Profile for SonofRobbieJ

Dancingthrulife2 said: "TotallyEffed said: "RJ14 said: "She was delightful but it was very funny and shady from Stephen to ask her to sing something from Sondheim and not ALW"


Not shady at all, Colbert is a massive Sondheim nerd."

In this context, it's hard to not take into consideration that Sondheim found it impossible to musicalize Sunset Boulevard, but ALW did."

That's not exactly right. So

Yessss, Effed...come beeee with ussssss...the weirdos that love this production....

(Wait till you see Jamie Lloyd's PIPPIN!)

In all seriousness, I love what you just wrote because that's the same journey I took with this production, though I loved it right from the start. I spent days the piecing together of what seemed to be insane choices and realizing that this is Lloyd's way of capturing the meta of the film.

Also...do we think the film Sunset

CreatureKitchen said: "I find it interesting, especially in the preview thread, how many people were essentially defending this production by disparaging the original. Like, “you’re not supposedto care about any of the characters” “it’s good that all the gimmicks distract from the lyrics because the lyrics are bad” “it’s good they cut songs and replaced them with rushed dialogue scenes because those songs suck” “Sun

I learned pretty early on in his tenure that Green and I do not have the same taste and that his style of writing for his reviews (as opposed to his theatrical journalism) is...not my cup of tea. I'm right there with you, Auggie. 

But that quote you mentioned is actually deceptive. Sunset Boulevard never turned a profit in its original run. He makes it sound like it was a runaway hit with none of the context of the time. Fact is, there were only two new musicals that opened th

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "soxboy22 said: "I can’t wait to see this, but I’m not getting a strong feeling for “the kind” of performer Scherzinger is. What would you see her playing next? Evita? Gypsy? Funny Girl? Dolly? The Marquise?"

Phyllis Rodgers Stone was the first that came to mind, though it’s not exactly a vocal showcase of a role.

Gypsy certainly.

I hatedLempicka, but if she and Lloyd had o

TBFL said: "Not homophobic at all. Just the image of 2 queens bitching about something. Sometimes on this board it's like watching The Boys In The Band, but every character is Emory.

There is no burden on me to demonstrate anything. You can take it how you want to take it, but it wasn't intended that way."

Bitch...you ain't Proust. There's no hidden meaning or subtext. There is simply no other way to take that except as a putdown o

The8re phan said: "Jarethan said: "I saw this tonight and I was completely blown away. I had a little trepidation ‘earlyish’ in Act 1, basedon some of the silly expressions on Nicole Scherzinger’s face, which were a little over the top."

This kinda bothered me too at first...... but after the show, I realized that this was the same kind of 'awkward' as when a Baby Boomer or Gen X'er triesthe same catch phases, gestures andma

EricMontreal22 said: "" (Now, in the gay community, it's completely different. Younger men will only look at older men if the older dude is willing to offersomething of the"gen" sort. You do "age out" in the gay community when it comes to dating and relationships. Unless you're a Hollywood director, or producer, or the like, that is). "

You know, while there is truth to this and I hear guys complaining about it constantly, I don't

I've now seen the show twice...once in London and once in NY (last night), and I've still yet to see Tom Francis. Alas.

I haven't experienced an audience reaction like last night since...well...last November in London at the same show. It really is thrilling. What that woman does with her voice is unlike anything I've ever experienced live. I am not a person who believes in a mid-show standing ovation. And I resisted standing for With One Look (thought it was otherworld

TBFL said: "Has Sunset ever been a show where you are emotionally invested in the characters?

You could feel pity for Norma, or in this production, scared of her, but she'sobsessive, deluded, possessive, goes crazy and has a breakdown after killingJoe, either because of Betty, or because he has shattered her delusion of still being a star and eventually making a comeback (Return!)

Joe is generally bland or over it all and is seen as just using Norma for his

Mellony said: "TL;DR It's a musical, which inherently demands more emotional vulnerability than a noir film. If this production wants Norma to be a campy monster, then it needs to give the audience someone else to connect to, and it didn't for me."

I don't disagree with your assessment at all. But what you've outlined is exactly why I think the musical isn't very good. Wilder told Sondheim that Sunset Boulevard couldn't be a musical...it had a

'You know, a dozen press agents working overtime can do terrible things to the human spirit.' - Cecile B. DeMille, Sunset Boulevard

It's really interesting seeing the reactions to this show. Although Sunset features an aging actress longing for a comeback, I would argue that the story isn't really about that. Or rather...that's not why she stopped working. It's strongly implied that Norma was banished from Hollywood for her behavior. Behavior

chrishuyen said: "Mellony said: "R. GreenFinch said: "For me, this production is really about how all of these characters use and manipulate each other. I think this version of Joe isn't really in love with Betty, she's just a way out of his situation."

I totally agree this is Joe's motivation (at least partially)in every production of Sunset. But I also think Betty has genuine feelings for Joe. Otherwise, what does she have to gain

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "ACL2006 said: "Astin must need a paycheck. It's such a small role."

Maybe he needs to pay off his Master's Degree inPublic Administration and Policy from American University, which he completed earlier this year. I heard him speak very passionately at a Kamala Harris event and he's an incredibly articulate and interesting public speaker."

I've had a crush on Sean Astin for most of my life. F

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "What if I think this has always been a bad musical with bad music, that coasts on the movie and is nowhere near as good as the movie

will I still find it to be a revelation?"

I'm somebody who thinks this musical is a really crappy adaption of a sensational movie. I've thought so since I first saw it in London with Betty Buckley in 1995. I believe there's only one exceptional musical theater song (As If We Never Sa

The Rural Juror said: "Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway as Sky and Sarah.

Stay with me here, but Nathan Lane and Jennifer Coolidge as Nathan and Adelaide?? I've always been intrigued by the idea ofNathan and Adelaide being much older."

Great. Thanks. Now I cannot stop thinking about Jennifer Coolidge as Adelaide...but with maybe a Steve Carrell Nathan? 

I know she's not a big enough star from The Gilded Age but a Denee Benton Sarah wou