Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber has slammed a new Kardashians ‘Cats’ musical for using his songs.
The 68-year-old composer fired off a legal letter to the creators of off-Broadway show ‘Katdashians’, which has been using "no less than six songs from ‘Cats’" in its parody of reality TV family the Kardashians.
Insisting that the "continued willful infringement on our client’s rights" would result in a claim for damages, Lloyd Webber’s legal team said in their letter: "It is clear that the production is not a parody of ‘Cats’… Our client’s property is being extensively misappropriated… to parody another subject matter entirely."
Co-creator Tobly McSmith – whose show has been described as "the story of a clan of internet famous cats torn apart by Fame, Family, and Friskies" – told the New York Post’s Page Six: "We were pretty shocked. We are fans of Webber and his work… We thought he’d enjoy the parodies we did of his songs, but apparently he did not."
McSmith’s lawyer Robert Hantman added: "While we disagree with [Webber’s] position, it would be foolish to burden the court, but we are inviting all judges to see the show for free and decide on their own."
The songs have now been removed from the production and replaced with original tunes and a representative for Webber’s Really Useful Group said: "We are pleased that the producers of the ‘Katdashians’ are cooperating in removing copyrighted material from their show. If you want to hear ‘Memory’ live this summer, it looks like you’ll have to go to Broadway, but it won’t be performed by a ‘Katdashian,’ whatever that is."
Recently Lord Lloyd Webber launched a blistering rant against Nicole Scherzinger, 37, claiming she opted out of his musical ‘Cats’, one week before Broadway rehearsals began, in order to return to ‘The X Factor’ and fumed that he was furious with her.
He said: "A week before we were due to go into rehearsals with ‘Cats’, which luckily I’m not producing I have to say, she calls me and says she’s decided to do ‘X Factor’, having agreed to it.
"She’s crazy, but the American producers took a view of, ‘Oh fine, we’ll get someone else.’ She’s actually not that well known in America. She’s better known here.
"I’m furious because I really believe she’s the most fantastically brilliant girl and I went out on a limb to get her at the Palladium and now I look like an absolute t**t with them all.
"Nevermind, there will be another girl on Broadway and Nicole will not get her Tony Award."
Leona Lewis has since replaced Nicole in the role.
Andrew Lloyd Webber slams Katdashians musical
