Lot666 said: "I just realized that I neglected to address a few production/design aspects in my earlier post.
In the original production, wasn't the car chase sequence done with projections? If so, why not use the same approach here? I thought the people-holding-lamps idea was cute, if not 100% effective, and have to wonder if projections would've done a better job.
In the original it was an incredibly sophisticated thing of projections, windows opening with the actors in it and moving. It was very clever and unique but honestly, I wouldn't have cared had they just done a film sequence of it. In any event, I think they're always sensitive to the criticism "why make the movie a staged musical" - and simply doing the projections would've brought that criticism to life again. So I liked this approach... definitely a lot better than what I was prepared for reading some posts before hand.
I like the inclusion of dead-Joe-in-the-pool for the opening. Again, I suspect that the original effect was probably far superior, but if that was too extravagant to reproduce here, then I'm glad they went with the under-lit mannequin on wires rather than abandoning all suggestion of the pool. I do agree, however, with many who thought it odd that the body goes up to the ceiling and just hangs there for the rest of the show (true story: the woman seated next to me on Thursday evening asked at the interval if that was a real man they had suspended up there). Of course, it's done this way because there is literally no where else for the body to go because it hangs in front of the proscenium (whereas if it came from behind the proscenium it could be raised up into the flys).
I thought this could've been solved rather simply by immediately turning off the lights on the body when Joe says "...you've come to the right party" and snaps his fingers to turn on the spotlight over the upright bass player positioned up in his "bedroom" area. The audience's attention at that point is effectively draw over to stage left and the body could be quickly dropped back down into the "pool" in the dark. I think this would also make the end work better as well, because the current design where the body just floats down from the sky looks quite odd, especially with the photographers snapping pictures of the "pool" surface when the body hasn't even gotten there yet. If the body was kept down in the pit after the opening, the stage could go to black immediately after Joe falls into the pool, the body could quickly be raised to visible level in the darkness, and then the "watery" blue under-lighting could be faded up so that the floating body is briefly the only thing visible until finally turning the spotlights on the reporters/photographers.
I have to look back - last year in London they had a post-show Q & A with Lonnie Price where he answered questions and this was one of them. I believe there was something about wanting that presence there throughout the show.
When Max plays the organ, why not put something - anything! - in front of him? Would it really have been so difficult and/or expensive to shove a fake keyboard there for that scene?
Agreed... They put a car on stage, I doubt a keyboard would've been difficult to do...
The "Ghost Norma" idea was hit-and-miss for me, but I think the concept failed more often than it succeeded (am I correct that this character was not in the original production?). The only time it sort of worked was briefly during the New Year's Eve waltz, when Joe switched from "Ghost Norma" to real Norma in slow motion. Otherwise, it was an unnecessary distraction.
I honestly loved this addition. Particularly during "The Perfect Year" which made the song that much more heartbreaking to me as you see Norma completely lost in her delusions there.
I very much liked the "rewind" sequence when Betty is en route to the mansion and Joe sits alone on the sofa, staring straight ahead while various vignettes depict nightmarish takes on earlier events in the story. Is this new for the revival?
In the original production, a scrim came down, they had a projection of rain, and a car driving to the house simulating Betty coming to the house. I can't remember for sure, but I believe in the 2nd US Tour, this was one of the additions they had made - which makes it a much more effective moment. But yes, it makes the ending much more dramatic and climactic as you see the whole thing blowing up and Joe starting to realize it.
This all underlines to me a belief I always had about the original Sunset - and that is Trevor Nunn. So many of the scenes were just missed opportunities or had people all standing around watching someone sing - rather than actually acting. I think that's why Glenn was such a massive improvement from Patti - she is simply a phenomenal actress who knew how to act the role - not simply sing it in beautiful costumes on a spectacular set. I also think that's why with each Norma (betty, elaine, rita moreno, petula clark) you kept gettin very different feelings and experiences of the show - because there was so little direction/focus - the Norma's all had a lot more free-reign to kind of play it however they wanted - which while great for the actresses, kind of shows how little Nunn brought to the original, especially compared to what Lonny has done here.
