-Now, what's all this business about Duck, Duck, Goose?
-Yeah. No, no, no. We're not playing Duck, Duck, Goose.
-No, I just wondered because I've done "Cats" in my day.
-Yeah. No. These are different animals.
Does that feel good that everywhere you go,
you get a standing ovation? -Well, that's...
[ Cheers and applause ]
I mean, you...
-It's so nice to know my aunt and a few of her friends
are in. -No, no.
Can I ask you -- do I call you "Lord"
or do I call you "Sir"?
-Let me tell you something.
"Lord Lloyd Webber" is a very difficult thing
to say after 6:00.
[ Laughter ]
-I agree. After 6:00. So can I call you...?
-Call me Andrew. It's easier. -I love that.
Andrew. Hi. Jimmy. -Andy.
-Andy. Jimmy. Pleasure.
This is a big deal.
Last night was the last performance after 35 years
of "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway.
It was fun. -That was.
-Final performance on Broadway.
And there you are there.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Well -- -How --
How did it feel to be in the theater yesterday?
-Well, it was strange, really, because, you know,
one of the funny things that's happened with "Phantom" is,
is that over the last few years, well, few months, really,
a young audience found it, and it's --
I don't know. It was sad last night
because I just felt it could run on.
But there you go.
-I think it will live forever. personally, I mean --
-Well, you never know. You never know, do you?
But the great thing about musicals is,
is that when everything comes together,
which is often very unusual.
It is actually very unusual.
Like, the production, the whole thing meshes.
It's just one of those moments.
I mean, it happened with "Lion King."
It's happened with "Hamilton."
It's happened with me with "Phantom."
It doesn't happen very often. -No, and did you know
when you wrote it, when you did it and you go,
"Oh, this is going to be a hit,
this is going to run for 35 years"?
-No, not really. I mean, I have to tell you.
In the dress rehearsal we had,
Hal Prince, the great legendary director
Hal Prince, had this idea that --
Some of you may know that in "Phantom"
we go up to the roof, and he had this idea
that pigeons would fly from the roof over the audience.
In the dress rehearsal, they made --
shall we put it this way -- a mess.
-[ Laughs ] Yeah. 4-D.
-The pigeons left this.
-Yes, well, apparently that's good luck.
Apparently, that's good luck. Yeah.
-But "Pigeons: the Musical" I haven't done.
-We got to work on that.
I'm going to read you some stats here.
You probably have heard all of these,
but just in case anyone wants to know a little bit of...
"The Phantom of the Opera" holds the record
as the longest-running show in Broadway history,
playing 13,981 performances.
[ Cheers and applause ]
The original cast recording
is certified quadruple platinum
and is the best-selling cast recording of all time.
[ Cheers and applause ]
The orchestra at "Phantom" was one of Broadway's largest,
holding 27 full-time musicians,
11 of whom were with the show since it first opened.
And then I like this one a lot.
"The Phantom of the Opera" has been the largest generator
of income and jobs in Broadway and U.S. theatrical history.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-And let's just say how great it is to have a live band
and how great these guys are. -Yeah, the Roots.
-Just heard them on the way. -Yeah. Nothing like it.
[ Cheers and applause ]
I wanted to ask you about something
because something got dropped off
in my dressing room earlier today,
and I wanted to ask you about it.
It said, "Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber,
care of Mr. James Fallon, 'The Tonight Show'."
And that made me think it's from someone.
I haven't opened it.
-Could you open it?
-Yeah. Of course. -I can't...
It's not from the Phantom.
-Looks like his stationery.
-Oh, my God.
-Would you mind...?
-My hands are shaking.
[ Mellow piano music plays ] I can't believe it.
"Fondest greetings, my Lord.
A title that you will recall I have obtained for you."
-I like that music.
-"And to Monsieur James Fallon,
who I honor by attaching to the list
who will receive my instructions.
I'm extremely displeased that my legend is no longer
being told in New York, a city for which
I have developed considerable affection.
I am therefore currently obtaining a new address
in which my legend will be examined in extreme detail.
I advise you and New Yorkers to be vigilant.
I remain your obedient servant. OG."
Oh, no. I can't bear it.
-"And New Yorkers to be vigilant."
[ Audience oohs ]
-I can say no more. I mean -- I mean, all I can say
is there are no chandeliers in this building, are there?
-Just -- No, those are all pigeons.
-Oh, thank God for that. Yes, I can see one.
-Yeah, that's one there.
-Can I ask you about "Cats"?
How does --
How does one come up with an idea like "Cats"?
And are you a cat person?
-Well, I am a cat person. Well, I was...
[ Audience cheers ]
...a total cat person until I saw the "Cats" movie.
[ Laughter ]
-No, you can't -- No! No, you can't...
-No standing. No standing.
-But what happened to the "Cats" movie
was during the course of it being, as it were, shot,
which I hope the whole movie would have been --
But --
[ Laughter ]
I bought this little puppy, and he was called Mojito.
