One Man's Opinion Season 4 Ep. 37: Sunset Blvd. on Broadway

[@DJGNYC]

“Soulless, lifeless, drab & boring”?! Girl you really miss that hydraulic mansion, huh? You kind of sound like a guy who yells at kids to get off his lawn. Appreciate your take anyway & I could pick it apart but I’ll choose joy instead…in a lifetime of seeing literally thousands of Broadway shows, this was one of the most exciting, creative, audacious & unforgettable things I’ve ever seen. It’s otherworldly. It’s an alien show from another planet. Shame you missed out on all the fun. Hope your lawn is OK.

[@Kitten8r]

"Otherworldly" was exactly the word I used when trying to describe it! I was so confused by this review, because it was opposite of pretty much everything I felt watching it. (And I usually agree with a lot of the reviews on this channel.) Maybe it helps that I'm not emotionally attached to the original material? I saw the 2017 revival, and all I remember about it is a staircase, and I guess, a turban? I thought this production was brilliant and stunning and so creative. The audience was the most quiet audience I've ever been a part of -- no chatting, no checking phones for texts (like at another show I saw recently), no M&Ms being rattled about. Everyone around me seemed similarly transfixed. And the mid-show standing ovation and lengthy standing ovation with intense cheering at the end told me I wasn't the only one energized by this show. Everyone around me leaving was raving about it. I personally am so glad I went to the show, and would call it one of the best, most exciting shows on Broadway right now.

[@LouBrikanT]

Absolutely agree with you.

[@foreignparticle1320]

I just saw this show, and have been trying to reconcile my complete indifference to it against the unapologetic praise from so many others. Like you, I enjoy this musical, despite its flaws, and was intrigued to see it through a completely new lens. While I found the lighting pretty striking and the videography occasionally very powerful, the whole thing left me completely cold. I'm not generally a fan of the whole "strip everything away to focus on the story and characters" kind of approach - but I did think Sunset could work in a pared back, stylised kind of way, with the right director and production design. Unfortunately, for me this wasn't that iteration. To me it felt like a production that desperately wanted to be something other than what the text was. If indeed this had been a completely new show (i.e. not ALW's Sunset Blvd.) I expect I would have derived a lot more enjoyment from it. Despite the ecstatic ovation at the end (but every show I see in the West End and Broadway gets those these days...) I did notice a fair amount of distraction among the audience I was sat near, and comments at interval about not understanding what had been happening. However, it's clear there are many ardent fans out there, and I don't begrudge them their enjoyment. I'm really glad however to find an opinion that resonates with mine!

[@minutemanmuster]

I have read the gushing reviews, the 'okay' reviews, and the negative reviews. I appreciate your perspective and it aligns with my tastes, I don't understand the point of this staging (even though other reviewers have done the analysis and interpretation for me). As an older theater goer, I sometimes wonder if I'm like a prior generation raised on 'My Fair Lady' and 'Kiss Me Kate' when along came Sondheim, A Chorus Line, and West End imports. I have no problem that theater is changing and evolving for new generations whose expectations and tastes are being catered to. It's the only way for it to survive and they deserve the live thrill of Nicole Scherzinger the same way we had Patti Lupone and then there were the Rent kids of the 90s. If their passion translates into ticket sales it's all good.

[@yankee04]

Disagree. I loved this production. Given that this was about a silent film star, cameras were appropriate. I saw Sydney Jones for Grace Hodgett Young. She didn’t miss a beat. Will definitely see again. Nicole S was outstanding as was the rest of the cast.

[@paulstrunk662]

I saw this the Saturday evening before it opened. When people asked my opinion I actually couldn’t give one. Even the cool parts (walking around the streets of the city) don’t make sense…

[@chrisryan9779]

The fangirling about this production is disturbing.

[@Modguy61]

I'm definitely in the "I just don't get it" category right along with you! Having bought the original soundtrack of the London production with Patti Lupone I fell in love with the score & would love to see a more faithful revival.

[@yankee04]

Counting the days until I see this production. I don’t mind stripped down production. I like highlighting the text/music. Will likely enjoy this more than you did.

[@DJGNYC]

You will have the time of your life. Trust & believe.

[@yankee04]

@@DJGNYC You were right. I loved this production! Will be attending again from a different place in the theatre to get a different perspective on the screens.

[@biancavarelas9718]

I’m not going to see this because I’m a far away fan but I’m thinking that what you are saying about this production is a paraphrase of a quote: There’s no blood going to it. There’s all kinds of blood going to it but none of it is good. As always, thank you for your analysis. A pleasure

[@geraldquist2209]

I agree with you about the whole “Live Camera on Stage” thing. I am DONE with it!. Enough already.

[@mts7130]

I have no opinion, as I have not seen any version of Sunset Blvd, including the movie, but it's amazing how one man's opinion of a show can be intolerable and that same show won an Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. I remember sitting for an adjudication of our production of Romeo and Juliet, and all the adjudicator talked about was how she would have directed it. I kept wondering if she watched our show. Anyhoo, keep putting out the reviews and I'll keep watching.

