Oscar-nominee Antonio Banderas is collaborating with long-time friend and musical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to bring theatre and musicals to major Spanish-speaking markets, Deadline reports. Under the banner of their brand-new company Amigos Para Siempre (APS), the two announced that they will produce a number of well-known musicals and live shows in Spanish, expanding the art to a wider audience, at a media event in Madrid on June 27.
Translated to English, Amigos Para Siempre means "friends forever" and is inspired by Webber's very own work on a song he composed for the 1992 Summer Olympics, performed by soprano singer Sarah Brightman and operatic tenor José Carreras. The title of their new company perfectly captures the spirit of their collaboration, aiming to bring the inspiration of live musical theatre to a bigger audience. Under the banner, Webber's London-based company Really Useful Group, which produces, licenses and promotes his work globally, will cede the rights to Spanish-language versions of all of Webber's Broadway shows. Some of Webber's best-known shows will be adapted to Spanish with Amigos Para Siempre, such as The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and School of Rock.
Banderas and Webber have known each other since they worked together on the musical Evita in 1996. Besides their close friendship, the two share a deep passion for musical theatre. When not filming, Banderas has been focusing on his roots, lending most of his time and dedication to his Soho Theatre in Malaga where he currently resides. “Not only is Antonio Banderas entertainment royalty," Webber said of his friend, "he is also one of the most versatile, creative minds I have ever had the pleasure of working with." The feeling, it seems, is mutual. Banderas claims that it was Webber's musical Jesus Christ Superstar in the early '70s that first inspired the passion he now nurtures for music and theatre.
As for what inspired the union of APS, Webber says:
"While millions of people in the Spanish-speaking world already love our shows and music, the appetite for more, and the level of musical and theatrical talent, is extraordinary. I can’t wait to work with Antonio to bring the very highest-quality Spanish language productions to the world.”
Banderas is best known for roles in films like 1998's The Mask of Zorro, opposite Oscar-winner and fellow theatre enthusiast Anthony Hopkins, Gregorio Cortez, the father in the original Spy Kids, Indian Jones 5, Galgo in The Expendables 3, and the notorious role of Puss in Boots first introduced in Shrek 2. Most recently Banderas starred in Ruben Fleischer's adventure film Uncharted opposite Tom Holland, and is set to star in an upcoming crime drama The Monster of Florence. The actor credits his career to "the enormous influence and the strong impression I experienced when I saw Andrew’s musicals," and says, "to have the opportunity to work with one of the most respected and admired composers of all times, offering his amazing works for Spanish-speaking audiences, is one of the highlights of my career in show business.”
Amigos Para Siempre will be overseen by the Managing Director of NuCo Media Group Emanuel Nuñez, and Webber's Really Useful Group President, Jessica Koravos.