Sunset Boulevard Revival Broadway Thread- Page 31

Posted: 3/16/17 at 7:44pm

I saw the "Revival" last night and I can't say with confidence that this show by webber/black/hampton deserves a second look.

Yes, it is a former best musical winner, but you have to put it in context with what was happening in the commercial theater the year it was eligible. It was a NOTORIOUSLY weak year for new musicals with only one other nominee...Smokey Joe's Cafe (a musical revue at best). Plus, Sunset Boulevard was the only nominee for original score/book of musical. In other years, I highly doubt that the show would have won either of those three awards.  Watching it last night, it was apparent that the show hasn't aged that well.

The book is serviceable, but dated mellow drama of the 1990's where characters real problems are glossed over instead of truly examined. The only memorable parts of the score are Norma's (those still work well, but the lyrics aren't necessarily gold throughout..especially the title song Sunset Boulevard). The recitative is amateurishly written filler at best. The underscoring abruptly switches sounds from that of hollywood film glamour to what seems like cut material from webber's unabashedly upbeat Joseph and the amazing technicolor dream coat. The show does work, but age reveals that its not in ways the classics like South Pacific, or the King and I do...it has that late 80's early 90's mega musical style that just doesn't play very well in 2017....we're too sophisticated for it now.

I get how Napier won best set design...which leads me to why they revisited this show without it. Lonny Price has not envisioned something radically different than Trevor Nunn did, so the result is one of confusion and thrift. It looks cheap in all the ways it shouldn't. The scaffolding does not resemble anything having to do with film or old hollywood. Calling this a revival is a stretch, this is a concert staging. Not a problem in the slightest except they are misrepresenting what this is.  This should be at encores, not the palace. And I have to say, as much as I respect Price for his life dedicated to the theater, he has not done this  concert staging any favors....it's confusing, it's half baked, it's just flat out uninspired. Having a young chorus girl play her ghost is ridiculous.

The principal cast is mainly wonderful, and where price has succeeded is in getting their performances. xavier as joe and johanson as max are first rate performers and use all their talents to bring the characters to life. dillon as betsy is winning if not stereotypical ingenue. The legendary close is wonderful as always...you aren't watching close you are watcihng norma. The only thing that I think is truly an issue is her singing. She took flack in the 90's for not really being a singer which i've never understood.  She was a wonderful singer then and sounded the perfect combination of where character meets song....here she just doesn't have the voice anymore and concentrates on on the acting (brilliantly i might add). But, I think its essential to the character for her to be able to sing the score. otherwise she IS just a washed up has been who has no business even trying to go back to work. We need the singing to know that she was a star, had the talent. Those songs need to sound gorgeous for us to understand how much passion she has for what she did and wants to do again. close is giving a screen performance here, but it calls for a musical theater performance....it doesn't work well without her being in full voice.

I get it, with the palace going through construction soon no long running show would want to move in at this point. Plus, close got the reviews in london which they could use to attract people who never saw/want to revisit this ronny award winning performance. And of course its cheap to produce at this level, but this is just not for broadway in this form in my opinion.

 

 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/16/17 at 7:51pm

chernjam said: "CT2NYC said: "Lot666 said: "CT2NYC said: "I saw Glenn, Betty, Karen Mason, and Elaine Paige. If I recall correctly, that was all of the original Normas."

WOW. I guess Petula Clark was only in London, right?

Right, but she also toured with the show in the U.S.

"

CT - I hated Elaine Paige in this.  Thought her singing was overrated (Mason and Buckley definitely were better than Paige) and her acting was ridiculous.  She was playing it almost as a cartoon. 

Glad to know someone agrees with me, and, unfortunately, I don't think it's exclusive to SUNSET BOULEVARD. I've seen her in the live recording of CATS, and there's just something very "cheesy" about her acting. She doesn't inhabit her roles the way that others do. It's all very "acted," for lack of a better word. As far as her voice is concerned, it's good, but it doesn't have that special something that distinguishes it from other good voices. She was my least favorite Norma, by far.

 

[10086sunset]

Posted: 3/16/17 at 9:07pm

standingovation79 said: " I get it, with the palace going through construction soon no long running show would want to move in at this point. Plus, close got the reviews in london which they could use to attract people who never saw/want to revisit this ronny award winning performance. And of course its cheap to produce at this level, but this is just not for broadway in this form in my opinion.

 

This show is far from cheap to stage. The forty piece orchestra speaks to that.

 

 

"

 

[chernjam]

Posted: 3/16/17 at 10:08pm

Standing ovation said: ... Yes it is a former best musical winner, but you have to put it in context with what was happening in the commercial theater the year it was eligible. It was a NOTORIOUSLY weak year for new musicals with only one other nominee...Smokey Joe's Cafe (a musical revue at best). Plus, Sunset Boulevard was the only nominee for original score/book of musical. In other years, I highly doubt that the show would have won either of those three awards.  Watching it last night, it was apparent that the show hasn't aged that well.