[@onemansopinion8135]

That’s the nature of opinions, everyone has one and as my show’s name implies. I’ve had a number of opinions that have railed against the majority, but I try not to let my opinion be any more than what it’s worth to those who are willing to listen to it.

[@nywicks]

I thought the show added camp and humor which I enjoyed but I’m also not as a big a fan of the original show as you are. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed this production more than the 2017 revival. The performances by the leads especially Nicole Scherzinger were great. Loved her vocals.

[@MusingMark]

Sunset Boulevard is big. It’s the production that got small. Whatever happened to actual sets and costumes? Was there no money? To expect audiences to pay top dollar to see an almost bare stage is ridiculous, in my opinion.

[@thatguyeddie4894]

ok, boomer

[@tscribe515]

Andrew Lloyd Webber's last name is "Lloyd Webber," not "Webber."

[@onemansopinion8135]

Thank you

[@Chris-pd1zo]

I saw the show with Mandy Gonzalez, and I thought the show had such high highs and low lows. I got shivers watching the car chase and thought that was a truly genius way to open(ish) the show. Similarly whenever the screens were used for that dichotomy of how Norma Desmond is in reality versus how she saw herself on the big screen, I thought it worked well. However, if you're using a screen for that dichotomy concept, you need to commit to it completely and I don't think this production did that. Why wasn't the same thing happening during the New Years Eve dance, the idealized movie dance versus the real lonely ballroom? Why did the Joe and Betty love plot happen on camera? It feels like that should be the reality we jump back to from Norma Desmond's larger than life existence on the screen not the other way around. Similarly, with the opening, why are they playing that down stage? On the surface level, if the audience is the camera, I guess it's cute, but again they don't ever do that again and don't commit whole heartedly to that idea. And they're supposed to be the dose of reality, not the idealized film aesthetic that Norma brings with her. The Walk is technically impressive, but at that point in the story Joe is mentally and physically stuck in the house, and yet the directorial choice is to have him leave the house quite literally? It feels like the choices regarding the screen were made for visual interest rather than to feed into the dramaturgical intent. ALW's score is also hit or miss for me, this was my first time listening to or seeing Sunset and while most of the backing score and a few of the lead songs are fantastic (Greatest Star of All, Sunset Boulevard, and As If We Never Said Goodbye), I found the "Girl meets Boy" and "This Time Next Year" themes grating, and while levity in a show this dark is needed, those themes swung too far in the other direction. The vocal and acting performances were truly fantastic, special shout out to David Thaxton as Max who I thought gave one of the best performances balancing comedy and tragedy. I can't speak on Scherzinger, but Gonzalez found the comedy in the role while still hitting all of the notes and going to all the dark spots. Probably too in depth a review for a youtube comment, but I'm still processing my thoughts because I was so mixed on this production. It feels like this should have been a production that hit home screens as a possibility for Broadway with a perfect fit in a story about the movies, but instead it stumbled in the execution.

[@onemansopinion8135]

I appreciate all of this. You make some great observations, some I had considered putting in the review but edited out, like the opening of act 2. Great comments and thank you for contributing.

[@bluevictoryoh1]

You saying Nicole was too young for the role says everything, J-Lo is 55! This is not the Golden Girls era, where women in their 50s look 80 for today's standards- Wow you are very out of touch with modern times. This must be a generational thing, shocking how negative you are. I loved this show. I've seen many cameras on stage in many shows, but this felt like watching a new entertainment medium. This is the best show on Broadway right now!

[@onemansopinion8135]

That is not what I said. I said I initially thought Nicole was too young. But after checking her age I said with her at 46, she was close enough to Gloria Swanson’s 51 to fit the role, acknowledging she’s right for the role for her age. Also, I say that cameras can work on stage when done right to complement the narrative like with 1984, otherwise it’s just a cheap gimmick. But that’s just my opinion, which is only the worth that people are willing to give it. I don’t mind you disagreeing with me, but disagree with things I actually say.

[@billycline7192]

@@onemansopinion8135 You thought she was too Young based on her looks at first glance. You just affirmed my point... Generational.

[@hummersd]

NS over-sings (I've come hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome at last") and over-acts the part. There's being dramatic, and then there's being DRAMAtic. Agree, the cameras/projections and staging is gimmicky. Lloyd's got a formula for his stripped-down productions, and I think we're getting tired of it.

[@pibbitybibbity]

It’s all gimmick for gimmick’s sake with no substance.

[@DJGNYC]

It’s a show about B/W movies…that uses B/W movies…that’s the opposite of a “gimmick”. A “gimmick” would be to have a 20-ton hydraulic mansion flying on & off the stage all night.

[@pibbitybibbity]

@@DJGNYC I’m glad you feel that way. That’s great for you. I don’t like it, because the gimmick doesn’t work for me. It’s a shame that Nicole’s stunning performance is wasted in a show that is more about the director saying “look at me and how edgy I am” rather than letting the show shine. I’m not saying it has to be in the same grand period set that it’s typically done in. I’m all for gimmicks when they work. And, as I said, this one doesn’t work for me.