Andrew Lloyd Webber to open new take on 'Cinderella' in London

[LONDON] British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber will open a new show Cinderella in London in September, in a production described as "a complete reinvention of the classic fairytale".

The show, for which Lloyd Webber has written a new score, is based on an original idea by British actress and writer Emerald Fennell, producers said.

Fennell was the scriptwriter for the second season of television thriller Killing Eve and also features in season three of Netflix royal show The Crown. She has written and directed thriller Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan, set for a cinema release this spring.

"I have long wanted to write my own version of Cinderella but could never find a take on the classic story that really grabbed me," Lloyd Webber said in a statement.

"Emerald Fennell has written something truly exciting and original, and the moment I read her outline I knew I'd found my latest collaborator," said Lloyd Webber, famed for such theatre musicals as Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.

"I'm very pleased to be working with David Zippel, a hugely witty lyricist, once again," he added.

Laurence Connor, who has previously worked on other Lloyd Webber shows, will direct Cinderella, which will run at the Gillian Lynne theatre in London's West End.

Lloyd Webber's stage adaptation of comedy School of Rock is currently showing at that theatre until early March. 

REUTERS