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THEATRICAL THROWBACK THURSDAY: As If We Never Said Goodbye! SUNSET BOULEVARD Turns 20 & Readies For Revival

By: Nov. 20, 2014
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Today we are shining a special solo spotlight on a multi-Tony Award-winning Best Musical that is eyeing a revival just in time for its 20th anniversary this week, SUNSET BOULEVARD.

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Stage adaptations of movies are as common as showgirls in sequins along Broadway, yet the musicals that manage to create a special magic all their own - supplanting or even surpassing the impact of the film property itself - are rare. Of course, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's sophisticated romantic musical A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC took Ingmar Bergman's SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT to the next level just as Tommy Tune's masterful reworking of GRAND HOTEL along with Maury Yeston and Peter Stone out of the original film and first version of the musical by Robert Wright, George Forrest and Luther Davis made something equally as special out of that screen-to-stage translation. So, too, would many cite Julie Taymor's visually resplendent reworking of Disney animated classic THE LION KING as equal to that of its legendary cinematic counterpart, if not even more revolutionary and dramatically effective. Close-up on the 7-time Tony Award-winning champ: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Christopher Hampton's risky and riveting reworking of Billy Wilder's dark Hollywood treatise, SUNSET BOULEVARD.

The origins of the stage version of SUNSET BOULEVARD are nearly as intriguing as its own starry and sordid trajectory once the rights were commandeered by Lloyd Webber. Original film star and Norma Desmond prototype Gloria Swanson was the first to embark on setting the story to song with writers Richard Stapley and Dickson Hughes via BOULEVARD! in the 1950s until Swanson received a cease and desist letter from Paramount studio head Russell Holman. Nonetheless, Swanson performed a handful of the numbers on television, full-out, with the complete score eventually finding its way onto CD in 2008. Stephen Sondheim himself was the next to consider tackling the attractive project, propositioning original director Billy Wilder about whether he thought a musical adaptation of the movie was a wise idea. Reportedly, Wilder thought it could only work as an opera, arguing, "After all, it's about a dethroned queen." Subsequently, Sondheim scuttled plans to musicalize it for Jeanette MacDonald. Producer, director and frequent Sondheim collaborator Hal Prince propositioned Sondheim to take another stab at the project after that, this time with Angela Lansbury in mind and shifting the central conceit to one about a comedic musical star instead of a dramatic silent film queen, but that fizzled out, as well.

Enter Andrew Lloyd Webber. In the 1970s, Webber has revealed that he was so inspired by a scene from the classic black and white film that he incorporated the musical moment that came from it into the project he was currently working on at the time, the musical score for the film GUMSHOE. Additionally, Webber reached out to rights holder Hal Prince at the time, the man who would eventually go on to direct Webber's own EVITA and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, but the status of the endeavor remained stalled until the early 1990s. Lloyd Webber moved ahead with a full-scale musicalization in 1991, first hiring unproven lyricist Amy Powers and then bringing renowned Oscar-winning word smith Don Black into the fold prior to the first public performance of the piece at Webber's Sydmonton estate. In 1992, a revised version of SUNSET BOULEVARD featuring a book by Christopher Hampton was presented, starring original Tony Award-winning Eva from EVITA herself, Patti LuPone. While LuPone would eventually go on to lead the West End production of the musical, Lloyd Webber's contract-breaking refusal to cast her on Broadway is one of the most oft-debated and derided modern Broadway backstage backstabbing points of discussion.

Then came Glenn Close - and all bets were off. Eschewing original plans to open on Broadway after the West End debut, Lloyd Webber instead sought to make Los Angeles the location for the American premiere of the musical - after all, it was a tinsel town tale - and cast Broadway and Hollywood heavyweight Glenn Close as Norma. The reviews were ecstatic, not only for the rewritten new Stateside version of the show but also the star. But, who to cast for the Broadway bow? Lloyd Webber proceeded to assign Close the Broadway production, for which LuPone brought him to court and received a reportedly princely settlement in the case since he had broken her contract (and his promise). After that, Lloyd Webber announced plans to have none other than screen star Faye Dunaway replace Close in the Los Angeles production, only to renege on his plans once rehearsals had begun and the powers that be decided that she was simply not capable of meeting the demands of the part. Of course, Close went on to Tony Award-winning glory, as did the show itself, winning a slew of 1995 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Actress In A Musical (Close), Best Featured Actor In A Musical (George Hearn), Best Original Score and Best Book, after opening on November 17, 1994. Leading ladies following Close on Broadway and beyond included Betty Buckley, Elaine Paige, Rita Moreno, Diahann Carroll and Petula Clark. Since then, SUNSET BOULEVARD has been consistently revived around the world, with a West End remounting starring Kathryn Evans appearing in 2008 as well as notable regional productions starring Liz Callaway, Florence Lacey, Ann Morrison and Ann Crumb, among others.

Now, very recent news confirms that the Roundabout Theatre Company is considering SUNSET BOULEVARD for a 20th anniversary revival, with two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway superstar Donna Murphy headlining a reading earlier this week, directed by Michael Mayer. Is Broadway ready to welcome back Norma Desmond and all of those "faces in the dark" once again? Given the timing, it seems as fated as the film's unforgettable last shot.

Revisit Gloria Swanson's BOULEVARD! in this vintage clip.

See Glenn Close stop the show on the 1995 Tony Awards.

Patti LuPone sings SUNSET BOULEVARD for the first time in 20 years.

Do you think now is the time for SUNSET BOULEVARD to arrive back on the Great White Way once more? Furthermore, do you feel Donna Murphy is the ideal casting choice for Norma Desmond in 2014? With a score this strong and a story this classic, the mind boggles at the potential magic possible with the right production team. Is Norma finally ready for her final close-up, one more time?

Photo Credits: Dewynters




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