Sir Tim Rice - Interview

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 8 / 7 / 2025

Award-winning lyricist Sir Tim Rice, now 80, is responsible for some of the most enduring show tunes of all time. Probably best known for his work with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Elton John, Tim has spent most of his professional life in the world of musical theatre. Educated at Lancing College, Sussex and at the Sorbonne in Paris, Tim initially joined EMI. Indeed, he was manager and assistant producer there before teaming up with Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1968 to write 'Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat - the duo's first hit musical. Success after success followed – and Tim has a rich seam of stories to tell about his glittering career. Now,there’s a chance for fans to hear Tim's many tales of his songs and the stars that sang them as he hits the stage to share his music and talk about his remarkable experiences. However, his new show, My Life In Musicals – I Know Him So Well' is more than just another “evening with” event. It is a spectacular event, studded with his favorites from the huge list of songs for which he provided the lyrics. Tim explains, “The show features songs with my lyrics, most of which – I'm happy to say – are quite well known. I tell some stories about how each song happened and talk about the great composers with whom I wrote the songs – including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John, Alan Menken as well as Bjorn and Benny from Abba plus some others, too.” Throughout the evening Tim is supported by a live band and top class singers who, as he says, “Let rip brilliantly with the vocals”. The show will be touring the UK through Spring and on into the Summer. “I think the formula works well,” Tim continues. “If you play it pretty straight as I do and you have great singers with a superb band, then it will make a wonderful night out for people.” Tim even sings during the show. “Well, that's right - but very little, you'll be glad to hear,” he laughs. “I sing when I talk about 'I Don't Know How To Love Him' which is the big hit romantic ballad from Jesus Christ Superstar. Actually, Andrew wrote that tune three years before 'Superstar' but I'd written a pretty grim lyric for it about a bloke dreaming of his home state of Kansas.....we called it 'Kansas Morning' – though it could just as well have been 'Kansas Mourning'! At the time we both wanted to get a pop single hit with it. Several music publishers liked it but all the artists they sent it to rejected it. So it never got recorded. But, thank goodness – because my lyrics really weren't very good. The tune was brilliant, though - and once I'd written better lyrics for it as part of 'Superstar', it went on to be a very big success as 'I Don't Know How To Love Him' and it was brilliantly sung by many top stars – but not by me! Audiences will be pleased to know the song is included in the new 'My Life...' show and sung by some wonderful singers!” Tim says he has always enjoyed interacting with fans. “We usually end the show with 'Any Dream Will Do' and I love to see the audiences stand up and sing along. I get such a kick from seeing them do that – from things I wrote half a century ago! It is gratifying to hear an entire audience singing along and to see they know the words - as that's the only bit I did!” Tim says that he has been very fortunate in being able to work with such great tunes – many inspired by very good initial ideas and powerful stories. “I do think that, if you are working to a big canvas, a wonderful story – like Jesus or Joseph or Eva Peron or the Hamlet-inspired Lion King – then that does encourage you to write something better than you would if you are just writing a random out-of-context pop song. Most of all, I like writing for powerful characters in interesting situations. Eva Peron is a perfect example of this. Without Eva Peron's strong character and the history of her impact on Argentina, I could never have come up with lyrics like those to 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' - and the title itself is really different, too. I could have written some other lyrics to Andrew's brilliant tune but they wouldn't have had the same impact. As it is, that's a love song doubling as a political statement and it is something very different. One critic at the time said – not very politely – that this was a song with just a string of cliches. But that was exactly what it was intended to be - not just a pop song but an insincere political speech – a combination of corny emotions and the simultaneous manipulation of the audience. And, actually, it works on all those levels!” So, when Tim is starting to create a musical, is the story always paramount? “Yes, for me it has to be. When we were creating Evita, for example, both Andrew as the composer and I, as the lyricist, had to know exactly what was planned for each scene before a single note or word was written. Whether it was a love song, an argumentative duet, a seductive number or a huge crowd anthem - it had to totally serve the plot and the characters. I still think Evita is Andrew's best score, ever. He would repeatedly come up with a melody and ideas for orchestration that were perfect for the story line. - Genius, really. And the story is always king in musical theatre! The best musicals are always those with the best stories. That is key! - There are very few exceptions to this rule, though Andrew's 'Cats' is one. But virtually all the great musicals – from my childhood days like 'My Fair Lady', 'Guys and Dolls', 'Oklahoma' and 'Oliver' through to 'West Side Story,' ' Les Miserables,' 'Wicked' and 'Hamilton' all have terrific stories. Even Mamma Mia which had all those brilliant Abba hits, needed a decent story to make it work on stage. Any good musical, like a good play, needs to establish pretty early on where it is going and what the characters are going to grapple with. If you can establish that within five to ten minutes of the curtain opening, then you are off to a good start!” Sir Tim Rice's show, 'My Life in Musicals – I Know Him So Well' is touring the UK now. Details from www.ents24.com

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