Andrew Lloyd Webber has shared an update on his son Nick's battle with cancer in an Instagram video posted to mark the Broadway opening night of his newest musical, Bad Cinderella. Lloyd Webber was unable to attend the opening due to his son's medical crisis—Lloyd Webber previously revealed that Nick has been battling gastric cancer for the past 18 months.
"I wanted to thank you first for the huge outpouring of messages of support for my son, Nick," says Lloyd Webber. "He’s now been moved into hospice, and he’s battling away. I think he’s over the worst of this first bout of pneumonia he’s got as a result of his cancer, which is just ghastly. But we’re all here, and the family here has gathered around and it was the right place for us all to be, I think."
Lloyd Webber's eldest son, Nick, is a composer and record producer who scored a theatrical and symphonic take on The Little Prince, and adapted the ITV series Fat Friends as a stage musical that toured the U.K. He received a 2022 Grammy nomination for his work mixing the concept album of Cinderella, the same musical that opened last night on Broadway as Bad Cinderella.
"I just want to send my very best wishes to the other families I have around the world in theatre, particularly, of course, the cast of Bad Cinderella because it’s the opening night tonight," Lloyd Webber continues. "I’m absolutely gutted to not be able to be there, but my place is really here in England at the moment. Thank you for all of your messages, everybody in the cast, and good luck, particularly to young Linedy who will be playing Cinderella and who has just been absolutely magnificent. The reports I’ve been getting back from New York from the team there just show that the show is in as good as possible condition as it could possibly be."
Bad Cinderella, featuring a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter Emerald Fennell, music by Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Tony winner David Zippel, reimagines the classic fairytale to center around a damsel—but this one is not in distress. "I'm not your Cinderella. I'm Bad Cinderella," teased leading lady Linedy Genao at a press event announcing the production last year.
Genao leads the cast in the title role, alongside Carolee Carmello as Stepmother, Grace McLean as Queen, Jordan Dobson as Prince Sebastian, Sami Gayle as Adele, Morgan Higgins as Marie, Christina Acosta Robinson as Godmother, Cameron Loyal as Prince Charming, and Savy Jackson as Cinderella at certain performances.
The musical's ensemble comprises Mike Baerga, Raymond Baynard, Lauren Boyd, Tristen Buettel, Kaleigh Cronin, Josh Drake, Ben Lanham, Ángel Lozada, Mariah Lyttle, Sarah Meahl, Larkin Reilly, Julio Rey, Lily Rose, J Savage, Dave Schoonover, Tregoney Shepherd, Paige Smallwood, and Aléna Watters. Rounding out the company as swings are Alyssa Carol, Gary Cooper, Michael Milkanin, Robin Masella, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez, and Lucas Thompson; and understudy Christian Probst.
Bad Cinderella features additional book material by Alexis Scheer, choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, orchestrations by Lloyd Webber, U.S. music supervision and direction by Kristen Blodgette, U.K. music supervision by David Andrew Wilson, music coordination by David Lai, scenic and costume design by Gabriela Tylesova, lighting design by Bruno Poet, sound design by Gareth Owen, and hair and wig design by Luc Verschueren.
Bonnie L. Becker is production stage manager, and casting is by Tara Rubin Casting's Claire Burke and Kevin Metzger-Timson.
Producing the work's Broadway bow are No Guarantees, The Really Useful Group, James L. Nederlander, The Shubert Organization, Lynda Carter, Peter May, Wendy Bingham Cox, and André and France Chrétien Desmarais, with Sue Wagner, John Johnson, and Jillian Robbins serving as executive producers.
