His awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, a BASCA Fellowship and the Kennedy Center Honor.
He currently owns six London theatres, including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the London Palladium.
The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines
Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thus all fairy stories end.
Only an actress would pretend
affairs of state are her latest play:
eight shows a week, two matinee.
My, how the worm begins to turn.
When will the chorus girl ever learn?
My, how the worm begins to turn.When will the chorus girl ever learn?
Eva
The chorus girl hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear.
She won't go scrambling over the backs of the poor to be accepted,
by making donations just large enough
to the correct charities.
She won't be president of your wonderful societies of philanthropy,
even if you asked her to be,
as you should have asked her to be.
The actress hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear.
She won't join your clubs, she won't dance in your halls.
She won't help the hungry once a month at your tambolas -
She'll simply take control as
you disappear.
Che
Forgive my intrusion, but here in this neat little can:
I have a product to change your conception of man.
A brand new insecticide, a remarkable chemical feat,
Instantly rendering other insecticides obsolete.
Eva
Licensing slaughter of insects is hardly my mission!
Goodnight and thank you, whoever!
We've no time for you, but one thing we do emphasize:
It's an ill wind that blows nobody good.
The news may be bad for one Argentine lad
But it's good news for Argentine flies.
The first stanza of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s song “The Actress Hasn’t Learned the Lines” introduces the characters of the aristocrats and their blasé attitude towards affairs of state. They see themselves as part of a fairy-tale ending in which order is restored to society. The second stanza introduces the two female protagonists, a chorus girl and an actress, who do not conform to the aristocrats’ expectations of their gender and social station. They refuse to compromise their integrity or do anything simply to gain the approval of society’s elite. The final section of the song is a brief interlude by the character of Che, who presents himself as an outsider with a product that will change the way mankind views itself, in contrast to the aristocrats and the chorus girl and actress, all of whom are trapped within their prescribed roles.
Line by Line Meaning
Aristocrats
This is the start of a song that will detail the differences between the aristocrats and the common people.
Thus all fairy stories end.
The ending of every fairy story is always the same, with the good guys winning and the bad guys defeated.
Only an actress would pretend affairs of state are her latest play:
Actresses are the only ones who would pretend that politics is just another show, like a play.
eight shows a week, two matinee.
Actresses perform eight shows a week, with two performances on matinee days.
My, how the worm begins to turn.
The situation is starting to change, and the people who were once oppressed are starting to take control.
When will the chorus girl ever learn?
The chorus girl is not interested in following the same path as the aristocrats, and the people are starting to wonder if she will ever learn to be more like them.
The chorus girl hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear.
The chorus girl is not willing to conform to the expectations of the aristocrats.
She won't go scrambling over the backs of the poor to be accepted, by making donations just large enough to the correct charities.
She will not try to buy her way into the aristocrats' good graces by making donations to the charities they support.
She won't be president of your wonderful societies of philanthropy, even if you asked her to be, as you should have asked her to be.
Even if the aristocrats offered her positions of power within their charity organizations, she would refuse.
The actress hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear.
The actress is not interested in conforming to the expectations of the aristocrats.
She won't join your clubs, she won't dance in your halls.
She will not participate in the aristocrats' social clubs or events.
She won't help the hungry once a month at your tambolas -
She will not volunteer at the aristocrats' charity events.
She'll simply take control as you disappear.
Instead, she will take control and lead the people, while the aristocrats lose their power.
Forgive my intrusion, but here in this neat little can:
Che is interrupting the song to introduce his own idea.
I have a product to change your conception of man.
Che is introducing a new insecticide that he believes will revolutionize the market.
A brand new insecticide, a remarkable chemical feat, Instantly rendering other insecticides obsolete.
Che believes that his insecticide is far superior to all others on the market.
Licensing slaughter of insects is hardly my mission!
Eva does not approve of the idea of killing off insects, and she is not interested in endorsing that kind of product.
Goodnight and thank you, whoever!
The chorus is saying goodbye to someone who is leaving.
We've no time for you, but one thing we do emphasize:
The chorus is saying that they do not have time for this person, but they want to make a point.
It's an ill wind that blows nobody good.
The chorus is saying that even though something bad may happen to one person, it can still be good for someone else.
The news may be bad for one Argentine lad But it's good news for Argentine flies.
The chorus is saying that even though something bad has happened to an Argentine man, it is good for the flies in Argentina because there will be less insecticides used.
Contributed by Bailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.