By James V. Ruocco
A great line.
A great moment.
A sneer. A swoop. A smile.
An edge of madness.
A new beginning.
Or is it, the beginning of the end?
A glimpse into the life of Norma Desmond, a forgotten silent screen film star living in exile, but dreaming of a comeback pioneered by the great Cecil B. DeMille is the centerpiece of Andrew Lloyd Webber's grand 1993 musical opus "Sunset Boulevard," which draws its inspiration from the 1950 film of the same name.
Edgy.
Hypnotic.
Passionate.
Grand.
Delusional.
This is musical theatre steeped in gothic flamboyance, resonant melodrama, cinematic parody and romantic reflection - all rolled into one.
The good news - that when done right - it works magnificently.
Delivered with surprisingly intimate enhancement, creamy command and high standard resolve, Music Theatre of Connecticut's thrilling revival of "Sunset Boulevard" is an attractive, immersive, powerful piece of musical theatre voiced with affirming mystery, playful abandon, rooted film noir, blunt attitude and grandiose narrative storytelling.
It is humorous and engaging.
It is as delightful as it is deep.
It is tight and old fashioned.
It is ambitious and full-hearted.
It is Hollywood classic lost in a world of intertwined illusion, glamour and pathos.
It is faithful to the movie, its remembered past, its darkness and its dizzying, acceptable camp flourish.
Abandoning the luxurious grandeur of both the original West End London production and its subsequent Broadway incarnation, director Kevin Connors (""Ragtime," "Falsettoland," "Next to Normal," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof") opts for a simple, stately interpretation where minimal draperies, sets pieces and props are secondary to the retelling of the Norma Desmond/Joe Gillis story. Here, music, character, words, dialogue and lyrics bask in the spotlight, accompanied by the sumptuous sound of the MTC orchestra and the vocal brilliance of both the ensemble and the leading players. It's a directorial choice that is consistent, persuasive, inspired and completely visionary.
As interpreter and storyteller, Connors never once misses a beat. Well versed on the plot machinations and irony of the Billy Wilder screen version and the lush musicality of Webber's original production, he brings new ideas to the work using striking, simplified takes, pauses and focus to create a one-on-one trajectory between actor and audience. From start to finish, it's all chillingly understated, elegant and impactful, conditioned with real thought, real drama and inevitable edge and confrontation. The closeness of the theater's three-quarter staging environs complements and cements Connor's vision, his conjuring, his clarity and his intuitive ardor.
The musical score for "Sunset Boulevard" - an engrossing mix of ballads, duets, ensemble turns and cinematic anthems - bears the Andrew Lloyd Webber creative stamp (he composed the music) and that of his collaborators Christopher Hampton and Don Black (they wrote the lyrics). The songs, in order of how they are performed in the storytelling of the two-act musical are: "Overture," "Prologue," "Let's Have Lunch," "Every Movie's a Circus," "Surrender," "With One Look," "Salome," "The Greatest Star of All," "Every Movie's a Circus (reprise)," "Girl Meets Boy," "New Ways to Dream," "The Lady's Paying," "The Perfect Year," "This Time Next Year," "Entr'acte," "Sunset Boulevard," "There's Been a Call," "As If We Never Said Goodbye," "Surrender (reprise)," "Girl Meets Boy (reprise)," "Eternal Youth Is Worth a Little Suffering," "Too Much in Love to Care," "New Ways to Dream (reprise)" and "The Final Scene."
Webber's taste for the dramatic - via music and orchestration - works wonders here as he pays homage to the original Billy Wilder 1950 film noir movie classic "Sunset Boulevard" that starred Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond and William Holden and its Oscar-winning score by Franz Waxman. It's pointed. It's set. It's determined. It's creative. It speaks volumes.
As the two-act musical evolves, his compositions smartly reflect the buzz and snare of the movie industry, its backlot players, its forgotten stars, its entrapment, its cynicism, its darkness, its struggles and its dream of, one day, making it big on the silver screen. Hampton and Black, in turn, strike back with choice, motivated lyrics that recall the acidity, the angst, the melancholy, the bite and the acknowledgement of the black-and-white movie.
Musically, it's a collaborative effort, filled with the right touches and the right flourishes of sound, irony, string and functioning color, complemented by orchestrations and words that carefully cement the emotional meaning of each song, its tone, its passion, its sense of belonging and its commitment to the evolution of the "Sunset Boulevard" story.
As musical director for the MTC production of "Sunset Boulevard," David John Madore ("Fun Home," "Mamma Mia!" "Falsettoland") addresses the Webber/Black/Hampton score with wit, imagination and devotion, thus, capturing the darkness, the romanticism and melodrama of the piece, coupled with well-orchestrated bits of silent screen nostalgia, flickering eccentricity and quickfire snap and cynicism. It's a task he takes to heart with much-loved innovation, illumination, intensity and evident enjoyment. The trio's musical language and its unique combination of words and music also comes full circle with effective, game-changing orchestral sophistication and brilliance.
