#last cap giving hollywood blvd

[marypickfords]

Halloween II (Rob Zombie, 2009)

[ladylizaelliott]

SUNSET BLVD 6/4

Sorry it took so long to get out this post, I had written it up the day afterwards and than my Dad’s laptop decided to crash and I lost it all. Anyway here are my detailed thoughts, opinions, loves and hates about the current revival of Sunset Blvd.

So before I go on for anyone who isn’t following me, I attended the performance on Mother’s Day (now known as the only show thus far Glenn Close’s understudy performed) and was so floored by the entire show and her u/s Nancy Anderson’s performance, I vowed by the end of ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’ that I’d return and bring my parents. Not just because they are my besties, but because it would give me another shot and chance to see Glenn and it was that good of a show that even if she was out again I’d STILL bring my family and everyone I know. 

The orchestra was the loveliest thing, absolutely flawless and it sounded like I had put in my LA Cast Recording in the car from the first note it was pitch perfect. Michael Xavier’s Joe is absolutely wonderful; he held the attention of the audience the entire night and was charming, maddening, and fully rounded throughout. The minimalist set meant that the score (Lloyd Webber’s best, in my opinion) and the story were pushed front and center. The opening number had me clapping in my seat like a happy seal, needless to say. I lose any and all semblance of my being a grown up when you put me in front of my musicals. 

From the minute Glenn came out, I knew it was a completely different approach to Norma this time around and I was absolutely stunned. Instead of going for the ‘saunter down the stairs I am the great star!” moment that the audience expects, Norma instead came slowly down the stairs clinging her robe against her chest, no jewelry, and looking as if she had spent the morning in tears. Rather than making it the “star entrance” she instead made it 100% Norma’s entrance; and perfectly within sense of what Norma was dealing with. She brought the grief of losing her pet chimpanzee with such genuine feeling, no one dared laugh, and when she went into ‘With One Look” it was as much an aria about her own lost life in Hollywood as it was another outpouring of her overwhelming grief; this wasn’t the strident rant but an impulsive outpouring of a woman in mourning. 

It was during “The Greatest Star of All” that we get introduced to the one thing I really REALLY disliked; the “Young Norma” ghost figure. This trope in theater is okay if used correctly and it wasn’t here; I thought it was terribly distracting to the actors singing the songs. I wrote about this from my last write up of the Mother’s Day show and I still felt the same after seeing it again.  Nothing against the actress, she was stellar and looked like a young Glenn, but I think it was a wrong move.

The rest of the first act, Glenn’s Norma was a word I never would have thought to describe her: adorable. Rather than taking herself seriously, she played Norma as a woman who seemed trapped in her youth literally; she was like a child in her impulses, her mood swings, and her pure enjoyment of Joe and relishing in her wealth. One of the things I LOVE so much about Norma as a character is the wealth of emotions and motivations that the actress can use; whether certain moments of Norma’s are from a genuine place of feeling or using her master craft to manipulate the people around her. There was not a SINGLE moment where I felt her Norma had a malicious intent; whereas Nancy had moments where the mask dropped and you could tell she was using her star power and skills to manipulate Joe. It was AMAZING to see two completely different Norma’s within the space of three weeks. 

I will say too, I probably would have noticed a little bit more if I wasn’t also doing a first myself; battling minor food poisoning during a Broadway show. I committed a theater sin (in my own head at least) by closing my eyes for almost the entirety of “Too Much in Love to Care” in Act II because by than I had already been sick at intermission and since I saw the show before I decided which parts to rest. Despite this, it didn’t diminish my experience at the show and I was still a crying wreck at ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’ and the finale. 

WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE FUCKING FINALE. I am writing in caps because I feel strong: AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO ABSOLUTELY HATES THE ‘WITH ONE LOOK’ REPRISE AT THE END OF THE SHOW?

After she says “I’m ready for my close up!” THAT’S IT FOR ME. STOP SINGING. LET THE MUSIC PLAY OUT, LET HER WALK OFF, CAMERAS CLICKING ETC, STOOOP SINGING.

So yeah, if I ever get the privilege of directing this show; I am cutting it, it’s unnecessary and serves the actress rather than the character since Norma only says her lines after breaking down and saying she can’t go on with the scene-I translate that in musical theatre terms as I CAN’T SING ANYMORE. 

So that’s pretty much it for thoughts on the show; I did end up going to the stage door and while the three leads did not come out, I did get to meet Nancy Anderson and give her raves for her performance on Mother’s Day. Also, Lori Tan Chin was there and called all the people waiting at the stage door her bitches. Afterwards, I took my parents back to Grand Central and we hopped back on the train home, ended up konking out in the car on the way home.