Sunset Boulevard (musical)

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Sunset Boulevard
SunsetBoulevardLogo.JPG
Original West End Logo
MusicAndrew Lloyd Webber
LyricsDon Black
Christopher Hampton
BookDon Black
Christopher Hampton
BasisSunset Boulevard
by Charles Brackett
Billy Wilder
D. M. Marshman Jr.
Productions1991 Sydmonton Festival
1993 West End
1994 Broadway
1996 US tour
1998 US tour
2001 UK tour
2008 West End
2016 West End
2017 Broadway
2017 UK Tour
AwardsTony Award for Best Musical
Tony Award for Best Original Score
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical

Sunset Boulevard is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. It is based on the 1950 film of the same title.

The plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the fabled Los Angeles street. When young screenwriter Joe Gillis accidentally crosses her path, she sees in him an opportunity to make her return to the big screen, with romance and tragedy to follow.

Opening first in London in 1993, the musical has had several long runs internationally and enjoyed extensive tours. However, it has been the subject of several legal battles and ultimately lost money due to its extraordinary running costs.

Background[]

From approximately 1952 to 1956, Gloria Swanson worked with actor Richard Stapley (aka Richard Wyler) and cabaret singer and pianist Dickson Hughes on a musical adaptation originally entitled Starring Norma Desmond, then Boulevard![1] It ended on a happier note than the film, with Norma allowing Joe to leave and pursue a happy ending with Betty. Rights holder Paramount Pictures originally had given Swanson verbal permission to proceed with the musical, but there had been no formal legal arrangement. On 20 February 1957, Paramount executive Russell Holman wrote to Swanson asking her to cease work on the project because "it would be damaging for the property to be offered to the entertainment public in another form as a stage musical."[2] In 1994, Hughes incorporated material from the production into Swanson on Sunset, based on his and Stapley's experiences in writing Boulevard!. A recording of the entire score, which had been housed in the Gloria Swanson archives at the University of Texas, was released on CD in 2008.

In the early 1960s, Stephen Sondheim outlined a musical stage adaptation and went so far as to compose the first scene with librettist Burt Shevelove. A chance encounter with Billy Wilder at a cocktail party gave Sondheim the opportunity to introduce himself and ask the original film's co-screenwriter and director his opinion of the project (which was to star Jeanette MacDonald). "You can't write a musical about Sunset Boulevard," Wilder responded, "it has to be an opera. After all, it's about a dethroned queen". Sondheim immediately aborted his plans. A few years later, when he was invited by Hal Prince to write the score for a film remake starring Angela Lansbury as a fading musical comedian rather than a silent film star, Sondheim declined, citing his conversation with Wilder.[3]

When Lloyd Webber saw the film in the early 1970s, he was inspired to write what he pictured as the title song for a theatrical adaptation, fragments of which he instead incorporated into Gumshoe.[4] In 1976, after a conversation with Hal Prince, who had the theatrical rights to Sunset, Lloyd Webber wrote "an idea for the moment when Norma Desmond returns to Paramount Studios"; Lloyd Webber did no further work on the play until after 1989's Aspects of Love.[4] At that point, Lloyd Webber "felt it was the subject [he] had to compose next",[4] though by February 1990 he had announced plans to turn Really Useful Group private so he could "make movies rather than musicals."[5][6]

In 1991, Lloyd Webber asked Amy Powers, a lawyer from New York with no professional lyric-writing experience, to write the lyrics for Sunset Boulevard.[7] Don Black was later brought in to work with Powers; the two wrote the version that was performed in 1991 at Lloyd Webber's Sydmonton Festival. This original version starred Ria Jones as Norma, and Michael Ball as Joe Gillis, directed by Andrew MacBean. [8] While a complete story, it was still in the experimental stage and not ready for potential producers. A revised version, written by Black and Christopher Hampton had a complete performance at the 1992 Sydmonton Festival, now with Patti LuPone playing Norma,[9] and Kevin Anderson as Joe Gillis, again. directed by Andrew MacBean. This "met with great success".[7] Lloyd Webber borrowed several of the tunes from his 1986 mini-musical Cricket, written with Tim Rice, which had been performed at Windsor Castle and later at the 1986 Sydmonton Festival.[10]

Synopsis[]

Act I[]

The place: A mansion on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, 5 a.m. A homicide has been reported. Joe Gillis sets the scene ("Prologue"), noting that it involves "an old-time movie star / Maybe the biggest star of all", and that, if you want to know the "real facts", you've "come to the right party."

