Did Kevin Anderson get fired from Sunset Blvd with Patti Lupone? - Page 3

[wiggum2]

Posted: 7/13/20 at 7:28pm

CT2NYC said: "wiggum2 said: "random question, which of the Normas sang the line "I'm sick to dead of that old filling station shirt, stained with yesterday's dessert in The Ladys paying? It seems most of the videos I have found on YT have the lines

Shut up, I'm rich
Now some platinum blonde bitch
I own so many apartments
I've forgotten which is which"

The lines you're talking about are:

I'msick to death of that
Same old filling station shirt
And that boring, baggy jacket
Stained with yesterday's dessert

I recently stumbled upon a video on YouTube with 33 minutes of what is supposedly the first London preview, shot with the house camera, and with sound from the soundboard. It's in black and white, and far from the stage, but it's definitely interesting to watch. "The Lady's Paying" is one of the numbers on it, which also originally featured a break with Norma donning men's clothes and doing a Charlie Chaplin impersonation. Shesings those lines immediately after that.I won't link to the video here, since I guess it is technically a bootleg, but it's easy to find.

In any event, those lyrics are also sung by Patti on the World Premiere Recording:

 

 
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thank you, I always thought the London production had the filling station shirt line and I am 99% sure that Elaine sang that lyric when I saw her(which made sense to me since Elaine had come over from London) but YT has a video from a few weeks before closing singing the apartment lyric so maybe my memory is playing tricks on me

 

"

 

Updated On: 7/13/20 at 07:28 PM

[David10086]

Posted: 7/14/20 at 12:24am

chernjam said: "scripps said: "I recall being kind of wishy washy about seeing the revival because hey, it didn't have the opulent set. I went with a friend regardless courtesy of TDF and had a fantastic time courtesy of a patron who might'vehad a little too much to drink at intermission leading to an audible shout of approval when Michael Xavier came on in just his swim trunks to start the second act. The audience erupted in laughter and support and Michael turned to the house and preened while the orchestra vamped into "Sunset Boulevard" for a few additional bars. I'm normally not into vocal support during a show but I thought this was kind of perfectso please don't tell me this was an audience plant"

I saw the revival 4 times and never encountered that, so I would think it was spontaneous :)"

 

I went the Sunday before the last performance, and when he came on stage for the second act in his swimsuit, he got quite the audible reaction from the men in the front rows. Xavier loved it, and encouraged more whistles and catcalls with his hand gestures, and most of the audience responded with him laughing in return. He then yelled “ Thank You” and went back into character. 

He got away with this because he was so handsome and had a great body in that swimsuit ! And he had charm. Loved him in the role. 

 

[scampsweep]

Posted: 7/14/20 at 2:16am

wiggum2 said: "CT2NYC said: "wiggum2 said: "random question, which of the Normas sang the line "I'm sick to dead of that old filling station shirt, stained with yesterday's dessert in The Ladys paying? It seems most of the videos I have found on YT have the lines

Shut up, I'm rich
Now some platinum blonde bitch
I own so many apartments
I've forgotten which is which"

The lines you're talking about are:

I'msick to death of that
Same old filling station shirt
And that boring, baggy jacket
Stained with yesterday's dessert

I recently stumbled upon a video on YouTube with 33 minutes of what is supposedly the first London preview, shot with the house camera, and with sound from the soundboard. It's in black and white, and far from the stage, but it's definitely interesting to watch. "The Lady's Paying" is one of the numbers on it, which also originally featured a break with Norma donning men's clothes and doing a Charlie Chaplin impersonation. Shesings those lines immediately after that.I won't link to the video here, since I guess it is technically a bootleg, but it's easy to find.

In any event, those lyrics are also sung by Patti on the World Premiere Recording:




---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
thank you, I always thought the London production had the filling station shirt line and I am 99% sure that Elaine sang that lyric when I saw her(which made sense to me since Elaine had come over from London)but YT has a video from a few weeks before closing singing the apartment lyric so maybe my memory is playing tricks on me
 


Your memory is playing tricks on you. The sung lines about the ‘filling station shirt’ and ‘yesterday’s dessert’ were only sung in the show by LuPone. After she left, all other London Normas sang the ‘Shut up, I’m rich’ lines as per the American recording with Glenn Close.

In that version, there is a spoken (not sung) line that includes reference to ‘that filling station shirt’ - maybe that’s what your memory is remembering? However, only LuPone sang the original lyrics. The lyrics on the American Premiere recording have been the standard since 1994 and, therefore, sung by every Norma in every English-language production, including Paige (both in London and on Broadway). 

 

 

 

""

 

 

 

[Marlothom]

Posted: 7/14/20 at 11:22am

I love the London recording so much - and still kick myself that as a high school student in NYC (by way of NJ Transit), I did not save enough money to see Glenn Close, the ticket was $95, I had $68! 

Off-topic, but you know who would have been a terrific Joe Gillis back in his prime, Matt Cavenough! 

