Nicole Scherzinger to star in West End Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy — Page 23

BroadwayNYC2 said: "I’m not talking to you lol, I’m agreeing with you. We’re on the same page :)"

Sorry! Lol! You're post was right below mine and that's what I thought! lol

OhHiii said: "Listener said: "I am so, so bummed about this revival. "

The lack of imagination for so many on this topic has me really concerned for the future of theatre. Patti was right, we've dumbed it down far too much and people have gotten used to it."

Wait, I don't think you have the facts straight here. People are complaining about this production because it is dumbed down. Indeed, people have gotten used to cheap gimmicks. People don't care about the material anymore. Instead they holler and neigh about MC hammer jokes, cardboard cut-outs of Andrew, laptops on stage, twerk jokes, breaking the 4th wall constantly, for example jokes about the personal life of an actor, etc. That is what is ruining theatre. How on earth can you bend this vision around to the people who point that out? This whole production is one big lack of imagination.

Updated On: 2/23/24 at 06:44 PM

I truly never thought I'd see this musical held up as high art that is really capable of being tarnished by the undergrad directing project treatment.

I think Billy Wilder's film is one of the very greatest of all time.

I also think this musical's libretto is barely literate outside of transposing some great dialogue word for word. Mostly, it is some of the most awkward, clunky, obvious, nursery-rhyme stuff of the entire mega-musical era.

I also think it can still be fun, and I've always had fun seeing it, because the story is indestructible, it is a real star vehicle, some of the melodies are nice, and it has a sort of dark camp magnetism.

If something is going to get the Ivo knock-off treatment next season, I think this is exactly the candidate I would actually go see.

binau said: "I just couldn’t disagree more strongly."

You mentioned before that your mind wandered off during this production except for her 2 big numbers.

Taking into account everything I have read so far, I think the people who go along with this hype can be divided into 2 different groups, firstly the ones who are not used to beautiful melodies and writing and are genuinely surprised by great songs beautifully sung (in an artsy setting), these might be the youngsters, being used to only 4 chords and uninspiring writing in musicals from the last 10 years. This group doesn't even mind or notice all the gimmicks and breaking the 4th wall and modern jokes because they are so used to this as well. Their only reference is modern stuff and they never learned or understood that there were different times so it's all they can connect with. They are just overwhelmed by glorious music. Then there is the other group, people who like to say they are not fond of Andrew Lloyd Webber and like to bash his shows, they don't really care how much it is trashed, because they have no connection with it anyway. MC hammer jokes, cardboard cut-outs of Andrew, laptops on stage, twerk jokes, breaking the 4th wall constantly, for example jokes about the personal life of an actor, etc, are the most unimaginative things you can imagine. Disregard the lyrics and sets too and there is nothing left but cheap gimmicks. These people tend to say the material is trash and now they laugh about the gimmicks and call that an upgrade. While in fact they just laugh, are in fact bored too, and perhaps secretly like the songwriting and can now get away with it without admitting it. Because after all, if you think the material is trash, you can't convince me that these cheap gimmicks lift the show up so much that you actually love it now.

I think this last group would be floored when they see a good lavish production of this show with a good singer too and learn that it works much better. Do we really want to see a Phantom of the Opera with laptops and Kanye West and fart jokes?

Updated On: 2/24/24 at 09:43 AM

When someone is not intrigued of course they can still go and judge for themselves. And I would love to read about their experiences. I am just pointing out what I have read from people who did go and did go along with the hype.

This photo is of the lair sequence of the title song. They’re wandering through the alleys between buildings in the theatre district with a 3-camera crew so there’s different angles. Taking Jamie Lloyd’s single camera concept up a few notches.

When the NY theater press lost their minds over how innovative Ivo's View From the Bridge was, I wondered if they had ever once seen a student-directed college production of literally anything. Now Jamie is doing all the same schtick and we're all saying it's his. Ivo did the same thing with the camera tracking actors outside and back into the theater a couple years ago in Network. Constant amnesia.



To be fair, I too would probably have an impulse to clutch my pearls if something really precious to me were done this way. Given the economic incentive to barely stage a show, and the apparently infinite willingness for critics and some audiences to treat barely staging the show as artistically daring, I'm just going to have to go with it on this one. I'll only be disappointed if I don't have fun.

Updated On: 2/24/24 at 11:53 AM

Scarywarhol said: "To be fair, I too would probably have an impulse to clutch my pearls if something really precious to me were done this way. Given the economic incentive to barely stage a show, and the apparently infinite willingness for critics and some audiences to treat barely staging the show as artistically daring, I'm just going to have to go with it on this one. I'll only be disappointed if I don't have fun."

This first line in bold is where all of you that hate the existence of this position lose all credibility and you tell on yourselves for not knowing of what you speak. This production has a massive LED screen that moves throughout and a massive amount of additional needs for the A/V work throughout it. There is nothing economical about this production.

