SUNSET BLVD. Reviews - Page 67

[Huss417]

Posted: 7/23/25 at 9:33am

Lot666 said: "FANtomFollies said: "This is exactly why I did not attend the final performance. I love an appreciative audience but I just knew this was going to be too over-the-top for me. I last saw the show 9 times, lastly on July 5th and it was a practically perfect experience so I decided to leave it there."

To be clear, I fully expected this behavior at the last performance, and I attended because I knew it would be an event for the books, like the Phantom closing. However, I certainly would not have been happy if this hadbeen the first and only time I'd seen the show. To me, screaming and whooping while someone is singing (as opposed to after they've finished) is downright rude to both the performer and the rest of the audience."

As you mentioned you can't go into final performance expecting it to be the same as a Tuesday night 9 months into the run.

I didnt' expect the audience to be sitting on their hands and not making a sound. I found the day to be thrilling and in my well over 40 years of going to the theatre the most amazing final performance I have ever been to and I have been to several very memorable ones over the years including the final of the original run of A Chorus Line. Les Miserable, Miss Saigon and so on.

I don't think there were many people that in the audience Sunday that had not seen the show at least once prior. Nicole even made mention from the stage about thanking people for seeing the show more than once and she knows how expensive the tickets are.

Also as Jamie Lloyd said that we will remember July 20, 2025. 

[jakebloke]

Posted: 7/23/25 at 12:55pm

Couldn’t agree more about that last audience.  I’m so glad I saw it several times prior.  One of my favorite moments is the ‘Let’s get a look at you’ and then the bright spotlight on Nicole and the orchestra soaring.  I just find it really simply beautiful.  But as soon as that spotlight hit the stage there was this standing ovation blocking the view and pulling me out of a moment.  Then there’s the overhead clappers that continue to block your view even if you’re standing!  Sigh.  

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/23/25 at 1:30pm

Huss417 said: "I don't think there were many people that in the audience Sunday that had not seen the show at least once prior. Nicole even made mention from the stage about thanking people for seeing the show more than once and she knows how expensive the tickets are."

I completely agree that the audience mostly comprised repeat viewers. However, Ben Vereen was seated at the house left end of our row (center orchestra H) and Jennifer Lewis was directly in front of him (center orchestra row G), and I got the impression that this was their first viewing. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/23/25 at 1:32pm

jakebloke said: "Couldn’t agree more about that last audience. I’m so glad I saw it several times prior. One of my favorite moments is the ‘Let’s get a look at you’ and then the bright spotlight on Nicole and the orchestra soaring. I just find it really simply beautiful. But as soon as that spotlight hit the stage there was this standing ovation blocking the view and pulling me out of a moment. Then there’s the overhead clappers that continue to block your view even if you’re standing! Sigh."

Yes to all of this.

[ER765]

Posted: 7/23/25 at 1:47pm

I am super sympathetic to annoying audiences, but at a final performance, you have to know what you’re getting yourself into and prepare accordingly. 

There were certainly moments where the screaming was over the top (yelling and clapping before we even SEE Nicole enter is…a choice), but again - par for the course for a closing show in this day and age. 

What I DON’T understand is the very obvious videotaping and picture taking , which the ushers were seemingly allowing. Closing performance or not, it’s still illegal.

[Huss417]

Posted: 7/23/25 at 2:55pm

ER765 said: "I am super sympathetic to annoying audiences, but at a final performance, you have to know what you’re getting yourself into and prepare accordingly.

There were certainly moments where the screaming was over the top (yelling and clapping before we even SEE Nicole enter is…a choice), but again - par for the course for a closing show in this day and age.

What I DON’Tunderstand is the very obvious videotaping and picture taking , which the ushers were seemingly allowing. Closing performance or not, it’s still illegal."

I think it would have been impossible for the ushers to do anything as there must have been at least 50 cameras for every one usher.

Also I was seated around a few people that worked on the production and they had their cameras out as well.

