Posted on 01/03/2024 9:14:15 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Andrew Lloyd Webber, known for his musical "The Phantom of the Opera," has opened up about his encounter with a “mischievous spirit” at his Eaton Square residence in London — and how he sought a priest's help to remove the entity.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the award-winning composer revealed that while he has never seen a ghost, his former 19th century home in Eaton Square was occupied by a poltergeist that would “do things like take theatre scripts and put them in a neat pile in some obscure room.”
“In the end we had to get a priest to come and bless it, and it left,” he said.
Poltergeists, known as "noisy spirits," are often associated with troubling activities, such as hurling objects, biting and even starting fires.
Historical accounts include the Borley Rectory in Essex, once labeled Britain's most haunted house, where residents reported poltergeist activity before its 1944 demolition. In 1879, Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada, witnessed a poltergeist reportedly stabbing a woman.
According to The Telegraph, the theatre world is no stranger to ghostly encounters: Patrick Stewart claimed to have seen an apparition while performing with Sir Ian McKellen in "Waiting for Godot" at London's Haymarket Theatre in 2009.
Similarly, Cameron Mackintosh, a collaborator of Lloyd Webber, felt a mysterious presence on stage during the 1989 opening night of "Miss Saigon" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The theatre manager attributed this to the resident ghost, known as the Man in Grey.
The Telegraph notes that Eaton Square's notable past residents include former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax, actress Vivien Leigh, actor Rex Harrison, former Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and socialite Diana Mitford.
A 2019 survey from analytics company YouGov found that 20% of Americans say ghosts “definitely exist” and 25% say they “probably exist.”
More than one-third of Americans (36%) say that they have personally felt the presence of a spirit or ghost. Just over one in 10 (13%) of Americans say they have communicated directly with a ghost or spirit of someone who has died.
Additionally, a recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that 53% of Americans say they've had interactions with loved ones who have passed away. Of these, 46% experienced the interaction within a dream, while 31% claimed it took place in some other manner.
While some churches have largely remained silent on the topic of ghosts and supernatural experiences, V1 Church Pastor Mike Signorelli recently told CP that in today's culture, where people seek supernatural experiences in all the wrong places, pastors are going to have to “get comfortable” with tackling the issue.
“As a result of New Age and tarot card reading, sage, and all these crazy things that people are getting involved with, unfortunately, for a lot of pastors, we're going to have to get comfortable with engaging the supernatural aspects of the Gospel, because people are going to all the wrong places for supernatural experiences."
Theologian John Piper also recently warned against communicating with the dead: “Don’t pursue communication with the dead, because pursuing messages from the dead is evidence that biblical truth about God is either not understood or not believed. And in either case, God is dishonored,” he said.
An opera haunted by a ghost would make a great musical story.
We need to get the poltergeist in chief outta the White House.
Wonder if he sought a Catholic priest or a Church of England type?
While this is entirely unscientific, I have always suspected that during sleep, our consciousness is somewhere else. It is well within the Jewish and Christian faith traditions to receive prophecies and knowledge during dreaming.
CC
It appears Maxwell Sheffield was right about Weber...HE IS A WIMP
No such thing as ghosts. The “Holy Ghost” is really the Holy Spirit of God. If someone is being bothered by a “ghost”, it is an evil spirit -— in other words, a demon.
What you describe, sounds like a mixture of astral projection and clairvoyance of dreamers such as Edgar Cayce.
Jury’s still out on both disciplines.
I’d guess Catholic, but I suppose that there’s a small possibility he brought in a C of E guy. Believe it or not, from the 17th century until the 1970s, the Anglican Church didn’t really do exorcisms or any sort of anti-demonic rituals, as they were considered characteristic of popery. But in the last few decades, they’ve softened their distaste for that sort of thing.
Mouse traps worked for the noises and knockings caused by spirits in my place.
Did he call a “priest” because “it takes one to know one”?
I saw what you did there ...
p
He should have contacted the Superstar.
You mean his blasphemous rendition summoned an apparition, is that your suspicion?
Quite possibly.
You don’t play with stuff like that.
Hobbs Lane? Maybe he is working on a musical about 5 MILLION YEARS TO EARTH.(Quatermass and the Pit (film)1967)
Publicity stunt?
Saw Phantom on Broadway in 2012! Loved it! Noticed TRUMP was in the audience!
I can imagine lifting a few bars from past historical artists adapted and worked in to a 2 hour West End/Broadway spectacle. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
I had never heard the Pink Floyd song “Echoes” before, but with that one, I think they have a serious court case against Lloyd Webber
If I had to live in a haunted house.. but it came with Sarah Brightman...
Yeah I’m in.
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