Carrying on a collaboration that began in the 1990s, Antonio Banderas and Andrew Lloyd Webber announced they are forming a new company, Amigos Para Siempre (APS), designed to produce entertainment products for the world’s Spanish-speaking audiences, including Broadway and West End productions. Details of the new initiative were announced at a media event on Monday in Madrid.
Under the new arrangement, Webber’s London-based company, Really Useful Group, will be turning over Spanish-language rights to APS, which translates as “Friends Forever.” The name was inspired by a song Webber composed for the closing ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Day-by-day business will be handled by the management team of Emanuel Nuñez and Jessica Koravos. Nuñez is managing director of NuCo Media Group and Koravos is president of Really Useful Group President.
The deal will facilitate Spanish-language productions of such iconic hits as Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, and Sunset Boulevard, among others.
In announcing the new venture, Webber was lavish with praise for his business partner, saying “Not only is Antonio Banderas entertainment royalty, he is also one of the most versatile, creative minds I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”
Webber continued: “It is truly exciting to partner with Antonio to bring my work, as well as other brilliant Broadway and West End titles, to new markets. 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.
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The two have been close friends since the actor played Ché, opposite Madonna, in Alan Parker’s 1996 adaptation of Evita.
“I had the great privilege to work closely with Andrew during the recording and shooting of his celebrated musical Evita in 1996, but it was when I saw Jesus Christ Superstar back in the early ’70s that I became attached to the music, the theatre and the fabulous talent of Andrew Lloyd Webber.” said Banderas, who credited the composer with influencing his career from an early age.
“It wouldn’t be wrong to say that I became an actor because of the enormous influence and the strong impression I experienced when I saw Andrew’s musicals,” said Banderas. “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.”