chernjam said: "Lot666 said: "...
But make no mistake, I am quite keen to see the revival and will be there this Wednesday and Thursday evenings, back to back!"
So Lot666 - Come on - how was it for you?????? :)"
Sorry, I can't type more than a few words in the BWW mobile app, had to wait till I got home for computer access. 
For the March 8 evening performance, I was in the front row center aisle seat (row AA, seat 102). This is much too close to the stage and is only beneficial in that you can see the performers' faces very clearly. I don't think the first row of the orchestra should be sold as "Premium Seating"; the Palace Theatre stage is very wide (reminded me of the Gershwin) and I found myself continually scanning from side to side to take everything in. Also, the projections are very difficult to discern at such close proximity and the sound mixing is less than optimal (the voices are not sufficiently out in front of the soundstage created by the audio system). For my money, this seat was not worth $299.
As some of you may recall, I had some reservations about Mr. Xavier because I do not care for the way he pronounces/sings the words "Sunset Boulevard" in online videos of the title song. I won't say that this is not true of his live performances, but it was less "offensive" (less noticeable?) to my ears and overall I think he did a very nice job. I particularly liked the way he delivered many of his recitative and spoken dialog bits, as he made Joe's words flow more naturally than Alan Campbell did on the L.A. cast recording (Mr. Campbell often sounded to me as though he was playing a vintage film gangster). Xavier's combination of emphasis, enunciation, and facial expression diminished, and in some cases eliminated, the occasional awkwardness of the lyrics and dialog written by Mr. Black and Mr. Hampton. I do agree, however, with those who felt that he leans too far toward the comedic. This approach works well through most of act one, as Joe meets and gets to know Norma, but a full realization of the situation in which he has become embroiled arrives with his telephone call to Max on New Year's Eve, and by this point he should no longer be laughing.
Ms. Close is unquestionably a "great star", but her performance on the evening of March 8 fell short of her abilities. She seemed to be consciously restraining her attempts at any big notes because she didn't think she would succeed, and in the few instances when she tried, her voice either cracked quite noticeably or she fell off the note very quickly (she was quite wide of the mark on the final note of "With One Look", both in the first act and in the reprise at the end of the show). This is not to say that I believe Norma's singing should be perfect, or even great; on the contrary, a strong, melodious voice would seem contradictory for a character who declaims that she doesn't need words because she has a face (as an inverse, consider a Christine in Phantom who can't hit the required notes). Whatever her shortcomings on this particular evening, the audience adored Ms. Close and their response was impassioned from her very first appearance on the staircase.
I was very pleased with Mr. Johanson as Max. He is fiercely protective and has the requisite bearing to intimidate and even threaten (You're Miss Desmond's German Shepherd?) whenever Norma is in any way disrespected or imperiled. Although he would benefit from just a little more power in his upper range, Johanson's performance of "The Greatest Star of All" was otherwise very moving and one of the highlights of the show for me. I also very much liked how, at the end of the "chimp's last rites" scene, as Norma fell onto the casket and wept, both of his white-gloved hands shot out to grasp her shoulders and then stopped short at the last second. Johanson plays Max with an unquestioning and bottomless love for Norma, and he demonstrates his character's true feelings through innumerable subtle gestures throughout the show.
Ms. Dillon is lovely as Betty, but somehow never manages to stand out. Although I found no fault in her performance, she had no definitive "moment" similar to Johanson's "The Greatest Star of All". This character's one and only chance to shine is when she and Joe finish their script and take a stroll through the backlot. In this production, the backlot scene seemed more verbose than on the L.A. cast recording, with lots of spoken dialog before they finally sing "Too Much In Love to Care" (was that dialog always there, but cut from the recording?). I was also expecting more discernible heartbreak and tears in the final scene, when she tells Joe than she can't look at him anymore and runs from the house.
I thought the ensemble was very strong in their big production numbers, with the endearing Katie Ladner being a standout. Paul Schoeffler was impressive as DeMille in his reprise of "Surrender" at the end of the Paramount scene in the second act.
The car was a surprise! Given the pared-down staging, I was expecting something more akin to a cardboard cutout and was particularly astonished to see it "drive" off the stage, seemingly of its own volition.
I went to the stage door after the show, where the entire cast was very gracious. The ensemble came out first, followed soon after by Fred, Preston, and Siobhan. When they had left, a security announcement warned that photographs of Michael and Glenn were allowed, but selfies were not. The two stars then came out together, with Glenn's dog Pip literally in tow. Michael expressed to the crowd how grateful they were for the response to the evening's performance (If this was a Saturday, maybe, but we can't believe this is a Wednesday night! You never get a reaction like this in London!). They happily signed for everyone; when I thanked Ms. Close for her time, she replied, "No, no - it is we who should be thanking you for making this possible". After she had left, Michael stayed on a bit longer and began taking selfies with people, the security announcement notwithstanding. When I voiced my surprise, he assured me that it was fine and invited me to take a picture with him.
March 8 Performance: ****
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For the March 9 show, I was in row E, seat 111 (house left). This perspective was a dramatic improvement over the front row and was one of several aspects of this performance that made it notably better than the previous. All of the projections, both on the screen at the front of the stage and on the back wall/set surfaces were much clearer and helped carry the story.
Such minor improvements aside, the real difference from the previous night to tonight was in Norma. It was clear from early on that Ms. Close was, for whatever reason, up to the challenge tonight. She sang "Surrender" in almost a whisper, but then sprang to full life for "Once upon a time, not long ago..." and went on to deliver a top-notch performance of "With One Look", which garnered her first standing ovation of the evening (eschewing truthiness, her voice did crack on the last note, but this was arguably her only miss in the entire evening and she more than made up for it later).
When Norma paid her visit to Paramount in the second act, Ms. Close had the entire house in the palm of her hand. As Hogeye's spotlight hit its mark, her face collapsed like a dam giving way to a river. Overwhelming emotion mingled with tears and seemed to pour down the entire front of her. Just when the audience feared she might succumb, Ms. Close pulled herself back from the brink as she began to reason, "I don't know why I'm frightened, I know my way around here". Norma's eventual realization that she'd "come home at last" was one of ineffable joy and there was indeed "magic in the making" all around her. Many in the audience likely expected that this penultimate moment would be the highlight of the evening, and the resultant spontaneous and interminable ovation had to be overtly interrupted by Ms. Close herself in order to allow the show to resume. Norma wasn't done yet.
From an acting perspective, Ms. Close's face in the aforementioned spotlight was arguably the defining moment of the show. Vocally, however, she had yet to play her ace; that came in the final scene. After uttering her immortal line (And now, Mr. DeMille, I am ready for my close-up), Ms. Close seemed to draw on some previously untapped reserve as she launched into her reprise of "With One Look". As she built to the final, "With one look, I'll be...", I found myself rooting for her to blow the roof off the Palace Theatre.
And that's just what she did.
She hit that "...MEEEEEEEEE!!!" and held it all the way until the orchestra brought the note to its full and proper finish. With one note, she was Norma. The curtain plummeted behind her, the theatre went black, and the audience blew up.
During the interval, I had learned from the couple seated next to me that they were visiting from Ohio and this was their first-ever Broadway show. As we leapt to our feet, I turned to them and said, "I'm sorry, but you picked the wrong introduction to Broadway. After that, it's going to be all downhill."
March 9 Performance: *****
==> this board is a nest of vipers <==
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
Updated On: 3/13/17 at 02:53 PM
