SUNSET BLVD. Reviews - Page 32

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/1/25 at 6:03pm

MezzA101 said: "Orchestrating The Haunting Sound Of ‘Sunset Boulevard’



https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrynking/2024/12/27/orchestrating-the-haunting-sound-of-sunset-boulevard/"

 

Wow - after hearing what I thought was ever piece of gossip ever associated with this show, this was the first time I heard that Cullen had been cut and then rehired as orchestrator for it...  

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 8:28am

Made a return visit last night to the house on Sunset (my 4th time seeing this production). I still can't get over the glorious symphonic sound of the orchestra backing the vocal pyrotechnics... It's truly just wave after wave of glorious sounds for 2 and a half hours.

Nicole continues to astound with her performance - the stamina and force she exudes nightly is not human. The fact that they are pulling off the act 2 opening night after night with such precision is extremely impressive. Can't wait to go back next weekend to see Caroline Bowman take on Norma!

[Huss417]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 10:02am

bwayphreak234 said: "Made a return visit last night to the house on Sunset (my 4th time seeing this production). I stillcan't get over the glorious symphonic sound of the orchestra backing the vocal pyrotechnics... It's truly just wave after wave of glorioussounds for 2 and a half hours.

Nicole continues to astound with her performance - the stamina and force she exudes nightly is not human. The fact that they are pulling off the act 2 opening night after night with such precision is extremely impressive. Can't wait to go back next weekend to see Caroline Bowman take on Norma!"

Was Tom Francis back last night?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 10:08am

Huss417 said: "Was Tom Francis back last night?"

He was!

 

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 10:25am

I was there last night too! Scherzinger is giving one of the best performances I have had the privilege of witnessing on the Broadway stage. Francis, Thaxton, and Hodgett-Young were also incredible. The direction and lighting were striking. The show felt like a horror film towards the end, which is something I have never experienced in live theatre. I was genuinely scared by Scherzinger and Thaxton. I don’t have anything to complain about for this production besides the St. James sight lines, which are well established as bad anyway.

I did however notice some bizarre audience behavior. There was a person in the front mezzanine who was using binoculars at one point during the show. Not opera glasses, but binoculars. I only noticed it once, but it was still pretty bizarre as their seats were close and the use of camera/projection blows everything up.

Regardless, great production and would love to see it again.

[BwayinVan]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 11:19am

For those who have been I was wondering what would be a better seat. Front row of balcony or row E orchestra on the right partial view? Aviewfrommyseat says partial view missed some stuff at the back of the stage. Balcony just seems really far away based on pictures I’ve seen. Other options are last 2 rows of orchestra in right or 3rd row of mezz on left. With the seatgeek discount these are the only ones I can afford. The Canadian dollar exchange is killing my theatre options!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 11:54am

BwayinVan said: "For those who have been I was wondering what would be a better seat. Front row of balcony or row E orchestra on the right partial view? Aviewfrommyseat says partial view missed some stuff at the back of the stage. Balcony just seems really far away based on pictures I’ve seen. Other options are last 2 rows of orchestra in right or 3rd row of mezz on left. With the seatgeek discount these are the only ones I can afford. The Canadian dollar exchange is killing my theatre options!"

I've seen the show from front row balcony, towards the back of the orchestra on the side, a partial view orchestra seat close to the stage, and from the center of the front mezzanine. I would definitely recommend the front mezzanine for this one.

The balcony, as you mentioned, is very high up, and even the front row feels miles away from the stage. The partial view orchestra seats at the St. James are definitely pretty partial in my experience.

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 1/4/25 at 11:57am

BwayinVan said: "For those who have been I was wondering what would be a better seat. Front row of balcony or row E orchestra on the right partial view? Aviewfrommyseat says partial view missed some stuff at the back of the stage. Balcony just seems really far away based on pictures I’ve seen. Other options are last 2 rows of orchestra in right or 3rd row of mezz on left. With the seatgeek discount these are the only ones I can afford. The Canadian dollar exchange is killing my theatre options!"

