How was Rita Moreno in Sunset Blv.? — Page 2

Plus they had to raise all the steps for her

My favorite Norma was Debra Byrne

I went to see Moreno on her first night (when she sang: "They drag the baptist up from his jails. HE dances the dance of the seven veils" and forgot some of her lines). Nevertheless I enjoyed her performance. Not the best singer, but her acting was great. Much better than Petula Clark who I saw three days before.

dont know why all of a sudden photobucked is giving me a headache

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Updated On: 2/1/10 at 01:37 PM

I have to agree with those who found Paige extraordinary. Rather than parody Swanson, she channeled her, IMO. She opted to use what worked in Swanson line readings, and why not? She looked eerily like her. No, the set did not swallow her. And her size became part of the character.

I saw Buckley twice, and though she was startling good in key moments -- "As If we Never..." prominent -- she also played Norma as a victim, and found zero humor. There was no fun with Joe, just her neediness, which was played to the hilt. You thought she would swallow him whole at the end of act one, as opposed to Close, who found something vivid and almost violent when she threw her talons on him.

I saw Close in LA and again on Broadway, and her performance was remarkable in both venues, though I think she actually seemed to sing it better in LA. I think she had trouble negotiating the head notes, and at times you can hear her approximate their weight. But who cared? You couldn't take your eyes off of her, and the music was still there, the melodies thinner but haunting -- truly character singing, not a diva letting loose with the money notes.

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I saw Buckley and her singing was terrible, I didn't enjoy it at all. Her acting wasn't that great and she looked too tall, too old and just odd in it. I didn't enjoy the show much.

Later on I bought the CD with Glenn Close and Judy Kuhn and now I love the score. I don't like Lupone's recording AT ALL.

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Saw Kuhn and Ripley and Ripley was by far the warmer, more romantic Betty. Kuhn can be chilly, and there was zero chemistry with Campbell.

But I was a fan of Campbell. I thought he was persuasive and actually worked remarkably well with Close and Buckley, adjusting to accommodate radically different takes on Norma. His playful way with Close just wouldn't work with the neurotic, long-suffering approach that Buckley employed. He had to pitty her more, and it actually created a viable interpretation.

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While in NO WAY is she up for it now vocally, if she can recover her voice before sixty alice would be a truly amazing norma.

Speaking of Sunset Boulevard I ran across a pretty magnificent Betty Buckley vid that I had never seen before.
As If We Never Said Goodbye

I love how each "Diva" was different and their qualities and flaws debatable. I don't think there ever was a "definitive" Norma, beside Gloria Swanson of course. The fact that Paige, Buckley and LuPone ALL played the part of Norma in original runs and all put their stamps on the character is pretty cool. It's the last "Diva" show.

Betty Buckley is my personal favorite because she sang the score so gloriously. She broke my heart many times over but her performance was a little wounded and humorless. Norma Desmond should be more fun...I mean, she's a tragic figure, but the joy of Norma is that she knows when to and when not to take herself seriously. I wish Betty could have had more fun. Still, she's my go-to for "As if We Never Said Goodbye." I can never get tired of hearing her sing that song.

Elaine Paige was a close second. She really acted and sang the part well, but yah...she was teeny tiny and got eaten alive by that set.

I thought Diahann Carroll as Norma Desmond would be a no-brainer. She brought a bit of Dominique Devereaux into the role but her singing voice seemed shot. I'm glad I got to see her because I'm a huge fan. She didn't disappoint. Not perfect, but very enjoyable.

Petula Clark never got a fair chance to really spread her wings because the revamped tour was an artistic crime. It was as if all the redeeming qualities of an already middling show were stomped on and all the awful qualities highlighted. I still laugh when I think of Joe pushing Betty around on a hot dog cart during "Too Much in Love to Care," making an overblown and undoubtedly terrible song all the more horrific. I hardly remember anything good about her performance.

This is a recording of Rita Moreno singing "With One Look". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZGbFwWsVDA

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I thought it was really weird that most of the replies in this thread were about other Normas and not Moreno. Bettyboy, what year was it when you saw Rita Moreno with that orchestra?

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