The second line in bold further solidifies it. Minimalistic shows HAVE to inherently rely more on the staging, not less, because they don't rely as much on technical elements to fill in the blanks. So saying something in line wit this production is "barely" staged is absurd and just plain false. Even A Doll's House was carefully choreographed and timed. Staging isn't just telling actors "you walk here, you walk here, sit here".

Updated On: 2/26/24 at 04:37 PM

Listener said: "I listened to Nicole's AIWNSG and felt like she was extending notes for the sake of "sounding like a impressive singer" rather than "acting this out as Norma and telling her story" and that made me sad."

I totally agree. I am baffled that a certain audience falls for this and does not see this fact. This shows me that they are not invested in Norma's story and they are actually content with someone doing that, topped off with funny gimmicks and jokes that break the 4th wall. That's when they enjoy something.

Also, I find the musical direction extremely uninspired and lacking. For example the first half of AIWNSG should be dynamic, full of life and excitement and nerves. Thrilling and full of desire. With tempo changes that emphasize her fear and wonderment.

This is a version where Norma feels real:

Updated On: 2/26/24 at 06:27 PM

OhHiii said: "Scarywarhol said: "To be fair, I too would probably have an impulse to clutch my pearls if something really precious to me were done this way. Given the economic incentive to barely stage a show, and the apparently infinite willingness for critics and some audiences to treat barely staging the show as artistically daring, I'm just going to have to go with it on this one. I'll only be disappointed if I don't have fun."

This first line in bold is where all of you that hate the existence ofthis position lose all credibility and you tell on yourselves for not knowing of what you speak.This production has a massive LED screen that moves throughout and a massive amount of additional needs for the A/V work throughout it. There isnothingeconomical about this production.

The second line in bold further solidifies it. Minimalistic shows HAVE to inherently rely more on the staging, not less, because they don't rely as much on technical elements to fill in the blanks. So saying something in line wit this production is "barely" staged is absurd and just plain false. Even A Doll's House was carefully choreographed and timed. Staging isn't just telling actors "you walk here, you walk here, sit here"."

I've worked on dozens of commercial and non-commercial shows of all scales, budget sizes, and creative approaches in the last decade but okay. Of course I'm being hyperbolic in a glib comment about minimalist productions, I'm on a freaking Broadway message board. But if you don't think that the proliferation of this kind of approach has anything to do with economics, for producers if not artists, you have absolutely no idea what is going on.

I also don't "hate the idea" of this production (position?). I'm a little tired of some trends that don't excite me, but I actually think that this material makes some sense as a fit for this kind of approach and have said so. I said I'd see it and meant it when I said that I'll only be disappointed if I don't have fun. I'm pretty excited about Nicole.

Updated On: 2/27/24 at 07:34 PM

Seb28 said: "I totally agree. I am baffled that a certain audience falls for this and does not see this fact."

I agree with you on the quality of the material, and I've seen several wonderful traditional productions of this show over the past thirty years. However, based on what I've heard about this revival, I'm very much looking forward to seeing a radically different take on the material. It can't possibly detract from what I've seen before; it can only add to it or, at worst, be something entirely forgettable. Either way I won't spend months complaining about it.

Updated On: 2/26/24 at 08:21 PM

Musically, Nicole’s performance is incredibly dynamic and unexpected for a pop singer. She really can act while singing - from very quiet soft moments with very controlled vibrato (which Rachel Tucker couldn’t even do), to belting, and playing with/emphasising her bright warm timbre in various notes such as in ‘with one look’. I fully expect Nicole will be a Tony winner - and not in the vain of a Tony winner in a less competitive year but an iconic Tony winner whose performance will be remembered, revisited, listened to and talked about for years to come.

The relentless criticism by people who are clearly precious about the material is becoming a little annoying when it’s the same people and the show is currently closed. Can’t you wait until it opens again? Or you’re welcome to go and see Sarah Brightman if this production isn’t for you lol.

The entire production is built around a meta concept that supposes Nicole Sherzinger is a modern day equivalent to the Norma Desmond character . She doesn't need to 'act' her big songs because she is, as this production conceives, essentially playing herself.

Unless you are criticizing the script and score of Sunset Boulevard, almost all of this is an arguement about how willing you are to separate this production from your preconcevied notions of how the material has been seen in the past, which ironically is a lot of what Sunset Boulevard is about.

I don't think we are largely getting these criticisms from audiences who have never experienced this story before this production. And that is telling. It is the nature of new art to be challenged by purists, but it is very much for the good of the artform for traditionalism to be challenged. If this production isn't your cup of tea because you think it needs ot be done in a more traditional way, there will be another production of it sometime for you (in this immediate case, the upcoming production in Australia).

Seb -- all your citicisms are about what you feel are things that take the audience out of the story *as you think they should see it.* What about those audiences who will personally take away more from this retelling than they would from the original Trevor Nunn production? There is an enormous amount of subjectivism in your comments and they are all rather rigidly tied to what you imagine this production takes away for people not seeing your idealized version of it.

Updated On: 2/27/24 at 09:24 AM