SARAH BRIGHTMAN To Star in Australian SUNSET BLVD.- Page 14

[Ensemble1716440075]

Posted: 7/1/24 at 5:58pm

Jordan Catalano said: "New promo video released by the production "

Thanks. No new footage.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/3/24 at 4:34am

She’s Baaaaaaack

[binau]

Posted: 7/3/24 at 9:14am

Lol Jordan, well maybe it's looking good for you. Have you been to Sydney/the Opera House before? (assuming this is where you are seeing). Also a stunning venue to see too. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/3/24 at 1:19pm

I went to Sydney about 25 years ago and we took a tour inside but I’ve never seen a show there. So…..maaaaaaaybe I will, now? 

[Listener]

Posted: 7/11/24 at 2:18pm

So Jordan...made your choice?

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 12:09pm

Apparently Sarah has been out again, since July 18. 

On Sunday, Sylvie posted (after-the-fact) "A full week on for the incredible role of Norma Desmond" on her Instagram story, which the official Sunset Boulevard Australia account shared to its own Instagram story.

 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/31/24 at 4:47pm

She makes Beanie seem like a trooper.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/28/24 at 8:00pm

Oh, dear. No matter how hard they worked on this in post, it’s still abysmal.

As If We Never Said Goodbye

[Tag]

Posted: 8/28/24 at 8:37pm

The costuming, including hair, aren't doing her any favors.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 8/28/24 at 9:18pm

This is a really bad fit of actor and character. Whomever thought she could pull this off probably lost a lot of money (and other people’s money as well). 

[CJRochester]

Posted: 8/28/24 at 9:37pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "Oh, dear. No matter how hard they worked on this in post, it’s still abysmal.

As If We Never Said Goodbye"

I agree, clearly mismatched. It's interesting that comments are turned off for this video.

[joevitus]

Posted: 8/28/24 at 11:28pm

Play Esq. said: "This is a really bad fit of actor and character. Whomever thought she could pull this off probably lost a lot of money (and other people’s money as well)."

Hate to be that person, but it's "whoever."

[chernjam]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 12:13am

This whole production has been bizarre to watch from afar.  The set and lead up to Melbourne seemed appropriately hyping things up.  Then the reviews (audience and critics) seemed to say what many of us suspected, that Sarah Brightman was miscast in this.  Then weeks of Sarah absent with Silvia taking over many (most?) of the performances due to Sarah's injuries and illnesses and getting lots of acclaim.  Now three months later they FINALLY release a substantial clip of Sarah actually singing in the show?  And not to pile on negativity on her, but having seen many Normas and knowing the score, they carefully selected the least impactful moments of that song... Not sure why they didn't just release Sarah from her contract at this point - blame it on the injuries and go with Silvia for the run in Sydney.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 1:02am

Damn. That was even worse than I feared.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 4:22am

I wanted to go back and just could t bring myself. It still is the worst performance I’ve ever seen on any stage. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 6:46am

I had thought that the Brightman voice might bring a kind of Havisham-like dimension to the role, the operatic reaches would suggest the melancholy life of a shut-in, the thin, ethereal tones creating a distinctive older character; we'd lose the belt and thus vocal energy of prior Normas but the trade-off might be intriguing. Though I see evidence that such a take might work, her tentativeness in the clip - she seems to be working hard to place the song, like an imitation of an opera diva - mars the emotional impact. Norma is expressing the ineffable, but Brightman has Norma instructing the crew with an odd Mrs. Anna-like precision rather than releasing long denied feelings. It's just sad. 

Updated On: 8/29/24 at 06:46 AM

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 6:56am

I love me some Sarah but she sounds like she’s auditioning for the Chipettes

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 9:36am

Out of place classical style of singing of a pop ballad aside, vocally she sounds fine with this clip. The problem for me though is that there is zero acting happening - no vulnerability, joy, or catharsis for one of the biggest moments in this character's life. I know it's an 80 second clip, but considering that this is an essential scene in the show, it's rather telling.

She's also doing that weird breathing technique that some critics pointed out...rather distracting.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 9:40am

“I’m coming out of make-uhh, the lights already burney!

Not long until the cameras will start turney!”

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 9:49am

I agree that it's not awful, even if it's a disconnect from what we're used to hearing in the role. 

I still don't understand the choice to sing this so high and breathy. Sarah has such a natural lower chest-register. She used to sing with it a lot during the 80s and 90s, especially on the Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber tours.  It would be much easier (for her and the audience) if this was sung in a key similar to what Glenn Close used in the 2017 revival. It would give her voice more power and she'd come across as much more confident.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 10:23am

Curious when this was filmed. Didn't people say she improved all of that when she came back from her injury?

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 10:30am

Jordan Catalano said: "Curious when this was filmed. Didn't people say she improved all of that when she came back from her injury?"

I didn't hear that she got better post injury. Didn't she miss again after the injury too? 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 11:30am

I've only seen her in the national tour of Aspects of Love, in which she used her full voice but decidedly favored her classical sound. She was vocally and physically robust, a decisive factor in her success there (if one liked both the show and her overall performance, which was chilly). As I noted above, I'm not necessarily against this fragile, flute-note-centric Norma. If Brightman were acting the song with this register, it might be heartbreaking, as I said above. But she's singing  as if in a concert, a diva past her prime, not Norma Desmond finding her buried sense of artistic purpose. The song bursts with rebirth and epiphany. Brightman seems to believe it's about explaining herself to the gathered grew. Or something. The interpretation lacks intent, motive. It's just a set of ideas about a comeback. 

Updated On: 8/29/24 at 11:30 AM

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 12:00pm

Auggie I agree entirely and you’ve given me the best laughs with your two Sarah posts. Thank you!!

[Ensemble1716440075]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 12:18pm

rosscoe(au) said: "I wanted to go back and just could t bring myself. It still is the worst performance I’ve ever seen on any stage."

Wouldn't go that far. I've seen some community theater acting that was way worse.

Sarah was never an actress. She could sing less operatically, I guess, when she was younger, but she's been relying on that opera sound for so long it's her default setting. She sounds like an old woman in a choir. And I grew up loving her in her prime.