IF Sunset Boulevard should ever be revived, ...

[philly03]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 8:42pm

Who'd you want to play Norma Desmond if it ever should (If it ever will I can't imagine it for atleast 10 years if not many more!)

I'd vote for Lea Salonga. Heard her sing "As If We Never Said Goodbye" somewhere (actually I think it was at her Carnagie Hall concert!) and it was great!

Also, my votes would have to go to Sarah Brightman (must be interesting!), Judy Kuhn, and FRANCES RUFFELLE (The semi-original Sydmont when the show wasn't even around haha)!
Updated On: 2/5/08 at 08:42 PM

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 8:52pm

LuPone.

Duh. :P

[JoeGillis]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 8:56pm

alice ripley as norma in 10 years

sooner: christine ebersole

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 9:00pm

Charles Busch. the show will only succeed if ALW accepts its camp value.

[JoeGillis]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 9:16pm

Charles Busch = BRILLIANT

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 9:25pm

Hmmm who could play a slightly insane washed up celeb.....Britney Spears? lol

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 10:01pm

Fran & Barry Weissler Present

Whitney Houston

in

Sunset Boulevard

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 10:05pm

I'd like to see Christine Ebersole play Norma. At least in concert.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 10:08pm

With her silent screen star kewpie doll looks -- Bernadette Peters. At least she would be believable as a former silent screen star.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 10:29pm

To Bernadette's credit, she looks and sounds like she's 12.

She can't play old ladies.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 10:31pm

Bernadette would be totally miscast as Norma.

I vote for Christine Ebersole.

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 10:46pm

What? Lea Salonga? I can't imagine her voice as Norma Desmond.

[choitoy]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 10:46pm

re: "Fran & Barry Weissler Present

Whitney Houston

in

Sunset Boulevard"

I threw up and died a little inside when I read this!

Don't ever say such words again Gothampc!!!

Anyway...

Bernadette has the right look, but I don't know about vocally...

Christine Ebersol would totally rock my world as Norma though! But really, if they do revive it, they would probably try to get some Hollywood star again to open the show (with Christine as a replacement later on), and the only person I can think of that could possibly do it is (gasp, am I really going to say it?) Vanessa Williams. Vocally, she's not up to par with some of the songs, but I can see her doing it (I mean, she got to play the Witch in Into the Woods for heaven's sake!)

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 10:49pm

Honey, someone like Vanessa Williams, who has been able to afford plastic surgery for all these years, will never look old enough to play Norma.

She'll be 85 and maybe she can play Betty.

I vote Patti.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:04pm

Ugly Betty?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:07pm

Lea Salonga is all wrong.

I would also like to see Beth Leavel try.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:08pm

I vote for Christine Ebersole. Patti Lupone will be great in Gypsy. I would like to see Christine in something this big.

I like Peters a lot but I agree, I just think her voice is too high. Though she would act it out very funny.

I want to see Patti Labelle do something big too. Has she ever worked on Broadway?

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:13pm

Ebersole sings from Sunset Blvd.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cMayaxvwpBE

[choitoy]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:22pm

Thank you for that video. I didn't know Christine sang it once... I missed the year that ALW was up for the Kennedy Center Honors.

I love her singing it, and I think she would be great, but on a musical of this caliber, I think that she would have to do a couple more high profile gigs first before producers think about putting her in this show first

P.S., Foster: I said I could see a producer sticking Vanessa Williams up there. I didn't mean that I actually wanted to see her up there as Norma...

Hey! maybe Meryl Streep could use this as a vehicle to do her first Broadway Musical (that is, if she doesn't do the rumored in production limbo for forever movie version). Has she ever been in a Broadway Musical before? I know she's done plays.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:28pm

Streep certainly was in a Broadway musical, she was in the original Broadway production of Kurt Weill's and Bertolt Brecht's HAPPY END where she got to sing "Surabaya Johnny." She was nominated for a Drama Desk for the role. Streep's return to Broadway should be in a musical worthy of her caliber, not this.
And Peters already played a silent movie star in one of her best performances, however, for the same reasons she was completely right as Mabel Normand, she is completely wrong for Norma Desmond.
The show would only recoup if someone big does it, so think more Catherine Z. Jones less Christine Ebersole.

Updated On: 2/5/08 at 11:28 PM

[choitoy]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:42pm

Thanks for the info on Streep ray-andallthatjazz.

And anyway, Streep's gonna be in Mamma Mia! the Movie this summer, so Sunset is not that far a stretch!

[Izzy's Baby]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:46pm

Well, the way I think about is MAMMA MIA never attempts to be anything more than fluff, it doesn't take itself seriously. SUNSET is too pretentious (and unaccomplished) for my taste, though I do think there are a few jewels in the score.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:47pm

I was gonna say. If Mamma Mia! is Streep worthy then certainly Sunset Boulevard is too.

[PUPPETMAN]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:55pm

Petula Clark who was wonderful in the touring version.
Updated On: 2/6/08 at 11:55 PM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/5/08 at 11:57pm

Ray, what happened to your avatar?

Are you morphing into Izzy's Baby?