Tim Rice

THE TRUTH IS SHE NEVER LEFT YOU. Since its release on a concept album in 1976 on the way to becoming the signature tune in the musical Evita two years later, Don't Cry for Me Argentina has permeated the collective consciousness to an extent rarely seen in the musical universe. The song - music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice - was dismissed by critics but struck a major chord with audiences worldwide, sold in the millions and has enjoyed almost constant airplay ever since. Over the years there have been regular revivals of Evita on Broadway and The West End and when a touring version of the original Hal Prince-directed production opens here next month (Feb 23 to March 11 at The Grand Theatre, Marina Bay Sands), theatre-goers will once again be singing along to those familiar strains - whether they care to admit it or not.

Rice - "Sir Timothy" after a knighthood in 1994 - is the lyricist behind a string of well-known songs from some of the most successful shows in musical theatre history, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess and The Lion King. In addition to millions of theatre and cinema tickets sold, Rice, 73, has picked up three Best Original Song Academy Awards (A Whole New World from Aladdin, Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King and You Must Love Me from Evita). More recently he contributed three songs to the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and a new version of The Lion King is in the works. It's safe to assume that Rice has a lifetime pass to Disneyland.

On the phone from his home in England, Rice expressed regret that he won't be coming to Singapore for Evita's opening night - he will be attending a performance of Chess in Washington, DC, instead. "I do enjoy Singapore very much," he says. "I've even stayed a night at that hotel with the ship on top, but you can't appreciate it when you're in it - you have to be opposite."