He's a little Havanese dog. He comes from Cuba.
And that's little "Jiti."
-That's you and Mojito. -Mojito.
[ Audience awws ]
And so one of those things -- You know, you're allowed
to take a therapy -- or a dog like that kind on airplanes.
You know, you can. -Oh, sure.
-But you have to have a doctor's certificate to do it.
-Yes. -You know that.
So, I forget which airline it was now,
but I said to the airline,
"I have to have my little therapy companion dog with me."
And they said, "You need a doctor's letter."
And so I just said,
"I saw the 'Cats' movie and bought a puppy."
And they said -- And they said, "No doctor's letter required."
[ Laughter ]
-Mojito can travel.
-Yes. -Mojito can travel with you.
-Can we talk about "Bad Cinderella"?
This is your new project right here.
How did you decide to take on "Cinderella" for your next show?
Well, it's a very long, very long story,
but it's written by Emerald Fennell,
who wrote "Promising Young Woman."
I've known her for a while. I mean, she's a -- you know.
She was a baby when I first knew her.
But she had this idea to do
a kind of alternative "Cinderella."
And I liked the idea, and I just thought
it'd be fun to do because it's a fun story, you know?
And it's one of those things
where, I don't know, I just let my hair down a bit.
And I'm quite -- I haven't got very much of it left.
But what I had, I let down. -Yeah.
And you hear these songs like --
If I bring up a show, can you talk about a song or --
-Well it's quite a good idea.
I was once in The Peninsula in Los Angeles
and very late at night because I was on English time.
I went down to the bar.
And in the bar was Frank Sinatra.
And I went over to him, and we said hello and everything.
And he said the one great line of my career.
The grand piano was at the other end of the bar.
And he said to the barman, "Bring me the grand piano."
[ Laughter ]
So if you're able to do that...
-For -- For Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber,
we can bring you the piano.
Anything for you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you, bud.
This is...
♪♪
We're in for a treat tonight. This is fantastic.
Thank you for doing this. I appreciate this.
How about "Phantom of the Opera"?
-Well, we could do the obvious.
[ "The Phantom of the Opera" intro plays ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Wow. That's it! That's --
Right now we got our money's worth.
I'm very ha-- Already. -Right. I'm off.
-That's it. Right -- Yeah.
But you hear that, and you go, "Oh, I know this is going to be
something that will stick in people's heads"?
-I just thought it was a great,
great start for the whole thing,
to see the chandelier rise up, and then you hear those notes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just -- And it's sometimes music
and what you think of visually comes together.
-How about "Jesus Christ Superstar"?
-Well, that was different, but...
[ "Superstar" plays ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
-That -- That gets -- It gets a reaction from everybody.
When you were writing that or when you wrote that,
did you go like, "Yeah, this is 'Jesus Christ Superstar'"?
You go, "That's the lyrics"?
-Actually, I was going past a restaurant in London,
and I was a kid then,
and I thought -- I got this tune in my head,
and I went into the restaurant and I said,
"Can you please give me a paper napkin
and something I could write this down on?"
And they said, "Fine."
And a couple of years later, I used that.
-When you have that, do people go,
"Oh, we have to make this"?
How do you sell a musical about, you know, Jesus?
-Well, that was a -- [ Laughter ]
That was a very long story, and nobody wanted to produce it.
So it became an album first
because I was able to get a record company.
Tim Rice and I were able to get a record company
to basically make the whole idea.
So it was produced a bit like a radio play,
if you could think of that, but a musical radio play,
because there was no visual to it.
And that's how it started.
-And then -- But then "Evita."
-"Evita." Well, we can think of...
[ "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" plays ]
♪♪
-Come on! Like, I mean, you write one of these, I'm happy.
You write all of these, you go, "Who are you?!"
--Well, that's the wonderful thing about this,
is it's in D-flat major. -Of course.
[ "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" plays ]
But anyway...
-But what does that -- What does that mean?
-Doesn't sound the same in this.
[ "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" plays in different key ]
-No. -No, it doesn't.
-Play the other one again.
[ "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" plays ]
-That's it. That's where it is. Yes.
-It's all to do with that. -Wow!
-And then -- And then "Cats."
-Well, memory, of course.
[ "Memory" plays ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
[ Cymbals crash ]
-I mean, come on!
-Brilliantly played. -Yeah.
Can you give us a taste of a song from "Bad Cinderella"?
-Yeah, of course I can. Let me think. Yes.
What about this one? It's called "Lonely You."
♪♪
That was wonderful. If you then take it on...
♪♪
And it's all about construction of a melody.
♪♪
And then you hit that note and then you can do a key change.
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Yes!
[ Humming ]
-And then you can take the artist up to the top note,
you see.
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
-How -- I don't know.
I'm just honored to meet you and honored to sit next to you.
-Well, I'm delighted.
-Please come back whenever you're around.
Thank you very much, indeed. Thank you.
-Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.
"Bad Cinderella" is now playing
at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway.
More "Tonight Show" after the break. Stick around.