Sunset Boulevard Cher as Norma

ALW initially approached Cher to replace Close in L.A. but she declined which is when Dunaway accepted the offer. He later again approached Cher to replace Buckley (not Close) in the Broadway production. Cher was interested and auditioned at the Minskoff Theatre in full Norma Desmond costume (numerous cast members can confirm this and no, there never were press photos taken of her in costume). They say she was spectacular. Cher requested to have the keys lower for her vocal range, which ALW didn’t want to do again as he did it for Carroll and he wasn’t happy with the results. Cher moved on.

Lots of back-n-forth throughout the show’s run which obviously never panned out, but for a moment it looked like it could have happened as she was interested and money wasn’t an issue. Also, Bernadette Peters was set to have replaced Buckley but she wanted too much money so ALW brought over Elaine Paige instead to replace Buckley.

According to a reputable poster here years ago, she was asked to open the Toronto production but couldn't due to her chronic fatigue syndrome at the time.

Never heard about Bernadette Peters being offered Norma. Not sure why I never considered her before. She would have been great.

I believe the story of Bernadette Peters as a possible replacement for Norma Desmond is also a (more recent) urban legend. Hers was never a name floated in the press (and there were MANY names rumoured at the time, including, yes, Cher). I also think Norma Desmond would have been a complete outlier to the types of roles Bernadette Peters was playing- up to and during that time - and frankly a complete outlier to the types of roles she has taken since.

In other words, it just feels too out of left field a suggestion for me to seriously believe either ALW or Bernadette Peters would have thought casting her in Sunset Boulevard was a good idea for anybody.

Yes, after Cher declined, ALW approached numerous other actresses including Liza Minnelli. This post was regarding Cher so the info posted solely focused on her involvement.

From what's been reported over the years:



Cher was very close to taking the role on Broadway, with her friend John Barrowman playing 'Joe Gillis' (that was part of her negotiations for the role, and Barrowman was 100% behind it). In the end, the deal fell apart. According to Cher (years later, in an interview in London) she said "He simply couldn't afford me" (referring to ALW) when asked what was the deal breaker. According to a spokesperson for RUG, Cher had released her (new) album "It's A Man's World" stateside the last week of June, 1996 and could not commit to a schedule of rehearsals - she was busy with promoting her new album around the country. in her contractual agreement with WB Records. (Buckley's replacement would be taking over the first week of September, it would never work out if Cher missed rehearsals in July and August).



Before signing on with Elaine Paige, it was said ALW offered the role to Diana Ross (she only wanted to do the Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances and have her understudy fill in the others) Olivia Newton-John, Barbara Eden, Dixie Carter, Shirley Jones, Jennifer Holiday, Joan Collins, Tyne Daly and Bernadette Peters. Daly said she was 'interested', but after talking to Betty Buckley about the physical demands of the role (the actress playing the part would climb up and down nearly 1,000 stairs by the end of the week's performances), she declined. Supposedly, Peters declined for the same reasons.



As for Liza, let us not forget - shortly after she married David Gest in 2002, they announced to the press she was going to star as 'Norma Desmond' in the movie version of the musical. Gest said it was a done deal, everything was negotiated and signed off, and production was to start 'within months'. . ALW said none of that was true. 21 years later, I guess ALW was telling the truth.

It's difficult to think of anyone more ill-suited to the role than Tyne Daley. However, I belong to that despised minority who never liked Close as Norma.

Impeach2017 said: "It's difficult to think of anyone more ill-suited to the role than Tyne Daley. However, I belong to that despised minority who never liked Close as Norma."

I'm with you on that. I think acting-wise Close was very good but she butchers the score for me.

Was Chita ever in consideration? Or was Spiderwoman too much of a distraction?

Ke3 said: "Diana Ross and Jennifer Holliday are the most interesting names to me because he told Diahann Carroll being Black made her wrong for the role. I guess money makes minds change fairly quick."

Agree - Carroll always implied that ALW didn't think Norma Desmond should be played by an actress who was black. She never outright accused him of being racist himself, but implied he had 'racist thoughts' about the role. (She makes this clear in her 2008 memoir).

Yet she doesn't address the fact that Ross and Holiday were both sought after. Something doesn't connect there.

Ke3 said: "Diana Ross and Jennifer Holliday are the most interesting names to me because he told Diahann Carroll being Black made her wrong for the role. I guess money makes minds change fairly quick."

I mean the show is very much about the politics of casting in old Hollywood. Hattie McDaniels wasn't even allowed to sit in the theatre during the Academy Awards ceremony the year she won. I can maybe see where he might be coming from. It's also possible he's just racist; although, he did have Robert Guillaume playing the Phantom around the same time, so who knows?

Owen22 said: "Close could not belt like her predecessor in the role, so the skilled actress that she is, she was able use her voice in different ways in different songs to convey different meanings and emotions. Sometimes a soft soprano, sometimes her own ugly belt. It was an amazing thing to behold. Now, I'm only talking about her first engagement in the role, her later in life take was as successful acting-wise, but she was too old to control her voice as she had originally done."

I know what you mean - and I have no doubt she did her absolute best, but I just find it horrible to listen to. I'm obviously in the minority since so many rave about her, which is great.

To try to explain my main issue,I think it's whenever she is switching back and forth from head voice to chest voice - (I think that is the correct terminology? I'm not super knowledgeable about vocal lingo). It's especially bothersome to me in 'Salome'.