To say that the Jellicle Ball has never been influenced by the human hand would be a gross injustice. In fact, there have been several people who have made the Ball what it is today. The most well - known to other humans of course are T. S. Eliot, who gave us Jellicly inspired words to sing under the Jellicle Moon. Then there is Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, who gave us the music that makes the words come alive. Of course there is Trevor Nunn who gave us our fantastic playground in the Junk Yard, and Gillian Lynne, who must certainly have been a cat in a past life, for the dances she created for us are certainly those created by one touched by the Everlasting Cat.
T. S. EliotThomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, MO on September 26th, 1888. He spent the first 18 years of his life there before attending Harvard University. In 1910, he left the United States for the Sorbonne in France after having earned both an undergraduate and masters degree. He spent a year in France, then returned to Harvard to persue a doctorate in philosophy. However those plans were changed, and in 1914 he left the United States to settle in England. In 1915 he married Vivienne Haigh - Wood. He found work first, as a teacher, then for Lloyd's Bank.
He was profoundly infuenced by his contemporary Ezra Pound, who recognized Eliot's talents for literature. In the following years, Pound helped Eliot to become published, with such works as "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," Prufrock and Other Observations, and his most profound piece of literature (well, aside from Old Possum's which was published around 1932, of course - *Idio*), The Waste Land. He also wrote many plays and pieces of non - fiction.
In 1927 Eliot became an English citizen. In 1933 he separated from his first wife, and married Valerie Fletcher in 1956. Eliot was recognized for his contribution to world literature in 1948 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. In 1956, T.S. Eliot died in London.
Information for this bio was taken from POETS.ORG
Sir Andrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber was born on March 22, 1948 in London, England. Coming from a musical family, Lloyd Webber studied at Magdalen College, Oxford and at the Royal College of Music. While still a student, he began working with Time Rice puting lyrics to music. The first of these ventures to become a big hit was Joseph and the Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat in 1968 (Woah! I didn't know it was that old! - *Idio*). It was followed up by the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971. At the time, this musical was both revolutionary and controversal for the use of rock music to tell the story of the life of Chirst. However, it did go on to become one of the longest running shows in Brittish theater. The last major work Lloyd Webber and Rice worked together on was the biograpical adaption of the life of Eva Peron, wife of the Argentine dictator, in the show Evita in 1978.
In 1981, Lloyd Webber adaped T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into the smash hit CATS! The show's unique dance style and costumes captured the hearts and imaginations of thousands of people all over the world, making one of the most popular shows of all time. It displaced A Chorus Line as Broadway's longest - running musical and ran from 1981 to 2000.
After CATS, Lloyd Webber continued on his streak of hits with Song and Dance (1982), Starlight Express (1984), Aspects of Love(1989), and of course the increadibly popular Phantom of the Opera (1986) which, in my humble opinion, is second only to CATS.
Lloyd Webber's musicals are enthralling specticles of song and color. His willingness to use modern music styles as well as respected classic styles in a wonderfully blended way is only part of what makes him this century's musical and theatric genius.
Information for this bio taken from Encyclopedia Brittanica Online