Flashback to... Hollywood, 1949 - where a down-on-his-luck screenwriter, Joe Gillis, is trying to hustle up some work at Paramount Studios ("Let's Have Lunch"). His appointment with a producer goes poorly when the executive rejects both Joe's proposed script and a loan to bring his car payments up to date. Joe does, however, meet Betty Schaefer, a pretty, young script editor who suggests they collaborate to rework one of his earlier screenplays ("Every Movie's a Circus"). As they chat, car repossession agents spot Joe, who quickly escapes.

During the ensuing chase, Joe evades his pursuers by pulling in to the garage of a palatial but dilapidated mansion on Sunset Boulevard. Beckoned inside the house, Joe encounters Norma Desmond ("Surrender"), a star actress of the silent-film era. Taken aback, Joe comments, "You used to be in pictures; you used to be big," to which Norma retorts, "I am big – it's the pictures that got small!" ("With One Look")

The gloomy estate is inhabited only by Norma and Max von Mayerling, her loyal butler and chauffeur. Although decades past her prime and mostly forgotten by the public, Norma is convinced she is as beautiful and popular as ever. Max perpetuates this illusion by shielding her from the realities of life out of the limelight and by writing her letters purportedly from still-devoted fans. Norma informs Joe that she plans to make her comeback with Salome, a script she has written for Cecil B. DeMille to direct with her in the starring role as the teenage biblical temptress ("Salome"). Dubious but sensing opportunity, Joe accepts her offer to work on editing the script. Norma insists that Joe stay in her home while they collaborate on Salome ("The Greatest Star of All").

Joe immediately realizes the script is incoherent, but because Norma won't allow a major rewrite, the revision drags on for months. During this time Joe is virtually imprisoned within the house, but he does break away to fulfill his commitment to Betty. Their working relationship blossoms into a romance that has her reconsidering her engagement to Joe's best friend, Artie Green ("Girl Meets Boy").

Blind to Joe's opportunism, Norma lavishes him with gifts that include a wardrobe makeover and he becomes her kept man ("The Lady's Paying"). She declares her love for him and turns quite possessive ("The Perfect Year"); when he leaves her to attend Artie's New Year's Eve party ("This Time Next Year"), she is distraught and attempts suicide. As a conciliatory gesture, Joe reluctantly returns to work on Salome.

Act II[]

Joe is now living in luxury at Norma Desmond's mansion, for reasons he bluntly states are mercenary ("Sunset Boulevard"). A cryptic message from Paramount has Norma certain that DeMille is eager to discuss her script ("There's Been A Call"). She drops in on the set of his current film and is greeted warmly by former colleagues and the famed director himself, but he is non-committal about Salome ("As If We Never Said Goodbye"). Meanwhile, Max discovers the studio had called to ask about Norma's Isotta Fraschini, not her screenplay. However, a delusional Norma leaves the lot convinced she'll soon be back in front of the cameras and begins to prepare for the role ("Eternal Youth Is Worth a Little Suffering").

Increasingly paranoid, Norma deduces that Joe and Betty are more than just friends ("Too Much in Love to Care"). She calls Betty to reveal Joe's secret life at the mansion, but he overhears and grabs the phone to tell Betty to come see for herself. Realizing their affair is doomed, Joe brusquely tells her he enjoys being Norma's pet and that she should go back to Artie. Betty departs, confused and brokenhearted, and Joe tells Norma he is leaving her and returning to his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. He also bluntly informs her that Salome is an unfilmable script and her fans have long abandoned her. Furious and grief-stricken, Norma fatally shoots Joe three times as he storms out of the house.

Now completely insane, Norma mistakes the swarms of police and reporters who arrive for studio personnel. Imagining herself on the set of Salome, she slowly descends her grand staircase and utters "And now, Mr. DeMille, I am ready for my close-up."

