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Martin Levan is a music producer and sound engineer who, during the 1980s and 1990s, designed the sound for many of the major musicals in the West End of London.
Levan began his career as the tea boy at Morgan Studios, London in 1971, rising to become an engineer and producer. His early album credits include John Martyn's Grace and Danger , Ralph McTell's Water of Dreams, Iron Maiden's eponymous album, Neil Ardley's Kaleidoscope of Rainbows and Harmony of the Spheres, Colosseum II's Wardance, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Variations and Requiem , Gary Boyle's The Dancer and Electric Glide and Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia.
Levan's career developed in a different direction when, in 1982, Andrew Lloyd Webber contracted him to supervise the sound design for the original production of the musical Song and Dance at the Palace Theatre, London. He also produced a live recording of the first night performance. The impact of the sound production for the show led to him designing the sound for a number of musicals throughout the world over the next two decades, and regularly collaborating with Lloyd Webber.
With Lloyd Webber, he worked on the original 1984 London and 1987 Broadway productions of Starlight Express , the 1985 original Broadway production of Song and Dance, the 1986 London and 1988 Broadway productions of The Phantom of the Opera. [1] In all productions of the show, the overture is partially pre-recorded, with the orchestra playing along with a track originally created by Levan and Rod Argent using a Yamaha DX5 keyboard, at Rod's home studio.
He also collaborated with Lloyd Webber on the original 1989 London production of Aspects of Love , the 1991 revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium, the original 1993 London and 1994 Broadway productions of Sunset Boulevard , the original 1998 London production of Whistle Down the Wind , the original 2000 London production of The Beautiful Game and international productions of Cats . [1]
His other Sound Design credits include Little Shop of Horrors , Kiss of the Spider Woman , Blondel , Carrie , The Baker's Wife , Show Boat and Lautrec. [2]
In 1988, while preparing the design for Aspects of Love, he developed the 'A-B System' to combat phase problems associated with the conventional method of combining multiple radio microphones systems on stage. Phase related interference patterns resulting in coloration and distortion in the sound system had hitherto been unavoidable but the use of the 'A-B System' effectively eliminated this phenomenon providing the audience with a much more natural, clearer and more focussed sound.
His original Broadway cast recording of Cats won a Grammy Award. Other awards include a NAACP Theatre Award for Best Sound Director for The Phantom of the Opera, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Sound Design for Sunset Boulevard and a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Outstanding Design Team Achievement for Show Boat.
In 1998, Martin conceived and built the Red Kite Studio music recording facility in Carmarthenshire, Wales. He continues to produce and record there.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber, is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass.
Michael Patrick Smith, known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer.
Cats is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is based on the 1939 poetry collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the "Jellicle choice" by deciding which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. As of 2024, Cats remains the fifth-longest-running Broadway show and the seventh-longest-running West End show.
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe. Based on the novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the tragic story of beautiful soprano Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious but disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano singer, actress, and dancer.
Song and Dance is a musical comprising two acts, one told entirely in "Song" and one entirely in "Dance", tied together by a unifying love story.
Sunset Boulevard is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics and libretto by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. It is based on the 1950 film of the same title.
The Really Useful Group Ltd. (RUG) is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing. The name is inspired by a phrase from the children's book series The Railway Series in which Thomas the Tank Engine and the other locomotives are referred to as "Really Useful Engines".
Dave Willetts is an English singer and actor known for having leading roles in West End musicals.
"The Music of the Night" is a major song from the 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. Initially made famous by Michael Crawford, the actor who originated the role of the Phantom both in the West End and on Broadway, "The Music of the Night" has appeared on many cast recordings of the musical, sold millions of copies worldwide, and has been translated into many languages.
Summer Peta Vaigncourt-Strallen is an English actress who has performed various roles on stage and screen. Her most notable theatre credits include Meg Giry in the West End production of Love Never Dies and Maria von Trapp in Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of The Sound of Music at the London Palladium.
Siobhan Patricia Dillon is an English actress and singer, who rose to fame when she performed in the British talent show-themed television series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? on BBC One in 2006. Since then, Dillon has performed in the West End, playing the roles of Sandy in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, Vivienne Kensington in Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Molly in Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre, Ellen in Miss Saigon, and Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard with the English National Opera. Siobhan reprised this role at the Palace Theatre in New York City.
Uwe Kröger is a musical star in the German-speaking countries of the world. Besides starring on stage, Kröger has taken part in galas and concerts, as well as making television and film appearances. He has released cast recordings and solo CDs.
Linda Balgord was an American Broadway actress and singer, most notable for playing Norma Desmond in the 1996 United States tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Sunset Boulevard, being the last actress to portray Grizabella in the original Broadway run of Cats, and originating the role of Queen Elizabeth I in The Pirate Queen on Broadway. She also played the role of Madame Giry in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, in both the restaged North American tour and on Broadway.
Rachel Kelly Tucker is a Northern Irish stage actress, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the musical Wicked. She also starred in Come from Away on Broadway, having originated the role on the West End. Rachel has starred in various other musicals and plays, including one alongside Sting.
Essential Musicals is an album by Elaine Paige, released in 2006. The album was produced by Mike Moran, vocals were recorded at Air-Edel Studios in London, and the orchestra backing recorded at The Hungarian State Radio Studios, Budapest. The album peaked at #46 in the UK Albums Chart.
Sings the Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber is a studio album by Shirley Bassey, released in 1993.
David Thaxton is a Welsh singer, actor and musical theatre and opera performer. He starred in the Donmar Warehouse's Passion, for which he won the 2011 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.
Anita Louise Combe is an Australian actress, singer, dancer who has worked extensively in the entertainment industry all around the world. Combe attended the Gwen Mackay School of Dancing and trained in the Cechetti method of ballet with Jennifer Pollard in Adelaide, South Australia before making her first professional appearance on stage as Sillabub in the Australian Premiere Production of Cats at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. She is one of the few people in the world to date who has played both roles of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in the production of Chicago in the West End. Anita created the role of Stephanie Mangano in the World Premiere Production of Saturday Night Fever opposite fellow Australian, Adam Garcia and produced by Adelaide born, Robert Stigwood.
Ron Bohmer is an American actor and singer best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway and as a recording artist and singer-songwriter. He has starred in numerous Broadway productions, including The Scarlet Pimpernel as Percy, Les Misérables as Enjolras, Ragtime as the Father and Fiddler on the Roof as Fyedka, and toured the United States playing such parts as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard, Alex Dillingham in Aspects of Love and Joseph Smith in The Book of Mormon. As a concert soloist he has performed with symphony orchestras around the world.
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