Love Changes Everything at Rugby Theatre

L-R: Gracey Spring (Rose), Luke Bingham (Alex), Hayley Glover (Guilette), Steve Bingham (George) and Vera Rusu (Jenny).

Aspects of Love, Rugby Theatre, from 22 to 29 April.

Preview by Rosie Fuller

A ‘wonderfully evocative’ Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about an intriguing love story is next on the bill from the talented performers at Rugby Theatre.

Featuring the smash hit Love Changes Everything, Aspects of Love is a tale of passion, love, life and loss in post-war France and Italy, spanning three generations of one family.

Gracey Spring

“Andrew Lloyd Webber launched Aspects of Love in 1989, following shows such as Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Starlight Express, and it stunned the West End” says the show’s director David Allen. “Everyone was expecting a huge spectacle, but instead he went for an almost chamber-like piece, with wonderfully evocative melodies and a love story full of surprises.”

Real life father and son Alex and Steve Bingham

Aspects of Love begins in the south of France in the late 1940s, following 17-year-old Alex Dillingham, who becomes infatuated with an impoverished actress called Rose. But when Alex’s Uncle George returns from Italy unexpectedly, their lives – and the lives of those around them – are changed forever, resulting in a complex love polygon showing that love in all its forms really can change everything.

“Love Changes Everything is still Andrew Lloyd Webber’s biggest selling single, which is astounding when you think of his canon of work,” continues David. “But the show is also full of gorgeous romantic ballads and duets that will stay in your head – every main character has at least one lovely song.”

Vera Rusu

David’s cast includes experienced local actors, including the father and son duo Steve and Luke Bingham, who play Uncle George and Alex respectively. The show will also see a new musical director making his debut at Rugby Theatre. Richard Dunster-Sigtermans is a former director of music at Rugby School – but he met David when the pair were volunteering at Rugby’s vaccination centre during the pandemic and discovered a mutual love of musicals.

“An original member of the show’s 1989 West End cast once said that Aspects of Love had the best music out of all of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals, and it’s certainly the most complex,” says David. “As a cast we’ve laughed, cried and had ‘oh my gosh’ moments at the score, but they’ve grabbed it and gone with it with enthusiasm. This show can’t be done without good singers and a good musical director, and we’ve got them.

Hayley Glover

“A professional version of the show opens in the West End in May, but here’s your chance to see our version closer to home, and for a fraction of the price!”

Aspects of Love runs from 22-29 April, with ticket prices starting at £16. Tickets are available from the Rugby Theatre box office on 01788 541234, or www.rugbytheatre.co.uk.

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