SUNSET BLVD. Reviews — Page 22

Scarywarhol said: "Will be so curious to see if this actually translates into a major impact on grosses. On many shows, I think the grosses would reveal that the backlash exists in something of a bubble, but this production seems largely to be an event amongst extremely online urban queer and gay men."

oh thank you for the reductive comments. As if somehow the fact that someone is gay makes their viewpoints invalid and inconsequential. I assure you that I do not care about the box office or anything else about this production. But I get it, you want people to shut up and just take it. Convenient.

Impeach 2017, What are you talking about? I said nothing of the sort and you know it. I am one of the people I am talking about. I'm saying that we actually make up enough of the show's business that this may actually be disastrous for them.

Updated On: 11/8/24 at 02:53 PM

I have premium tickets to see this in December. I was already on the fence, due to the high price and my skepticism about the source material and overall concept. Ultimately, I gave in to the "must see" peer pressure surrounding the production and central performance. Now I'm concerned I won't be able to enjoy it. I am also concerned that our country is headed for some major economic hardships over the next couple of years. It's in my best interest to save money rather than waste it on expensive tickets for a show and performer I don't really care to see.

I know refunds are granted when an above-the-title name is absent from a scheduled performance.

Do they offer refunds when that performer is revealed to be absent of good ethics and taste?

EmceeHammer, you can contact the box office at the form I linked on the last page or over the phone and see what they can do for you. It sounds like the box office has been very busy today (and have been dealing with a lot of angry people, so be kind), but they've been very responsive and should get back to you quickly.

You could easily switch to a Mandy night, or if you don't want to or can't get a refund, you could always list it on the Theatr app.

MemorableUserName said: "EmceeHammer, you can contact the box office at the form I linked on the last page or over the phone and see what they can do for you. It sounds like the box office has been very busy today (and have been dealing with a lot of angry people, so be kind), but they've been very responsive and should get back to you quickly.

You could easily switch to a Mandy night, or if you don't want to or can't get a refund, you could always list it on the Theatr app."

Thank you, MemorableUserName! I've bookmarked the link. Need to talk it over with my BF first. I suspect he'll be more than thrilled to skip this one. He has never seen the movie, hates ALW, doesn't appreciate abstract/interpretive theater, and is only vaguely familiar with the lead as a has-been girl grouper and current b-list reality TV star.

Sunset was a last minute matinee add-in for our annual Broadway pilgrimage. (Y'all on this board convinced me it was a necessity!) We had already booked Gypsy for the same evening, and the thought of a two-show, diva-centric day is stressing us out. TBH, Mandy is much more appealing to me, but her one scheduled performance during our trip conflicts with another show we've already booked.

PS: We are also heading to the Kit Kat Club because the lesbian couple we are traveling with are Adam Lambert super fans. I'm pretty sure they both voted for Trump. It should be a fun evening of them cheering on Adam while I quietly weep over the rising threat of fascism. Just pointing this out to show that it's possible to maintain a civil relationship with Trump voters while still not wanting to applaud or pay Trump supporters. I also suspect it will be possible for these Trump voters to sit through Cabaret and completely miss the point. Can't wait for four more years of this!

PPS: If Adam is somehow reading this- When you see two obese Midwestern lesbians sitting at a front table at a Saturday night performance during Christmas week, please sing some sense into their narrow, greedy, reactionary minds. The power of live theater is real!

Jonathan Cohen said: "In terms of protecting Norma's heart,Sunset Boulevard is fundamentally mean to it's main character. It's punching down, making fun of a group of actresses who used to be famous."

And this gets at my fundamental issue with Jamie Lloyd's production. I adore the film version of Sunset and it is brilliant, but it is also a product of its time. Its understanding of why women were often ousted from the industry is nascent. It treats the idea that Norma still wants a career in her 50s as ridiculous. It treats the idea that a woman her age would still have romantic or sexual desires as grotesque. It treats her ousting from the industry as largely her own fault (as opposed to mental illness or abuse playing a role in her behavior).