I honestly have not sat in either of those locations for this show but I can tell you nothing important happens at the back of the stage. I would personally choose to be closer for this production, even though the screens help, there are many songs/scenes that I think you would want to be close enough to see facial expressions. 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 6:32am

Saw Mandy Gonzalez and Tom Francis perform. Gonzalez is a very capable actress. But her performance is not larger than life. Norma felt like a supporting character. Francis dominates the show. He’s an intense, self-loathing, vulnerable Joe. He makes the guy interesting, when I’ve often found him dull. (Poor Betty is still dull.)

I can’t say I “get” Lloyd’s production. The show feels like a concert for much of the first act. Act two puts some striking images on the video monitors. But they take me out of the story. I can’t tell if he’s trying to “say” something or just look cool. I was waiting for the “ah-hah” moment, where it all made sense. But it never came. Maybe it would have if I’d seen Nicole.

Scaling down the show like this reveals the flaws in the libretto. I never see Joe’s attraction to Norma, or Betty’s for Joe, until they abruptly tell us it’s there. Without a star Norma, or Hollywood iconography, it feels like a slight melodrama about unrequited love.

 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 7:25am

I’m still trying to make sense of the staging of the title song. 
 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The lyrics tell us that Hollywood is a corrupt and destructive place. Yet it’s accompanied by a chorus triumphantly marching around the theatre district. Is Lloyd saying the theatre world is corrupt and destructive? Is he saying it’s better than Hollywood? Is it just to remind us we’re watching a play? Saying look at these great kids putting on a show?

 

Some critics have suggested we just turn off our minds and let it be “fun.” But my mind only turns off when I’m bored. And I find the scene more anxiety inducing than fun. I kept waiting for a car or pedestrian outside to cause trouble. I’m watching the bodyguards and the street traffic instead of Joe.

What’s it all about, Jamie Lloyd?

 

 

EDIT: Just spoke with a friend who had a different take on it. He saw Joe walk past all the posters for plays featuring movie stars. His takeaway was look at all these kids trying to make it in showbiz despite it being rigged against them.

 

Updated On: 1/12/25 at 07:25 AM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 9:56am

Looking forward to seeing Caroline’s Norma today. Her voice is spectacular and I’ve always wanted to see her in something, so I snagged a rush ticket on TodayTix. It was much easier than usual, but still took me a couple taps to get through.

Based on her Insta, she seems over the moon to be performing it this (probably) one time before she leaves for Smash. That combined with the general energy boost casts get from supporting a first-time understudy, it should be a great show.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 10:31am

Curious to hear reviews of Caroline's Norma later.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 3:50pm

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 4:24pm

Caroline is doing a beautiful job but something was missing. It’s her first show but she is singing it beautifully. This is Nicole’s show, and Nicole is the greatest star with presence.
They also gave Caroline a picture at the box office window which was a nice touch. Her fans are in full force today standing etc 
Caroline did mess up a lyric in Never Say Goodbye which she quickly recovered 

Caroline did a standbys job. 

Did anyone see Casey Likes running around the orchestra drunk ?

Updated On: 1/12/25 at 04:24 PM

[steven22]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 5:40pm

Third time seeing this production. Caroline is was incredible. Very different than Mandy and Nicole, but equally incredible. 

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 5:41pm

WldKingdomHM said: "Did anyway see Casey Likes running around the orchestra drunk ?"

Good for him. Lol

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 6:09pm

Caroline did a beautiful job today but JFC, her fans did everything to make the day all about them, besides getting up on stage and singing the songs, themselves.  

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 6:20pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Caroline did a beautiful job today but JFC, her fans did everything to make the day all about them, besides getting up on stage and singing the songs, themselves. "

I hesitated to mention this, but agreed. And I’m sure I’ll still get flack for it, but whatever. 

Her husband amping up the entire mezzanine to start howling and screaming before the lights even went down didn’t help.  

It’s a real shame how absurdly entitled and inconsiderate some theatergoers behave anymore. I thought COVID would have tempered this trend, but it seems to only have encouraged it somehow.