 

Completely get not everyone is going to like Sunset. But it should be noted that when t opened in 1995, with a record setting $37.5 million in advance ticket sales (which was only just broken by Hello Dolly with much higher ticket prices btw) that scared a lot of other producers from even wanting to go up in competition that year.  If I remember correctly, passion, beauty and the beast, Rent were shows that opened the seasons before or after Sunset.  So you can't dismiss the awards that year because others decided not to show up and be eclipsed by what was taking up almost all of the theatrical oxygen that year. Just my two cents 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/16/17 at 10:38pm

Standing Ovation: The character is called Betty Schaeffer, not Betsy. 

Posted: 3/16/17 at 11:38pm

Betsy: simple typo. I have a lot of respect for the artists on any show wouldn't do it on purpose.

1995 is known as one of the weakest years in new musicals in that decade...with one other show nominated and not even having a real book, I'm not sure they had to give the award by default that year....however, I get why it would be strange for the Tony brand to not have a BEST MUSICAL that year....but book and score could have been skipped that year. Not that it's the same, but some years they don't give a pulitzer for drama.

the orchestra must be significantly cheaper than doing the full scale musical or I'm not sure this would be possible...the producers must have hit the right numbers in order to make some kind of profit. Nice to see them onstage and even nicer to give her a full bow, but I still think it looked really cheap (don't get me wrong it was never intended on being a full show, I get it. Just an observation, especially considering napier's set is legendary)

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 1:23am

I actually was expecting something to look cheap, since ALW described it as a "staged concert", so my expectations were pretty low, and instead I feel like we got not only a fully staged musical theater piece, but even more than the usual, since the colors of that magnificent orchestra haunted me from the 1st minute the show starts. Also I thought it was going to feel cheap, but I found this production amazing, and far from cheap, and if they really didn't invest much money, well, it looks like they did spend a lot. I thought the mansion was brilliantly done with lights, and Schwab's was just great. I think it looks expensive actually!

[chernjam]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 1:47am

Yeah I don't see "cheap" or even "pared down" when describing this production...  I wouldn't doubt if the weekly costs are near what the original production were (700-800 K a week). The orchestra has to be over $40,000 a week... the main cast is probably near $60,000.  Can't imagine what Glenn and the other three leads are getting. But let's guess that just actors/orchestra salaries are at $200,000.  That's just stage salaries...

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 2:50am

I am definitely happy that the 3 times I saw, I can say that 2 times it was fully sold out. One of the 3 times I saw some empty seats in the balcony. So this lavish production can be considered a hit.

Updated On: 3/17/17 at 02:50 AM

[frik]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 6:32am

I first saw Sunset Boulevard in London's West End, a couple of weeks after its world premiere. The main reason I went was because it's an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, plus the fact I love the movie. I liked (no more than that) Patti LuPone, was not too impressed with the score (sorry guys) but was glad having seen the original production. Over the years, the score grew on me, but I've never seen another SB production.

When it was announced Bette Midler would be back on Broadway there was no doubt in my mind: I just had to be there. Huge Midler fan here.
Now this is easier said than done, as I live in Europe and flying to NYC "just" to see a broadway show.....Well...In December of 1991 I did fly to NYC just to see a movie that wouldn't open in my country (the Netherlands) till February 1992. So why not do the same for Bette and Dolly?

To make a long story a bit shorter, I got my Dolly tickets, but as I was planning to spend a week in New York I really wanted to make the week an event......And see a show every night.

Back to Sunset Boulevard. Of course I had heard about the original Glenn Close production, but had never seen it. I really like Glenn and as I finally considered the score to be one of Webber's better ones, it wasn't too difficult to make this new production a must-see. 

Getting tickets wasn't too difficult. I'll be in New York the last week of April and many good seats were left. But I think I might have made a mistake in my enthusiasm this was so: I got myself two front-row-centre seats, at $299 each....Ouch....
Now I don't mind having spent so much money - the most expensive ever for a Broadway show I attended. But a couple of posts back some people were commenting on the size of the stage and that front-row seats were really to close to take it all in. Great to see miss Close up close, but...

Did I make a mistake in choosing front-row?

sk


 

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 8:33am

CT2NYC said: "chernjam said: CT - I hated Elaine Paige in this.  Thought her singing was overrated (Mason and Buckley definitely were better than Paige) and her acting was ridiculous.  She was playing it almost as a cartoon. 

