What's The Buzz? Andrew Lloyd Webber Will Take Legal Action Against Superstar Promoter Michael Cohl

It’s a case of “I don’t know how to love him.” Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group is taking legal action against promoter Michael Cohl, after he canceled the North American tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. In a statement, RUG said that it had “no option but to proceed with legal action to recover its costs associated with the project and in turn, satisfy outstanding payments to suppliers and contractors.” Cohl was one of the lead producers of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and has recently announced plans to bring Rio and Alvin and the Chipmunks to the stage.

The American arena tour extravaganza of Tim Rice and Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar had been due to begin on June 9 in New Orleans. The production was set to star Brandon Boyd, N’SYNC’s JC Chasez, the Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten and Destiny's Child and Broadway vet Michelle Williams and play 50 cities including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles and the Big Apple. The UK and Australian versions of the arena tour played to capacity audiences in 2012 and 2013, starring Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Winner Tim Minchin and Spice Girl Melanie C.

Jesus Christ Superstar is based very loosely on the Gospel's account of the last week of Jesus' life. The show began life as a record-breaking album before it landed on Broadway in 1971. It was subsequently revived on the Great White Way in 1977, 2000 and 2012.