Major characters[]

  • Norma Desmond — a faded, eccentric, former silent screen star
  • Joe Gillis — a struggling young screenwriter
  • Max von Mayerling – Norma's first husband and butler
  • Betty Schaefer – A budding writer and Joe's love interest
  • Cecil B. DeMille – the famous director
  • Artie Green – Betty's fiancé
  • Myron Sheldrake – a movie producer on the lot
  • Manfred – an expensive tailor

Characters and original cast[]

Character Sydmonton Festival
(1991) 		Sydmonton Festival
(1992) 		West End/London
(1993) 		Los Angeles
(1993) 		Broadway
(1994) 		Toronto
(1995) 		First U.S. National Tour
(1996) 		Australia
(1996) 		Second U.S. National Tour
(1998) 		BBC Radio 2 Concert
(2004) 		West End
(2008) 		West End
(2016) 		Broadway
(2017) 		UK Tour
(2017) 		Brazil
(2019) 		Beverly, Massachusetts
(2019)
Norma Desmond Ria Jones Patti LuPone Glenn Close Diahann Carroll Linda Balgord Debra Byrne Petula Clark Kathryn Evans Glenn Close Ria Jones Marisa Orth Alice Ripley
Joe Gillis Michael Ball Kevin Anderson Alan Campbell Rex Smith Ron Bohmer Hugh Jackman Lewis Cleale Michael Ball Ben Goddard Michael Xavier Danny Mac Nicholas Rodriguez
Betty Schaefer Frances Ruffelle LuAnn Arouson Meredith Braun Judy Kuhn Alice Ripley Anita Louise Combe Lauren Kennedy Catherine Porter Sarah Uriarte Berry Emma Williams Laura Pitt-Pulford Siobhan Dillon Molly Lynch Lizzie Klemperer
Max von Mayerling Kevin Colson Daniel Benzali George Hearn Walter Charles Ed Dixon Norbert Lamla Allen Fitzpatrick Michael Bauer Dave Willetts Fred Johanson Adam Pearce Daniel Boaventura William Michals
Artie Green N/A Gareth Snook Vincent Tumeo Christopher Shyer James Clow Tim Beveridge Michael Berry Michael Xavier Tomm Coles Haydn Oakley Preston Truman Boyd Dougie Carter Bruno Sigrist Kevin Massey
Cecil B. DeMille N/A Michael Bauer Alan Oppenheimer John Braden William Chapman Clive Hearne George Merner Ian Burford Craig Pinder Julian Forsyth Paul Schoeffler Carl Sanderson Neal Mayer
Myron Sheldrake N/A Harry Ditson Sal Mistretta N/A Kenny Morris Robert Grubb Tom Flagg Rohan Tickell Alexander Evans Mark Goldthorpe Andy Taylor Kristoffer Hellström Robert Saoud
Manfred N/A Nicolas Colicos Rick Podell Peter Kevoian Mark Hardy John McTernan Rick Qualls Mark Mickerracher Sam Kenyon Fenton Gray Jim Walton Simon Loughton Arizio Magalhães Andrew Giordano

Musical numbers[]

† Song added for Los Angeles production

∞ Originally a reprise of "Let's Have Lunch"

Productions[]

Original London production[]

The original West End production, directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Bob Avian, with costumes from Anthony Powell, opened on 12 July 1993 at the Adelphi Theatre. The cast featured Patti LuPone as Norma Desmond, Kevin Anderson as Joe Gillis, Meredith Braun as Betty Schaefer, and Daniel Benzali as Norma's ex-husband, Max.[13]

Billy Wilder and his wife Audrey were joined by Nancy Olson, who had played Betty Schaefer in the original film, at the opening night performance. Of it, Wilder observed, "The best thing they did was leave the script alone," and of Patti LuPone he exclaimed, "She's a star from the moment she walks on stage".[14]

Reviews were mixed, according to the Associated Press (AP) review summary. That summary quoted, for example, the review by Michael Kuchwara for the AP: "Some reviewers felt Lloyd Webber took the sting out of a cynical tale. 'Wilder's bitter brew has been diluted,' wrote AP Drama Critic Michael Kuchwara. He added: 'When LuPone is off stage, the show sags.'"[15] Frank Rich wrote "Much of the film's plot, dialogue and horror-movie mood are preserved, not to mention clips used to illustrate those sequences in which the faded silent-film star, Norma Desmond ...and her kept, young screenwriter, Joe Gillis, ... travel by car. The lyricist, Don Black ..., and the playwright, Christopher Hampton ..., smartly tailor their jokes to the original screenplay's style. At times, even Lloyd Webber gets into the Wilder swing. Both acts open with joltingly angry diatribes about Hollywood, part exposition-packed recitative and part song, in which the surprisingly dark, jazz-accented music, the most interesting I've yet encountered from this composer, meshes perfectly with the cynical lyrics. Anderson makes the sardonic Wilder voice an almost physical presence in Sunset Boulevard, but he is too often drowned out by both LuPone's Broadway belt and mechanical efforts of Lloyd Webber and his director, Trevor Nunn, to stamp the proven formulas of Phantom and Les Miz on even an intimate tale. At odd moments, the mammoth set advances like a glacier toward the audience or retreats, or, most dramatically, rises partly up into the flies, actors in tow."[13]