Glad to know someone agrees with me, and, unfortunately, I don't think it's exclusive to SUNSET BOULEVARD. I've seen her in the live recording of CATS, and there's just something very "cheesy" about her acting. She doesn't inhabit her roles the way that others do. It's all very "acted," for lack of a better word. As far as her voice is concerned, it's good, but it doesn't have that special something that distinguishes it from other good voices. She was my least favorite Norma, by far."

Judging only by videos available online, I think Ms. Paige's voice was lovely (maybe too lovely for the part), but what annoyed me about her performance was the way she tended to sing the first half of a line and then speak (or shout) the rest. It's like she could only sing a note or two at a time and then she had to switch back to talking. Kyle Barisich, the current Raoul in Phantom, does this and it drives me crazy.

I've also watched of videos of Ms. Clark in the role and her accent and intonation are very grating. The way she sang warbled "We gave the WUURRRRLD new ways to dream!" was so bizarre.

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 8:56am

chernjam said: "Yeah I don't see "cheap" or even "pared down" when describing this production... "

I think it's all relative. One could certainly argue that this production looks "pared down" next to the original Napier design, but when viewed outside that context it seems no less than a typical "minimalist" Broadway show design. When it comes to musicals, I tend to gravitate toward large productions so I don't have a whole lot to compare it to there, but it's as staged as Fun Home was and it's definitely more lavish than the current Sunday in the Park revival. Next to a show like the revival of Equus a few years back with Daniel Radcliffe (which, for the record, I loved), this Sunset looks downright expensive.

Updated On: 3/20/17 at 08:56 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 9:08am

frik said: "...I'll be in New York the last week of April and many good seats were left. But I think I might have made a mistake in my enthusiasm this was so: I got myself two front-row-centre seats, at $299 each....Ouch....
Now I don't mind having spent so much money - the most expensive ever for a Broadway show I attended. But a couple of posts back some people were commenting on the size of the stage and that front-row seats were really to close to take it all in. Great to see miss Close up close, but...

Did I make a mistake in choosing front-row?"

The first time I saw the show, I sat in the exact same aisle seat you bought and I'm the one who posted about it earlier in this thread. Yes, you will see every detail of Ms. Close's face, but I really don't feel that this row should be sold as "premium seating". The stage at the Palace Theatre is very wide and you simply cannot keep your eyes on everything going on from so close, and the projections will be a wash. The experience is like sitting about a foot from a television screen. If you can convince Ticketmaster to allow it, I would exchange those seats for something in the same section, but at least 4-5 rows back. 

BTW, I'll also be in New York during the last week of April to see it again. My seats for that performance (April 29) are in center orchestra row E, on the aisle.

[Alec3]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 9:23am

SK, replying to your front row question:

I also had front row seats. The good news is, you will be able to see Glenn Close, and cast very well, and feel the power of it.

The bad news is you will miss the effect of the B&W film projections, up close they look out of focus. Also, surprising to me, is that no one ever mentioned all the smoke! Surprised Glenn can deal with that! At intermission, I felt a bit light headed and a little nauseous. (It's not as much smoke as The Present or Wicked, just that hazy effect smoke they keep pumping in.)

in hindsight, I wish I had done fifth/sixth row, but honestly you will love it and feel they are presenting just for you.

Also house left is better than house right. The only thing you get with house right is Title Song, with M. Xavier in his tiny swimsuit. I know, that may be important to some. On the left side you get Norma's home scenes, staircase activities. With One Look, is centere, but a bit to house left also. Super far house right, first row, would not be good.

I also thought the sound was Superb for a front row seat, often front row is not great in a musical, due to speaker placements.

You will have a great time front row, you will feel they are performing just for you! Enjoy!

 

[Alec3]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 9:37am

Had an additional thought on Sunset Boulevard.

I agree with most of the positive comments on here, so don't want to re-hash.

I have been thinking a lot tho about this production, and the real soul/needs/wants of the characters. Would love to see a Steven Pasquale / Glenn Close pairing, or Steven with Jan Maxwell.

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 9:59am

Alec3 said: "Also house left is better than house right. The only thing you get with house right is Title Song, with M. Xavier in his tiny swimsuit. I know, that may be important to some. On the left side you get Norma's home scenes, staircase activities. With One Look, is centere, but a bit to house left also. Super far house right, first row, would not be good."

House left gets the corpse. 

Alec3 said: "I also thought the sound was Superb for a front row seat, often front row is not great in a musical, due to speaker placements."

Maybe there was a technical issue when I went, but my experience in the front row was quite the opposite; I thought the sound mixing was poor, with the voices buried behind the orchestra. This was especially true of Mr. Xavier.

