Lloyd Webber's £11m West End deal

Andrew Lloyd Webber is today poised to sell four of his West End theatres to legendary Broadway producer Max Weitzenhoffer for £11 million.

The deal will redraw the map of London's theatreland. It will see the Apollo, the Duchess, the Lyric and the Garrick all pass to Mr Weitzenhoffer, who has produced dozens of hit shows in London and New York.

Lord Lloyd-Webber's Really Useful Group will retain eight theatres - falling to seven next year when the lease on the Gielgud reverts to Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

These include the London Palladium and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the two largest musical theatres in the West End, as well as the Adelphi, The Palace and Her Majesty's theatres.

Mr Weitzenhoffer has long nurtured ambitions to stake a significant claim in London's theatre land.

He lost out to Lord Lloyd-Webber when the Stoll Moss theatres - including the four he will shortly own - were put on sale in 2000.

He was also said to have been a rival bidder to the Ambassador's Theatre Group when it bought Associated Capital theatres a few weeks later.

Until today, his ambitions have been limited to the 690-seat Vaudeville Theatre, which he managed to buy in 2001. The deal will make Mr Weitzenhoffer one of the West End's largest theatre owners alongside Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Cameron Mackintosh and the Ambassador's Theatre Group.

Lord Lloyd-Webber owns 50 per cent of his theatres in partnership with investment group Bridgepoint Capital.

Despite the interest in the theatres from a property development company, he has always insisted he would sell only to an established theatre professional.

There has been wide speculation that Lord Lloyd-Webber is still looking to sell his remaining theatres - and even the rights to his world-famous back catalogue of musicals - in separate deals.