Glenn Close gives a 'Sunset Boulevard' movie update- Page 4

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 4/13/21 at 5:07pm

ErmendardeSTopSniveling said: "Also, ALW's also no dummy. There are other women who could play this role who have more box office clout than Glenn Close and might be able to attract a real director. Even Nicole Kidman or Cate Blanchett would bring more box office/financing weight to it. Or in 20 years, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, JHud, Cynthia Erivo...etc."

Kate Winslet is absolutely perfect for it right now.

[jo]

Posted: 4/13/21 at 8:30pm

David10086 said: "binau said: "nealb1 said: "Barbra has said many times over the years that she was offered the film version of SB twice, and turned it down both times."

Do we know why she turned it down?"

In an interview in 2012 ("The Guilt Trip", she had said the project had a long way to go to becoming a movie. It still read as a stage musical when it was presented to her."

IIRC, there were some discussions about this on the message board which preceded the BWW board, where many early members of this board used to post  (2003 or so). It seemed that Barbra was supposed to want artistic control ( she wanted to direct it) and ALW supposedly did not want to agree to that. There was also mention then that she wanted Hugh Jackman (who played the role in Australia and was recast by Sunset Boulevard director Trevor Nunn for Oklahoma!) to play the role of Joe.  That casting would have been age-perfect if that had happened then.

Ironic that she was supposed to have said in the 2012 interview that it still read as a stage musical.  Billy Wilder said during the premiere of the stage musical that he thought it was about an 85% adaptation of his film classic. I have seen the movie and the stage musical adaptation and they were uncannily alike ( especially the dialog).  

Also interesting was that it was Barbra who was allowed by ALW to be the first to release 2 songs from the show (With One Look & As If We Never Said Goodbye). 

Sad to say that initial discussions with ALW did not progress to the point that the adaptation of the stage musical adaptation of the classic film noir did not conclude favorably. Barbra would have been perfect playing the diva!

Updated On: 4/13/21 at 08:30 PM

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 4/13/21 at 10:18pm

Oh Yes to Kate Winslet or Nicole Kidman.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 4/13/21 at 10:19pm

I saw the pre-Broadway run at the Shubert in LA prior to its Broadway engagement.   Glenn, George Hearn, Alan Campbell, and Judy Kuhn were outstanding in the leads.  

Glenn simply blew the ceiling off the place though.   I still remember,  "I've come home at last...." belting it up to the mezzanine, it was beyond believable the impact of her performance that night.  

Does Buckley have a stronger, more solid voice?  Yes.  Was she too fantastic?  Yes!  But even after seeing Buckley do the role, it did not diminish one bit what Glenn brought that night I saw her.  Betty was great, but it didn't make me forget Glenn the night I saw her.  At all.  She made it her own from the get-go.   And that was the performance that really stuck with me.

I would like to see this happen with her because, despite her age now, it is such a passion project for her.  I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

[binau]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 3:09am

Do you think Glenn had the same kind of impact in the recent revival? Maybe I should just accept that I’m not a super fan of the show or Glenn and that’s ok but I find it hard not to keep thinking of Patti and Buckley (who i am a super fan of) when I heard Glenn sing it recently. I kind of want to know what I’m missing out on sometimes. Maybe you had to be there for the original production to really appreciate it.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 9:10am

I don't even LIKE Kidman, but that was a terrific dream casting!

[David10086]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 10:05am

binau said: "Do you think Glenn had the same kind of impact in the recent revival? Maybe I should just accept that I’m not a super fan of the show or Glenn and that’s ok but I find it hard not to keep thinking of Patti and Buckley (who i am a super fan of) when I heard Glenn sing it recently. I kind of want to know what I’m missing out on sometimes. Maybe you had to be there for the original production to really appreciate it."

Yes, she did - but in a somewhat different way.

The elaborate stage design was missing from the 2017 revival (as you probably know) , down to a very minimalistic setting. So all eyes were on the actors - they weren't lost in the grand setting surrounding them. So without the visual competition between actor and setting you're solely focused on Close - and her singing. And you realize she still could blow the roof off the theater. 

