Elton John says he couldn’t see his own musical after losing eyesight
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British singer Elton John (left) and his husband David Furnish at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Legendary British musician Elton John’s eyesight problems have persisted to the point where he could not see a performance of his own musical in London on Dec 1, he told the crowd after the show.
John, 77, appeared onstage after a charity performance of the musical The Devil Wears Prada, for which he wrote the score, at the Dominion Theatre.
“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I’ve lost my eyesight, so it’s hard for me to see it,” he said, wearing bright-red sunglasses. “But I love to hear it.”
John announced in a social media post in September that an eye infection in mid-2024 had left him “with only limited vision in one eye”.
“I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” he added. “I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and I am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far.”
He provided an update on Good Morning America in November.
“I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July,” he said. “It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see, and my left eye’s not the greatest. There’s hope and encouragement that it should be okay.”
Asked about a possible new album, he replied: “Going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for a start. I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”
John did not respond to requests for comment on Dec 2 sent through his talent agencies.
When The Devil Wears Prada opened in Chicago in 2022 with a different cast, The New York Times said in a review, “the songs unfold pleasantly enough, with flashes of glam and morsels of wit, but they tend to feel last-season”.
The musical is based on the 2006 film and the 2003 best-selling semi-autobiographical novel by American writer Lauren Weisberger. The London production stars American singer Vanessa Williams.
John also wrote the score for Tammy Faye, which is set to close on Broadway this week after only 29 regular performances. He has written the score for some hits, including Billy Elliot and the long-running The Lion King.
In January, John picked up an Emmy, giving him a lifetime sweep of the major American awards, an accolade known as an EGOT – an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. But he was not present at the ceremony to receive the Emmy because of a knee operation. NYTIMES
