Sunset Boulevard BBC Radio 2 with Petula Clark and Michael Ball- Page 2

[peerrjb]

Posted: 9/17/11 at 3:45am

Well, ChiChi, it's possible that with this particular score on that particular night, being in a CONCERT of a piece which is not all that deep/rich/wise to START with might have ended up not as strong because she wasn't as entrenched in what that tour-director found in her and helped her discover...and mightn't have been "in place" at this point. From my own experience, I can add that in the performing I've done in both "show" and "club" settings [the latter being a semi-equivalent of a "concert-version"], the material often gets richer and has more life when ALL the theatrical elements are surrounding me.

[Sinfonia2001]

Posted: 9/17/11 at 4:32am

It's not unusual that Ball recorded sunset boulevard before the original cast because Lloyd-Webber actually allowed Streisand record With One Look before Patti Did. He wanted to promote the show before it opened, although I think it's a douchy move.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 9/17/11 at 7:40pm

I love and adore Michael. Always have, always will

His rendition of Joe Gillis, specifically the title song, is the only thing I like about this musical.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 9/18/11 at 12:22am

Meh. I saw that 2nd U.S. tour with Petula at L.A.'s Pantages, as well, and while it wasn't all terrible, some of the choices were odd to say the least.

I remember people saying the show would be a snooze fest without the much-hyped floating mansion of the original production, which I had seen twice with Glenn at the Shubert. The show, in its 2nd tour worked very well without John Napier's impressive scenery. Too bad the director had to louse it up and the lighting designer didn't help either.

Some of the sets were fugly, too, consisting of very bland looking backdrops, which I'm guessing were put in place to conceal stagehands making scene changes. Norma's mansion was OK and the opening scene was well staged. "Too Much In Love to Care" was too cheesy, with Joe and Betty hopping on various studio props (an ice cream vendor's cart, or something, and other cutesy 'kiddie' stuff). I recall the lighting designer having a thing for hot pink or magenta-like colored lighting which was loud, distracting, and made the studio scene of "As If We Never Said Goodbye" appear to be taking place in a raunchy night club.

I had always wondered why Joe appears next to the pool at the top of act 2 fully clothed in a white suit and singing about having gotten, well, his pool. You'd think he wanted a pool so he could swim in it and that get-up he appears in is weird. So when I heard Joe appears wearing only swimming trunks in the 2nd U.S. tour, I felt it would be a minor but nice added touch.

But when I saw it, it was just awkward. Not because he was half naked but because it took away focus on what he was singing about and all you saw was Joe drying himself off and singing about being a user in his skivvies. I liked the tacky white suit better, lol.

Clark was alright, although she did this odd twang accent thing that was distracting.

Updated On: 9/18/11 at 12:22 AM

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/19/11 at 9:48pm

Sunset Boulevard BBC Radio 2 with Petula Clark and Michael Ball
Posted On:9/17/11 at 03:45

"it's possible that with this particular score on that particular night, being in a CONCERT of a piece which is not all that deep/rich/wise to START with might have ended up not as strong because she wasn't as entrenched in what that tour-director found in her and helped her discover...and mightn't have been "in place" at this point."

Right, but I think it's more tacky when performers of a certain caliber can't even remember their lines. Concert or no concert.

"Clark was alright, although she did this odd twang accent thing that was distracting."

She is rather known for this "twang."

[PattiLover]

Posted: 9/20/11 at 10:53am

"Too Much In Love to Care" was too cheesy, with Joe and Betty hopping on various studio props (an ice cream vendor's cart, or something, and other cutesy 'kiddie' stuff)

Wrong, My Oh My. It was a hot dog cart. I will never forget that moment. Thankfully, they used a picture from that scene as a press photo in the local paper. I clipped it out and showed my friends who didn't believe me. What a ridiculous revamping of an already flawed show.

If I recall, Norma's mansion was basically the Masquerade set from a Phantom tour...

I love Sunset, but I don't ever want to see such an awful production of that show EVAH again.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/21/11 at 11:25pm

And, again, they turned so much of what was supposed to be sung into spoken dialogue.