[chernjam]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 10:17am

David10086 said:
Yes, she did - but in a somewhat different way.

The elaborate stage design was missing from the 2017 revival (as you probably know) , down to a very minimalistic setting. So all eyes were on the actors - they weren't lost in the grand setting surrounding them. So without the visual competition between actor and setting you're solely focused on Close - and her singing. And you realize she still could blow the roof off the theater."

This is really a great observation.  As much as I loved the original sets - the minimalist design most definitely did not diminish the effect of the score, story and acting.  And for me, the fact that you knew Close was in her 70s tackling this gruelling role, from the minute she first descended the stair case, you were already kind of wondering "can she do it?  will her voice be able to handle it?"  That when she hit the final note of "With one Look" you were completely on board.  Added a whole different dimension to the experience

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 10:32am

Having seen the original 1990s Broadway production countless times with all the cast replacements, I was disappointed with Close’s new interpretation of Norma in 2017. Whereas in her original 1994-95 interpretation she played up the melodrama, in 2017 she came across like Carol Burnett’s parody Nora Desmond. Close mugged and did those crazy eyes which brought laughs from the audience where there weren’t before. Even her finale was played for laughs, which to me was upsetting. I loved her original heartbreaking downfall from the 90s. She’s a song interpreter so whatever vocal limitations she has are overlooked (even in the 90s), so this wasn’t any issue for me. Her mugging and crazy eyes being played for laughs did it for me. Loved the minimal staging and lush orchestrations. Not this kooky goofy Norma Desmond.

[binau]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 10:37am

One of the great acting moments in the 2017 revival I do remember finding quite haunting was the end of Act 1 with the bandages on her wrists and the blatant emotional manipulation of Norma to be intimate with Joe. It was shocking and uncomfortable and Glenn was 100% committed to it. 

[singerunlimited]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 11:18am

David10086 said: "binau said: "Do you think Glenn had the same kind of impact in the recent revival? Maybe I should just accept that I’m not a super fan of the show or Glenn and that’s ok but I find it hard not to keep thinking of Patti and Buckley (who i am a super fan of) when I heard Glenn sing it recently. I kind of want to know what I’m missing out on sometimes. Maybe you had to be there for the original production to really appreciate it."

Yes, she did - but in a somewhat different way.

The elaborate stage design was missing from the 2017 revival (as you probably know) , down to a very minimalistic setting. So all eyes were on the actors - they weren't lost in the grand setting surrounding them. So without the visual competition between actor and setting you're solely focused on Close - and her singing. And you realize she still could blow the roof off the theater."

Perfectly articulated, David10086. I loved the 2017 revival so much! Not only was it an unbelievable treat to see Glenn reprise this role, but to hear that score played by a 42-piece orchestra was beyond thrilling.

I've never understood the consistent criticism of Glenn's voice. I've always preferred her interpretation of the role (and I love Patti, Betty, and Elaine!). There's something about her voice that just suits the score. I also think she's stronger vocally than many Hollywood stars that have crossed over into musical theatre (even though she had a musical theatre background before making movies). I saw the revival twice, and both nights I saw it, she was in wonderful voice!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 4:40pm

Her voice was not there in 2017 for With One Look and As If We Never Said Goodbye. But it didn't matter. It was one of those great acting performances where she could have been singing an entirely different melody and it would have still had the same impact.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 4/15/21 at 7:34am

BrodyFosse123 said: "Close mugged and did those crazy eyes which brought laughs from the audience where there weren’t before. Even her finale was played for laughs, which to me was upsetting. I loved her original heartbreaking downfall from the 90s."

I don’t believe it was intentionally played for laughs at all. I saw the revival five times, and I think only once there was laughter during a serious Norma moment - I think situations like that are normally chalked up to immature (for the lack of a better word) audience members, and more often than not people who don’t regularly go to the theatre. 
 