Updated On: 7/23/25 at 02:55 PM

[MezzA101]

Posted: 7/30/25 at 2:14pm

Nicole scheduled for "Fallon" tonight.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 8/4/25 at 5:29am

New Book Shares Secrets About 'Sunset Boulevard' Ahead of 75th Anniversary (Exclusive)

https://people.com/new-book-shares-secrets-about-sunset-boulevard-75th-anniversary-11783747

[MezzA101]

Posted: 8/6/25 at 7:11am

'Sunset Boulevard' Star Nancy Olson on Working with Billy Wilder

https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/sunset-boulevard-nancy-olson-interview-billy-wilder-1235142495/

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 3:12pm

'CBS Sunday Morning': At 75, 'Sunset Blvd' Is Ready Again for Its Closeup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsbtK3FuRiQ

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 8/11/25 at 7:18pm

Why does it seem like they are still promoting Sunset Blvd even though it has already closed? I feel like I've never seen so much promo for a closed show in my life. Are they gaging interest in a future production with Nicole somewhere else? A film version? 

[chernjam]

Posted: 8/11/25 at 7:52pm

FANtomFollies said: "Why does it seem like they are still promoting Sunset Blvd even though it has already closed? I feel like I've never seen so much promo for a closed show in my life. Are they gaging interest in a future production with Nicole somewhere else? A film version?"

Honestly as one who has been having "theatre withdrawals" since this closed, I've been thinking the same thing.  I mean, I get that she couldn't have done all the late shows while doing 8 shows a week and purportedly they were also promoting the Netflix series.  But honestly this continued buzz about her and Sunset Blvd I can't ever recall seeing stuff like this for a show that's closed.  Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but perhaps the rumored pro-shot will happen after all

[binau]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 8:43am

I thought more Nicole is doing PR for her Netflix show/her career generally and they need something to talk about so they can't ignore what she just did in Sunset of course. I mean, I hope Sunset returns somewhere too but the rumours seem to have gone dead. 

Updated On: 8/12/25 at 08:43 AM

[Timon3]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 7:29pm

Sunset lost $6m

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14994269/RICHARD-EDEN-Nicoles-hit-musical-loses-producers-4-5million.html

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 7:46pm

Timon3 said: "Sunset lost $6m

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14994269/RICHARD-EDEN-Nicoles-hit-musical-loses-producers-4-5million.html"

Well yeah the producers were out of their mind with the prices and it really never sold out unless it was a special show (someone’s last day or the show after the Tony’s)

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 11:15pm

It returned 60% to investors and won its producers a Tony Award...it's not a MERRILY-level success story, but they can't be that mad at the outcome. That's 60% more than the investors of GYPSY will ever see.

Income streams also aren't finished. ATG could tour it (without a star), as they're doing with PARADE, and that will return a royalty that will generate small amounts of revenue. If there's a film sale, that will come with a bit of money. And the show only closed last month, they won't be done closing out the books and auditing everything for another 6-12 months, which could very well mean more money distributed to investors.

These are also the perils of star-driven shows. The star is in for a finite amount of time, and more often than not an equal-or-greater star does not want to replace them. And Nicole's drawing power always had its limits (though it was helped by the buzz for her performance).

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 11:20pm

WldKingdomHM said: "Well yeah the producers were out of their mind with the prices and it really never sold out unless it was a special show (someone’s last day or the show after the Tony’s)"

There was no shortage of inexpensive tickets. They were putting TDF people in prime orchestra seats, it discounted aggressively, it was regularly at TKTS, and it had multiple weeks (with and without Nicole) with a paltry sub-$100 average ticket price.

Price sensitivity is not always the problem.

[chernjam]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 11:21pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "It returned 60% to investors and won its producers a Tony Award...it's not a MERRILY-level success story, but they can't bethatmad at the outcome. That's 60% more than the investors of GYPSY will ever see.

