Theater Review: The Broadway Revival of “Sunset Boulevard” Assaults the Senses
By Christopher Caggiano
Director Jamie Lloyd’s loud and brash revival is all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Sunset Boulevard Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics and libretto by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. Directed by Jamie Lloyd. Choreography by Fabian Aloise. At the St. James Theater, Manhattan, through July 6
Tom Francis as Joe Gillis and Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Photo: Marc Brenner
As ecstatic word of mouth started coming over the pond about the London revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, I started to wonder if, somehow, they had completely rewritten the show. Because I’ve seen the musical quite a few times, and folks, it’s no great shakes. How much could director Jamie Lloyd reasonably do to make the show work?
A little history. When Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard premiered in London in 1993, it was met with a mixed reaction at best. Lloyd Webber famously fired star Patti LuPone and brought in Glenn Close for the Broadway transfer. He also decided that the problem was that the show wasn’t sung through, like his previous musicals, and that’s what he thought people expected of him. So he added a bunch of dull recitative. Sunset Boulevard still had its problems — ditching Patti and the unsung dialogue didn’t fix them.
As any show maven would know, Sunset Boulevard is based on the Billy Wilder 1950 movie of the same name, and famously follows the story of Norma Desmond, a faded, deluded silent film star who dreams of making a return to the screen. Norma lives in isolation in her luxurious but decrepit Hollywood mansion. Struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis becomes entangled in her desperate comeback scheme. Her obsession spirals, dragging Joe into a complex relationship that we know from scene one will end in tragedy.
Sunset as a show is typical mid-career Lloyd Webber: i.e., not very good. Although, I’ll bet Sir Andrew wishes he could return to his merely not-good era after the all-around disaster that was Bad Cinderella. Sunset is essentially two decent songs surrounded by banal recitative. Or as a friend refers to it, “repetitative.” There’s leitmotif and then there’s laziness. Leitmotifs are supposed to have a particular meaning behind them, but Sir Andrew seems to repeat melodies because he can’t be bothered with coming up with something new.
What’s more, even in those two decent songs, Lloyd Webber reveals his weaknesses. In Norma’s first big number, “With One Look,” he wrote a melody that travels so darned high he needed to add a modulation downward so that people could actually sing it. As for Norma’s big act two song, “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” Lloyd Webber writes himself into a corner and he is forced to quote “New Ways to Dream” in order to complete it. I could go on about Sunset‘s flaws, but it was clear that Jamie Lloyd wasn’t being handed a masterpiece when he signed on to direct.
(Projected onto the Screen, L to R): Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond and Hannah Yun Chamberlain as Young Norma, with Tom Francis (seated) as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Photo: Marc Brenner
Apparently propelled by the sepulchral vision Lloyd has developed for the show, there have been a few excisions to the score. Two would-be comic numbers called “The Lady’s Paying,” and “Eternal Youth Is Worth a Little Suffering” are gone. Still even with those cuts, the production feels overly long, particularly in the painfully attenuated final scene.
Lloyd has built a strong reputation with his spare, pared-down versions of classic shows, including the recent A Doll’s House, with a luminous Jessica Chastain, and Betrayal, with Tom Hiddleston in his Broadway debut. There’s also been word that Lloyd will direct an upcoming production of Waiting for Godot with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters. I’m still waiting for someone to say “April Fools!” about that one.
It seems that Lloyd knows that Sunset is a bit of a stinker, so he fills the production with literal smoke and figurative mirrors in the form of omnipresent cameras and live videos projected onto an enormous screen on the back wall of the stage. The result is stylish to a fault, but to what end? What do all these production elements mean? What do they add to the drama, besides a gee-whiz kind of hi-tech wonderment?
I’ve sort of buried the lead in so far failing to mention the show’s current star, Nicole Scherzinger. Word of mouth about her performance was off the charts, but I found it labored, unrestrained, and irritating. Yes, Norma is a bit over the top, but Scherzinger’s mugging and childish antics pulled me out of the show. Much of this business is obviously coming from the director, but it’s hard to be sympathetic to Norma when she knees Joe in the balls as he tries to leave Norma’s New Year’s Eve party.
