Review: SUNSET BOULEVARD: THE BACKSTAGE CUT, Òran Mór
Sunset Boulevard: The Backstage Cut ran at Òran Mór until 28 June
Originally staged as part of A Play, A Pie and A Pint back in 2015, Morag Fullarton’s Sunset Boulevard: The Backstage Cut is a whirlwind summary of a classic film.
Fullarton has developed a distinctive style of assembling small casts with multiple roles to stage a variety of iconic films such as It’s A Wonderful Life (Sort Of) and Casablanca. For Sunset Boulevard: The Backstage Cut it’s a cast of four featuring Juliet Cadzow as Norma Desmond, Frances Thorburn, John Kielty and Mark McDonnell in various roles.
Deluded fading star Norma Desmond believes that she has deserted her huge fanbase and that there is great demand for her to return to acting. Joe Gillies is a young scriptwriter who is down on his luck and ends up staying in Norma’s mansion and then ends up dead in her pool.
Juliet Cadzow is great as Norma Desmond and she plays both the extravagance and the vulnerability of the former star well. Mark McDonnell delivers the script's few comedic moments as Max.
It’s worth noting as well that the production has been scaled down for Oran Mor’s smaller stage and Fraser Lappin’s set design is less grand than it was for the Perth run, which is a real shame. It’s still pretty impressive and reflects Desmond’s conviction that she’s still a star.
Sunset Boulevard: The Backstage Cut is entertaining enough but it misses some of the humour that Fullarton’s other productions are known for. It’s a pretty faithful adaptation of Sunset Boulevard with some decent performances but it feels a little unnecessary.
Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
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