Thursday, October 22, 2026 -A fresh disagreement between musical theatre legends Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice has put their latest collaboration under the spotlight. The pair’s music was initially part of Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas, a production that premiered at Birmingham Rep in 2025.
However, Lloyd Webber’s songs will no longer feature in the planned revival, raising questions about what went wrong behind the scenes. The development is particularly striking because the project marked the duo’s first collaboration in four decades.
The two artists have offered different explanations for the breakdown. Rice told The Times that Lloyd Webber had withdrawn his score because he no longer wanted to continue with the production.
Lloyd Webber, however, disputed that account, saying the producers had decided not to use his music and claiming that he had been asked to surrender rights for five years without approval over how the work would be used. He also cited scheduling difficulties and concerns about the production team. The disagreement has therefore become a question of creative control, contractual rights and the demands of staging a successful show.
Attention now turns to how the production will move forward without Lloyd Webber’s original score. Reports indicate that Rice is reworking the songs with composer Howard Goodall, giving the team a chance to reshape the show while keeping its festive murder-mystery concept alive.
For theatre producers, the situation highlights the importance of clear agreements over music ownership, creative approval and future performances. For audiences, the key question is whether the revised production can retain its appeal despite the loss of music from one of musical theatre’s most recognisable composers.
0 Comments