And now for my last show of this trip to Broadway and I really did save the best till last. My final show was “Sunset Bulovard” at the St James Theatre. This is the hottest ticket in town after recently opening for previews on 28th September 2024 with opening night scheduled for 20th October 2024 after its triumph run in the West End , winning pretty much everything that it could. The success was so huge that I was unable to get a ticket for the West End run so was very happy when I managed to secure a Broadway ticket. Currently the show is scheduled to run until 6th July 2025, however there will be no surprises if this gets extended.
While waiting in the entry line outside the theatre the theatre staff welcomed us all and exclaimed that this is the best show in town. When taking my seat in Mezzanine Front Center Row B Seat 109 within a very dark auditorium I was wondering if this show was going to live up to the hype and was Nicole Scherzinger really that good. All these questions and more will be answered within this review.
As most people are aware this is a Andrew Lloyd Webber classic musical. With the book and lyrics from Don Black and Christopher Hampton. However this particular version had an ace up its sleeve in the form of director Jamie Lloyd.
I have to admit that I have never seen a production of Sunset Boulevard in the past. I was obviously aware of some the absolute classic musical tracks from this show but did not know the story or context in which they were in within the story. I have to be honest I forgot how many classic musical songs come from this production. So for those like me who don’t know the story is a basic brief synopsis of the show.
We open with a body a bag and Joe Gillies (Tom Francis) emerging from it reporting there has been a murder. We then change time frame to see Joe a struggling script writter trying to get a studio to take on one of his pieces of work. It is here we also meet Betty Schaefer (Grace Hodgett Young). While trying to outrun people chasing him for money Joe ends up in Norma Desmond’s (Nicole Scherzinger) house. We learn that Norma was a huge movie star however now a nobody and lives in her house with her security man Max Von Mayerling (David Thaxton). Norma is trying to make a come back and persuades Joe to help her with her script she is writing. The relationship escalates and Norma seduces Joe after attempting suicide. Act one ends with a very muted and depressive News Years eve party.
Act two opens with the now infamous street walk in which Tom Francis (Joe) wanders the backstage area and streets of the theatre while performing Sunset Boulevard live. While Norma and Joe along with Max are living together Paramount studios call to talk to Norma she is convinced it is about them taking up the script however we later learn it is to buy her car. We discover that Max is protecting the delusional Norma as we find out that he was in fact Normas first wife. Norma then learns of Joe and Betty affection for each other. In a finale crescendo to act two and the show. Joe attempts to leave Norma and tells her the truth that she is now a washed up actor and her new script will never get made. With this Norma shots and kills Joe (The murder we opened with).
From here on out I fear that it may be a short review as it lives up to the hype and awards and more. This production was outstanding and the director of Jamie Lloyd is an absolute genius. I will now try and attempt to justify this view.
First of all this is like no production let alone musical I have ever seen before, and I seen a lot shows. It wasn’t a concert musical but then it was not a traditional musical or even a more modern musical. This can not be categorised and has to be put in its own class and league. I think it is this reason why it has and will be so successful. I believe this all comes down to previous mentioned genius director Jamie as well as the amazing score and lyrics underpinning it.
There was no staging and for me to speak so highly of a musical with no staging that is not a concert musical is praise in its self. Most of the time it is the actors on a very large black empty stage with just some very good use of lighting and spotlights to concentrate the eye. As well as lots of dry ice. The lighting design or should I say the spotlight design is brilliant. The only changing feature of the set is the drop down video screen that takes up the whole backdrop of the stage.
It is this video screen which engulfs the stage which plays the live fed video feed from the onstage handheld camera operators. These camera operators are the stars of the show on their own. I have seen lots of shows (Network) and some musicals (Bat out of hell) use on stage handheld camera to livestream to a big screen. But i have never seen it done the way this production does it. The quality and clarity of the close up is so extreme you can see the individual hairs on the actors beard along with the scale of the screen make it so impressive. It allows every seat in the auditorium to have the best view regardless of your physical location within the theatre. Jamie Lloyd relies so heavily on these to portray the feeling of each face on screen. I can not speak highly enough of how effectively this was used. As mentioned before this format also allows the ability to have the infamous live walk through the streets of whatever city the show is playing in. One small piece of direction which I really appreciated was as a character left the story towards the end the actor physically removed their radio mics a very small but impactful move.
