Lloyd Webber and Ian top The Stage 100 list

Published Thursday 28 December 2006 at 11:30 by Alistair Smith

Andrew Lloyd Webber has reclaimed the top spot in The Stage 100 - our annual list of the 100 most influential people in theatre.

However, he has been forced to share first place with last year’s winner David Ian, who co-produced The Sound of Music with Lloyd Webber and appeared alongside him on reality TV series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

Next year, the pair will go their separate ways and star in rival TV shows on BBC and ITV. Lloyd Webber will be involved with the BBC’s Any Dream Will Do - to find a star for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat - while Ian will feature on ITV show You’re the One That I Want! to find the leads for a production of Grease.

Stage editor Brian Attwood said: “The Stage 100 is unique in that it provides an insight into the changing nature of British theatre. One of this year’s most important developments, if not its most important, was the emergence of reality TV as a means of casting theatre shows.

“Whatever one’s thoughts on the process employed by How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, it has been undeniably successful, with The Sound of Music reporting record advances. This success is reflected in the joint first positioning of Ian and Lloyd Webber. It will be interesting to see how they both fare next year when they are competitors with two separate TV shows, rather than collaborators.”

Producer and theatre-owner Cameron Mackintosh was placed third in the list, while Ambassador Theatre Group’s Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire came fourth. Also featured in the top 20 are Kevin Spacey, Harold Pinter, Bill Kenwright and Michael Grandage, among others.

For the full list see this week’s print edition of The Stage, out on December 29.

To make your own views known on who should have been included in the list, please visit www.thestage.co.uk/stage100