Lestat Tickets

About Lestat

The musical inspired by the vampire characters of novelist Anne Rice is the inaugural Broadway production of Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures (Gregg Maday, executive vice president). The world premiere of the musical — which has book by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, Aida), lyrics by Taupin and music by John (The Lion King, Aida, Billy Elliott) — will be at San Francisco's Curran Theatre Dec. 17-Jan. 29, 2006, followed by a Broadway run.

Robert Jess Roth (Beauty and the Beast) directs. Matt West (Beauty and the Beast) will create musical staging. John and Taupin's pop songs from the 1970s are beloved by a generation. This is their first stage score.

According to the producers, and as previously announced, "Lestat, Anne Rice's most celebrated and beloved literary character…" The musical "is the romantic and heartbreaking story of the extraordinary journey of one man who escapes the tyranny of his oppressive family only to have his life taken from him. Thrust into the seductive and sensual world of an immortal vampire, Lestat sets out on a road of adventures in a quest for everlasting love and companionship but is forced to reconcile his innate sense of good with his primal need to exist."

"This musical is the fulfillment of my deepest dreams," said author Anne Rice, in a statement. "Elton's music and Bernie's lyrics have captured the pain and the passion of the characters perfectly, and the entire adaptation has re-created the very essence of the books. Working with the whole team -— Rob Roth, Linda Woolverton, and of course Elton and Bernie — has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire career. The talent, the brilliance, and the generosity of these folks is beyond belief. I'm humbled; I'm grateful; and I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it. Lestat, Louis and Claudia are about to be reborn."

"'Interview with the Vampire' is one of my favorite books and Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors," stated composer John. "Lestat is the first stage musical that I've written with Bernie which makes it even more special for me."

"Anne had always loved the idea of seeing her 'Vampire Chronicles' set in some sort of serious and seductive musical setting and for all of the parties involved this is the opportunity of a lifetime," stated lyricist Taupin. "Elton and I have threatened for years to work together on something for Broadway but until now had never found anything that appealed to both of us collectively or suited my own personal writing style. We have unified these books into a linear storyline and our intention is to make a stylish, sexy, intelligent and richly hypnotic show that is stripped of gothic clichés and that shows the vampire dealing with his damnation on a more realistic and human level. Please let me make this clear this is not a rock opera."