(L-r, foreground) Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rob Cavallo; (rear) Chris Chaney, bass (Jane’s Addiction), Doug McKean, engineer; Eric Dover, vocals; Tom Rasulo, second engineer; Dorian Crozier, drums; Wesley Seidman, United engineer; Tim Pierce, lead guitar; David Wilson, musical supervisor; Mike Fasano, drum tech; and Jamie Muhoberac, keyboards. Photo by David Goggin.
Hollywood, CA (November 5, 2015)—Composer and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber and producer Rob Cavallo recently worked at Hollywood’s United Recording studios on the upcoming Broadway show School of Rock—The Musical.
The musical, based on the 2003 film of the same name starring Jack Black, will have its world premiere on Broadway, with performances slated to begin November 9, 2015, at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.
“Because it’s a hard rock, heavy metal musical,” commented Cavallo, “Andrew asked me to be the producer and partial arranger to turn his songs into rock records, and also to work with him on rock arrangements for the stage. As part of the creative team, I’m also one of the investors in the play and I have to say it’s been a lot of fun. It’s one of my favorite movies, such a perfect rock and roll story.”
The show features music from the movie, as well as new music written by Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater. The book is by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey), and Laurence Connor, currently represented on Broadway with the re-imagined revival of Les Misérables, is directing.
Cavallo adds, “I would say that it’s mostly true to the movie, but there are a few surprises. It’s not really like any of Andrew’s previous work, but if it was closest to anything, it would be Jesus Christ Superstar, because that had the most rocking guitar and hot guitar style of record making. I know he’s a big Paganini buff and he really understands tempo and angular, rock guitar chord changes and rock riffs.”
Cavallo says of United Recording studios, “I’ve been so blessed to have a lot of really great, big selling records come out of these studios when it was previously called Ocean Way, but I have to say the vibe is every bit as good as it ever was. It’s still the same sound and the same equipment, and I couldn’t be happier. This is my favorite studio for sure.”
United Recording
www.unitedrecordingstudios.com