The ensemble of Sunset Boulevard on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Photo: Marc Brenner
Even so, Scherzinger has her moments, particularly at the end of the first act during the “Great stars have great pride” scene, which is terrifically intimate and understated. But then that moment is ruined a bit later when Norma jumps up on Joe and wraps her legs around his waist. Norma Desmond? Jump?
Lots of people have been speculating that the contest for Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical would be between Scherzinger and Audra McDonald in Gypsy. However, as I write this, Scherzinger’s in the middle of a social media imbroglio kicked off by a positive comment she made on Instagram about a post from the formerly famous but now infamously erratic Russell Brand that pictured him holding a MAGA-type hat with the inscription “Make Jesus Great Again.” She may not have understood the full implications of her “like” but, as a friend of mine commented on Facebook, the Tony race may have just become a bit less competitive.
Lloyd has attempted to burnish Sunset Boulevard‘s relevance to today by injecting a slew of modern references. The assumption is this tale of Hollywood decadence is timeless. For instance, at one point, he has Norma adopt a grating vocal cry, and at another perform The Running Man and other contemporary dances. But the story is very much rooted in a specific era of Hollywood, highlighting the once-popular performers who failed to transition from silent films to talkies.
Yes, it’s true that older women continue to be marginalized in the film industry, and Hollywood still has a way of devouring its stars. However, part of what makes Sunset Boulevard so captivating is its evocation of this bygone period and the distinctive struggles of those who fell prey to the changing of the technological guard. Modernizing Norma’s trauma only detracts from the material’s allure — an approach that recalls the current, tweenified revival of Romeo + Juliet, which similarly loses much of the original’s essence.
In keeping with the film motif, Lloyd displays the production credits on a screen at both the beginning and end of the evening. Sure, it’s a cute concept, but it’s also heavy-handed. As the final credits rolled, the house lights remained off; the side exits remained closed until the end credits were over. Audience members were pretty much trapped in their seats. It was as if Lloyd were saying, “I’m in charge here; you’ll leave when I say.” Yeah, well, a director shouldn’t need to force an audience to stick around — either the production is compelling, or it isn’t.
The ever-present cameras are clearly another thematic nod to Hollywood, yet they quickly become a detriment. Lloyd lets the cast play up to the cameras, which only serves to cheapen the atmosphere. At one point, a cast member even makes that crude gesture in which someone inserts his tongue in between two fingers held in a peace sign. It is juvenile, jarring, and woefully out of place. At another point, just for laughs, Lloyd blocks a reappearance of Norma’s dead chimp from the burial sequence at the top of the show. Tee-hee.
Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Photo: Marc Brenner
Lloyd is most likely borrowing all this camera business from the similarly hot director Ivo van Hove. Occasionally, this technique lands, as when a younger Norma appears on screen during “New Ways to Dream,” providing a haunting reminder of her former glory. But more often, the screen obsession falls flat. During Joe and Betty’s duet, “Too Much in Love to Care,” a massive projection of Artie (Betty’s fiancé) looms over them, like a ghost from the past.
But Artie isn’t dead, nor does he have any supernatural insight — he’s merely off filming somewhere else. We don’t need this overt reminder of Betty’s engagement; the audience can connect those dots without having Artie’s image intrusively punctuating the scene. (And the single teardrop falling down Artie’s cheek was really the last straw.)
Perhaps the most egregious use of the cameras comes during the title number, which opens the second act. Joe leaves the theater and he is filmed as he strides over to meet much of the rest of the cast in Shubert Alley; he then leads them back through the orchestra section and up onto the stage. This moment received thunderous applause, yet the entire sequence comes off as forced and unnecessary. Plus, it’s a direct echo of Ivo van Hove’s staging of Network, in which Tony Goldwyn’s character similarly ventures outside the theater, an act live-streamed for the audience. This “enter real world” moment in Sunset Boulevard only adds to the slick superficiality and is more of a gimmick than a genuine contribution to the drama.
