Glenn Close on SUNSET BLVD revival/ film adaptation

[jo]

Glenn Close is currently rehearsing for the forthcoming revival of the stage musical in London ( wish I could see it!) and also discloses that there are good prospects for a film adaptation.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03my2hy

If she is in talks for the film role ( and she is now 69 years old), maybe they can persuade Hugh to become Joe Gillis once again? The age gap between the actors would be around 22 ( which would be close to the age difference in the play/movie).

Both actors are now twenty years away from when they both treaded the boards for the musical ( Glenn on Broadway, Hugh in Melbourne). If they cast too young an actor/singer ( someone in his early to mid-30's -- and Glenn is now 69, that would seem a bit too much robbing the cradle ) . Gloria Swanson was 51 and William Holden was 32 when they play the leads in the film classic - or 19 years difference.

Er... just trying to build a case for a Hugh Jackman casting - after all, he has already proven himself in the role?

Btw, have you seen the Billy Wilder film classic? The musical is faithfully based on that movie. What was interesting was that not only was William Holden top-billed over Gloria Swanson but the story is also told from Joe Gillis's perspective!

His career took off in 1950 when Billy Wilder tapped him to star in Sunset Boulevard, where he played a down-at-the-heels screenwriter who gets taken in by a faded silent-screen star, played by Gloria Swanson. Holden earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination with the part.[7]

Will it be good if Hugh did back to back movie musicals? Hmmm... SUNSET BOULEVARD is more of a very dramatic acting piece ( per above, Holden did get an Oscar nod for the role), even if the musical score that ALWebber turned out is gorgeous and very memorable.

What would be better casting than Glenn and Hugh? I am probably biased, but maybe Barbra and Hugh -- Barbra can really look like a real diva! And she was the first one to have released the two most memorable Norma Desmond songs ( With One Look and As If We Never Said Goodbye) from the musical. Sunset Boulevard, the title song itself, belongs to Joe Gillis!


Jo

[jo]

If only I could hear Hugh sing this duet in a film adaptation

[jo]

Some initial audience reactions --

rjm516

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Sunset Blvd Previews#4
Posted: 4/2/16 at 1:26pm


The whole space is taken up by several industrial looking staircases going in various directions, so the characters move on them a lot. Besides the metal from them, a few pieces of furniture are brought in here and there, like a sofa is the main thing for Norma's house. At first I was upset not to have a crazy fancy set, but I think it could never really measure up to how grand it is supposed to be, so it kind of works this way.

Glenn is captivating. Her voice isn't great but for her age it's in decent shape. Funnily, her big powerful notes are the best part, and she really delivers on them somehow, and then it's the quieter moments that seem so much easier that the quality seems lacking. But her acting is the reason to see this and it's worth it. Max I thought was fabulous and the rest of the cast was whatever.

There are some strong songs as you know if you are familiar with the show, but what we could not get past was the heavily repeated recitative parts (can't think of how to describe it). Like the entire book almost is sung through, and they repeat the same horrible melodies for those lines and it just doesn't work for me at all. E.g., every time Joe and Betsy would meet, they'd talk to each other in the same melody, every time, and it was really actually annoying. Way too much repetition of melody. And the lyrics for most of the music that isn't Norma's big numbers are really atrocious too. But regardless of all its faults you still have to see Glenn Close in this role, just for history's sake. So, enjoy!

Outoftowner2

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Glenn Close in SUNSET BLVD.#13
Posted: 4/2/16 at 6:26pm


She is really great! The audience wouldn't let her leave tonight, kept calling her back. The show itself is good, but she is great.

As a background, they are referring to the infamous grand staircase which was the centerpiece of the set for the original stage production! It was fabulous and befitting the faded grandeur of Norma Desmond as she fantasizes about returning to Hollywood. If you can see the film classic by Billy Wilder, it was one of the most famous films loved by many!

