Sunset Boulevard BBC Radio 2 with Petula Clark and Michael Ball

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/15/11 at 11:18pm

I just acquired the audio recording of this broadcast and thought it was interesting.

The vocals are not as great as some other recordings, but this one was also done live so it's interesting to hear mistakes in the lyrics and/or orchestrations. Speaking of which, the orchestra did a VERY nice job.

Has anyone else heard this? I'd be interested in hearing what other people have to say about it.

Please...only positive energy on this thread

Updated On: 9/16/11 at 11:18 PM

[LW2]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 12:13am

I used to have several of the BBC Radio 2 musical recordings, till my computer crashed and lost them all. I thought they were sort of fascinating. I seem to recall a Follies with Donna McKechnie as Phyllis, King & I with Barbara Cook and Mame with Julia McKenzie among others. I heard this Sunset Blvd recording a time or two before it was gone and remember enjoying it. I saw Ms. Clark on tour in Sunset in 99 or 00 with Lewis Cleale as Joe and, as my first exposure to the show, I loved it. Perhaps if I saw/heard it now, I would be less impressed, but I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Clark's performance.

[jo]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 12:40am

Michael Ball is one of the best voices in musical theatre on both sides of the Atlantic ( original Marius in LesMis, second Raoul in the West End Phantom, original Alex in Aspects of Love in London and Broadway, Giorgio in Passion in London, original Caractacus Potts in Chitty in London, second Count Fosco in London but originated the role on Broadway for The Woman in White, Reginald Bunthorne in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience at the New York City Opera, the poet Hajj in the English National Opera's revival of Kismet ( singing with Alfie Boe), an Olivier-award winning Edna in London's Hairspray... and a forthcoming role as Sweeney Todd in the UK. Plus the most successful concert and recording career among musical theatre stars!

He does have a great singing voice, including this concert version of SUNSET BOULEVARD. He was actually the first to sing the role when Lloyd-Webber first premiered the musical score in his English estate,Sydmonton.

Emma Williams, who sang the role of Betty, has a lovely soprano and she has also been in several stage musicals. The first one was in Chitty as Truly Scumptious and the most recent one was in Love Story.

Not too sure of the vocals of Petula Clark...but she was an exciting pop star when she was much younger.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 1:03am

I love Petula in the role. I've only heard one copy of this concert, but the audio quality was pretty lousy. Is there a better copy out there?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 1:07am

It's from 2004.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 1:11am

Concert version and great voice aside, wouldn't ball have been too old for the role if it was done in 04? Just saying.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 2:19am

Isn't the audio in question, in fact, a concert version that was broadcast? Correct me if I'm wrong.

In that case, Michael Ball would have been too old for Marius in the 10th anniversary concert of Les Mis back in '95. But he was wonderful, as usual, and I think different rules apply in concert performances when it comes to age, which put more emphasis on vocal performance.

Updated On: 9/16/11 at 02:19 AM

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 4:27am

I used to have it but got rid of it. Love Emma Williams in the role but for me Michael Ball and Petula Clarke were terrible in comparison to every other recording i have.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 8:01am

Yes, it was 2004. The show hadn't even debuted in London until 1993, they wouldn't have had a live radio broadcast of a concert version then.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/90205-BBC-Radio-to-Rebroadcast-Petula-Clark-Michael-Ball-Sunset-Boulevard

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 2:25pm

Yeah, it is from 2004, I have it and enjoy it. Petula Clark isn't anything special but she does a decent enough job. I love Michael Ball as Gillis. He might be a bit old for the role William Holden was 32 in the movie and Ball was 42 for the concert, not too much of a stretch on stage.

[Sinfonia2001]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 5:08pm

Actually, it was Kevin Anderson, not Michael Ball, who premiered Sunset at Sydmonton, along with Patti Lupone. Hence, it was basically an "audition" and they both played the original Joe and Norma.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 5:18pm

As I said in the original post, I was unsure about the date. It looks like we've established it several times over now.

I am not a Michael Ball fan. I guess I just don't appreciate his voice. I thought Petula was good in the tour I saw, but she sings it on this recording as if it's the first time she's ever sung the role. For me, my favorite performance is Betty. I've never heard a more beautiful voice sing the role.

Additionally, I think since it was a concert Michael should have just stuck to his normal accent. He did not do the American think very well. In fact, it was pretty bad.

I don't think this comes close to being the best recording of the show. I just thought it was a nice thing to come across since it is, without a doubt, my favorite Webber score.