[frik]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 11:28am

Lot666 said: "frik said: "...I'll be in New York the last week of April and many good seats were left. But I think I might have made a mistake in my enthusiasm this was so: I got myself two front-row-centre seats, at $299 each....Ouch....
Now I don't mind having spent so much money - the most expensive ever for a Broadway show I attended. But a couple of posts back some people were commenting on the size of the stage and that front-row seats were really to close to take it all in. Great to see miss Close up close, but...

Did I make a mistake in choosing front-row?"

The first time I saw the show, I sat in the exact same aisle seat you bought and I'm the one who posted about it earlier in this thread. Yes, you will see every detail of Ms. Close's face, but I really don't feel that this row should be sold as "premium seating". The stage at the Palace Theatre is very wide and you simply cannot keep your eyes on everything going on from so close, and the projections will be a wash. The experience is like sitting about a foot from a television screen. If you can convince Ticketmaster to allow it, I would exchange those seats for something in the same section, but at least 4-5 rows back. "

Now that is an idea...contacting Ticketmaster. Thanks for the suggestion!

sk

 

 

[frik]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 11:36am

Alec3 said: "SK, replying to your front row question:

I also had front row seats. The good news is, you will be able to see Glenn Close, and cast very well, and feel the power of it.

You will have a great time front row, you will feel they are performing just for you! Enjoy! "

Thanks, Alec3, I'm sure I will.
The seats are front-row centre, so that should help.
Lot666 suggested contacting Ticketmaster and trying to get an exchange. Sounds good, but then again, I love the idea of seeing Glenn Close (and the other actors, obviously) from really close-by.
decisions decisions.....

sk

 

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 11:36am

frik said: "Now that is an idea...contacting Ticketmaster. Thanks for the suggestion!"

Good luck!

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 12:09pm

frik said: "Lot666 suggested contacting Ticketmaster and trying to get an exchange. Sounds good, but then again, I love the idea of seeing Glenn Close (and the other actors, obviously) from really close-by.
decisions decisions....."

The second time I saw the show I sat in center orchestra row E, and I can assure you that you will still be able to see the star up-Close (pun intended) and personal from that distance.

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 12:16pm

Lot666 said:
The second time I saw the show I sat in center orchestra row E, and I can assure you that you will still be able to see the star up-Close (pun intended) and personal from that distance.

"up-Close" is pun-tastic! I love it!

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 12:19pm

CT2NYC said: "I saw Glenn, Betty, Karen Mason, and Elaine Paige."

Watching the old YouTube footage of Betty Buckley, she sang and acted the part quite differently from Ms. Close, but I have to admit that I find her performance to be pretty fabulous. Not saying she's better, but she is different and intriguing. Her somewhat bleating vibrato notwithstanding, I think I would've enjoyed seeing her do this.

[Eliza2]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 12:24pm

I'm seeing it next week from the front row. I saw An American in Paris from the same front row center seat and didn't have a problem with the wide stage. My preference is always to be as close as I can. I've also found that the further back you go, the more chances of disruptive audience members around you. At least when you're in the front row there's nobody in front of you for added distraction.

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 12:36pm

Lot666 said: "CT2NYC said: "I saw Glenn, Betty, Karen Mason, and Elaine Paige."

Watching the old YouTube footage of Betty Buckley, she sang and acted the part quite differently from Ms. Close, but I have to admit that I find her performance to be pretty fabulous. Not saying she's better, but she is different and intriguing. Her somewhat bleating vibrato notwithstanding, I think I would've enjoyed seeing her do this.

Fabulous is the right word. I was in heaven watching her, mainly because her singing voice is my favorite of all the Broadway divas. Her spoken dialogue comes across as a little low-key in the videos, but she really commanded that stage. It was an elegant performance, and her voice is a force of nature, in my humble opinion. Glenn Close put her stamp on the role with a scenery-chewing performance. None of that was on display with Betty Buckley, and I don't think people were ready for a "wounded" Norma. They wanted an over-the-top characterization, to go along with the over-the-top production design. Ironically, Ms. Close is currently giving us a more understated Norma, and people are loving it. 

 

Updated On: 3/17/17 at 12:36 PM

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/17/17 at 1:06pm

CT2NYC said: "Her spoken dialogue comes across as a little low-key in the videos, but she really commanded that stage. It was an elegant performance, and her voice is a force of nature, in my humble opinion."

Elegant is a good word for it. Ms. Buckley seems to have exhibited the necessary gravitas to speak quietly and still have the audience hanging on her words. In contrast to Ms. Close's take-no-prisoners bravado, Betty plays the part with a quietly commanding presence.

CT2NYC said: "...with Betty Buckley, and I don't think people were ready for a "wounded" Norma."

Another apt adjective. In the first mansion scene where Joe meets Norma, she does come across as wounded, yet she also manages to make it clear that underestimating her could have grave consequences.