An inside source has hinted that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Mona Lisa musical could arrive sooner than expected. Based on the infamous theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911, development of the musical is advancing “swiftly”.
Earlier this year, the legendary composer revealed he was working on a new musical based on one of history’s most audacious crimes: the theft of the Mona Lisa. It now looks set to premiere ahead of The Illusionist, another new musical announced by Lloyd Webber in October 2024. In a new interview with The Stage, Michael Harrison, who produces Lloyd Webber’s shows through Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals, gave an update on the two new productions.
He said: “It [the Mona Lisa musical] has its own identity. It’s going to make you laugh, but it has some very big songs in it. So we’ll be advancing with this one quite swiftly, I would think.” Giving an update on timelines for the show, he added: “The Illusionist is just huge. And The Illusionist takes time and preparation, and this one’s come along as a bit of a surprise. So that might be first.”
He also revealed that Lloyd Webber is having a “great time” writing the musical inspired by the true story of the theft of the Mona Lisa and that it has “amazing melodies”.
The true story behind the Mona Lisa musical
The musical will dramatise the true story of Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee and Italian patriot who stole Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece in 1911. Peruggia famously spent two years hiding the painting in a false-bottomed trunk in his Paris apartment, convinced that the work belonged in its Italian homeland rather than France. The painting’s eventual recovery in 1914 made international headlines and cemented its status as the most famous portrait in the world.
The Illusionist – Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael Harrison, Jamie Lloyd, Chris Terrio
The Illusionist and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s other projects
The stage adaptation of The Illusionist is based on the novella Eisenheim the Illusionist featured in The Barnum Museum by Steven Millhauser, and in turn the 2006 movie directed by Neil Burger and starring Edward Norton and Jessica Biel. The creative team includes acclaimed director Jamie Lloyd (Sunset Boulevard, A Doll’s House, The Tempest). The book of the new show is by Oscar-winning screenwriter Chris Terrio (Argo, Justice League, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), with British songwriter Bruno Major also contributing to the musical.
Elsewhere in the Lloyd Webber universe, CATS opens at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre on 25 July (until 19 September). In the interview, Harrison also revealed that the summer revival of Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium (20 June to 5 September 2026), and later the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (16 October 2026 to 9 January 2027), has had a “huge” reaction and is breaking box office records.
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