Updated On: 9/16/11 at 05:18 PM

[Sinfonia2001]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 5:21pm

I was referring to the person who said Michael Ball was the first to sing the role, which is false.

[06s091]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 5:32pm

Actually Michael WAS the first to play the role. He did so at the 1991 Sydmonton festival with Ria Jones, Frances Rufelle and Kevin Colson.
Kevin and Patti did a rewritten version of the show in 1992 also at Sydmonton.
Updated On: 9/16/11 at 05:32 PM

[Sinfonia2001]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 5:42pm

Where did you find this info? I didn't know there was a 1991 reading with Ball. I can't find it.

[Sinfonia2001]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 5:46pm

Actually I just found the YouTube video of Ria and it says Michael Ball dated 1991. I stand corrected and I apologize to the earlier person, you were right. Thanks for the clarification. I learned something today.

[06s091]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 5:57pm

It's perfectly fine. :)
I probably only know it because I'm a Michael Ball fan and thus have seen the video of that performance.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 6:00pm

Anderson was so dreamy back then...sigh

So I've been unable to find information about the 1st U.S. tour. I saw the press reels on You Tube, but I'm curious, what cities did the short lived 1st U.S. tour hit?

Updated On: 9/16/11 at 06:00 PM

[06s091]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 6:20pm

I only know of it's last two cities: St. Louis and Chicago.
Updated On: 9/16/11 at 06:20 PM

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 8:51pm

I liked the 2nd tour, but it was also the only version of the show available to me at the time. I didn't like the guy who played Joe. I don't remember his name, but I do remember it was a matinee and the understudy was on for him. I HATED how they changed a lot of what was sung into spoken dialogue. Nasty.

[jo]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 9:54pm

>>>I was referring to the person who said Michael Ball was the first to sing the role, which is false.<<<

As someone earlier said - Michael did sing the role when the musical score was first presented at Sydmonton.

Michael was fresh from his ASPECTS OF LOVE stints at the West End and on Broadway in 1991 - and he was closely associated with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lloyd Webber called Michael " an untrained Pavarotti" when he cast him in Aspects of Love.

At the time that Lloyd Webber had first presented his score at Sydmonton, there were rumors that Michael would have taken the role, except it eventually went to an American Equity performer who could have easily taken it to Broadway. Sadly, the actors who opened the show on Broadway were Glenn and Alan, not Patti and Kevin. Water under the bridge...

When Michael became the first musical theatre performer to present a full concert at the famous PROMS ( classical music festival) in England, which was considered a very singular honor for a musical theatre artist, Andrew Lloyd Webber was a prominent guest and was interviewed by BBC about an actor he has been closely associated with over the years.

I agree that the American accent had lapsed into his native English accent, but I am not very particular over those things. I just like listening to Michael sing!

He and Emma(Betty) were in Chitty together, as Caractacus and Truly. You will find a few YouTube clips of them singing other songs because Michael has invited Emma in many of his past concerts. Michael was also a producer in the recent West End LOVE STORY, in which Emma starred.


Updated On: 9/16/11 at 09:54 PM

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/16/11 at 10:20pm

I've never been overly fond of his voice, but I do enjoy Aspects of Love.

[jo]

Posted: 9/17/11 at 12:09am

I forgot to add something else that related to the opening of Sunset Boulevard in London --

At the supposed urging of Andrew Lloyd Webber ( he would have to give his permission for this to happen), Michael Ball released a single on the title song SUNSET BOULEVARD. This was rather unusual as it preceded the original cast recording with Patti Lupone and Kevin Anderson.

[peerrjb]

Posted: 9/17/11 at 3:33am

I saw Ms. Clark as "Norma" in a redesigned and redirected touring company of "Sunset Blvd." at the Pantages Theatre in LA a number of years ago. She was absolutely wonderful. Somewhere along the line, it had been remembered that the story is a black comedy assassinating Hollywood, with Norma and Joe as the lynchpins of the lynchmob. Ms. Clark's first scene was brutally funny, much as was Ms. Swanson's [and since SHE had been directed by the original writer, I'm figuring that WAS the intent] and her take on all that overheated stuff in the latter parts of the show was refreshingly nuts and sad, not hyperventilated. Not being fond of the score to the show overall, it was really terrific to hear/see it ACTED. She made the piece work in a marvelous way.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/17/11 at 3:38am

I think she did a great job in the tour and I know exactly what you're talking about. That's why I was surprised she wasn't stronger on this concert.