Income streams also aren't finished. ATG could tour it (without a star), as they're doing with PARADE, and that will return a royalty that will generate small amounts of revenue. If there's a film sale, that will come with a bit of money. And the show only closed last month, they won't be done closing out the books and auditing everything for another 6-12 months, which could very well mean more money distributed to investors.

These are also the perils of star-driven shows. The star is in for a finite amount of time, and more often than not an equal-or-greater star does not want to replace them. And Nicole's drawing power always had its limits (though it was helped by the buzz for her performance)."

Thanks for stating that so clearly and reasonably.  The bonzo business they were doing those last weeks and guesstimate based on what was publicly shared about the weekly running costs, capitalization, etc and doing some math, I thought they had returned a bit more than the article had stated (I thought 10-12million) and had only hoped for its financial success to finally silence the haters who've been talking down the show since it opened in London.

I'm still crossing my fingers that a limited "return" to London with a  pro-shot would happen that could perhaps  close that gap and preserve this legendary production and performance for generations to come

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 2:28am

Sunset had sooooooo many "producers"/low tier investors get up on that stage to accept the Tony.   None of them had a voice in any of it but a lot of sous in the kitchen?

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 9:58am

Even with a reasonable view of the shortfall and the potential to close the gap, and its certain ‘happier-ending’ than Gypsy or Cabaret will have, this will surely make the raise for Evita more difficult. 

Updated On: 8/13/25 at 09:58 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 10:44am

BorisTomashevsky said: "Even with a reasonable view of the shortfall and the potential to close to gap, and its certain happier-ending than Gypsy or Cabaret will have, this will surely make the raise for Evita more difficult."

Certainly not an easy raise, but EVITA is a bigger title, it plays more like a pop concert than a David Lynch movie (easier to market to the masses & young people), and Rachel Zegler is a different type of star than Nicole.

They’d be wise to open EVITA in a smaller house than the St. James. Even the Wilson (1200) or Hirschfeld (1400) would be better. 1700 seats a night is a lot.

Anecdotally, I know a bunch of the US Sunset investors got in on the ground floor with Evita London, which helps them financially because they’ll also get a royalty for Broadway.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 10:58am

Yes true about Rachel. She will also surely be cheaper than Nicole (despite doing “more work” per night). And I’d imagine Diego will be cheaper than Tom was. Factor out whatever price David Thaxton commanded too.

I also suspect there won’t be a Mandy/Caroline B level cost for Evita either. So all of that should bring some relief to potential investors.

I wonder if they’ll simply bring less Brits over to make ‘accommodation’ a much smaller line item.  

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 11:17am

BorisTomashevsky said: "I wonder if they’ll simply bring less Brits over to make ‘accommodation’ a much smaller line item. "

How many people from the London cast moved with Sunset? 8-10?

There’s a world where they only transferred Tom, Nicole, and maybe Thaxton and a dance captain and would have lost nothing creatively. Perhaps it’ll help that JL has done a variation of this Evita previously?

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 11:24am

Rachel Zegler currently doesn't have a weekly alternate--Bella Brown is just doing select performances, so if that pattern continues on Broadway then theoretically Evita wouldn't have the one performance a week where it loses money like Sunset did (though I'm very curious who her understudy would be).  Also, James Olivas who plays Peron is American as well, and Aaron Lee Lambert (who plays Magaldi) looks like he might've grown up in the States (he has a BA from Yale) but has worked exclusively in the UK for the past few years, so not sure about him.  Though I don't think Magaldi and the Mistress are as crucial roles to the show as people like Betty and Max were to Sunset, so I wouldn't be surprised if they recast when they transferred (though I'd love to see Bella Brown's Eva again).  And there's no Young Norma equivalent either, as well as less camera work that I also don't think would necessarily demand transferring the camera operator.

[Timon3]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 1:36pm

Say Tom Francis/David Thaxton package was $10k a week each, then that would be $20k a week for both, if it was $15k a week then it would be $30k a week - which would be a drop in the ocean for a show that seems to have cost $1m - $1.2m a week to run