For this production, Madore - doubling as both conductor and piano player - has assembled a first-rate team of talented and dedicated musicians to bring the "Sunset Boulevard" score to life at MTC. They are Tony Bellomy (keyboard II), Jerold Goldstein (keyboard III), Gary Ruggiero (reeds), Nate Dobas (percussion) and Rich Zurkowsky (bass). Vital, vigorous and attentive, this orchestral ensemble display a sterling sound and style that brings exhilarating highs to the musical score, its interpretive balance, its tonal challenges, its ripened qualities and its registrational grouping of musical numbers.
Here, commitment means everything.
"Sunset Boulevard" stars Elizabeth Ward Land as Norma Desmond, Trevor Martin as Joe Gillis, James Patterson as Max Von Mayerling, Sandra Marante as Betty Schaefer, Jacob Sundlie as Artie Green, Philip Callen as Sheldrake & Others and Jeff Gurner as Cecil B. DeMille & Others.
In the role of a faded movie star looking to return to her former glory as a box-office icon, Elizabeth Ward Land infuses the part of Norma Desmond with true star glamour, madness, grandeur, desperation and wide-eyed amazement and enthusiasm. It's a showy part that asks the actress to pose, to preen, to sweep, to sneer, to swoop and to teeter to the point of unashamed parody, but she does it her way - with ripe conviction, edge, dignity and magnified greatness. Looking very much like Gloria Swanson (the resemblance is uncanny) did in the 1950 Billy Wilder film - a complement of the highest order - Land inhabits the role's epic despair and delusion affectingly and believably with stunning acumen, range, accuracy and intensity. But she's no copycat. She's an original who great fun with the role while putting her own personal stamp, grasp, investment and command on the much-coveted role. Vocally, she's classically beautiful, singing such showstoppers as "With One Look," "As If We Never Said Goodbye," "Surrender," "The Perfect Year," "Salome" - with certainty, wonderment, depth and variety, channeling the inspiration, drama and note-perfect brilliance of the "Sunset Boulevard" musical score.
Trevor Martin, cast in the role of Joe Gillis, the writer who allows himself to be kept by Norma Desmond, invests the part with dash, charm, sexiness, good looks, emotional resonance and sharp-edged ambition and collaboration. His vocals - "Prologue," "Sunset Boulevard," "Too Much in Love to Care," "Let's Have Lunch," "Girl Meets Boy"- are delivered not only with the crisp, powerful truism and flair reflective of his strong, natural hold on the musical elements of the piece, but with the wit, sarcasm and expression concurrent in the sweeping score, its suave, tart lyrics and the vitality of the proceedings, as shaped by both Connors and Madore. It's a passionate performance set forth with grace, great vigor, charisma and sculpted poise, which, in turn, makes his relationship with both Norma Desmond and Betty Schaefer real, honest and conflicted in grand, homage-spirited cinematic fashion.
As Betty Schaefer, Sandra Marante invests the part (she plays Gillis' attractive, aspiring writing partner) with a certain charm, clarity, personality and truthfulness that not only defines her important role throughout the production but gives it a strongness and purpose that is put to great use whenever she's on stage, most notably in her many scenes with Trevor Martin, her handsome co-star. Vocally, she possesses an amazing voice and range that is wonderfully refreshing, engaging and chock full of emotional certainty. If anyone is doing "Evita," Marante is the ideal candidate to step right into the spotlight as Eva Peron. Listening to her perform the beguiling, showstopping duet "Too Much in Love to Care" alongside Martin halfway through Act II only furthers that notion. Both performers build this song to such stirring effect, a replay would be most welcomed.
James Patterson, as Max Von Mayerling, Norma Desmond's former director and ex-husband, now dutifully positioned as the silent screen film star's trusty manservant and fierce protector, crafts a masterful, ovation worthy character portrait so brilliantly conceived and realized, he easily surpasses the well-established, barnstorming performances of Daniel Benzali in the original 1993 London production of "Sunset Boulevard," George Hearn in the subsequent 1994 Broadway incarnation and Allen Fitzpatrick who played the part in the 1998 second U.S. National Tour. Full of boldness, inner conflict and strong-felt conviction, he is captivating, majestic and touchingly sincere. Vocally, his rich bass-baritone range is seasoned opera-goer ready, intersected with wonderful clarity of tone and dynamic control when he performs the hypnotic "The Greatest Star of All" in Act II and the stirring reprise of "New Ways to Dream" in Act II.
Recharged with an honest, affecting intimacy that leaves a lasting impression, "Sunset Boulevard" is a haunting, hypnotic musical that demands to be seen not once, but twice, without question.
Its fearless gaze into the Hollywood of yesteryear is both haunting and swaying as is its properly balanced turntable of story, music, song, action and character.
As seen through the eyes of director Kevin Connors, its reconceived rendering at MTC is brilliantly etched and primed to perfection - performed by a stellar cast - all of whom create and communicate an evening of musical theatre that is sweet, strong, melodramatic, nostalgic and ultimately triumphant - and then some.
As was the case with "Ragtime" and "Falsettoland," is it yet another MTC work that speaks to the moment, digs deep for new discoveries and finally, basks in the chilling, truth-bending sweep set forth by its London-based originators.
Photos of "Sunset Boulevard" courtesy of Alex Mongillo
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