Bayou City Theatrics to Present SUNSET BOULEVARD, 6/12-27

Over twenty years since its creation, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical adaptation of the 1950 film, SUNSET BOULEVARD, receives its first Houston-produced run in Bayou City Theatrics' innovative, new production.

Despite its rocky financial and legal history, the musical has won numerous prestigious awards, graced with the presence of some of the world's finest leading ladies (Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Betty Buckley, to name a few) and wowed thousands of audiences, making it infamous around the world. Now, for the first time ever, Houston gets a look at this epically proportioned piece of theatre, June 12 through June 27 at The Kaleidoscope.

Tony Award Winner for "Best Musical," "Best Score," and "Best Book," SUNSET BOULEVARD is based heavily on Billy Wilder's 1950 film of the same name. The musical is set in 1940's Hollywood and centers around an impoverished writer, Joe Gillis (John Watkins), as he struggles to break back into the screenwriting business. One fateful afternoon, he stumbles across an enormous mansion on Sunset Boulevard. Mistaken for a pet undertaker, the mansion's manservant, Max (Will Ledesma), ushers the artist inside, where he encounters the lady of the house, Norma Desmond (Edith Maldonado). Norma is an eccentric, aging star of yesteryear. A once-glorified silent film actress, she has been forgotten by her adoring fans as the "talkies" made their way onto the silver screens of America. Upon discovering Joe's credits as a writer, Norma insists he stay in her home and enlists him to aid her in the completion of a screenplay that will mark her "return" to her beloved Paramount Studios and admiring fans. Seeing this as an easy solution to his financial woes, Joe agrees. As time passes, the mansion's inhabitants exude such erratic behavior that Joe cannot help but feel a heavy sense of foreboding.

Bayou City Theatrics' new production of SUNSET BOULEVARD focuses heavily on the smoke and mirrors of the post-Depression Hollywood film industry, the pursuit of artistry, and the cost of fame. Directed and designed by BCT Artistic Director, Colton Berry, choreographed by Luke Hamilton and music directed by Jane Volke, Houston's first production of SUNSET BOULEVARD takes an intimate and innovative perspective on the twisting and turning plot and its intriguing characters. With a haunting score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, including songs like "With One Look" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye," and unique lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, this theatrical event is a sure-fire highlight of the Downtown Theatre District's summer offerings.

SUNSET BOULEVARD features a cast of local professionals including Nicole Norton (Betty Schaefer), Justin Brown (Artie), Kyle Ezer (Cecil DeMille) and a polished ensemble including Brennan Blankenship, Ashley Carfine, Michael Castillo, Nathan Costella, Alex Domingue, Tyler Galindo, Luke Hamilton, Derrien Kellum, Sam Martinez, Michelle Mayo, Penny Rieger, Victoria Riley and Leslie Sharp. The production runs Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., June 12 through June 27, at Bayou City Theatrics' downtown theatre, The Kaleidoscope (705 Main Street at Capitol, Suite B). Tickets are available at www.BayouCityTheatrics.com, through the box office line at 832.817.8656, or at the door, though BCT encourages purchasing tickets in advance to secure seating in their intimate venue. Convenient cash parking is located less than one block away at the corner of Capitol & Fannin, in the SAKS' garage.

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