In the end, Lloyd’s revival of Sunset Boulevard is a flashy production in search of meaning. The visual flourishes, modern references, and amplified performances drown out the nuance of what could be — despite the show’s flaws — an intimate, haunting character study. Instead, we’re left with spectacle over substance, mood overwhelming significance, style rather than depth. Given that this show is a condemnation of the dangers of illusion and the relentless churn of Hollywood, it’s ironic that this revival, full of sound and fury, lacks the human resonance to make Norma Desmond’s tragedy feel anything but hollow.
Christopher Caggiano is a freelance writer and editor living in Stamford, CT. He has written about theater for a variety of outlets, including TheaterMania.com, American Theatre, and Dramatics magazine. He also taught musical-theater history for 16 years and is working on numerous book projects based on his research.
Tagged: "Sunset Boulevard", Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jamie Lloyd, Nicole Scherzinger
33 Comments
Leave a Comment
I was very fortunate to see Glen Close in the original Broadway stage version of Sunset Boulevard. She WAS Norma Desmond like no other.The sets were just as wonderful. One of the very best musicals I have ever seen. I cannot imagine this could possibly compare.
Glenn Close was certainly indelible in the part. And she actually sounded much better when she came back and played Norma at the Palace.
I saw both versions starring Glenn Close. I was blown away my her, the beautiful sets and the music and orchestrations. I saw two other Normas (I rather not say who) but they didn’t measure up. I was interested in seeing this new version, although I had hesitations. Then her unfortunate posts in the various social medias. Now no hesitations. Totally lost interest.
Yeah, a lot of people feel that way. As a friend said, do I think she’s hateful? No. Do I think she fully understood the ramifications of her comment? No. But do I think she’s hurt her chances at the Tony? Absolutely.
Mr. Caggiano,
Way too may words to say you don’t like it.
Respectfully,
C
Respectfully, I must disagree. Everything I said I felt I needed to say to support my opinion, which BTW is decidedly in the minority, even among my fellow critics. Since so many people are wild about the production, I felt I needed to clearly explicate what I thought was wrong.
Personally I was glad to finally read a review of Sunset Blvd that expressed my feelings. I haven’t seen this latest production and won’t see it because I thought the original production was just about the most boring musical I’ve ever seen. I’ve never understood it when people rave about it. Thank you!
The reviewers job is to give specific instances of WHY a production works or doesn’t.The purpose is to give an informed opinion of a theatrical experience. If you love Lloyd Webber and the music of Sunset Blvd, you can disregard his thoughts on the composition. But, his discourse on Jamie Lloyd’s direction might be useful to a prospective audience member. Personally, I wish I had seen his review prior to seeing the show.
It ridiculous that the Gay Broadway Mafia will supposedly award Tonys for political reasons over talent. It says more about them. No one knows who Nicole voted for and people should not make assumptions. They have been quick to point fingers and lynch her — a woman of color. I bet your friend is anti-Trump but still has their Twitter account, which supports Elon Musk (ie the Dark MAGA Lord) and his MAGA platform. It’s kinda hypocritical, but still, the gays need to post their open-marriage nudes somewhere. A vote for blue was also a vote for using US taxpayer’s money to fund a genocide. It’s hard to believe in everything a party stands for. If people want to call out others for their right for choice, they need to look at themselves first.
You shouldn’t lose interest. This Norma’s performance is something to behold. It’s one for the ages. Don’t miss it.
I saw this chow in London with Glen Close and thought it was brilliant. I’ve heard Nicole sing a couple of tracks and she sounds good.
So she is not allowed to have her own opinions? Her talent and success is based on whether or not you personally agree with her? Whether she is pro or anti-Trump should have nothing to do with whether her show is a success or if she wins a Tony or not.
