‘Sunset Blvd.’ for a new generation

‘SUNSET BLVD.: Nicole Scherzinger. Photo: Marc Brenner.

SUNSET BLVD.
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton
Based on the Billy Wilder movie Sunset Boulevard

Directed by Jamie Lloyd
St. James Theatre

246 W. 44^th Street
https://sunsetblvdbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard is a blend of illusion and reality. In previous productions, it featured a lavish, opulent set and costumes. Director Jamie Lloyd has totally reimagined and reworked the musical into a Sunset Blvd. (complete with an abbreviated title) for a new generation.

This production features projections instead of sets, all-black costumes and haze that may remind one of the smog on a Los Angeles freeway. It received seven Olivier Awards in London, including one for Best Musical.

A revolutionary reboot

In this revolutionary reboot of the classic musical, one must suspend reality and work on the illusion. The illusion is former Pussycat Dolls pop singer Nicole Scherzinger giving a younger, darker interpretation of the neurotic narcissist Norma Desmond. Understandably, Norma Desmond’s age has been changed from 50 to 40 since Ms. Scherzinger is in her 40s. One forgets about past revivals of the show because Ms. Scherzinger’s stage presence is so imposing, and her voice so soaring and ethereal that it’s almost operatic. She has the audience spellbound from the first moment she enters the stage.  The original version was a brilliant adaptation of Billy Wilder’s magnificent screen version of the same name. It was directed by Trevor Nunn and the set by John Napier was truly one of the greatest and most memorable sets of all time. They anchored the show and gave it splendor and meaning.

However, Mr. Lloyd’s version still has lots of meaning but a different type of splendor and no lavish sets. The plot centers on the same premise as the 1950 classic film Sunset Boulevard: Norma, a faded 1920s screen star of yesteryear who hasn’t worked in years, falling for a younger, broke screenwriter, Joe Gillis (Tom Francis). All the main characters from the Billy Wilder movie are here, from ambitious fellow screenwriter Betty Schaefer (Grace Hodgett Young) to the mysterious Max Von Mayerling (David Thaxton), Norma’s loyal and creepy servant.

A stylized Sunset Blvd.

This production lacks the grandeur of the original; it instead aims instead for a stylized approach. Here, we have people running around with handheld cameras—and that is not exactly original as this technique has been used on Broadway in recent years by other European directors. However, in a revival of musical adaptation of a classic Hollywood film, it somehow works here.  A screen is suspended above the stage, used as a backdrop on which to project close-ups of Norma and Joe. Credits are seen scrolling both at the beginning and end of the show, like one is watching an old black and white film noir on late-night TV. Video designs and cinematography by Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, lighting design by Jack Knowles and sound design by Adam Fisher all help to create this ambience.

Mr. Francis, as Joe, sings the titular song “Sunset Boulevard” on camera, off stage, as we see a projection of him walking through the Broadway theatre district outside. He finally enters the stage of the St. James. Norma stands there eerily, waiting for him.

Purists may quibble that, without the garish costumes and ornate sets of previous productions, this Sunset Blvd. has none of the glamour necessary to evoke the time period and truth of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score and the original book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. However, everything about Jamie Lloyd’s twist on both the visual exposition and narrative of the musical is fresh and innovative, and that is truly rare in normally gimmicky “modern” revivals of classic Broadway. Fortunately, most of the cast are exceptionally good.

Outstanding cast

Nicole Scherzinger’s Norma is snarkier and more quick-witted than the vulnerable Norma Desmond many are accustomed to, and she has brilliant timing when reciting such iconic lines as “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small,” and “We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!” When Ms. Scherzinger belts out any of the show’s songs, her vibrato is stratospheric. Her vocals are magical and truly unforgettable.

Equally important, Mr. Francis as Joe also has a powerful voice, as does David Thaxton as Max Von Mayerling. Both actors give first-rate performances. In addition, Grace Hodgett Young is also superb as Betty Schaefer, the upbeat screenwriter with romantic designs on Joe.

In conclusion, Jamie Lloyd’s avant-garde spin on Sunset Blvd. is so provocative, outrageous and stripped bare of everything that many will either hate it or love it. At the performance this reviewer attended, the audience was definitely loving the show, judging from the thunderous applause after each song. One thing is certain: This unconventional Sunset Blvd. is a must-see phenomenon.

Published October 28, 2024
Reviewed at October 24, 2024 press performance

SUNSET BLVD.’: Tom Francis & Nicole Scherzinger. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: Nicole Scherzinger & Hannah Yun Chamberlain. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: Nicole Scherzinger. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: Tom Francis (center) & cast. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: Grace Hodgett Young. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: The cast. Photo: Marc Brenner.

‘SUNSET BLVD.’: (projected onto the screen left to right): Nicole Scherzinger, Hannah Yun Chamberlain & Tom Francis (seated). Photo: Marc Brenner.