With associate director Andrew MacBean, the show closed for three weeks, re-opening on 19 April 1994, revamped to follow the Los Angeles production, with a second official "opening". The revamped musical had a new song, "Every Movie's a Circus", a new set, and new stars, Betty Buckley and John Barrowman.[16] Michael Bauer, who had originally played DeMille, replaced Benzali as Max, a role he played until the end of the London run (and subsequently on the UK tour and in the BBC concert). Buckley and the production garnered rave reviews. David Lister of The Independent, for example wrote: "The show looked an improvement on the one that got decidedly mixed reviews last summer."[16]

Betty Buckley went on to replace Glenn Close as Norma in the second year of the Broadway production. Elaine Paige, who had filled in when Buckley was ill in 1994, took over the part in the West End in May 1995[17] before joining the Broadway production for the end of its run between 1996 and 1997. Petula Clark filled in for Paige during her holiday in September/October 1995, before taking over the role in January 1996[18] when Paige departed for the United States. The last actress to play Norma in London was Rita Moreno, who filled in for a vacationing Clark in September and October 1996. John Barrowman played Joe until 1995, when he was replaced by Alexander Hanson. Graham Bickley played the role for the final year of the London run.

The show closed on 5 April 1997 after 1,530 performances.[19]

Los Angeles production[]

Glenn Close in costume for Sunset Boulevard

The American premiere was at the Shubert Theatre in Century City, Los Angeles, California, on 9 December 1993, with Close as Norma and Alan Campbell as Joe. Featured were George Hearn as Max and Judy Kuhn as Betty. Lloyd Webber had reworked both the book and score, tightening the production, better organising the orchestrations, and adding the song "Every Movie's a Circus".[20] This new production was better received by the critics and was an instant success, running for 369 performances. The Los Angeles production also recorded a new cast album that is well regarded. It is also the only unabridged cast recording of the show, since the original London recording was trimmed by over thirty minutes.

A controversy arose with this production after Faye Dunaway was hired to replace Glenn Close. Dunaway went into rehearsals with Rex Smith as Joe and Jon Cypher as Max. Tickets went on sale for Dunaway's engagement but shortly after rehearsals started the producers announced that Dunaway was unable to sing the role to their standards and the production would shut down when Close left.[21] Dunaway "claims that when advance sales slumped, Sir Andrew decided to save money by sending the LA cast of Sunset Boulevard - based on the story of a clapped-out Hollywood actress - to Broadway, where it is due to open in November. "[22] However, the Los Angeles Times reported that "The cancellation came despite advance ticket sales for the Los Angeles production 'way in excess of $4 million,' said Peter Brown, a spokesman for Lloyd Webber."[21]

Dunaway filed a lawsuit claiming her reputation had been damaged by the producer's claims. Dunaway's lawsuit was settled and the producers paid her a settlement but no other terms of the agreement have ever been disclosed.[23]

Original Broadway production[]

The musical opened on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre on 17 November 1994 with Close, Campbell, and Hearn recreating their roles from the Los Angeles production and Alice Ripley joining the cast as Betty. Also in the cast were Alan Oppenheimer as Cecil B. DeMille and Vincent Tumeo making his Broadway debut as Artie Green. The production opened with the second-highest advance in the history of Broadway ticket sales at that time with advance sales of $37.5 million compared to $39 million for Miss Saigon in 1991 and on its second day, it set a single day sales record on Broadway of $1.4 million.[24][25] It closed on March 22, 1997 after playing 977 performances.[26] Billy Wilder was in attendance on opening night and was coaxed onstage by Close for the curtain call.[14] In a season with only one other musical nominated for Best Musical, the production won several Tony Awards; Glenn Close, with only one other nominee as Best Actress in a musical, won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

The New York Times theatre critic Vincent Canby commented about the Tony Awards for this year: "Awards don't really tell you much when the competition is feeble or simply non-existent, as was the case the year that Sunset Boulevard won its Tony. Such prizes are for use in advertising and promotion and to impress the folks back home."[27]

