SUNSET BLVD. Reviews - Page 64

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 1:03pm

Bryce 2 said: "Tyler Davis, Emma Lloyd, Shayna McPherson, and Hannah Yun Chamberlain all transferred from the West End. I can understand why Shayna and Hannah were brought over, but Tyler and Emma seem like completely random choices to me."

A definitely agree about the importance of Hannah Yun Chamberlain to this production. She is so believable as young Nicole/Norma, and she dances the overture (and everything else) beautifully. When I saw the show with Mandy Gonzalez, I found it jarring because there was absolutely no resemblance between her and Hannah.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 1:23pm

Bryce 2 said: "binau said: "Are we sure that they brought over ensemble members? That would surprise me I had no idea and I agree this was a commercially unwise decision if so. I also agree Grace should not have transferred - I must admit I never understood what Jamie Lloyd was doing with the character if I were to be critical to the production but it's such a small and thankless part I'm not really bothered by it.I think it's fair that they paid for Nicole, Tom and David to come over. They were very much central to the concept and execution of the show."

Yes. Tyler Davis, Emma Lloyd, Shayna McPherson, and Hannah Yun Chamberlain all transferred from the West End. I can understand why Shayna and Hannah were brought over, but Tyler and Emma seem like completely random choices to me.
 

Per their IG, Tyler and Emma (who is also a Norma understudy) were just recently married.  Also per IG, Tyler is from the US.

[sppunk]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 1:35pm

Nicole is on this week’s Hot Ones with Sean Evans. Excited to watch it this evening. 

[binau]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 1:37pm

Oh, I didn’t realise Hannah was young Norma. In which case I agree very important I mean the transitions between her face and Nicole’s face on screen are one of the critical dramatic moments. If they couldn’t find the same resemblance it wouldn’t have had the same effect at all. 

[Blow Gabriel]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 1:39pm

sppunk said: "Nicole is on this week’s Hot Ones with Sean Evans. Excited to watch it this evening."

Maybe that’s why she was coughing the other day on stage, according to posts on here. All that hot sauce stuck in her throat. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 1:49pm

binau said: "Oh, I didn’t realise Hannah was young Norma. In which case I agree very important I mean the transitions between her face and Nicole’s face on screen are one of the critical dramatic moments. If they couldn’t find the same resemblance it wouldn’t have had the same effect at all."

How Hannah Yun Chamberlain joins Nicole Scherzinger to embody a Hollywood star in 'Sunset Boulevard'

[binau]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 3:06pm

Thanks - the article also seems to confirm that the concept of the production is indeed that Norma wants to be young and is trying to hold onto her youth and that is why she behaves the way she does and can be seen in her dancing etc. (I always found it strange that people thought some of Nicole's choices were gimmicks designed to get a laugh rather than seeing the devastating subtext).

Of course it makes even more sense now that she is chasing a younger guy with Joe. And I feel even more embarrassed for Nicole's Norma that she probably was trying the "money, honeyyyyy" line to try and seem young and cool in front of Joe. 

Nicole's Norma and the production has so many layers. I'm even slightly changing my opinion of the material now (and ALW more generally after the productions of Sunset, Evita and Starlight I've seen recently). Maybe the material is good and was always good, it just needed the right director to find the best way to stage it. 

[Blow Gabriel]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 4:50pm

The musical isn’t well written to begin with. So to add this abstract staging on top of it just confuses matters more. You could be forgiven for not even realizing Norma is trying to get a picture made because all of this felt like an after thought. It just feels like a will they or won’t they love story so when she kills him in the end, it seems like she does that because he’s leaving her, rather than her own psychological issues.  Lloyd Webber musicals need a director to bring clarity to help the audience understand what the fvck is going on.  If you don’t buy that she’s been shut out because she’s aging, the entire performance feels gimmicky. The biggest Hollywood actresses today are the same ones who’ve been around for decades; Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Cate blanchette, et al.  So don’t tell me this “modern day” production is some sort of reflection of the world we live in. No it is not, quite the opposite.  The scene before the perfect year, when max talks about her personally calling up her friends and inviting them to her party, and none of them showed up, this was one of the few moments that really worked for me because it felt like she was cancelled rather than an age thing. It really shows the artificial world of Hollywood who only wants to be with the in crowd.  Nicole’s singing sounded lovely, but her holding out that long note is just so gratuitous and performative and cringe.  Isn’t this supposed to be her sincere, letting the guard down moment?  When I saw Glenn do it, I was weeping in my seat.  Nicole doesn’t have a leg to stand on against Glenn.  I love wild or campy musicals like Teeth and Here We Are, but I still want to FEEL something. And with this sunset, I felt NOTHING. 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 5:45pm

