ALW auto bio - can't wait to read the Sunset chapters...

[chernjam]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 12:08am

Just read this interview of ALW from yesterday prior to receiving a lifetime achievement award:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jul/09/andrew-lloyd-webber-tim-rice-musical-interview-censoring-dreamcoat-lyric 

One fascinating bit of news is that he's working on an auto bio... called Unmasked .  So far, he's only finished volume 1- (up to Phantom).  I really can't wait to read vol 2 - those are the shows I like the most (Aspects, Sunset... ) and can't wait to read his version of what happened re: Patti and Sunset.

Another interesting tid bit - he's re-writing his Requiem - looking forward to hearing that

[jtishere]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 12:11am

I'm at the tail end of of Stephen Citron's Sondheim & Lloyd-Webber parallel career retrospective. While the book needed an editor, a copy editor and a fact checker, there's some fascinating background on the shows. I'm almost to the Sunset chapter. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 8:10am

Looking forward to this!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 8:45am

The less discussed of the two fired stars: Dunaway was forbidden to discuss the show in her settlement. Her book mentioned it but with grey non-specifics.  I've always wanted to hear something from someone who did the Dunaway put-in. I suspect she was a natural for the character -- duh -- but it was all about the music.  I wonder how bad she sounded?  She passed the audition. Maybe they were so deeply connected to the Close decision -- acting over vocals -- they made further concessions.  Until they didn't work.  We've all read a more realistic angle: the show didn't sell in LA with Dunaway, so they shut it down.  If they had a huge advance, post Close, would her vocals have been an issue?  

[chernjam]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 9:53am

Auggie - I have to admit, the whole Sunset fiasco fascinates me...it's art, politics, business, all coming together from different angles.  Was the best soap opera around for awhile...

The original plan called for Patti to do 3 months in London, then open it in LA (3 months) and then Broadway. What Patti fails to discuss is that she didn't want to do that.  So that opened the window for them to look for another actress to open the show in LA.  Enter Close.

Part of the difficulty was that their eye was off the ball for LA post-Close.  Patti not finding out about not going to NY didn't happen until March 1994... that fiasco sent everyone running in all directions.  They had already determined Buckley was succeeding Patti in London - AND - they were shutting Sunset down in London for two weeks to incorporate all the changes to the show (and set) that were done in LA.  So they had another "opening" night in London in March or April of 1994.  

At that point, they just started to begin mail-orders for Sunset (I remember because I had sent it in the first day they were available) - and I  think they were finishing the American Premiere Recording with Close and the LA company.

So all that being said, Faye Dunaway as a replacement I don't think was given the attention it needed... and the PR machine for Sunset was over extended between London and NY.  LA was running and running doing very well - but, not surprisingly, ticket buyers were waiting to see and hear who was coming after.  I think they must have been overly excited at the thought of an actress of her stature doing the show and thought that like Close, she could get into "vocal shape" for the show.  But those early rehearsals must have proven otherwise.  And rather than hurt the brand with another embarrassing mess up prior to the NY opening, they were gun shy.  

It's too bad that happened.  Had she been a disaster, it would've been on her rather than ALW (other than for poor casting).  The show in LA closed at a  loss anyway, so what if it had played another 4 weeks or so...

Fascinating all around to me

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 9:59am

chernjam said: "The original plan called for Patti to do 3 months in London, then open it in LA (3 months) and then Broadway. What Patti fails to discuss is that she didn't want to do that.  So that opened the window for them to look for another actress to open the show in LA.  Enter Close."

I've never heard that original plan, but I can't say I'm surprised Patti didn't want to move her young son (who I'm pretty sure wasn't even 3 at the time) from Connecticut to London to LA to Connecticut in such a short period of time. (Hell, I'm an adult with no children and I wouldn't want to do all of that moving around.)

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 10:22am

chernjam said: "they were shutting Sunset down in London for two weeks to incorporate all the changes to the show (and set) that were done in LA."

Can anyone explain what the set changes were? Did the Napier designs get bigger, or were they reined in a bit?

[nealb1]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 10:38am

When it was announced that Faye would be taking over in the LA company of SB, it was HUGE news!  
I had 2 friends in the LA company of "Sunset Blvd."  They both raved - raved about Faye's book scenes in rehearsal.  They said she was staggeringly brilliant.  Unfortunately the singing was not very good.

Yes, as she discusses in her autobiography, per her settlement with ALW, she's forbidden to discuss it.  

I felt badly for Faye.  Obviously the production team felt she could do the role, or they wouldn't have offered it to her.  I had tickets for Faye and still have a few of the posters and ads from the papers for her taking over for Glenn.  Then it was announced that the show was closing, I was able to score 2 tickets to that final Sunday performance.  
 

