Donna Murphy to lead as Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD reading, a possible revival?

[Musical Master]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 9:58pm

Donna Murphy as Norma.... That could work.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Donna-Murphy-to-Lead-SUNSET-BOULEVARD-Reading-at-Roundabout-This-Week-Revival-Headed-for-Broadway-20141118

[Jonwo]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:04pm

I think a revival could work as long as ALW allows the creative team to do their thing with minimal input. I think he's become less involved with revivals of his own shows in recent years like Jesus Christ Superstar and the Menier production of Aspects of Love instead concentrating on his newer shows and reviving the classics.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:07pm

YES.

[bwayboy22]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:10pm

I LOVE SUNSET, DONNA WOULD KILL!

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:16pm

Keep the set, kill the ensemble, all the chorus numbers, have the four main players only and it would work a treat.

[bwayboy22]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:20pm

If you only had the four main characters how could you possibly do the opening number at all? It needs to have some kind of Ensemble, although not necessarily the huge one. Did anyone see the London revival production a few years back, I think it was mostly scaled down, I would guess they would model this one similarly!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:21pm

It's a wonderful, underappreciated score. I've always said, if another composer had written it, it would've had far more respect. Even Frank Rich loved the non Norma music. It's a powerful piece, and has some of the prettiest melodies ALW has composed. And it works, frankly, it works.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:26pm

While the prospect of Donna Murphy as Norma Desmond is an exciting one, as Michael Reidel points out, what is a non-profit like the Roundabout doing working on a commercial piece like SUNSET BOULEVARD? It's absurd, even by their standards.

Updated On: 11/18/14 at 10:26 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:27pm

It's probably my favorite ALW show (tied with EVITA & JCS) and as others have said, Donna would be fantastic no doubt.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:33pm

God I hope not.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:38pm

Why do you hope not?

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:42pm

It's such an ugly and garish show. ALW made that film a mess onstage.

[JRybka]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:55pm

You just said that the stage version was ugly and garish... The movie was all about being ugly and garish....Norma didn't do anything sutle, I mean she carried a dead monkey in the beginning.

I think it had to be that way to work the best.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 10:55pm

Thanks goodness for different opinions otherwise nothing would be on stage for us to criticise.

[dreamcoat12]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 11:25pm

I'm so excited to read about this! I hope she comes to Broadway in this role!!

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 11:43pm

Sunset Boulevard is one of my favorite musical. I'm going to cry. So happy. Please happen :)

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 11:53pm

No Thanks!

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/18/14 at 11:58pm

"While the prospect of Donna Murphy as Norma Desmond is an exciting one, as Michael Reidel points out, what is a non-profit like the Roundabout doing working on a commercial piece like SUNSET BOULEVARD? It's absurd, even by their standards."

Probably because Sunset Boulevard isn't as well known as Sir Andrew's most popular shows like Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, nor The Phantom of the Opera.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 11/19/14 at 12:11am

Agree with Reidel and somethingwicked: this is too new and commercial a piece for a not-for-profit. As excited as I would be to see Donna in this role, Roundabout would be very close to breaching its mission statement by producing Sunset Boulevard.

http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/About.aspx

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/19/14 at 12:18am

Why should they not do this but do a second revival of a first revival of a show that's already pretty darn successful? Who cares. It's not our money. It's one of my favorite scores and shows, and I think Murphy would kill it - acting wise. She's not the hearty singer.

[Owen22]

Posted: 11/19/14 at 12:40am

Somethingwicked:

"While the prospect of Donna Murphy as Norma Desmond is an exciting one, as Michael Reidel points out, what is a non-profit like the Roundabout doing working on a commercial piece like SUNSET BOULEVARD? It's absurd, even by their standards."

??

Sometimes you seem to know what you're talking about and sometimes you're completely clueless. Are you an experienced NYC theatregoer or a teenage wannabe in Buffalo?

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 11/19/14 at 12:40am

What exactly in Roundabout's mission statement would preclude this production? And it's been 21 years since the show first opened. Is that really too soon? And by "commercial" do you mean "popular" like their productions of Cabaret, 1776, Nine, Assassins, The Pajama Game, Sunday in the Park with George and Anything Goes?

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 11/19/14 at 12:44am

Because the first revival of Cabaret - when first produced by Roundabout - wasn't a heavily commercial and recently produced production. Not-for-profits are based upon donor funds. My husband and I donate to Roundabout (and after a very mediocre Met Season, we were considering donating more at year end). An announcement like this makes me inclined to donate more to other theater organizations we support, including NYTW and Playwright's Horizons.

So to answer your question: I care.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 11/19/14 at 12:48am

"Roundabout has always been a leading producer of classic work, reviving plays and musicals that are often neglected by commerical producers."

Wilmington: what about Sunset Boulevard strikes you as consistent with the above statement, taken from Roundabout's mission statement?

Edit: And if I'm not mistaken, most of those revivals, after the original productions, were done by not-for-profits. Updated On: 11/19/14 at 12:48 AM

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/19/14 at 1:04am

Because Anything Goes and Cabaret were just long forgotten relics until Roundabout gave them the attention they had been missing?