That’s not really the point. It’s about the optics. We’ve seen other Broadway performers essentially become banished for airing certain unpopular — at least with the Broadway crowd — opinions. Laura Osnes, Chad Kimball, and Zachary Levi come immediately to mind. Scherzinger possibly wasn’t aware of this, but she should have at least have known that Russell Brand has gone loopty loo and that appearing to publicly support one of his posts might not be wise.
And I didn’t say I thought she shouldn’t win the Tony. I said I thought she wouldn’t win the Tony. Big difference.
Betty Buckley was better than Close, Sorry! I wouldn’t see this piece of crap if you paid me!
I saw Betty Buckley in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway. She was magnificent. I saw Petula Clark in the national tour and thought her singing was terrific, but the production was tacky. I have no interest in the current version.
I actually bought a ticket to see Buckley as Norma but she was out. I saw Karen Mason, who was off the hook amazing.
I have followed Karen Mason’s career for well over 35 years now. I specifically bought tix to see her play Norma when I knew Glenn was on vacation.I agree with you; She was great!
I think your review suggests you’re looking for something that wasn’t meant to be found. New productions of theater are allowed to take liberty with interpretation, and the score is well written. Not liking the use of leitmotif doesn’t make it bad. It just means you don’t like it.
Phantom just a few years before did exactly the same thing. The score is great, it goes on forever. I love it, and I also wish for it to stop always. It is what it is. Repetition is essential in long form musical performances. If you want new material consistently, listen to Mozart opera. Keep in mind that most musical theater recycle act 1 music into act 2. Creativity isn’t cheap.
The use of cameras was a nice exchange from the original “traditional sets”. It’s Hollywood opulence, and an attempt at film noir. It tried to combine film production with stage production. It was creative and novel. Let it happen.
Sunset‘s original production, filled with elaborate moving sets and a lackluster final scene was alright at best. Gillis is an unlikable character. He’s a failure writer and invaded the lives of a reclusive couple minding their own business trying to doing their best in their own delusional life- I think this reinterpreted drama helped the finale mature. Before, Glenn Close shot a guy over an argument. This time, Gillis provoked an unstable home situation to tip over into madness. It’s fun to root for the anti-heroine sometimes.
Saw the show last night. I agree with every word of your review, which is well written and so perceptive. Thank you!
Apparently you dislike this show so intensely that you’ve even demoted Lord Lloyd Webber. Sunset Boulevard isn’t the first Broadway musical to turn a daring Hollywood satire into pablum; it isn’t even LLW’s first. (The all-time champ in the category, I’d argue, is The Producers, which as an act of artistic betrayal leaves SB in the dust.) Like LLW, you score (swidt?) some salient points, but it’s not a very coherent piece and the final paragraph, being a string of non sequiturs too listless to stand on their own and illogical in building an argument to its conclusion, suggesting a review in search of a thesis.
I haven’t demoted Sir Andrew. He’s managed to do so on his own. No help from me required.
Norma wasn’t Asian. I’ll stick with Glenn Close. Saw that show in LA in the 90s.
Worst play I’ve seen in awhile. Too dark and if I wanted to watch it on a screen I would’ve gone to a movie. Nicole is a strong singer. And the musical score fantastic but the dark reverse set makes it terrible!
I agree. The entire story is tied to a specific era. The lyrics refer to this specific time in movie history. Nothing works if you try to make this into a rock opera. It’s just plain stupid. The plot requires authenticity.
I’m tired of all the Andrew Lloyd-Webber bashing in these so-called “reviews”. Say what you want about this particular performance but Sunset Boulevard is a masterpiece by a composer who, at his zenith, was unbeatable. He understood the contemporary musical unlike any other composer and has the performance and box office statistics to back that statement. The bashing is childish and generally rooted in the “artistic” world’s jealousy of the British guy who could do no wrong and eclipse any and all of the favorite darling American composers.
Sunset Boulevard has it all: soaring ballads, amazing characters, a classic source, operatic drama, and old fashioned movie and stage thrills. The recent production starring the incomparable Stephanie J. Block at the Kennedy Center was flawless and showed the what the piece could be. These reviews would be meaningful if they would give Lloyd-Webber the credit be deserves. His 80s/’90s megamusicals are definitive and wonderful, as decades of running performances and billions in ticket sales prove. Give the man and the show the credit they deserve then review the execution and the performances. Grow up, theatre snobs.