Patti LuPone, who initially had been promised the Broadway run, sued Lloyd Webber and received a settlement reported to be $1 million. Frank Rich, in his book The Hot Seat,[28] noted that these lawsuits contributed to Sunset Boulevard setting the record for the most money lost by a theatrical endeavour in the history of the United States. According to The New York Times, operating costs soared far beyond the budget, and the "Broadway production has earned back, at best, 80% of the initial $13 million".[29] For example, during the week of 2 July 1995, "it cost $731,304 to run Sunset Boulevard, including... advertising fees of $138,352 (which had been budgeted at $40,000 a week)."[29] The road companies also generated large financial losses. Rich puts the final figure near or above US$20 million lost, making the show what he termed a "flop-hit", as it ran more than two years. The musical sold over a million tickets on Broadway.[30]

Touring productions[]

The first national US tour in 1996 starring Linda Balgord[31] ended in early 1997 after only a handful of venues due to exorbitant costs involved in transporting the set.[32] Lloyd Webber called in director Susan H. Schulman to design a scaled-down production, with Petula Clark once again in the lead opposite Lewis Cleale as Joe. This production featured Anthony Powell's Tony Award nominated costumes, a slightly modified libretto by Schulman and Don Black and a new, more tour-friendly set by Derek McLane.[33] The revised production, opening in Pittsburgh about a year after the closing of the original tour in Chicago, went on the road for almost two years, though it avoided the cities covered by the previous tour.

In August 2001, a UK tour commenced in Plymouth starring Faith Brown as Norma, opposite Earl Carpenter as Joe. The production had a completely new set, much simpler than the original London set, although the overall production remained closer to the original staging than the revamped US national tour. Carpenter left midway through the tour and was replaced by Jeremy Finch, who had previously understudied the role. The tour finished in late 2002 in Manchester and met with both excellent reviews and respectable ticket sales.

Ria Jones, who originated the role of Norma Desmond in the 1991 Sydmonton Workshop and understudied Glenn Close in the 2016 West End revival, led a new production opening at Leicester's Curve Theatre on 16 September 2017 for a two-week run before embarking on a national tour around the United Kingdom.[34] The tour, directed by Curve artistic by Nikolai Foster, transferred the musical into a Hollywood sound stage setting, designed by Colin Richmond, with acclaimed use of vintage archive film and projections designed by Douglas O'Connell. [35]

International productions[]

A German production of the musical opened 7 December 1995 at the newly built Rhein-Main Theater in Niedernhausen near Wiesbaden, starring Helen Schneider and Sue Mathys (matinees) as Norma and Uwe Kröger as Joe. A cast recording (with Schneider and Kröger) was released in 1996. The role of Norma was later played by Daniela Ziegler and Christina Grimandi, with Schneider and, for the last few months, Sue Mathys both returning to play the lead. The production closed in May 1998.

The original Canadian production opened in Toronto in 1995 with Diahann Carroll in the lead role. Her performance was also praised by critics, although the production closed sooner than expected. It also starred Rex Smith as Joe, Walter Charles as Max and Anita Louise Combe, who had understudied the role in the London production, as Betty. The production later moved to Vancouver for the final few months of its run. A highlights recording of this production was released on CD.

In October 1996, the original Australian production of the musical opened at Melbourne's newly restored Regent Theatre. The cast included Debra Byrne as Norma, Hugh Jackman as Joe, and Catherine Porter as Betty.[36] Maria Mercedes starred as the alternate Norma, performing two of the eight shows each week.[37] Amanda Harrison took over the role of Betty for the final months of the show's run. The production ran until 14 June 1997.[38]

A year-long Dutch tour commenced in the Netherlands on 10 October 2008, with Simone Kleinsma and Pia Douwes alternating as Norma and Antonie Kamerling as Joe, using the same modified libretto that was first used in the 2001 UK tour. Kleinsma went on to win the Best Actress Award for the role in the 2009 Dutch Musical Awards and also Best Actress for the Flemish Musical Prizes. An official cast album was released, with Kleinsma appearing on the main album and with a four track bonus CD of Pia Douwes singing Norma's main arias.

The Swedish premiere took place at the Värmlandsoperan in September 2009, to mostly positive reviews. The role of Norma was played by Maria Lundqvist. A second much more elaborate production opened in October 2010, at the Gothenburg Opera House, with Gunilla Backman (who previously understudied the role of Betty in the original German production) starring as Norma.

A South African production starring Angela Kilian[39] as Norma and Jonathan Roxmouth[40] as Joe, was shown at the Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino in Johannesburg from late August 2013 to mid October 2013 and at Theatre on the Bay in Cape Town from late October 2013 until early January 2014.

