Time & Perspective Quote by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber isn’t reaching for poetry here; he’s reaching for physiology. By comparing a singer’s voice to “muscles,” he strips the instrument of mystique and recasts it as something trainable, fallible, and thrillingly changeable. The phrasing is almost endearingly clunky - “Because her voice is, it’s like…” - which reads less like a prepared sound bite and more like a producer-composer thinking out loud, trying to capture an experience that keeps exceeding the plan.

The intent is practical and proprietary at once. Musical theatre, especially in Webber’s blockbuster mode, demands repetition: eight shows a week, weeks on end. A voice that “develops all the time” is not just an artistic asset; it’s an evolving production variable. The subtext is control and risk management: if the voice is a living body part, it can get stronger, but it can also fatigue, swell, or change in ways that alter the show’s sound. Calling that “fantastic” signals a rare creator’s pleasure in unpredictability - the performer isn’t merely executing the score; she’s growing beyond it.

Contextually, this sits in Webber’s broader brand of auteur-driven theatre that still depends on star alchemy. He builds meticulous machines, then marvels at the human element that won’t stay fixed. The line quietly flatters the singer (“her” becomes the engine of progress), while also asserting an almost scientific authority: he’s the one diagnosing the instrument, tracking its gains. That tension - admiration wrapped in managerial language - is classic commercial theatre candor.