I saw the production with SJB and it was a far cry from flawless. And in this divisive moment, it would be great if you could express your opinion without resorting to name-calling.
I think your review is spot-on. I just saw this production in NYC last weekend and I was confused & disappointed. It is, indeed, a case of style over substance. I had never seen Sunset Blvd and musically, I found it had little to offer. This production didn’t give it a new life or offer anything interesting to say. I enjoyed Jamie Lloyd’s take on Cyrano de Bergerac back in 2020 in London. This seemed to be a retread of earlier conceptual ideas (Jessica Chastain’s Nora also exited to the street in her final exit). It was technically interesting to see Joe Gillis singing backstage, going down at least 6 flights of stairs to the street and enter back on stage (I was wondering if it was pre-filmed and timed with his stage entrance?). But, I couldn’t figure out what the directorial choice added to telling the story. It felt like a big, showy gimmick that was devoid of meaning. Standing ovation at the end, but I was left wishing I had the 3 hours and $250 back…
I liked your review as I’ve found it to be honest and succinct. I wasn’t planning on seeing the show and you always hope that the production does well, but there are other shows that piqued my interest this season. It will be interesting to see what happens around Tony time.
I hate two things about this production of Sunset Dead Alley, oops, Boulevard – the actress who plays Betty Schaefer and the second act. Meanwhile, Best performance by leading actress in a musical EVER is Betty Buckley in Sunset Boulevard.
Gosh, here’s a great example of someone self aggrandizing through “criticism” or, as Emmet Fox said of certain critics, self-boasting by dint of the diminishment of others.
It is clear from this reviewer he had made his mind up before setting foot in the theatre.
This show is extraordinary and ground breaking. Many fine critics, far more qualified than him, have given this production 5 star reviews.
It takes so much talent, sweat and tears to create a show like this.
It deserves in my opinion, far better than this facile spew of venom. When everything is attacked, from the composer, through to the director, the performers and even the sets, it’s always a red flag that we are not reading a balanced or fair-minded review.
I hate the internet sometimes, because of this kind of rubbish.
Speaking of facile spews of venom… As I replied to another reader above, it’s possible to disagree without name-calling and ad hominem attacks?
I broke my own rule: “Never read the comments.”
Mr. Caggiano, thanks for your piece. And for trying to respond to commenters.
I’m afraid the number of comments and their … er … vigor confirms everything Bill Marx has been trying to say for some time about the state of theater and theater criticism. But maybe what it also confirms is that we get the theater “we” want and/or deserve. That goes for presidents, too. Hard theory to stomach, but one must consider….
(Full disclosure: I have not been an ALW fan since JC Superstar, when I was in high school.)
I think the audience is the ultimate critic and decision maker in whether the show is good or not because they are the ones spending money and time to watch it and majority of them are raving about the show. When I first watched this show in London I was aware that this was a reimagined revival so my expectations of elegant settings and costume was nil. I liked this revival so much because it is visionary and ground breaking in so many ways. Just like many others, this production lingers in your memory for a long time and it begs to be seen again. Thus I saw it twice in London and 3 times on Broadway and many other fans go on repeat visits.
Say what you may but Nicole et al is giving the performance of a lifetime — vocals, acting, and dancing are mesmerizing. Norma’s character was campy even in the original film and Nicole’s camp is part of Norma’s enigma. Let the audience decide whether this production is really good or not.
It behooves me to think that politics has even seeped into art. Broadway should be a free space for every performer regardless of age, gender, religion and politics. It is hypocritical to censure one performer because some people think she supports the opposite party. If so, they should vet every performer in Broadway and find out what their political party is. The Tonys should be named Blue Tonys then. Majority of the so-called bonafide critics anyway concur with the majority of the audience that this show is a masterpiece — after all, it won 7 Olivier awards in London!