I am all for a supportive and vocal audience, of course. Sometimes an attentive and organically responsive audience can truly make or break a theatrical experience. 

But there’s a fine line into obnoxiousness with theater nerds that gets crossed far too often. 

Updated On: 1/12/25 at 06:20 PM

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 6:22pm

Does anyone know why half of the audience was in red? Were they showing their support for her

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 6:35pm

WldKingdomHM said: "Does anyone know why half of the audience was in red? Were they showing their support for her"

Yes, it was a thing organized by social media fans or her team or something. No idea why.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 6:41pm

Caroline was very very good, particularly in Norma’s madder moments. She reminded me instantly of Demi Moore in The Substance, which feels particularly timely and of the same anxieties that sparked this production. Her voice was a bit hesitant during “With One Look” but got more confident as the show went on, and I thought her final scene was incredibly powerful.

This is my first time seeing the show without Nicole, and while the energy in the audience and on stage (especially during the bows) was excellent - thrilling, even - something is definitely missing if you don’t see Nicole. This production’s conception of Norma is singular to Nicole’s peculiarities and unique instrument, and incredibly hard to live up to in only one public performance.

That is not to detract from how solid Caroline was. It will live fondly in my memory as one of those ephemeral moments you can only experience with live theatre. I’m glad I saw her.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/12/25 at 6:56pm

I thought Caroline Bowman killed it this afternoon. It was an extremely solid performance in every aspect - her voice is tremendous, and I had goosebumps quite a few times.

Caroline's approach was slightly less robotic/mechanical than Nicole's, so it was a little different in that regard. It was really cool see a new take on the role since I have only seen Nicole thus far (haven't seen Mandy). Both women are extremely talented beyond belief and bring a lot to the role of Norma.

Lots of support from the audience. Super thrilled she got to go on even if it does just end up being this one performance!

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 1/13/25 at 12:10am

I really enjoyed Caroline today and the crowd really felt like a party (in both a good and a bad way).  I think it's interesting to see how she plays the role, especially considering that this is probably her only time doing it.  It did seem a bit as if she was finding her footing through some of the early scenes but she knocked it out of the park by the second act bits (I loved her As If We Never Said Goodbye and the ending), and I think she succeeded in more of the over-the-top-ness than Mandy did when I saw her.  That said, I agree with the poster who said this is Nicole's show (which makes sense since it's literally built around her)--the other two ladies are excellent and I relished the chance to get to see them and what different choices they made, but it's interesting to see how some things that probably originated from Nicole herself (like some of Norma's choreography and mannerisms) sit on other people.  Though I think it would've been interesting to see how Caroline could've developed the role if she had multiple chances to go on.

Small thing, but it was kind of disappointing they didn't have a little notice stand or placard with Caroline's picture for the "and if I'm honest I like the lady" part of the title song and instead did a full frame of Tom's face.  And the picture Max looks at in the dressing room is of her as Elsa if anyone's curious.

I thought Austin Colby hyping up the mezzanine before the show started was pretty cute and a fun vibe to be there for, but the cheering and applauding in the middle of Norma's breakdown I found to be overdone.

In general I loved seeing the show again, I always find more rabbit holes of different interpretations to jump down whenever I see the show and notice new things (anyone have any idea for the change from "she's been stood up by some uppity hack" to "out of work hack"?).  Are there any murmurings of who the new standby would be once Caroline leaves?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/13/25 at 10:11am

Just heard Caroline's "With One Look" and "As If...". She sounds gorgeous! Only a six-second hold on "hooooooome" but that crowd yesterday went berserk nonetheless.

I hope I can catch her in SMASH. As she just proclaimed, "back where I was born to be!"

 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/13/25 at 11:31am

I would like to shout out the man two rows behind me in the mezz yesterday, loudly wondering to his friends at intermission if the response to Caroline was because she was that good or if the people in the audience knew she was going on in advance.

And also for (again, loudly) pointing out that this would likely be her only performance, as she would soon be leaving to be in STOMP.