JFK Sunset Boulevard promotion - is this unusual?

We were leaving New York on Thursday, went through security, and ran into a promotion for Sunset Boulevard. No, Glenn Close didn't serenade us, but some ensemble members sang three songs, 'With One Look,' 'Sunset Boulevard,' and a duet between Joe and Betty. They gave it a serious effort, accompanied by a keyboardist, but I felt kind of sorry for them. A few people were very interested, but most people walked on by. Half the people in an airport are leaving, as we were.

Is this an unusual promotion? I got a kick out of it, especially because the revival was a show we had considered. But it gave off a whiff of desperation, and I felt badly for the cast members who drew mid-afternoon JFK duty and then had to hustle back and perform last night.

Signs all over the airport? Sure. I remember seeing a whole bunch of ads for Waitress a year ago when it was starting previews. There are bunch of ads for Sunset Boulevard now. I was just surprised to see the performances (two identical, three-song sets between 2:30 and 3:15). Desperation is probably too strong a word. I don't have the impression that the show is dong badly. It just seemed like an unusual marketing technique that required a fair amount of effort to reach a pretty limited number of people. (I enjoyed the free performance, but I was just waiting for my plane to leave New York.)

Updated On: 4/14/17 at 04:03 AM