[David10086]

Posted: 7/14/20 at 11:41am

Once again, a special thanks to cherjm for telling me to “JUST GO!” to the revival three years ago. I was undecided with the scaled down production but you told my go and I idiot and so glad I did!! 😘

[David10086]

Posted: 7/14/20 at 11:41am

Once again, a special thanks to cherjm for telling me to “JUST GO!” to the revival three years ago. I was undecided with the scaled down production but you told my go and I idiot and so glad I did!! 😘

[darreyl102]

Posted: 7/14/20 at 12:51pm

David10086 said: "chernjam said: "scripps said: "I recall being kind of wishy washy about seeing the revival because hey, it didn't have the opulent set. I went with a friend regardless courtesy of TDF and had a fantastic time courtesy of a patron who might'vehad a little too much to drink at intermission leading to an audible shout of approval when Michael Xavier came on in just his swim trunks to start the second act. The audience erupted in laughter and support and Michael turned to the house and preened while the orchestra vamped into "Sunset Boulevard" for a few additional bars. I'm normally not into vocal support during a show but I thought this was kind of perfectso please don't tell me this was an audience plant"

I saw the revival 4 times and never encountered that, so I would think it was spontaneous :)"



I went the Sunday before the last performance, and when he came on stage for the second act in his swimsuit, he got quite the audible reaction from the men in the front rows. Xavier loved it, and encouraged more whistles and catcalls with his hand gestures, and most of the audience responded with him laughing in return. He then yelled “ Thank You” and went back into character.

He got away with this because he was so handsome and had a great body in that swimsuit ! And he had charm. Loved him in the role.

"

The same happened when I saw the show. The audience ate him up

[darreyl102]

Posted: 7/14/20 at 12:51pm

David10086 said: "chernjam said: "scripps said: "I recall being kind of wishy washy about seeing the revival because hey, it didn't have the opulent set. I went with a friend regardless courtesy of TDF and had a fantastic time courtesy of a patron who might'vehad a little too much to drink at intermission leading to an audible shout of approval when Michael Xavier came on in just his swim trunks to start the second act. The audience erupted in laughter and support and Michael turned to the house and preened while the orchestra vamped into "Sunset Boulevard" for a few additional bars. I'm normally not into vocal support during a show but I thought this was kind of perfectso please don't tell me this was an audience plant"

I saw the revival 4 times and never encountered that, so I would think it was spontaneous :)"



I went the Sunday before the last performance, and when he came on stage for the second act in his swimsuit, he got quite the audible reaction from the men in the front rows. Xavier loved it, and encouraged more whistles and catcalls with his hand gestures, and most of the audience responded with him laughing in return. He then yelled “ Thank You” and went back into character.

He got away with this because he was so handsome and had a great body in that swimsuit ! And he had charm. Loved him in the role.

"

The same happened when I saw the show. The audience ate him up

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/14/20 at 3:02pm

Some Joes sing the word "Boulevard" as "Boooleevard", which I find terribly grating. Kevin Anderson tended to do this, which is why I prefer the Alan Campbell recording.

[David10086]

Posted: 7/16/20 at 12:28pm

scripps said: "I recall being kind of wishy washy about seeing the revival because hey, it didn't have the opulent set. I went with a friend regardless courtesy of TDF and had a fantastic time courtesy of a patron who might'vehad a little too much to drink at intermission leading to an audible shout of approval when Michael Xavier came on in just his swim trunks to start the second act. The audience erupted in laughter and support and Michael turned to the house and preened while the orchestra vamped into "Sunset Boulevard" for a few additional bars. I'm normally not into vocal support during a show but I thought this was kind of perfectso please don't tell me this was an audience plant"

 

According to a review in Newsday, from the opening night in February 2017:

"Almost as important is the casting of Michael Xavier, the first Joe Gillis I’ve seen to capture William Holden’s attractive, increasingly corrupted nonchalance of Norma’s boy toy. Xavier flirts too much with the audience when he emerges dripping from the pool, but the actor has a leading man’s charm and a voice to match."

So it seems like something he did - or was directed to do - from opening night till the final performance. He had the charm - and certainly the body - to get away with this. 

 

 

[bryan2]

Posted: 7/21/20 at 9:02pm

jagman1062 said: "When I first heard the London recording with Anderson as Joe I was excited to see him perform the role. I didn't make it to London until the summer of 1994 and saw the show with Betty Buckley and John Barrowman. I thought Barrowman was serviceable but rather young for the part. He seemed too boyish and didn't pull off the mature aspects of the character well. When I saw Campbell in the role in January 1995 in New York, I didn't think there was anything about his performance that stood out to me. In the summer of 1995 I was back in London and Elaine Paige was performing as Norma, but I don't remember who was playing Joe as I didn't catch the show. To make up for missing her, I saw Paige perform Norma in New York in the winter of 1997, but whoever played Joe was forgettable as I can't remember who it was."

Alan Campbell was Joe with Elaine Paige also....so that is probably why you found him forgettable