[jo]

And from ATC --

Sunset Boulevard tonight - London
Posted by: nycatty35 07:37 pm EDT 04/02/16


I have never seen a standing ovation as long or rapturous in London before. Glenn Close came out for 4 bows. So well deserved.

And the Brits are not generally known for standing ovations


Jo

[jo]

Another gushing post on BWW --

sparepart973

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Glenn Close in SUNSET BLVD.#18
Posted: 4/3/16 at 4:54am


Loved it. Chris Hampton and Don Black were on the audience. I didn't spot Lloyd Webber. Many Americans on both the first two shows I saw. The set is joined black metallic staircases across the stage. Orchestra lush and sounds marvelous. Huge ovation for Close's first entrance. She sounds pretty much the same as she did twenty years ago with slight shortness of breath. Her Norma is funny, bonkers and terrifying and had the audience at the palm of her hands at all times. A few line flubs. The paramount scene is spine tingling and very emotional. They use a car-can't tell if it's the same one from the original production. Few lyric changes in Too Much In Love to Care. Joe was meh but Betty and Max superb. "I spent the last month fasting" Joanna is obese; it was very funny. Through the show there is a young Norma that appears and walks across the stage. Overall it's a fantastic and very engaging staged concert where they proved it really was a solid show that wasn't just a big and impressive set

[jo]

In his BBC Radio show, Michael Ball talks to Andrew Lloyd Webber ( with whom he has had a professional relationship since he was cast as the first replacement for Raoul in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, some 30 years ago) about the return of SUNSET BOULEVARD.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0769t71

At around 1'26"31, they talk about the ENO return... how the show originally came into being...about the performance of Glenn Close ( after listening to AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE from Glenn's LA cast recording of SUNSET)...about how Cameron Mackintosh told ALW that "the female lead should be cast with a great actress who can sing and not with a great singer who can act"...and the prospects for a film adaptation.

that the female lead should be cast with a great actress who can sing and not with a great singer who can act

Now I believe that Cameron Mackintosh truly thought that Hugh Jackman was the right cast for the role of Jean Valjean ( and maybe Russell Crowe, too) in the film adaptation of LES MISERABLES. I have always been skeptical about his thoughts on the casting of Hugh - but it seems he also views the material from a dramatic point of view, and not just from its musical score!

Interesting to hear ALW's view about movie musicals not being considered as real blockbusters by studios and that they will never be considered as # 1 in a movie studio's slate.


Jo

[mamaleh]

Sad but true. Whatever luster movie musicals may have temporarily regained since MOULIN ROUGE and CHICAGO, their degree of priority will never equal that of sci-fi action blockbusters such as AVATAR and the STAR WARS films. The box office returns simply cannot compare. And that is the bottom line for movie studios and distributors.

Ellen

[jo]

At least one or two musicals do get the big ( medium-size    ) film treatment in terms of publicity -- but look at what happened to dramas? They have been relegated to arthouse fare or, to put it more elegantly, Oscar baits( and I mean that with full sarcasm). What is going to happen to the training and the hard work of actors who have paid their dues in the pursuit of their art and truly desire artistic fulfilment?   Oscars maybe, but will it be a thriving career.  There is even a much-quoted superstition "that if you win an Oscar, you may well  see your career dive" -- Halle Berry, Charlize Theron,  Kate Winslet, Hilary Swank, etc....J Lawrence could be an exception, but look -- she is now saying " she is dying to return to XMEN movies" after scorning them in First Class and Days of Future Past.

If you have read the short bio of Boyd Holbrook ( soon-to-be Wolverine villain) -- it is interesting to see what he had studied and worked on ( all with artistic merit, from film-making to acting) before he "arrived" ( aka a prominent role in a potential blockbuster smiley-rolleyes010 ).

Hugh is quite lucky -- because he chose to straddle between the stage and film, between blockbusters and some interesting movies, between lead and villain...and before that he spent a number of years of formal training...and even chose the medium of stage musicals to give his career a real start!

