The Post-Modern Nomad

This incarnation of Sunset Boulevard began in the West End of London and has now moved to Broadway to be Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's fourth show running on Broadway concurrently; joining "School of Rock", the recent revival of "Cats", and of course the long-running "Phantom of the Opera". Notably, this production stars Glenn Close ("Guardians of the Galaxy" (2015)) in a Norma Desmond-esque return to "where she belongs". Being of a younger generation and not having grown up with Broadway on my pop-culture radar I feel like I really miss the significance of this heralded return. I am most familiar with Ms. Close's film career, but I acknowledge that is probably a result of my generation so I can't really count that against anyone. More on Ms. Close's performance later.

"Sunset Boulevard" is an adaptation of a 1950 noir film of the same name. It takes place in the golden era of Hollywood and shares the same self-obsession, making countless jokes about and nods to the industry, especially how hard it is to get a job and make money in Hollywood. Ultimately the story follows struggling writer Joe Gillis (Michael Xavier) who befriends and becomes begrudgingly involved with the aged, but legendary film star Norma Desmond (Close). It is a tragic story of an out of touch actress that wants to return to the spotlight of her 20's despite now being in her 50's and having been long forgotten by the cruel and fast-paced world of Hollywood. With some dramatic twists and turns, the story was most predictable but still provided a couple surprises towards the end. One thing is clear in this production, though, it's not about the story. With a 41-piece orchestra featured prominently front-and-center on stage this production feels more like an over-staged concert of "Sunset Boulevard" than a true revival. The performances are all admirable, Fred Johanson has an unbelievable vocal range and an ominous presence as Max von Mayerling, Norma's right-hand man, and butler. Siobhan Dillion plays the cute and bookish Betty Schaeffer well, but with little memorability. Michael Xavier also gives a fine performance as the charming Joe Gillis. Most audience members will remember his costume at the top of Act 2 when he is poolside in his tight speedo; even going so far as to take it off teasingly under a towel wrapped around his waist. Most of the audience seemed to really get a kick out of that tease, but I couldn't stop wondering where they hid his microphone as I couldn't see his any wires or his hairline from way up in the rear mezzanine. The ensemble, many with featured roles and named characters, have a relatively easy job on this one, being in a few massive group scenes, but otherwise settled off stage for a majority of the show.

However, as is clear by some of the marketing of this show, only one thing matters in this production; the music. This is represented in two parts, the first being Glen Close's practiced and perfected performance as Norma Desmond. She is as marvelous on stage as the hype around the show makes her out to be. Her scenes are a masterclass in acting and her voice soars along with the score. Having attended performance number 6 out of 8 for that week I was surprised to not detect any hint of exhaustion in her voice. It is true that Ms. Close embodies Norma Desmond but thankfully maintains her relevance and talent. She will not be tossed aside as her character has. The next focus of this production is the massive orchestra mentioned above. I can only assume with so many musicians on that stage - the largest on Broadway to my knowledge - I can only assume someone was trying to make up for all of the musicians that "In Transit" didn't hire. The music is simply beautiful; at most times rich and flowing, but also sometimes subtle and supportive to the action on stage. The problem comes when the only thing happening is the music. At times the direction by Lonny Price at times felt sparse as there were many moments with nothing happening on stage while the orchestra continues it's underscoring, including a very confusing and underwhelming attempt at putting a car chase on a unit set. It is obvious that the massive and repetitive score is a weight hanging on the neck of the production as it tries to drive the scenes forward. However, with such names involved, I can only imagine the battles that would break out if any mention of cutting that score came up. 

Technically the show was nothing to write home about. The unit set, comprised of staircases to nowhere in particular and platforms that acted as various locations, was lackluster. The set tried to replicate the look of an abandoned Hollywood studio while also being flexible enough to change to Norma's mansion, but failed to do either most of the time. The lighting design was nothing notable, utilizing projections of and old movie footage to set the time period, but it never really drove the plot or added anything of real value. I feel that I must give a shout-out to the props artisans, though. There were two props in particular that stuck out to me because they must have taken a massive amount of time and money to build, but got a few seconds of stage time. The first is a full-bodied life-like Chimpanzee; I'd like to imagine that instead of it being bought (because where would one buy such a thing) that it was molded and the hairs put in by hand. I thought it had to only be a bust with a fake body because it was covered by a sheet until an ensemble member grappled with the stiff corpse and lifted it, giving the audience a peek at the monkey's full moon. The second prop that caught my eye during it's 30 seconds on stage was the full and fully operational antique car that Max drives across the front of the stage with Norma and Joe in the back seat. This gorgeous automobile - a short, but important part of the narrative - must have been a huge burden on the budget to only be used once. Truly these are both purchases fit for the endless coffers of Norma Desmond (or Really Useful Group in reality). An honorable mention goes to the floating body that hangs, uncovered in front of the proscenium, for the entire show starting from the first scene. Even during intermission the dense black show curtain - without any logo or projection - is marred by the petrified body in a brown suit. From where I was sitting he could be seen the whole show and his feet even poked into a couple scenes.