So I play this game, keeper of the flame ...

Don't you think I knew it never could come true?

Sunset Boulevard is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s adaptation of the Billy Wilder film of the same name. It tells the story of a fading movie star, an ambitious writer, and the colliding of their lives in Hollywood. I heard the music for the first time long before I ever saw the show, and I must admit that I wasn’t blown away at first. However, I later discovered that it was that recording of Sunset that hadn’t impressed me, and having heard other recordings and seen the show, I can honestly list it among my favourites, and I think it is quite possibly my favourite of Lord Lloyd-Webber’s shows.

Random Thoughts on the Recordings:
The Original London Cast - This was the first recording of the show I heard, and the show has changed a *lot* since this recording was made. This is actually my least favourites of the recordings - I’ve never been a Patti LuPone fan, and her Norma doesn’t work for me. Kevin Anderson is fine as Joe, but I prefer Rex Smith (more about him in a minute! :-), and Meredith Braun and Daniel Benzali are great as Betty, Joe’s love interest, and Max, Norma’s faithful butler (among other things, which I won’t give away in case you haven’t seen the show!). I do think, however, that this recording contains the best version of “The Lady’s Paying”, but that might just be because it’s the first one I heard.
The Original Broadway Cast - I do prefer this recording to the OLC - Glenn Close isn’t the most amazing singer I’ve ever heard, but she pulls it off, and from what I can tell on the recording, her acting as Norma was wonderful. I’ve heard many people criticize her singing, but of those who have seen her on stage not many have had anything bad to say about her performance. Alan Campbell as Joe, Judy Kuhn as Betty, and George Hearn as Max are all very good - I especially want to mention Judy Kuhn’s performance. I love Ms. Kuhn in everything I’ve heard her do, and she doesn’t disappoint here. The single biggest plus to this recording, as far as I’m concerned, is that it is nearly a complete recording of the entire show. There is a lot of dialogue and singing here that isn’t on either of the other recordings available. I especially like the reprises of “Surrender” that can be heard here.
The Original Canadian Cast - this is by far my favourite recording of Sunset - my only complaint is that it is only a highlights CD. This is also the cast I saw when I attended the show in Toronto, with only one exception (Anita Louise Coombe had left the show), so I guess I have a special soft spot for them. Diahann Carroll is not as good on the CD as she was on stage, but she still comes through with a lovely performance. Coombe as Betty is my favourite in that role, and Walter Charles gives a moving performance as Max. For me, though, the CD would be worth buying simply for the performance of Rex Smith as Joe. He is phenomenal on the CD, and was even better on stage. And kinda cute, too. :-)

Random Thoughts on the Show:
Like I said, I heard the music long before I saw the show, so this is another one where I could really sit back, enjoy the staging, and get really caught up in the performances, rather than try to figure out what they were saying all the time. :-) As I said above, the best thing about this show for me was Rex Smith’s incredible performance as Joe. He really made me care about the character (who, you must admit, is an incredible jerk at times!) and he’s one of those actors who commands your attention everytime he walks on stage, even if he’s not the focus of the scene. Diahann Carroll and Walter Charles were even better on stage than they are on the CD, and while I was disappointed not to see Anita Louise Coombe as Betty, her replacement, Karen Fineman, was excellent. Technically, this show was incredibly impressive - the set, costumes, special effects and choreography all work amazingly well together, and you just sort of leave the theatre saying “Wow!”. Norma’s costumes and set (her mansion) in particular are quite possibly the best I’ve seen in any production of any show, with the possible exception of the sets in Beauty and the Beast. But the technical wizardry doesn’t, in my opinion, though lots of people disagree with me, take away from the beauty and tragedy of the story and the excellent performances of every cast member involved. It was a wonderful, moving, unforgettable evening of theatre.

The Official Sunset Page - The Really Useful Company's Sunset Page
Sunset Boulevard - an excellent fan page
10086 Sunset Blvd. - "The Web's Largest Sunset Blvd. Resource"
Rex Smith - a great page dedicated to the Toronto production's Joe
Judy Kuhn - dedicated to Broadway's Betty

Have you seen Sunset Blvd.? Do you agree or disagree with me? Do you have a Sunset page that simply must be included here? Drop me a line!

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