The Czech production with Hana Fialová and Katarína Hasprová in the role of Norma had its premiere in National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava. The premiere took place on 19 February 2015.[41] The show closed in March 2017.[42]

Another German production, starring Katharina Scherer as Norma, Philippe J. Kayser as Joe, Antonia Crames as Betty, and Stephan Vanecek as Max, opened to sold-out seats on 15 September 2017 and had its fourteenth and final performance on 8 October 2017 at the Tuchfabrik in Trier.[43]

The Spanish premiere production opened 27 December 2017 at the Auditorio de Tenerife, directed by Jaime Azpilicueta and starring Paloma San Basilio as Norma Desmond, Gerónimo Rauch as Joe Gillis, Inma Mira as Betty Schaefer, and Gonzalo Montes as Max von Mayerling.[44]

London revivals[]

An eight-week engagement of a minimalist production, in which the actors used musical instruments, enjoyed a good run at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury over the summer of 2008. Directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, the cast featured Kathryn Evans as Norma and Ben Goddard as Joe. A West End transfer of the Watermill production began on 4 December 2008 prior to an official opening 15 December at the Comedy Theatre, with Evans and Goddard reprising their roles, and Dave Willetts joining the cast as Max.[45] The production received rave reviews and extended its run to September 2009. However, the production closed just after initially planned on 30 May 2009.[46] It had originally been booking until 19 September 2009. There were plans for a UK Tour and also talks of bringing the show to Broadway[47]

Opening on 4 April 2016 English National Opera (ENO) presented a five-week 'semi-staged' run at the London Coliseum. Glenn Close reprised her role as Norma, making her West End debut, along with Michael Xavier as Joe, Siobhan Dillon as Betty and Fred Johanson as Max.[48] Michael Linnit and Michael Grade for Gate Ventures PLC worked with ENO to present the show; Johnny Hon was the executive producer.[49] It was announced on 25 October 2016 that the production will transfer to Broadway at the Palace Theatre in a limited engagement.[50]

2017 Broadway revival[]

Glenn Close reprised her performance as Norma Desmond in a revival on Broadway. Featuring a 40-piece onstage orchestra and a relatively minimalist set, the production began performances at the Palace Theatre on 2 February 2017 before opening officially on 9 February for a limited run, with tickets on sale through 25 June 2017.[50][51] The cast featured Michael Xavier as Joe Gillis, Siobhan Dillon as Betty Schaefer, and Fred Johanson as Max von Mayerling, all reprising their roles from the 2016 London ENO production. The 2017 Broadway revival was directed by Lonny Price.[52][53]

Other productions[]

In 2004, the first regional production of Sunset Boulevard was staged in the round at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago for a limited period and starred Paula Scrofano as Norma. It was the first and only regional production to be licensed by the Really Useful Group (RUG) for the next six years. However, in the spring of 2010, the leasing rights were finally released to regional companies and numerous productions have been staged around the United States.

The Ogunquit Playhouse production ran from 28 July through 14 August 2010 and starred Stefanie Powers as Norma and Todd Gearhart as Joe. This was the first fully staged production in the U.S. in nearly a decade. The Ogunquit production was directed by Shaun Kerrison with choreography by Tom Kosis, featured costumes by Anthony Powell and an all new set designed exclusively for Ogunquit by Todd Ivins.[54]

The Arvada Center production ran from 14 September to 10 October 2010, in Denver, Colorado, the same city that launched the ill-fated first US tour in 1996. The show starred Ann Crumb as Norma and Kevin Earley as Joe. The production was directed by Rod A. Landsberry.[55]

Concert productions[]

In April 2004, Petula Clark reprised her role as Norma opposite Michael Ball in a concert production of the show that ran for two nights at the Cork Opera House in Ireland, which was later broadcast on BBC Radio 2. The cast also included Michael Bauer (Max), Emma Williams (Betty), Michael Xavier (Artie) and the BBC Concert Orchestra was conducted by Martin Yates. To date, with more than 2500 performances to her credit, she has played the role more often than any other actress.[citation needed]

Another two-day concert engagement took place in 2004 in Sydney by the Production Company; Judi Connelli starred as Norma, Michael Cormick played Joe and Anthony Warlow was Max. The Production Company staged a slightly more elaborate version of the concert for a week in Melbourne during 2005. Connelli again starred as Norma, and David Campbell took the role of Joe. The State Theatre was sold out for every performance.[56]

Film adaptation[]

