By Order: Andrew Lloyd Webber Trivia Quiz

Tim Rice provided the lyrics to Lloyd Webber's music for this musical which took its inspiration from the story of Joseph from the Bible book of Genesis. The show had been performed in short versions in various places, including at the Edinburgh Festival in 1972, but the first public performance of the full version didn't come until 1974 in London's West End.

The music is written in different styles with calypso, country and western and pop among them. Pharaoh, for example, is portrayed as an Elvis Presley look alike. The musical has been widely performed ever since and is a favourite for school productions. Songs from the show include 'Any Dream Will Do', 'Close Every Door' and 'Benjamin Calypso'.

Another Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice collaboration, 'Evita' was first performed in the West End in 1978 with Broadway staging it a year later. The story is based on the short, but eventful, life of Eva Perón, who was the second wife of Juan Perón, Argentina's president. The tale of how Eva overcame her illegitimate birth and rose to power by marrying Perón is told by the revolutionary Che Guevara as an amused bystander.

The songs from the musical include 'Oh What a Circus', 'Another Suitcase in Another Hall' and the much recorded 'Don't Cry for me Argentina'.

For once, Lloyd Webber did not need a lyricist as T S Eliot had already provided the words in his book of poetry called 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats', written in 1939. Andrew had been trying his hand at setting the poems to music for some time before the show which became 'Cats' came together, with its first staging in 1981, in London. Broadway followed in 1982.

The show became one of the most popular, running for 21 years in London and 18 years in New York. The story and songs revolve around a group of cats (a clowder, perhaps?) with their individual behaviours and characteristics on show. The cast wear cat costumes throughout.

Among the musical numbers are 'Old Deuteronomy', 'Macavity: The Mystery Cat', 'Mr Mistoffelees' and, most famous of all, 'Memory'.

The first West End performance of 'Starlight Express' came in 1984, with Broadway staging it in 1987. A change of partner for Lloyd Webber saw Richard Stilgoe providing most of the lyrics, although several others provided more words. The unusual aspect of the musical is that it is performed on roller skates, to denote the train engines and carriages which are the characters.

Characters in the musical include Rusty, the main character who is a steam engine, Pearl, the carriage he hopes to attract, and Greaseball. Songs include 'I am the Starlight', 'A Lotta Locomotion' and 'Only You'.

Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, Lloyd Webber's music had lyrics provided primarily by Charles Hart with contributions from Richard Stilgoe. It was first performed in 1986 in London's West End with Broadway following two years later. Regular revivals have taken place since.

The story is about a young soprano singer who is caught in a love triangle with a nobleman and the mysterious man who lives in the labyrinth under the Opera House in Paris. Disaster follows.

The musical has many songs which have become standards such as 'The Music of the Night', 'All I Ask of You' and the title song.

This musical had lyrics provided by Charles Hart and Don Black, with its first public performance in 1989 in the West End. Broadway followed a year later. Based on a short novel written by David Garnett, the story is about a man in his thirties who is thinking about the different types of love he has encountered since he reached the age of seventeen. The themes include love between couples, both between male and female and same sex relationships, love of parents for their children and vice versa and love between friends.

The most famous song from the musical is 'Love Changes Everything', with other songs being 'A Cafe in Venice', 'Up in the Pyrenees' and 'The House in Pau', reflecting some of the settings in the show.

Lloyd Webber's inspiration for this musical was the 1950 film of that name which starred Gloria Swanson and William Holden. Lyrics for the show were provided by Christopher Hampton and Don Black. The first major staging was in 1993 in the West End; Broadway followed in 1994. The story of Norma Desmond, the delusional film star who is past her prime, the faithful servant who encourages her in her beliefs that she's still a famous film star and the young man who becomes ensnared in the illusion is as shocking on the stage as it was in the film.

The show includes songs such as 'As If We Never Said Goodbye' and 'The Perfect Year'.

The lyrics for this musical were provided by Ben Elton, who persuaded Lloyd Webber to work on a completely original idea rather than adapting an existing story. The result was a musical set in Northern Ireland during the time known as 'The Troubles' - the conflict between Protestants and Catholics. The title refers to the game of football (soccer in some parts of the world) which forms the basis of bringing the characters together.

The musical was staged in the West End in 2000 but has not appeared on Broadway, at least not by 2024. Some of the songs reflect its setting, such as 'Clean the Kit' and 'The Final' while others are based on the conflict, such as 'Born in Belfast' and 'It Will Never End'.

This follow up to 'The Phantom of the Opera' received its West End premiere in 2010. The plot was based on a novel by Frederick Forsyth who used some of the characters from Gaston Leroux's original story but transplanted to Manhattan. The musical has not been performed on Broadway at the time of writing this quiz (2024) although a tour of the USA took place in 2017.

The characters who appear include Madame Giry, Raoul, a Phantom and Meg, with the main action taking place ten years after the first musical. Songs include 'Til I Hear you Sing', 'Why Does She Love Me' and the title song. Lyrics were provided by Glenn Slater. The musical failed to match the success of the original, though.

This version of the fairy tale opened in the West End in 2021 and had a short run on Broadway, under the title 'Bad Cinderella', in 2023. While the show was reasonably well received in the UK, it was unpopular on the other side of the Atlantic. Lloyd Webber, as usual, provided the music with lyrics supplied by David Zippel.

The storyline portrays Cinderella as a goth and rebel while Prince Charming has been killed by a dragon, leaving his less attractive and socially inept brother Sebastian as a poor substitute. He and Cinderella are long term friends, each secretly in love with the other. All ends well, with Prince Charming reappearing to marry his male partner while Sebastian and Cinderella find happiness with each other.

None of the songs seems to have made an impact as yet, but they include 'Man's Man', 'The Ball' and 'Far Too Late'.