Editing Andrew Lloyd Webber (section)

===Mid-1970s===
[[File:Evita at the Adelphi.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|''[[Evita (musical)|Evita]]'' at the West End's [[Adelphi Theatre]]. Lloyd Webber purchased the theatre in 1993.]]
Lloyd Webber collaborated with Rice once again to write ''[[Evita (musical)|Evita]]'' (1978), a musical based on the life of [[Eva Perón]]. As with ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', ''Evita'' was released first as a concept album (1976) featuring [[Julie Covington]] singing the part of Eva Perón. The song "[[Don't Cry for Me Argentina]]" became a hit single and the musical was staged at the West End's [[Prince Edward Theatre]] in a production directed by [[Harold Prince]] and starring [[Elaine Paige]] in the title role.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4665128.stm Lloyd Webber to revive Evita show]. BBC News, 31 January 2006. Retrieved 29 June 2019.</ref> This original production was enormously successful, eventually running for nearly eight years in the West End.<ref>[http://www.thisistheatre.com/shows/princeedward40.html Evita at Prince Edward Theatre]. thisistheatre.com. Retrieved 28 April 2022.</ref>

''Evita'' transferred to Broadway in 1979, in a production starring [[Patti LuPone]] as Eva and [[Mandy Patinkin]] as Che; it won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, helped launch the careers of both LuPone and Patinkin, and ran for almost four years. Rice and Lloyd Webber parted ways soon after ''Evita'', although they have sporadically worked together since then.<ref>{{cite book |last=Propst |first=Andy |title=The 100 Most Important People in Musical Theatre |date=2019 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=155}}</ref>

In 1978, Lloyd Webber embarked on a project with his cellist brother Julian, the ''[[Variations (Andrew Lloyd Webber album)|Variations]]'', based on the [[Caprice No. 24 (Paganini)|24th Caprice by Paganini]]; this reached number two in the pop album chart in the United Kingdom. The main theme was used as the theme tune for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s long-running ''[[South Bank Show]]'' throughout its 32-year run.<ref>{{cite news |title=End of South Bank Show is not music to Julian Lloyd Webber's ears |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/5291888/End-of-South-Bank-Show-is-not-music-to-Julian-Lloyd-Webbers-ears.html |access-date=22 November 2023 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref> The same year, Lloyd Webber also composed a new theme tune for the long-running documentary series ''[[Whicker's World]]'', which was used from 1978 to 1980.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ranson |first=Philip |title=A Guide to the Popular Names and Nicknames of Classical Music, and to Theme Music in Films, Radio, Television and Broadcast Advertisements |date=1984 |publisher=Northern Regional Library System |page=59}}</ref> He also composed the instrumental "[[Argentine Melody]]" as the theme music for the BBC's coverage of the [[1978 FIFA World Cup]] held in Argentina.<ref>{{cite news |title=My strong vote for BBC World Cup dream theme |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2009/dec/10/bbc-world-cup-theme |work=The Guardian |date=10 December 2009 |access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref>