What Do You Think About Sunset Boulevard?

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 5:45pm

Hello. I am a fan of Sunset Boulevard and particulary, Patti LuPone. Several years ago, I came across a British theatre website that had a complete mpeg of Miss Patti singing "As If We Never Said Goodbye" in her Anthony Powell costume. The clip isn't from the musical itself, but rather from a charity performance, around 1993 or 1994. That British theatre website has since become extinct. That clip is prolly my favorite Sunset item. It was too bad that Miss Patti was prevented from doing "Sunset" on Broadway as originally planned. Well, we know what happened there. Still, I did manage to see three performances of Miss Pet(ula) Clark in the second American tour of "Sunset Boulevard." As far as recordings, I have: the World Premiere, the American Premiere, the First Sunset American Tour CD (Linda Balgord) w/3 tracks, the British Sunset Tour (Faith Brown) recording w/3 tracks, the German Cast recording with Helen Schneider and the Canadian Cast recording with Diahann Carroll. I also have Petula Clark's "Here For You", which includes three Sunset selections. Finally, I also obtained a Sunset "Seleccion", produced in Spain. Any other "Sunset" fans out there... in the dark? from Roman in Austin, Texas... the official Patti LuPone FANatic

[Sparklesss]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 5:47pm

I saw the tour many years ago and it was great!

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 5:53pm

Cool. Which tour was that?: the First American Tour with Linda Balgord or the Second American Tour with Petula Clark? from Roman in Austin, Texas

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 5:57pm

Sunset is one of my top 5 favorite shows, and I find it vastly underrated. And I do NOT consider myself a blanket Lloyd Weber fan.

[wiggum2]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 6:56pm

First show I saw on Broadway.... Love it!!!!

[kevinr]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 7:36pm

One of my top musicals of all time. I saw it in New York with Karen Mason (Glenn Close's standby), then Glenn Close's final performance in the role, and then with Diahann Carroll in Toronto. What a great show! I also met Glenn Close the day before her final performance when she arrived at the theatre. Got a photo of her and she signed my ticket stub for that final performance.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 7:41pm

Never seen it but I love the cast recording. Oh, and I AM an ALW fan. Go Andrew! Woot!

[Flahooley]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 7:48pm

I saw SB in London with Patti and Petula. I saw it on Broadway with Betty and Elaine. I saw in Los Angeles with Glenn and Petula. For a show I really didn't like, the chance to see so many greal ladies of the theatre take their turns with such a meaty role kept me coming back. At the end of the day, nothing can match the film.

[jarretSF]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 7:59pm

It was my first show in New York as well, with Betty Buckley in November 1995. I also had the pleasure of seeing both the first national tour with Linda Balgord and Ron Bohmer twice while it was in Cincinnati, and the tour a couple years back here in San Francisco with Petula Clark. I also find it underrated. It really does have a nice score in my opinion.

[jpbran]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 8:07pm

What DID happen with LuPone? Why wasn't she able to play NY? Just because they wanted G Close?

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 8:12pm

I think she was originally supposed to play the Broadway run, but they wanted someone with a name. Correct me if I am wrong!

[musicalkid]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 8:18pm

I usually don't like (understatement) Lloyd webber musicals,
i find most of them unsatisfying, musically and dramaticly.

and yet, i find SUNSET BOULEVARD to be one of the best written and interesting female roles in musical theatre. and a darn good musical, at that. it is the best Lloyd Webber musical I know. and a pretty good musical at large.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 8:32pm

While I love Sunset Blvd. I personally would not call it his best (but you are entitled to your opinion). My order is:

1) Jesus Christ Superstar
2) Evita
3) Requiem
4) The Beautiful Game
5) Woman in White
6) Tell Me on a Sunday
7) Whistle Down the Wind
8.) SUNSET BLVD
9) Phantom of the Opera
10) Aspects of Love

Updated On: 4/14/06 at 08:32 PM

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 10:25pm

Miss Patti was slated to play "Sunset" in London and then on Broadway. Apparently, the reviews were mixed in London. Frank Rich certainly didn't help with his scathing reviews. Meanwhile, G C began her role in Los Angeles and got better reviews (even with her limited vocal range). The backers of the show (one of those backers being Barbara Walters, if I'm not mistaken) apparently preferred G C, so Patti got stabbed in the back. She received an approximate 1 million dollar settlemnt from ALW and RUG. If that wasn't enought drama, Faye Dunaway was supposed to have replaced G.C. in the L.A. Sunset. However, upon closer examination, Miss Dunaway vocal skills were found to be "wanting." She settled with ALW and the L.A. production closed. As an aside, Patti LuPone named her pool "the Andrew Lloyd Webber pool". As much as I would LOVE to see Miss Patti do "Sunset", even in a concert form, you can understand her reluctance to have anything to do with ALW & RUG (Really Useful Group). from Roman in Austin, Texas T.O.P.L.F.

