Sunset Boulevard Revival Broadway Thread

[VegasBigDeal]

My wife and I saw the show on Broadway back in '96 with Betty Buckley.  Then on tour in Hartford with Petula Clark.  We've always ranked it our top 5 favorite shows.  We've got tickets to see this production in May.  We're very excited.    Once Glenn Close has completed her run I'd like to see Linda Eder take on the role.

[emo_geek]

nealb1 said: "I have tickets for it at the end of April - Orch Row M, seats 2 & 4.  Based on what I'm reading, will I miss a lot of the action, RogerMoore?

 

"

 

Those are my exact seats, nealb1- so I'm glad you asked!! 

 

[abbagirl]

little_sally said: "abbagirl said: "Skimbleshanks2 said: "Are there SRO tickets for SUNSET?

Not sure about that, but there is $42 general rush, that's how I'm seeing it tonight (rear mezz)! :)

What time did you get to the box office for a ticket?"

I didn't get there when the BO opened or anything; I think maybe sometime around 11 am this morning? (And there was no line, yay.) 

 

[little_sally]

Thank you! Also, love your Wolf Hall avatar.

[Willie4316]

Any idea what time I could get there for rush and still get a ticket? From what I hear there's not a big line for it. 

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

I just walked away from the box office with 2 rush seats.

[muscle23ftl]

I also will seat on ORCH M tomorrow...haha.

[LesMiz24601]

*SPOILERS*

 

10086sunset said: "imeldasturn said: "I was really hoping for you guys that they would have cut "Young" Norma Desmond. Or the Chandelier-like Joe's corpse. Oh well, what can we do,

"

Quick question-

According to the script, is the audience supposed to realize that Joe's body is the one in the pool at the opening?

Obviously in the movie, we know immediately. In the production of Sunset I saw in Signature Theatre (Arlington, VA), the musical opens with news footage and a "body" floating in the pool.  I remember my parents being shocked during the final moments and that they enjoyed the suspense that led up to it. 

For those that know the original, perhaps you can enlighten me on this aspect of the show? It seems that giving away the ending with a flying corpse might ruin the reveal at the end? 

[Willie4316]

Frumious Bandersnatch said: "I just walked away from the box office with 2 rush seats.

"

Did they happen to say how many are left or if there might be a certain time when they tend to sell the most of the rush seats?

[chernjam]

LesMiz - I've never heard of any production of Sunset where it wasn't clear that Joe is the dead body at the pool.  In the original, the audience was sort of at the bottom of the pool, looking at Joe's body being pulled from the pool, which follows with Joe introducing "I guess it was 5 am - a homicide had been reported...if you want to know the real story, you've come to the right party" - kind of revealing that the show is all a flashback.

I do remember that in the Original, audience members where kind of taken aback when Norma shoots Joe, but I just assumed it was that they had forgotten the opening and/or weren't familiar with the story

[bryan2]

I have ROW E101-103   are these going to be obstructed??

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

I would question whether or not the audience is "supposed" to know it's Joe.   At least going by the film, narrator Joe refers to the body in the third person ["Poor dope, he always wanted a pool.  Well, in the end, he got himself a pool"], and it's only after he's shot within the narrative that he refers to the body in the first person.  How well the surprise is executed is up for debate, however.  At least in the film, Holden's face is obscured enough by the water that it's plausible to imagine the film's first audience being shocked by the reveal.  

[Pernigraniline]

You can't really class it as a concert performance, any more than Chicago is a concert performance. Its fully costumed, fully choreographed, there are trucks coming on and off, drops and projections, and several tiers of walkways above the orchestra for characters to move above on. It works very well, and avoids the original production's Napier set.... Whilst impressive, any production that puts a piece of painted machinery at the heart of the performance, as opposed to the performances, score and book, has a big problem. The original set, and its (sometimes) levitating ability, came from Nunn's want to do split-screen on stage..... confusing the medium with screen. The new production puts the story at the heart.

[muscle23ftl]

Also major spoilers...people could put a warning for people not familiar with the show/story. 

[OKBroadwayFan]

They were selling rush tickets for $42 for balcony seating at 7pm on Thursday.    

[OKBroadwayFan]

ChrisTyler12882 said: "What merchandise was available? I'm seeing it on April 1st and cannot wait! I have only ever seen the national tour with Petula Clark.

 

They also had a magnet and key chain,  It is rather large and is the Sunset Blvd street sign in brass/gold

"

 

[Whateverjsays]

muscle23ftl said: "Also major spoilers...people could put a warning for people not familiar with the show/story. 

 

"

The movies almost 70 years old and the production is 25 years old. Do we really need 'spoiler alerts'? Seems silly to me 

[MarkBearSF]

Whateverjsays said: "The movies almost 70 years old and the production is 25 years old. Do we really need 'spoiler alerts'? Seems silly to me "

Don't tell him what happens to Hamilton.

[muscle23ftl]

I saw it 22 years ago on Broadway...I was a teenager...I forgot. It spoiled it for me that I'm seeing tomorrow. Thank you very much.

[GreasedLightning]

muscle23ftl said: "I saw it 22 years ago on Broadway...I was a teenager...I forgot. It spoiled it for me that I'm seeing tomorrow. Thank you very much.

 

"

If you've seen the show before, I'm sure that as soon as it began tomorrow night you'd remember the main characters death... no matter how much time has passed. 

[muscle23ftl]

Funny enough, I remembered the gun shot, but I had forgotten if it was Betty or Joe...anyways, thanks for spoiling it and bringing it up again now...I'm very forgetful.

[LimelightMike]

Anybody with any critiques from tonight's preview performance?

[muscle23ftl]

It was last night, there are a few reviews. 

[LimelightMike]

Is the stage high for this production? Would AA be too close?

[uncageg]

Memories of this show.....I was at the opening night of the national tour in Denver. If I am not mistaken, it was also the same night the hydraulics went into the Broadway production. The production was stunning. The sets, sound design, costumes and cast...except for Linda Balgord were wonderful. Balgord was the wrong choice for the role of Norma. But it was a big night complete with a reflecting pool outside with a body in it and a replica of the Paramount Studios gate entrance to the outdoor opening night party.

I love this score and so wish I had seen it on Broadway. Plan to see this production.

 

[imeldasturn]

They also had a magnet and key chain, It is rather large and is the Sunset Blvd street sign in brass/gold

Sounds very tasteful