The effectiveness of this lack or set and camera work is only achievable because the score and lyrics are so good. The quality of the songs especially the more popular and famous ones allow the director to have the ability to strip it back and just listen to the songs. Like all Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals you find the score repeating its self throughout the production but this is a classic ALW approach and does not distract from it being an absolute classic of not only his but musical theatre as a whole.
The costume like the set are basic and understated with simple black and white outfits. With only Joe changing his costume once he becomes part of Normas life.
Before I discuss each of the main actors individually a quick mention of the ensemble. Which as expected was brinllient again there were a few but not so many traditional musical theatre ensable routines. But when there was they were executed perfectly. One such routine which stands out to me was the scene in which the whole ensable are lined up on chairs and stand up and then sit down exactly in unison to leave two random meembers standing to perform their line. The accuracy of these movements resempbled more of the rocketts Christmas show at rockfella that a musical.
Now for the main cast. Betty played by Grace Hodgett Young was brilliant and supported Tom Francis brilliantly. A surprising standout for me was David Thaxton playing Max Von Mayerling not only his amazing low voice but is acting and an ability to act with a camera a matter of centimetres away from your face.
Now for the main stars of the show apart from the director. Tom Francis playing Joe Gillis. There is no surprise that Tom along with a lot of the cast have revived their originated roles of this particular production from the West End to Broadway. He did not disappoint at all the vocals the acting the stage presence. We’re all perfection, even keeping though vocals out on the streets during the live Sunset Boulevard song. I was not really aware of Tom that much before his appearance of this role in the West End. However I along with everyone else will be very well aware of his next step in his career.
Now to move onto the title actress of the show and playing Norma Desmond, Nicole Scherzinger. Going into this show I was questioning whether she along with the whole production would live up to the hype and the awards that it gained in London. I can confirm that she DID. I had not seen her in any of her another stage shows such as Cats so was unsure how she would be able to cope “acting” a musical. I am always very wary of star casting especially in musicals. But in this age i am happy to stand corrected Nicole vocals were out of this world. The ability to stand centre stage with a spotlight and some dry ie and receive not one but two standing ovations mid way through the show just highlights how power her voice was. The first standing ovation came shortly into act one following “With one look”. Have never seen an audience reaction like it in a theatre easpically mid way though the show. It wasn’t until the end that I remembered that she has to to do this 7 or 8 times a week, highlight such power. Not only power but feeling and was seeing it as a musical theatre show and acting through the song like a real musical theatre superstar. It was not only the singing but her whole portrayal of Norma from the deranged to the funny to the vulnerable were all clear to see from Nicole. And unlike on normal musica theatre there was nowhere to hide as her face was the size of the stage thanks to the on stage cameras. I have to mention the casting team who casted Hannah Yun Chamberlain who played young Norma. The likeness to Nicole but younger was unbelievable. It even fooled the American audience who started cheering like it was Nicole during the opening scenes.
You will be able to hear all the whole cast on 25th October when the Cast recodering is released. I for one can not wait to relisten to this whole show and the brilliant cast again and again. It appears to have a total of 39 songs which is much more than any other cast recodering of this show. So I expect it to be everything you can hear during the show. Take my word for it whatever the cast sound like on the recording they sound the same if not better live.
Overall I give this performance a 5 out of 5 stars. There is no other show or production like it. Jamie Lloyd is a genius taking an Andrew Lloyd Webber score and classic Don Black and Christopher Hampton musical and making it like no other. If you can see the show see it, at least listen to the cast recording once it is released. It deserves all the hype and awards it has got and will get.
More details on this show can be found on there website.
A SPURDLE reviews 
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