Close loves this role, and the musical as a whole, too much to cheapen it for a reaction. That’s my opinion. 

[Musical Master]

Posted: 4/15/21 at 11:47am

Whoever said that Nicole Kidman should be Norma Desmond sounds like a good idea, but after her performance in The Prom, I think Catherine Zeta Jones would be a better fit. Both in acting and singing.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 4/15/21 at 8:28pm

I don't see how Kidman could be a good fit. She has a fine voice but it doesn't really carry much power, and I really don't see her face being able to convey much pathos. Lastly, there needs to be a three strikes and you're out when it comes to starring in movie musicals. There are plenty of singing actors that can carry a movie, we don't need to see the same ones over and over. 

Updated On: 4/15/21 at 08:28 PM

[JayElle]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 10:01am

Musical Master said: "Whoever said that Nicole Kidman should be Norma Desmond sounds like a good idea, but after her performance in The Prom,I think Catherine Zeta Jones would be a better fit. Both in acting and singing."

 

Anyone but Kidman...too young if nothing else.

 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 10:05am

BrodyFosse123 said: "Having seen the original 1990s Broadway production countless times with all the cast replacements, I was disappointed with Close’s new interpretation of Norma in 2017. Whereas in her original 1994-95 interpretation she played up the melodrama, in 2017 she came across like Carol Burnett’s parody Nora Desmond. Close mugged and did those crazy eyes which brought laughs from the audience where there weren’t before. Even her finale was played for laughs, which to me was upsetting. I loved her original heartbreaking downfall from the 90s. She’s a song interpreter so whatever vocal limitations she has are overlooked (even in the 90s), so this wasn’t any issue for me. Her mugging and crazy eyes being played for laughs did it for me. Loved the minimal staging and lush orchestrations. Not this kooky goofy Norma Desmond. "

 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 10:10am

JayElle said: "Anyone but Kidman...too young if nothing else."

She’s 53. She just looks younger because her face doesn’t move.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 10:11am

For my money, Close’s performance in the original production and the revival was one of the 5 greatest performances I have ever seen by a female actor in a musical. Lansbury gave two of those performances (Mame and Gypsy); the other two were Barbara Harris for The Apple Tree and Patti Lupone in Anything Goes. Bebe Neuwirth would be next for Chicago and Donna Murphy for TKAI.

I doubt that I have ever witnessed the audience reaction at the end of the performance, and it was not specifically for the show, which has always had some boring parts.

[JayElle]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 10:49am

CATSNYrevival said: "JayElle said: "Anyone but Kidman...too young if nothing else."

She’s 53. She just looks younger because her face doesn’t move."

LOL...That's why I added "...if nothing else."   Knew there would be other reasons!  Didn't care for NK's Prom role.

I'm okay with Glenn in a Murphy production. Saw her in '90s and multiple times in '17.  Still have CD for couple of decades. She played that cranky grandma in Netflix's Hillbilly Elegy.

Been waiting for SunBlvd movie version. Hope she can do those scary Gloria Swanson eyes/hands coming at the camera close-up..  Still have B'way CD for couple of decades. 

It's a star has-been, so why does actress need a  on a "better voice?"  

The best rendition of "You Are So Beautiful" was Joe Cocker's  throaty voice, especially the off-key ending.  Incredible juxtaposition and great delivery: rough singing about beauty.  

He sounds like a 1940s gangster movie actor...a musical E G Robinson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvAr9umnZ54

 

 

 

 

 

 

[David10086]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 11:08pm

JayElle said:
Anyone but Kidman...too young if nothing else.

"

She's the right age, but such a cold, dull performer. 

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 11:35pm

Michelle Pfeiffer?  

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 11:56pm

and Ryan Gossling

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 4/20/21 at 10:41am

Sad to hear that Anthony Powell passed. Would've been great to see him translate his designs to the film version, if it happens. 

[castlestreet]

Posted: 4/20/21 at 6:51pm

I just saw he has passed-his Norma Desmond costumes are my all-time favorites!

May he RIP...