In an unscripted speech delivered at the New Haven Lawn Club, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, the award-winning English composer and impresario, behind musicals like “The Phantom of the Opera,” Jesus Christ Superstar, "and “Cats, "urged systemic change to Broadway and continued passionate support for local theaters like the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam.
Lloyd Webber was in Connecticut on May 30 to accept the Goodspeed Musicals Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre at the Goodspeed Musicals Gala & Auction. The award recognizes individuals with extraordinary talent and impact on the art form.
At the event, Lloyd Webber said the Goodspeed Opera House and other local arts organizations are now "becoming the places where new work can be done.”
He also praised the kind of theatrical initiatives that foster innovation and support new works.
"It's vitally important that we all support a house like this magnificent Goodspeed Opera House,” Lloyd Webber said.
While having a complementary outlook on the performances at Goodspeed Opera House, Lloyd Webber emphasized his disappointment with Broadway and said the success of local level performances could lead to a revival of the present Broadway scene.
He deemed the current state of Broadway “depressing” in regard to financial prosperity and original content.
“There’s nothing worse than somebody from another country coming and saying something like that, but I’m saying it because I believe myself to be a Broadway Babe,” LLoyd Webber said.
Playbill reports while the2025-2026 Broadway season officially surpassed the 2024-2025 total grosses, attendance was down and ticket prices were up.
The report also reflects that the average ticket price for Broadway musicals was just over $128 while plays are about $139.
These statistics point to an ongoing concern of those in the theater community.
Many believe access to Broadway performances is becoming less feasible both for audience members and unseasoned creatives striving to have their original works staged.
Despite Lloyd Webber’s recent criticism of Broadway, his speech in Connecticut led to a hopeful culminating note when he thanked the United States, calling it “the home of musical theater,” for serving as the lifeline of musical theater everywhere.
Andrew Lloyd Webber was not the only notable creative on stage that night; throughout the evening, a plethora of artists and performers honored the Lloyd Webber legacy through personal anecdotes and musical tributes.
Performers included the likes of Mamie Parris, who appeared on Broadway as Grizabella in “Cats,” and actor/singer Omar Lopez-Cepero who sang songs from multiple works by Lloyd Webber throughout the event.
Reflecting on his musical stylings at the New Haven Lawn Club, Lopez-Cepero said,
“Performing for Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is an incredible honor at any stage of one’s career but, for it me, it was a highlight of a career that has been filled with so much of his work.”
Lopez-Cepero shared that he has played the role of Che in 6 different productions of Lloyd Webber’s “Evita” over the last 20years and recently toured as Judas in the 50th Anniversary production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Echoing Lloyd Webber’s sentiments regarding the importance of supporting local arts organizations, Lopez-Cepero added,
“The impact that local theater has on its communities, especially young performers, is not only necessary but invaluable. I would not be where I am today, without arts educators that recognized my talent and encouraged me to explore a career in the arts. Additionally, theatre allows people to find community, to share stories that promote thought, that heal, that lift us up, that make us cry and laugh. It is absolutely essential that we preserve this art form that is integral to society as a whole, "Lopez-Cepero said.