Blow Gabriel said: "The musical isn’t well written to begin with. So to add this abstract staging on top of it just confuses matters more. You could be forgiven for not even realizing Norma is trying to get a picture made because all of this felt like an after thought. It just feels like a will they or won’t they love story so when she kills him in the end, it seems like she does that because he’s leaving her, rather than her own psychological issues. Lloyd Webber musicals need a director to bring clarity to help the audience understand what the fvck is going on. If you don’t buy that she’s been shut out because she’s aging, the entire performance feels gimmicky. The biggest Hollywood actresses today are the same ones who’ve been around for decades; Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Cateblanchette, et al. So don’t tell me this “modern day” production is some sort of reflection of the world we live in. No it is not, quite the opposite. The scene before the perfect year, when max talks about her personally calling up her friends and inviting them to her party, and none of them showed up,this was one of the few moments that really worked for me because it felt like she was cancelled rather than an age thing. It really shows the artificial world of Hollywood who only wants to be with the in crowd. Nicole’s singing sounded lovely, but her holding out that long note is just so gratuitous and performative and cringe. Isn’t this supposed to be her sincere, letting the guard down moment? When I saw Glenn do it, I was weeping in my seat. Nicole doesn’t have a leg to stand on against Glenn. I love wild or campy musicals like Teeth and Here We Are,but I still want to FEEL something. And with this sunset, I felt NOTHING."

Thank you for the little essay, but your comprehension of this material is shaky at best. I do not have time to get into the whole thing but just to address one point, Norma didn’t call up all her friends and invite them to the party and none of them showed up. She didn’t call anyone at all. She wanted the night to be just her and Joe.
 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:23pm

Blow Gabriel said: "The musical isn’t well written to begin with. So to add this abstract staging on top of it just confuses matters more. You could be forgiven for not even realizing Norma is trying to get a picture made because all of this felt like an after thought. "

Really? I was never confused at any point that she wanted to make a movie. Pretty sure there's even a song about the plot of the movie she wants to make. It's... very clear. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:30pm

Blow Gabriel said: "The musical isn’t well written to begin with. So to add this abstract staging on top of it just confuses matters more. You could be forgiven for not even realizing Norma is trying to get a picture made because all of this felt like an after thought. It just feels like a will they or won’t they love story so when she kills him in the end, it seems like she does that because he’s leaving her, rather than her own psychological issues. Lloyd Webber musicals need a director to bring clarity to help the audience understand what the fvck is going on. If you don’t buy that she’s been shut out because she’s aging, the entire performance feels gimmicky. The biggest Hollywood actresses today are the same ones who’ve been around for decades; Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Cateblanchette, et al. So don’t tell me this “modern day” production is some sort of reflection of the world we live in. No it is not, quite the opposite. The scene before the perfect year, when max talks about her personally calling up her friends and inviting them to her party, and none of them showed up,this was one of the few moments that really worked for me because it felt like she was cancelled rather than an age thing. It really shows the artificial world of Hollywood who only wants to be with the in crowd. Nicole’s singing sounded lovely, but her holding out that long note is just so gratuitous and performative and cringe. Isn’t this supposed to be her sincere, letting the guard down moment? When I saw Glenn do it, I was weeping in my seat. Nicole doesn’t have a leg to stand on against Glenn. I love wild or campy musicals like Teeth and Here We Are,but I still want to FEEL something. And with this sunset, I felt NOTHING."

 

Dude, you REALLY weren't paying attention -- much of the plot revolves around Norma wanting to get her script of SALOME made as her STAR return -- she does an entire number acting it out.  She hires Joe to stay and work on it with her, she sends Max to deliver it to Paramount, then when she arrives at Paramount, DeMille said it must be about that horrible screenplay she wrote. 

 

 

[Blow Gabriel]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:31pm

Honestly, I think I was distracted by the screen during that scene but even still, you miss one lyric, you’re fvcked.  Also, I don’t think the sound was that good. I don’t know what people on here are talking about how they have the most amazing  sound, but I felt vindicated when they didn’t win Sound, as the rest of the category I thought had excellent sound.  Let me also say, I’ve seen this production twice, and the previous revival, as well as the film.  Both times I saw this new sunset, I was questioning whether I was following it correctly.  And as far as Norma calling up her friends, this is literally what is said in the show. That is the way I choose to interpret it.  That she called them up and nobody wanted to come to her party because she’s not cool anymore. 

Updated On: 7/17/25 at 06:31 PM

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:37pm

Blow Gabriel said: "Honestly, I think I was distracted by the screenduring that scene but even still, you miss one lyric, you’re fvcked. Also, I don’t think the sound was that good. I don’t know what people on here are talking about how they have such excellent sound, but I felt vindicated when they didn’t winSound, as the rest of the category I thought had excellent sound. Let me also say, I’ve seen this production twice, and the previous revival, as well as the film. Both times I saw this new sunset, I was questioning whether I was following it correctly. And as far as Norma calling up her friends, this is literally what is said in the show. That is the way I choose to interpret it. That she called them up and nobody wanted to come to her party because she’s not cool anymore."