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 10:39am

I wouldn't expect him to be too juicy because he's probably legally barred from saying too much. Plus he's never been a dishy gossip in interviews. He's much more likely to have a "shame it couldn't have worked out with Patti, she's wonderful" tone.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 11:19am

^^^^^

Agree. (can you say libel boys and girls? I knew that you could)

[chernjam]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 11:29am

nealb1 said: "When it was announced that Faye would be taking over in the LA company of SB, it was HUGE news!  
I had 2 friends in the LA company of "Sunset Blvd."  They both raved - raved about Faye's book scenes in rehearsal.  They said she was staggeringly brilliant.  Unfortunately the singing was not very good.

Yes, as she discusses in her autobiography, per her settlement with ALW, she's forbidden to discuss it.  

I felt badly for Faye.  Obviously the production team felt she could do the role, or they wouldn't have offered it to her.  I had tickets for Faye and still have a few of the posters and ads from the papers for her taking over for Glenn.  Then it was announced that the show was closing, I was able to score 2 tickets to that final Sunday performance.  
 "

nealb - if you could post pics of those posters/ads that would be cool to see... Was wondering if they had any shots of her in costume...

Yeah I wish they had gone forward with her doing it, even if the singing wasn't great.  All this did was poison the well for a lot of other actresses who decided they didn't want to risk working with ALW again

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 11:35am

"Mr. Llyod Webber auditioned me in my range. Mr. Llyod Webber cast me in my range. It was a capricious act by a capricious man."

[chernjam]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 11:42am

Lot666 said: "chernjam said: "they were shutting Sunset down in London for two weeks to incorporate all the changes to the show (and set) that were done in LA."

Can anyone explain what the set changes were? Did the Napier designs get bigger, or were they reined in a bit?

"

The set design changes were mostly mechanical.  They had different haudralics that they used in LA and decided to use in London as the London sets seemed to have more malfunctions even after the delayed World Premiere.  

They also toned down the colors from a more orange/yellow tint to a bit more grey-ish as they felt the orange tone was "too sunny" (in fact if you look at pics from the World Premiere, all the sets seemed much more colorful... Billy Wilder I think impressed on them to get it closer to Black and white for obvious reasons)

[morosco]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 11:43am

Faye Dunaway Fights Back

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 12:19pm

Nothing to see here, folks.  This is all that was done to announce Faye Dunaway in SUNSET BLVD.  She was still in rehearsals so no press photos were ever released.  No photos from the rehearsals, no production photos, no press photos of her in costume.  Nothing.  Just these ads that were seen in Los Angeles based magazines and newspapers.  

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 12:45pm

Patti states in her book that she suggested to ALW that she do the short run in London and then open the LA company before Broadway, only AFTER he announced the LA company. ALW told her no, because her run in London would be severaly abridged. 

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 12:58pm

Speaking of Patti's book, she talks about when her understudy went on they posted her reviews and Patti found that very rude. Now, to me, it just means Patti was insecure and nervous and posting her understudy's reviews was the producers supporting the cast and the show. 

[nealb1]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 1:03pm

Thanks BrodyFosse123, yes that's the poster and ad that I have as well.  There was never anything released with her in costume or anything like that.  

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 1:51pm

Chernjam's report on the Dunaway "Sunset" era is required reading. Thanks for all that.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 1:58pm

The other spin on the whole LuPone/Close/LA/Broadway story is in the companion/coffee table book. In there it's spun that Patti was contracted for London and Broadway under the assumption that Broadway would also be the American Premiere. When the L.A. production was announced as pre-Broadway, Patti was upset that another actress would be doing the American Premiere production. (Again, this was the way the story was spun in the coffee table book).

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 2:20pm

So sad to see that the Shubert in LA was demonlished. Such a pretty theatre. 

[chernjam]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 2:24pm

You know someone, somewhere has a video of Faye in rehearsals - how amazing would that be to see.

 

And thanks Auggie for the nice words.  Glad my fascination/obsession with this show (particularly when it opened) was in some ways useful or entertaining :)

[cknick]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 2:26pm

Looks like it's coming next March!

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 2:31pm

You know someone, somewhere has a video of Faye in rehearsals - how amazing would that be to see.

 Highly impossible as this was 1994 and cellphones were still primitive.  Cellphones had no cameras on them and texting didn't even exist then, either.  Unless production had someone videotaping the rehearsal with authorization, it was impossible for anyone to sneak in a videocamera and just start filming.  Yes, hand-size videocameras did exist but you would have been clearly visible if you just took it out and start filming. 

[chernjam]

Posted: 7/11/17 at 2:41pm

BrodyFosse123 said: Highly impossible as this was 1994 and cellphones were still primitive.  Cellphones had no cameras on them and texting didn't even exist then, either.  Unless production had someone videotaping the rehearsal with authorization, it was impossible for anyone to sneak in a videocamera and just start filming.  Yes, hand-size videocameras did exist but you would have been clearly visible if you just took it out and start filming. 

"

I'm just thinking that they seemed to record a lot of things for RUG/ALW especially with SB - and particularly with the creative team in different places (London, LA, NY) that there must've been some video of it... not a boot leg, but from the production side of things.  It's probably banned from public view, particularly because of the legal settlement...  but...