[RobR]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 11:12pm

I admit Sunset is the one ALW musical I have seen far too many times. Saw the very first preview in London (which was to have been the last before opening night - but staging problems messed up the schedule) and still remember Patti walking down the staircase at the end with the white peacock feather head dress (which was slightly overkill for Norma meeting the press, if fabulously mad). Then later in the run when Kevin Anderson seemed to be having a running war with the M.D. (you know one night after the curtain he went into the pit and nearly came to blows) - I've a feeling the original company was a stressful place to be.

After that I collected Norma's - Betty Buckley, should have worked, but I felt her Norma would have been busy working on her real estate portfolio; Elaine Paige, really made it work, her 'With One Look' was poignant - just a shame they had to cut the set down so you could see her; managed to be in L.A. when Glen Close was playing, I still feel she got closest to Swanson in the original movie, just the voice wasn't quite right.

Think the best I saw was Petula Clarke - who just surprised me she could do it (only other things I'd seen her on stage was a rather elderly Maria in SofM and her lamentable musical 'Someone Like You'), but her age, experience and ability to invest so much honest emotion in Norma's songs made her the Norma I most felt for and understood.

Also collected Janet Brown on the UK tour (over here an impressionist from the 1970's/80's whose career died off when Margaret Thatcher left the political stage), who played up the camp aspects of the part making Norma into a real monster, changed the tone, but it was good fun.

Have Diahann Carroll's Canadian cd, it sounds OK, but I can't imagine how it worked on stage, she just seems too reasonable to be Norma, but if anyone saw it I'm prepared to be talked through it.

Think it's interesting that of all Lloyd Webber's shows it follows most closely the original source material and the songs really work with the material and with all the Norma's I've seen think 'As If We'd Never Said Goodbye' is one of the great 'arias' of the musical.

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 4/14/06 at 11:32pm

Sunset Boulevard was one of those movies that should've never been touched and turned into a musical. I've made anyone who's seen the show but not the film sit down and watch the original with me. There's simply no comparison. The show lacks mood and tension, and doesn't stand well on its own with bland music.

There've been many talented people involved with this show in various venues, but they can't save it in my book.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 12:21am

I left the theatre humming the sets.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 12:56am

SUNSET is my #1 favorite show. I saw it in London with Patti in 1994 and will forever treasure that experience.

Simple brilliance.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 1:01am

I love this show - I think it's one of his best scores, and I'm not afraid to admit that I love it.

I don't think it's his best score, but it's definitely up there. His top ten scores, for me, are:

1. Song and Dance
2. Cats
3. Jesus Christ Superstar
4. Evita
5. Sunset Boulevard

oh wait...I don't like any of his other scores...

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 1:02am

Oh, c'mon munk, what about JOSEPH? I know it's just a fun show, but the score is well ... fun!

[Sally]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 2:15am

I saw the tour with Linda Balgord. I didn't like her voice, but very much enjoyed the show. It's one of my favorites. I think that a lot of the music is appropriately cinematic.

[got-a-light]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 4:12am

i just love sunset blvd. i saw the scaled down tour with petula, but always regretted never getting to see the full scale production. i love that obc... "shut up i'm rich, not some platinum blonde bi*ch." brilliant! :)

[Bruce Memblagh!]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 6:33am

I loved the show in all its forms and was glad the film was turned into a musical - and why indeed should it not have been?

I saw all of the London Normas and also Glenn Close but I was glad when Patti was replaced - she was a good Norma but I just felt something lacking with her, and the subsequent Normas (with the exception of Petula Clark) were very strong.

Mind you, I have listened to the Petula Clark/Michael Ball version (full show, no dialogue cuts) often since it was aired on BBC radio and she has grown on me - I just found her voice lacking when watching her live.

[Sant]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 8:34am

Unfortunately I never saw this show on stage, but I love the score. It has so many good songs. And the whole "mood" of the score fits the story so well. I think it's one of the best ALW's scores - even though he uses the same melody on 3 'bigger' scenes... (Surrender = Lady's Paying = Eternal Youth) I do see the point of using the same melody in "Lady's.." and "Eternal Youth".

And needless to say the original story by Billy Wilder is just brilliant...

I hope there will be a revival soon.

[Anne_here]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 8:36am

I love the set. I enjoyed the show. My one complaint was that Act 2 was almost all reprises.