Your interpretation is 100% incorrect. It’s pretty obvious to anyone that she did not call anyone. She wanted Joe all to herself. 

[Blow Gabriel]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:38pm

Matt and Jsquared, I think YOU didn’t understand the show correctly.  Probably explains why you both love it so much

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:43pm

Blow Gabriel said: "Matt and Jsquared, I think YOU didn’t understand the show correctly. Probably explains why you both love it so much"

Babe, it’s clear that your comprehension skills need work. Maybe you should go see a production you didn’t like for a THIRD time before it closes so you can get a grip on the oh sooooo confusing plot. Jesus Christ. 

[Blow Gabriel]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:51pm

Matt, you’re embarrassing yourself.  Max explains to Joe that she called her friends herself inviting them.  Max is the truth teller or explainer in the show, why would he lie about this?  When Norma sings, “I don’t need a crowded ballroom, everything I want is here” it’s just her trying to save face and to schmooze up to Joe.  My goodness, thank god I’m here to get this board back on track. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:59pm

Blow Gabriel said: "Matt, you’re embarrassing yourself. Max explains to Joe that she called her friends herself inviting them. Max is the truth teller or explainer in the show, why would he lie about this? When Norma sings, “I don’t need a crowded ballroom, everything I want is here” it’s just her trying to save face and to schmooze up to Joe. My goodness, thank godI’m here to get this board back on track."

I like you, Blow, but Matt is correct about this. Max sings “Madame herself made every call” so he doesn’t have to make Joe uncomfortable by admitting that no one is coming. Max knows that Norma didn’t call anyone. Who would she call? She’s been friendless for decades. Later, Norma says “There are no other guests! Just you and me!”

Updated On: 7/17/25 at 06:59 PM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 6:59pm

Blow Gabriel said: "Matt, you’re embarrassing yourself. Max explains to Joe that she called her friends herself inviting them. Max is the truth teller or explainer in the show, why would he lie about this? When Norma sings, “I don’t need a crowded ballroom, everything I want is here” it’s just her trying to save face and to schmooze up to Joe. My goodness, thank godI’m here to get this board back on track."

 

I honestly can’t remember if Max does that or not, but if he did, it’s possible that she told him he did. Anyway, regardless of whether or not you’re remembering things correctly because I don’t know what I remember correctly thanks to my brain tumor, I have to confess that I found the entire production bewildering. I think it’s a lot of style over substance and that context is lost throughout. But… I don’t know if you’re remembering things correctly so I can’t weigh in on the specific argument here. I just wanted to add that I find the production quite bewildering, and I would wonder if some people who really did not know the source material at all found parts confusing and hard to follow.

 

[Blow Gabriel]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 7:31pm

Of course they find it bewildering.  Even when she gets to Paramount and finally meets Demille, it’s this shadowy faceless creep on then screen, further confusing the audience on the ‘making a picture’ plot. This wasn’t confusing at all with the original and revival productions when you see the soundstages and other Hollywood imagery.  My friend I was with the first time thought Joe was getting out of a sleeping bag at the top of the show lol.  As far as Norma’s party, she’s trying to get back in, so why wouldn’t she call people over? In the film, she certainly has friends over when they’re playing cards. This is all clearly up for interpretation, but the way I see it is that she called people to her New Year’s Eve party and nobody wanted to come to reinforce her being shunned.  

Updated On: 7/17/25 at 07:31 PM

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 7:38pm

Blow Gabriel said: "But she’s trying to get back in. So why wouldn’t she call people over? In the film, she certainly has friends over when they’re playing cards. This is all clearly up for interpretation, but the way I see it is that she called people to her New Year’s Eve party and nobody wanted to come to reinforce her being shunned. "


There’s no planet on which she actually called anyone, in the musical at least. She was always planning on seducing Joe, and giving him the inscribed cigarette case, etc. She always planned on it being a party for two. Why would Norma say “There are no other guests, just you and me!” if people could have knocked on the door and walked in?

Updated On: 7/17/25 at 07:38 PM

[Blow Gabriel]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 8:31pm

She’s just explaining the obvious.  He’s the only one entertaining her only because she’s literally paying him, as she says.  To me, it emphasizes that she has no friends except the men she bribes. She could have gifted him  the cigarette case with a house full of people.  He’d be more taken with her if she was actually popular, no?  Plus they already spent scene after scene of them being alone together, watching her old movies, editing the script.  Again, this is just the way I saw it 

Updated On: 7/17/25 at 08:31 PM

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 7/17/25 at 8:43pm

Blow Gabriel said: "Matt, you’re embarrassing yourself. Max explains to Joe that she called her friends herself inviting them. Max is the truth teller or explainer in the show, why would he lie about this? When Norma sings, “I don’t need a crowded ballroom, everything I want is here” it’s just her trying to save face and to schmooze up to Joe. My goodness, thank godI’m here to get this board back on track."

Good lord. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Read some reviews. See the original movie. You’ll see what a fool you are.