it’s really good value for money,” Grant says. “Why should you pay to come and see it? That’s more about keeping us on the road and keeping us from living in Reading for the rest of our lives if you don’t like us, but it’s also about supporting the arts.”

What if Lord Webber snuck in to the back of The Face Bar? Would he be welcome? 

Grant hopes he will and it will be a good experience. “I don’t think he will like the things we’ll be saying, but part of being in the public’s eye is that you should be able to accept criticism. The things that I don’t think he will like are already in the public record or in his autobiography. 

“In a strange way, I would like to meet him just to say, ‘No hard feelings, it’s just business’, but I have a feeling he wouldn’t actually turn up. I’m not sure he’s that keen on fringe theatre. 

“The truth is, I’ve laid out the facts of his life, written a musical about it, put added Margaret Thatcher in there, which makes it a bit more mean, but it’s a fair summation of the early and latter parts of his career, and people can make their own minds up.”

And this could be a show that runs and runs. Grant promises: “I’m really excited to see what Webber! goes. We’ve got big plans for next year that we will reveal in good time.”