The musical is clunky and full of flaws, and it blunts the film's teeth. But treating Norma with more empathy is not one of those flaws. The musical is simply operating from a more modern understanding of the above issues due to when it was written. I understand that many feel any change that makes the musical more like the film is inherently good. And for the most part I agree! I just personally don't find reducing Norma back to an inhuman, monstrous freakshow to be gawked at to be all that interesting in a modern context.

Updated On: 11/8/24 at 04:25 PM

I see your point, but I still stand by my overall point. Understanding of women's treatment by the industry evolved drastically between the 50s and the 90s (and today). The musical reflects this by offering Norma more empathy. In 2024, I find the empathetic angle to be more compelling than envisioning her as a spectacle to be gawked at.

EDIT: To clarify, I don't think the movie is saying she should have no career. But I do think it's saying she should have gracefully transitioned into playing what limited roles were available for aging actresses. That she's delusional for still wanting roles as large or interesting as the roles she once got.

Updated On: 11/8/24 at 04:49 PM

I think the comparison to The Substance is very apt. Perhaps part of my sticking point is that that kind of detached revulsion is more suited for a film than a musical?

Nicole’s Norma feels inhuman for the majority of the show. Almost as though someone put “pop star” into an AI algorithm and she’s what it churned out. She’s a Kardashian, a TikTok dancer, a crunchy wellness influencer, a camp gay icon, a Pussycat Doll…but she never seems to be one coherent person. So, when she’s called upon to sing these power ballads that do engender a good deal of empathy, they felt impressive but hollow. Because there wasn’t really a person there to feel empathy for.

pablitonizer said: "MemorableUserName said: "Deadline: Nicole Scherzinger Apologizes For Post-Election Social Media Post: “From A Place Of Love”

"

PR move, she still believes in the same awful things"

Yep. She likely didn't even write that herself. The box office probably got slammed today and they needed to clean this up ASAP.

ACL2006 said: "Nothing shocks me more than knowing an actual gay Republican."

Do you have any idea what happens to gays when you leave the borders open as they did in Europe? Whole cities are no-go zones for them now, and walking hand in hand makes them end up in hospital. Daily attacks. A fast growth of islamic primary schools where children learn that homosexuals and Jews are not allowed to live. Of which we saw the results in Amsterdam yesterday. Calculations show Islamists will be the majority in most European countries in 2050. All facilitated by the left on their high horse, while in fact the left is being used as toilet paper and they are next.

5 years ago this was unthinkable. We were in the same mindset as the democrats in the USA today. But boy, what a rude awakening. The infiltration has been going on right under our nose for decades without us being aware of the scale. The UK can't be saved anymore and laws are already being changed there.


The path Harris had in mind was a serious threat to your safety and human rights.

Updated On: 11/8/24 at 08:31 PM

Definitely not. Do you actually follow the news and politics?

In fact, I am only touching on the subject very lightly here. I can go into further details but I'm afraid they would make you collapse.

There is much more nuance in the whole process of Democrats vs Republicans than you understand and Mrs. Carter is on sale.

Seb28 said: "ACL2006 said: "Nothing shocks me more than knowing an actual gay Republican."

Do you have any idea what happens to gays when you leave the borders open as they did in Europe? Whole cities are no-go zones for them now, and walking hand in hand makes them end up in hospital. Daily attacks. A fast growth of islamic primary schools where children learn that homosexuals and Jews are not allowed to live. Of which we saw the results in Amsterdam yesterday. Calculations show Islamists will be the majority in most European countries in 2050. All facilitated by the left on their high horse, while in fact the left is being used as toilet paper and they are next.

5 years ago this was unthinkable. We were in the same mindset as the democrats in the USA today. But boy, what a rude awakening. The infiltration has been going on right under our nose for decades without us being aware of the scale. The UK can't be saved anymoreand laws are already being changed there.


The path Harris had in mind was a serious threat to your safety and human rights."

Here you go again dragging the UK in to your stupid argument. The UK can't be saved? What idiotic nonsense are you reading. And considering I can hold hands or kiss my other half in public anywhere here is also a really bizarre statement. You are for sure brainwashed by ultra right wing racist nonsense.