"I would have gone right ahead but the only thing, the only phenomenon that's going on now of course, which is different in my experiences, is that you are getting things planted in the Net by people about the Woman in White on the Net. That's not a nice change"
About this Quote
Andrew Lloyd Webber is reacting less to criticism than to a new ecosystem where criticism can be manufactured, multiplied, and made to look organic. The quote is clunky, almost circling its target, which is part of what makes it revealing: he’s reaching for language that can contain an anxiety older than the internet but newly amplified by it. “I would have gone right ahead” signals the default posture of a long-dominant cultural producer: keep moving, ignore the noise, trust the machine. Then comes the snag - “the only phenomenon...different in my experiences” - a generational tell that frames the web as a disruptive force not because it democratizes taste, but because it scrambles the usual chain of accountability.
The loaded word is “planted.” Not “posted,” not “shared,” but seeded like a rumor in a tabloid or a whisper campaign in a rehearsal room. He’s implying coordinated sabotage: rival producers, disgruntled insiders, or just the faceless, motive-rich crowd. It’s a defense of authorship and brand, too. The Woman in White isn’t merely a show; it’s an investment, a prestige object, a Lloyd Webber product. If perception can be “planted,” then box office can be hacked.
“That’s not a nice change” lands as understated British displeasure, but also strategic restraint. He’s not calling for censorship; he’s trying to reassert an older moral economy where opinion had provenance. The subtext: in the internet era, the gatekeepers aren’t gone - they’ve been replaced by a swarm, and even a titan has to negotiate with it.
The loaded word is “planted.” Not “posted,” not “shared,” but seeded like a rumor in a tabloid or a whisper campaign in a rehearsal room. He’s implying coordinated sabotage: rival producers, disgruntled insiders, or just the faceless, motive-rich crowd. It’s a defense of authorship and brand, too. The Woman in White isn’t merely a show; it’s an investment, a prestige object, a Lloyd Webber product. If perception can be “planted,” then box office can be hacked.
“That’s not a nice change” lands as understated British displeasure, but also strategic restraint. He’s not calling for censorship; he’s trying to reassert an older moral economy where opinion had provenance. The subtext: in the internet era, the gatekeepers aren’t gone - they’ve been replaced by a swarm, and even a titan has to negotiate with it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Internet |
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