Paramount Pictures and the Relevant Picture Company announced in 2005 that they were developing a film adaptation of the musical.[57] In 2007, The Daily Telegraph reported that actresses being considered for the role of Norma Desmond included Close, Paige, Meryl Streep, Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand.[58] In an interview in 2008, Andrew Lloyd Webber said that there are no plans for a film adaptation to be made in the near future, but he remains hopeful one will be made at some point.[59] In 2011, Lloyd Webber indicated he would like Madonna to star in the film, though she wasn't taking his calls.[60]

In an interview with Elaine Paige during her BBC Radio 2 show Elaine Paige on Sunday on 6 October 2013, Lloyd Webber was asked "What's happening to the film?", and he replied:

I would love a film to be made of Sunset, of course, but unfortunately the rights are owned by Paramount who own the original movie and, so far, talks with them have never led to anything. And it's sad for me because I think in many ways Sunset is, I think, the most complete musical I have written, I mean in the sense that the book and the music and everything come together I think in a way that perhaps even some of the others, they don't. Anyway that's my sadness at the moment and maybe, one day, the whole thing will get brokered. I'm doing something else with Paramount because after I've done this I'm producing School of Rock on stage, and that's a Paramount picture, so maybe if they like what I do with that they'll let me do Sunset.[61]

In February 2019, it was announced that Rob Ashford had signed on to direct the film, with Close recreating her role as Norma Desmond, and that production would begin in October of that year, but was then delayed to the fall of 2020.[62] In an October 2020 interview, Close, along with her being confirmed to co-produce the film with Lloyd Webber, said that she hopes that filming will commence in early 2021, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the delay.[63] In May 2021, Close said in an interview that production is "very, very close" to beginning and that they are "ready to go" while also adding that Webber was still working on new music for the film.[64]

Awards and nominations[]

Original London production[]

Year Award Category Nominee Result
1994 Laurence Olivier Award[65] Best New Musical Nominated
Best Actress in a Musical Patti LuPone Nominated
1995 Betty Buckley Nominated
1996 Elaine Paige Nominated

Original Broadway production[]

Year Award Category Nominee Result
1995 Tony Award Best Musical Won
Best Original Score Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Christopher Hampton Won
Best Book of a Musical Don Black and Christopher Hampton Won
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Alan Campbell Nominated
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Glenn Close Won
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical George Hearn Won
Best Direction of a Musical Trevor Nunn Nominated
Best Choreography Bob Avian Nominated
Best Scenic Design John Napier Won
Best Costume Design Anthony Powell Nominated
Best Lighting Design Andrew Bridge Won
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Glenn Close Won

2008 London revival[]

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2009 Laurence Olivier Award[66] Best Actress in a Musical Kathryn Evans Nominated
Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical Dave Willetts Nominated

2016 London revival[]

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2016 Evening Standard Theatre Award[67][68] Best Musical Nominated
Best Musical Performance Glenn Close Won
2017 Laurence Olivier Award[69] Best Musical Revival Nominated
Best Actress in a Musical Glenn Close Nominated

2017 Broadway revival[]

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2017 Drama Desk Award Best Lighting Design Mark Henderson Nominated
Drama League Award Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Nominated

Notes[]

