SUNSET BLVD. Reviews - Page 22

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 2:50pm

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.

[EmceeHammer]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 2:52pm

Let me put this in words that Trump sympathizers will understand:

I HATE NICOLE SCHERZINGER! Let’s just say I like her performance about 25% less now, okay? I was not a Scherzinger fan. It was just a question of time. She’s a very reactionary person, she seems to always endorse a Republican and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace. Audra got a lot of news last week, she’s a big fan of democracy. That’s the one I like much better than Nicole Scherzinger.

I’m so disappointed in Nicole Scherzinger. She’s going to look back on this and cringe. “Did I really post that?” It’s a ridiculous comment. So stupid. Nicole Scherzinger, a low-IQ individual, is promoting a campaign of hate, anger and retribution. See I’m very nice to her, she’s not very nice to us.

Sunset Blvd is being absolutely destroyed by Nicole. She is a Reactionary and Disgusting shadow of her former self. She should go back to what she once was. If she doesn’t then Broadway fans will do irreparable damage to their box office numbers.

Nicole’s become a major divider in our country, and I think, frankly she should be ashamed of herself. If this is where she has to go to get noticed maybe she should pick a new line of work. The Broadway community, especially our female, queer and trans members, are having a hard time with this. Sick!

I’m building a list of MAGA celebrities, and might just release it for the world to see. Why not? The radical Right does it viciously to well-run, progressive companies- and celebrities! Very nasty, but it’s the way they play the game. We should be going after those celebrities that are looking to DESTROY AMERICA!

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 2:53pm

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

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 3:00pm

EmceeHammer said: "Let me put this in words that Trump sympathizerswill understand:

I HATE NICOLE SCHERZINGER! Let’s just say I like her performance about 25% less now, okay? I was not a Scherzinger fan. It was just a question of time. She’s a very reactionary person, she seems to always endorse a Republican and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace. Audra got a lot of news last week, she’s a big fan of democracy. That’s the one I like much better than Nicole Scherzinger.

I’m so disappointed in Nicole Scherzinger. She’s going to look back on this and cringe. “Did I really post that?” It’s a ridiculous comment. So stupid. Nicole Scherzinger, a low-IQ individual, is promoting a campaign of hate, anger and retribution. See I’m very nice to her, she’s not very nice to us.

Sunset Blvd is being absolutely destroyed by Nicole. She is a Reactionary and Disgusting shadow of her former self. She should go back to what she once was. If she doesn’t then Broadway fans will do irreparable damage to their box office numbers.

Nicole’s become a major divider in our country, and I think, frankly she should be ashamed of herself. If this is where she has to go to get noticed maybe she should pick a new line of work. The Broadway community, especially our female, queer and trans members, are having a hard time with this. Sick!

I’m building a list of MAGA celebrities, and might just release it for the world to see. Why not? The radical Right does it viciously to well-run, progressive companies- and celebrities! Very nasty, but it’s the way they play the game. We should be going after those celebrities that are looking to DESTROY AMERICA!"

 

"Hey, Siri, compose a Tweet about hating Nicole Scherzinger in the style of Donald Trump."

[EmceeHammer]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 3:02pm

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? 

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 3:15pm

Sadly i have a second row center mezz. seat for Dec 18, evening performance...if anyone wants to buy this seat from me i will gladly accept offers...let me know...thanks!

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 3:23pm

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. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 3:29pm

You won't have any problem reselling them on a third party sight like Stubhub or TicketsNow. A friend had tickets for this weekend that they weren't able to use because of a family emergency and they sold quickly.  You could also decide to go see the show, and instead of focusing on Nicole's perceived beliefs, focus on things like these:  

• You can celebrate that because of the massive box office success of SUSNET, we will likely have at least one Broadway musical opening this fall that will recoup its investment. 
• You can cheer the money that SUNSET BOULEVARD is raising every night to help BCEFA. 
• You can applaud that, in part,  because Nicole has tirelessly prompted the show,  the production is now the kind of rare Broadway event that makes the front pages of newspapers and magazines outside of New York City, which is great publicity for Broadway at large.

And lastly, you can feel good in knowing that whatever tweets she may like when she is on her own at home, there are dozens of people who have steady jobs now until the spring at the St. James Theatre because of the work she is contributing to on the production.

[EmceeHammer]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 3:48pm

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!

 

[EmceeHammer]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 4:04pm

QueenAlice said: "You could also decide to go see the show, and instead of focusing on Nicole's perceived beliefs, focus on things like these..."

I appreciate that! We spend a lot of time, energy, and money supporting a wide variety of Broadway shows. I can't support them all. Sunset Blvd is one of 9 shows we are planning to attend during our trip. I'm sure the Broadway economy will survive us cancelling or reselling our tickets. And if we don't support Sunset Blvd, we'll be able to throw that support to another show that needs it. Our time in Manhattan is precious. If there's any chance a show will be a waste of our focus, it's not worth it. Our enjoyment of Broadway shows has been ruined by far less than the actions and perceived beliefs of a lead performer.

I will say this production seems to be built around the charisma and persona of the leading lady. If that charisma and persona is damaged it will have an impact on the rest of the production. TBF, having a MAGA Norma could actually enhance the production by highlighting the inherent delusion and desperation of her narcissism and nostalgia. Isn't "Sunset Boulevard" Trump's favorite movie? He's such a past-his-prime diva. It's all so ridiculous and pathetic. 

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

[CreatureKitchen]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 4:25pm

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

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 4:34pm

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).

I don't think the movie treats Norma as wanting a career is ridiculous so much as wanting the same career. She feels entitled to her stardom: "I'm still big - it's the pictures that got small!". You can't survive that degree of narcissism. Of course we don't get all the details of her decline, but due to a combination of the industry's habit of chewing up women and spitting them out and her refusal to see that that was happening to her, she wasn't able to transition into a different phase of her career like other actors/actresses did.

[CreatureKitchen]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 4:49pm

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

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 5:30pm

CreatureKitchen said: "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 havenocareer. 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."

It occurs to me that if Sunset Boulevard was being made as a new movie in 2024, the message towards older women would be largely the same. The reason I say that is because Demi Moore was very much playing a Norma Desmond like character in The Substance. 

In The Substance, Moore's main motivation is just wanting to keep her job, and the thing she has to do to remain a star completely destroys her. Like with Desmond, she basically goes insane and becomes an object of disgust, with her cardinal sin being she thought she was entitled to keep the job she was already successful at. 

It's a little hard to parse because The Substance was not the most coherent film, but I thought they were both more sympathetic and more sadistic towards their Norma Desmond character.  

[CreatureKitchen]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 6:01pm

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.

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 7:23pm

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

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 7:25pm

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 7:25pm

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

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 7:55pm

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]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 8:00pm

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Btw, don't be shocked if she still gets nominated.



Gays for Trump/Gays for themselves are here and they are rich."

Nothing shocks me more than knowing an actual gay Republican.

[Seb28]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 8:31pm

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

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 8:35pm

Seb, you have been radicalized.

[Seb28]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 8:47pm

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.

[EntrActe]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 8:50pm

Updated On: 11/8/24 at 08:50 PM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 11/8/24 at 8:56pm

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.