The one thing I have always felt about musical theatre is that it is, to an extraordinary degree, about construction.
Where I have come unstuck sometimes has mostly been to do with the stories not being quite right or not connecting with a contemporary audience.
Musical theatre history is littered with bad reviews for now classic pieces.
I'm a ladies' man who can never make love. I'm resigned to that.
I'm alive. I have my music; I have my children. I am the luckiest man.
At one point I couldn't move or get out of bed or anything. I developed blood clots because I'd been completely inactive. Then they thought - because the pain was so much - I had an infection in the bones, so they gave me pills, which gave me a tummy infection. It's like a French farce.
Making good television is what Simon Cowell does. That's his business.
The fact is that 'The Wizard Of Oz' has never really worked in the theatre. The film has one or two holes where, in the theatre, you need a song. For example, there's nothing for either of the two witches to sing.
I never wanted to be a performer. I suppose I was precocious, really.
Disgracefully, the arts have too often borne the brunt of short-sighted cuts to educational budgets.
Musicals are very collaborative. Unless you find somebody who wants to do something with you and has equal commitment, it's not going to work.
The plot of my 'Phantom' is pretty much mine. It's based on the Gaston Leroux book - I've taken a lot of liberties with it.
It never occurred to me that 'Phantom of the Opera' was the sort of subject that I'd want to do, because I just thought it was something that would be a bit jokey. 'Til I read the book.
There's no getting around it: Writing is hard, while working with young performers is nearly always a joy.
I do want to write again. I hope to. But it's also important for me to realize, as I get older, that I don't have to be doing everything all at once.
Since 'School of Rock' opened, for the first time in my career, ever, really, I've had a lot of projects offered to me. It's extraordinary. Normally, I've initiated them all myself.
After I had prostate cancer, I had something which was misdiagnosed which led to a load of back operations.
I got known as the school swot, which wasn't me at all.
I was about 10, and I was supposed to be playing the piano at the school concert, and I got up in front of the whole school and said, 'I'm sorry. I'm changing the agenda. I want to play some songs I've written.'
They should go back to the medieval tradition, which is that the nave of the church is always used for local business.