  1. ^ Based on liner notes to Boulevard! CD release by Richard Stapley, Tim J. Hutton, and Steven M. Warner
  2. ^ The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties by Sam Kashner and Jennifer MacNair, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002, p. 346, ISBN 0-393-04321-5
  3. ^ On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder by Ed Sikov, Hyperion, New York, New York, 1998, pp. 467–468, ISBN 0-7868-6194-0
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c '...Inspired by Sunset Boulevard' Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine from Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group website
  5. ^ Lloyd Webber in Accord For Buyback of Company, a February 1990 article from The New York Times
  6. ^ "The new model Lloyd Webber". The Times. 6 October 1990.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "A Journey Down $un$set Blvd". Goodspeed Musicals's Show Music magazine. squareone.org. Fall 1993. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  8. ^ Ansdell, Caroline. "20 Questions With... Ria Jones (Ria Jones speaking to Caroline Ansdell)" Archived 10 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine whatsonstage.com, 5 March 2007
  9. ^ Snelson, John. Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Yale University Press, 2009, ISBN 0-300-15113-6, p.16
  10. ^ "Tim Rice – Cricket" timrice.co.uk
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  18. ^ Stringer, Robin. "At 62, Petula Succeeds To Sunset Throne", Evening Standard (London), 8 December 1995, p.17
  19. ^ Wolf, Matt. "As 'Sunsets' fade, Rug's new era dawns", Variety, 7 April 1997 – 13 April 1997, p. 175
  20. ^ Weinraub, Bernard."Hollywood Braces For Look Into Mirror Of 'Sunset Boulevard'". The New York Times, 9 December 1993
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Shirley, Don "'Sunset Blvd.' to Be Closed; Dunaway's Singing Faulted : Theater: Actress, reportedly 'flabbergasted' by ouster, was to replace Glenn Close. Refunds could total $4 million" Los Angeles Times, 24 June 1994
  22. ^ Reeves, Phil. "Hollywood waits for courtroom theatrics to outshine stage" The Independent, 26 August 1994
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  29. ^ Jump up to: a b Weber, Bruce. "Following 'Sunset,' Shadows Over Lloyd Webber's Empire", The New York Times, 24 March 1997
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  31. ^ Campbell, Jackie."Linda Balgord Cast As Norma For 'Sunset Boulevard' National Tour" Rocky Mountain News, abstract from encyclopedia.com, 28 January 1996. Retrieved 3 August 2010
  32. ^ Newmark, Judith."Hiatus looms for 'Boulevard'" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, abstract from nl.newsbank.com, 23 March 1997. Retrieved 3 August 2010
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  37. ^ Thomson, Helen. "New star ensures Sunset still shines", The Age (Melbourne, Australia), 12 March 1997, p. 7 (Arts)
  38. ^ Burchall, Greg. "I'm ready for my curtain, Melbourne; Musicals: 'Sunset' sunset", The Age (Melbourne, Australia), 13 June 1997, p. 1 (Metro)
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  46. ^ playbill.com "London Revival of Sunset Boulevard to Close May 30"
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  48. ^ "Glenn Close Comes to ENO for 'Sunset Boulevard'" eno.org
  49. ^ "Photo Flash: Glenn Close, Andrew Lloyd Webber and More at Opening Night of SUNSET BOULEVARD". BroadwayWorld.com. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  50. ^ Jump up to: a b Gans, Andrew. "Glenn Close Will Revisit 'Sunset Boulevard' on Broadway", Playbill, 25 October 2016
  51. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Tix for 'Sunset Boulevard' Revival, Starring Glenn Close, Now on Sale through June" Playbill, 7 February 2017
  52. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Complete Casting Announced for Glenn Close Revival of 'Sunset Boulevard'" Playbill, 9 January 2017
  53. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Glenn Close Returns to Broadway in Revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 'Sunset Boulevard'" Playbill, 2 February 2017
  54. ^ Gans, Andrew.""With One Look": Stefanie Powers Is Norma Desmond in Ogunquit Playhouse's 'Sunset Boulevard'" Archived 3 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, 28 July 2010
  55. ^ Blank, Matthew."PHOTO CALL: Ann Crumb, Kevin Earley and Jenny Gelwick Cruise 'Sunset Boulevard' in Denver" Archived 26 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, 17 September 2010
  56. ^ Information about the Australian production from hjackman.com
  57. ^ Hastings, Chris (10 July 2005). "Close and McGregor to star in Sunset Boulevard film". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  58. ^ Hastings, Chris; Jones, Beth (5 August 2007). "Meryl Streep competes for Sunset Boulevard". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  59. ^ Espiner, Mark (17 December 2008). "What to say about ... Sunset Boulevard". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
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  62. ^ Criscitiello, Alexa (28 February 2019). "Confirmed! Glenn Close To Star in Rob Ashford-Directed SUNSET BOULEVARD Musical Film!". Broadway World. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  63. ^ Sullivan, Lindsey (23 October 2020). "Glenn Close Offers an Update on the Upcoming Sunset Boulevard Movie Musical". Broadway.com. Broadway.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  64. ^ Malkin, Marc (5 May 2021). "Glenn Close Talks Wanting to Play Cruella Again and Her New Jazz Album (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Variety. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
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  67. ^ Dex, Robert (9 November 2016). "Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2016: The shortlist". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  68. ^ Thompson, Jessie (14 February 2017). "Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2016: The winners". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  69. ^ "Olivier Winners 2017". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 30 March 2021.

References[]

  • Ganzl, Kurt. Ganzl's book of the Broadway musical: 75 shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Sunset Boulevard. New York: Schirmer Books, 1995. ISBN 0-02-870832-6
  • Plot and production listing guidetomusicaltheatre.com
  • Profile of the musical Broadway Musical Home

External links[]

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