MUSIC maestro Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was on song during a surprise visit to Newcastle - despite suffering from food poisoning.

He sat through a preview performance of Aspects of Love, starring David Essex, at the Theatre Royal last night and claimed it to be the finest production of the musical he had seen.

The show begins properly tonight at the venue, where it will enjoy a two-week run before on embarking on a tour of the country.

After the show, Lord Lloyd Webber met the cast and crew and told them: "This is the finest production of Aspects of Love I've seen. This must go to London's West End."

The man behind some of the world's biggest musicals, including Evita, Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar, revealed he almost never made it from London to Tyneside.

"I came down with a bad bout of food poisoning on Friday and have been suffering from it throughout the weekend," he said.

"But seeing this show has been the perfect tonic. It has well and truly cured me.

"I am so glad I made the journey up to Newcastle to see it. I am sure it will be a big hit with audiences. I absolutely adored it."

Aspects of Love first opened in London's West End in 1989 and made a household name of singer Michael Ball, who took its signature song, Love Changes Everything, to number two in the British charts.

The show enjoyed a three year run in London, closing on June 20, 1992 prior to embarking on a UK tour - the last time it hit the road in this country before now.

Aspects marks the first time in nearly 30 years that chart-topping singer David Essex has appeared in a Lloyd Webber musical, after making his mark in musicals in the 70s as Che Guevara in Evita.

"He did ask me to do Cats, but the prospect of dressing up as a cat for six months didn't appeal to me," he revealed. "I don't think Andrew has ever really forgiven me, but obviously time has healed the wound," he laughed.

"Evita was a bit of a landmark for me. As for Aspects of Love, the part is very intriguing. I am playing George, the uncle. I think that it does deal with all aspects of love plus the fact that probably, musically, as it is all sung, it's a kind of operetta.

"Musically it's very interesting. I'm going to do Aspects up to December then I'm going to play Captain Hook for a friend of mine in Peter Pan - four weeks of that in Northampton - and I think they are talking of Aspects in the West End, but we'll see what happens.

"I like the Theatre Royal a lot. I remember doing Robinson Crusoe there - that was a long time ago, though, and it all becomes a great blur."

Aspects of Love is at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, until September 15.