SUNSET BOULEVARD 2024 West End Cast Recording Thread- Page 5

[binau]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 9:14am

Again I think you are missing the subtext of the moment.....just because people laugh doesn't mean there isn't more subtext going on. It's trashy and inappropriate if you think they are just making her say ridiculous things like a buffoon to make the audience laugh for the sake of it. It's kind of like watching an old dad try and be 'cool'. 

[binau]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 9:14am

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[binau]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 9:17am

"I wouldn't mind so much if this had a rewrite to set in the era Jamie Lloyd wanted it set in and Lloyd didn't have '1949' appear on the screen at the beginning. "

I do feel this discussion has been had - I completely get why people can't buy the show if they can't suspend disbelief of the time period. It's an abstract representation and Norma's character is more like faded pop star vibes than a literal silent film star. If you are trying to watch the production and literally believe that this production and Nicole's Norma Desmond is trying to portray the literal era with historical accuracy then there is simply no way to enjoy this production in my opinion. If you can't buy the concept then every single thing about it would seem wrong, and I understand why it would be impossible to get into in that scenario. 

 

Updated On: 10/26/24 at 09:17 AM

[kdogg36]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 10:15am

binau said: "One of the notes is that "9 microphones were added around the auditorium to achieve the special effect of the theatre". I wonder if this is why the recording does feel so full and not like one of those flat soundboard live recordings. Is this commonly done?"

I don't know the answer, but anecdotally I'll note that ALW's The Woman in White is another live recording that, to my ears, sounds at least as good as any modern cast recording made in a studio.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 12:18pm

I agree this is one of the best live cast albums in terms of the audio quality. There's very little (if any) stage noise but it helps there's no props and in some cases no shoes in this production to make noise that would get picked up by the microphones. I will say to my ear the orchestra sounds a little confined at times. I don't hear the reverb that should be present if they added microphones in the house. Maybe a tiny bit of artificial reverb would have helped for some of the orchestral sections but if it's true they opted not to add any artificial reverb as stated in that article that's admirable too. Also the applause after "As If We Never Said Goodbye" is certainly truncated right? I could have used a few more seconds to process before the next song begins. But those are minor complaints.

[chernjam]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 8:01pm

CATSNYrevival said: "I agree this isone of the best live cast albums in terms of the audio quality. There's very little (if any) stage noise but it helpsthere's no props and in some cases no shoesin this production to make noise that would get picked up by the microphones. I will say to my ear the orchestra sounds a little confined at times. I don't hear the reverb that should be present if they added microphones in the house. Maybe a tiny bit of artificial reverb would have helped for some of the orchestral sections but if it's true they opted not to add any artificial reverbas stated in that article that'sadmirable too. Also the applause after "As If We Never Said Goodbye" is certainly truncated right? I could have used a few more seconds to process before the next song begins. But those are minor complaints."

Same here... I thought the audience reactions had to have been truncated (although, maybe because it was recorded in London it was a bit more restrained)  And along with minor complaints, I'll add was sorry they didn't add the "bows" music with the orchestral AIWNSG and a slightly major complaint, not having the new libretto (still waiting for the physical copy to arrive, but disappointed hearing that already from others who've gotten there's).  But I'm just thankful they did a full recording of this when it seems there's been a growing number of shows not doing them.

[Ball of Buttah]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 9:11pm

I might be just a simple bitch, why am I always on the verge of crying during "New Ways to Dream?" Ugh 😭 Driving to hot yoga...

 

 

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 10/27/24 at 7:32am

binau said: ""I wouldn't mind so much if this had a rewrite to set in the era Jamie Lloyd wanted it set in and Lloyd didn't have '1949' appear on the screen at the beginning. "

I do feel this discussion has been had - I completely get why people can't buy the show if they can't suspend disbelief of the time period. It's an abstract representation and Norma's character is more like faded pop star vibes than a literal silent film star. If you are trying to watch the production and literally believe that this production and Nicole's Norma Desmond is trying to portray the literal era with historical accuracy then there is simply no way to enjoy this production in my opinion. If you can't buy the concept then every single thing about it would seem wrong, and I understand why it would be impossible to get into in that scenario.

"

Yes, I guess I can't buy the concept at all. ALW, when he wrote the show (and even since, he said so in a recent interview with Michael Riedel before htis production became a thing), rejected Hal Prince's original idea of an update to Sunset and wanted it firmly set in its period as he saw no point in updating it.

But Jamie Lloyd wants to do the opposite and the production creates a giant hole in the middle by the writers and the director going in two completely different directions.

An example: they change her age to being 40, but they keep it set in 1950. This Norma, if this really is Norma (again, when I saw it I never felt like I was watching the character, only Nicole Scherzinger play some kind of parody of herself), must therefore have been a child star at most during the silent era (by being born in 1910)--The Jazz Singer came out in 1927.

[BJR]

Posted: 10/27/24 at 8:41am

The Scorpion said: "binau said: ""An example: they change her age to being 40, but they keep it set in 1950. This Norma, if this really is Norma (again, when I saw it I never felt like I was watching the character, only Nicole Scherzinger play some kind of parody of herself), must therefore have been a child star at most during the silent era (by being born in 1910)--The Jazz Singer came out in 1927."

I bet you a fraction of that audience could tell you what The Jazz Singer was, let alone have ever seen a silent movie.

[CreatureKitchen]

Posted: 10/27/24 at 11:57am

Right, but I think many people could guesstimate when talkies became a thing (late 20s-early 30s).

It’s a tiny issue, but the reason I commented on it in the other thread is it seems like an oversight rather than intentional. Norma could have just been left at 50 to not break the timeline (plenty of people Nicole’s age have played the role without aging Norma down). Or Jamie Lloyd could have left the date out all together or changed it to project 1939 at the beginning.

All the other modernization is carefully considered. Laptops replacing typewriters, Norma’s affectations being more like the Kardashians/ a TikToker. But, if you’re going to age Norma down and keep the same dates, it’s going to change the timeline. In this case, her entire career would be about 3 years long and be over by the time she’s 19. That changes the stakes and the character! Someone earlier said “it’s not a documentary”, which is true. But the movie and the original stage production weren’t either, but they still had a timeline that made internal sense.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/27/24 at 9:46pm

Finally got to listen to this and I'm shocked I held back any tears.

The orchestra sounds BRILLIANT and the sound design / mixing is crystal clear, I could hear every word. Nicole is everything and Tom is the perfect Joe. Solid supporting performances from Thaxton and Hodgett Young.

It's been a while since I last heard this score fully, and I keep forgetting just how jazzy Lloyd Webber's score sounds, particularly early on and in some of the Paramount sequences. The big Norma numbers are obviously highlights, but I never understood why she ends "As If We Never..." with a bit of "New Ways to Dream"... is that a dumb question to ask?

I really do hope to get the chance to pair this with Jamie's visuals soon, and I'm just as glad LA might be getting the chance to see it as well late next year. 

 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/27/24 at 10:46pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "The big Norma numbers are obviously highlights, but I never understood why she ends "As If We Never..." with a bit of "New Ways to Dream"... is that a dumb question to ask?"

Barbra Streisand recorded a version of the song that doesn’t include the “New Ways to Dream” ending.

 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 10/27/24 at 11:31pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "I never understood why she ends "As If We Never..." with a bit of "New Ways to Dream"... is that a dumb question to ask?"

I saw the whole song as her reliving her time at the studio and New Ways to Dream is basically what she did when she was in her prime--it's more of her trying to recapture that time in her life