Not everyone is as lucky ( although of course,  in his case,  his surfeit of talent will find the scout who will recognize what he can deliver!). Lucky for us, one of those talents is that of being a triple threat in movies and the stage



Still, there will always be some degree of apprehension because some people in the film-making business do not always see the "virtues" of movie musicals! Hope BEAUTY AND THE BEAST proves them wrong smiley-cool13

And hopefully THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ( in movies and in real life), too

Jo

[jo]

Is the SUNSET BOULEVARD revival ready for a Broadway closeup with Glenn?

nypost.com/2016/08/04/glenn-close-is-close-to-coming-back-to-broadway-in-her-killer-role-as-norma-desmond/

[mamaleh]

Too bad it's at least 10 years too late. Anyway, I very much doubt HJ would even want to revisit SB. I remember when the musical version of MAME was being prepped. Reportedly Rosalind Russell was asked if she'd like to play Mame again, to which she responded something like, "I don't dine on yesterday's stew."

Ellen

[jo]

Maybe he'd touch it if the name was changed to Norman Desmond...and he plays an aging matinee idol who falls for a down-and-out future Hollywood goddess whose fame has not yet come ( and who in turn falls for a young manly scriptwriter). LOL - Billy Wilder will kill me

Jo

[jo]

Btw, around 20 years ago, a bespectacled Hugh Jackman ( on the verge of playing Joe Gillis in Australia) came to New York and ostensibly saw the New York production of SUNSET BOULEVARD, with a turbaned Glenn Close coming down that majestic staircase!

Little did he know that he will eventually conquer BROADWAY BOULEVARD himself


Jo

[mamaleh]

Jo, your purported plot sounds like a variation on A STAR IS BORN--and what a meaty dramatic role for HJ that would be, real Oscar bait. Too bad Bradley Cooper is rumored to be involved with a remake of ASIB.

Ellen

[jo]

Except the James Mason character does not display his singing pipes in WITH ONE LOOK ( that is all Hugh needs to do to convince Broadway fans to part with their money for Broadway Cares) and AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE ( yeah, Hugh, come back to Broadway soon!). I wonder how Hugh would look like in a turban, like a maharajah from the East

In an amazing coincidence, the very first singer to sing those two songs for the public, albeit they were part of a new album, was the singer who recently praised Hugh Jackman for being " a wonderful actor who sings great". Had a film adaptation been made some15 years or so ago -- they could have been the Norma and the Joe of this Hollywood-based drama


Jo

[jo]

Someone on BWW reported that CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN was cut and there were no duets in the next concert stop.

Jo

[carouselkathy]

Aug 5, 2016 9:59:13 GMT -5 jo said:

Except the James Mason character does not display his singing pipes in WITH ONE LOOK ( that is all Hugh needs to do to convince Broadway fans to part with their money for Broadway Cares) and AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE ( yeah, Hugh, come back to Broadway soon!). I wonder how Hugh would look like in a turban, like a maharajah from the East

In an amazing coincidence, the very first singer to sing those two songs for the public, albeit they were part of a new album, was the singer who recently praised Hugh Jackman for being " a wonderful actor who sings great". Had a film adaptation been made some15 years or so ago -- they could have been the Norma and the Joe of this Hollywood-based drama


Jo

Barbra sings the score of SB beautifully, but she has never looked the part of a once silent movie beauty queen. If Norma Desmond had been a comic silent movie actress , like Mabel Norman or Marie Dressler, then Barbra could utter the line, "We had faces then" and ham it up. That would work.

[jo]

Norma is sometimes so pathetic in her delusions that her character almost comes out as comedic. I did get that vibe even in the film classic by Billy Wilder. Norma was a Hollywood diva through and through...and er...Barbra has the reputation of being a complete diva. I guess that was why many people thought she would do the role justice.

She sang only two songs by Norma ( With One Look and As If We Never Said Goodbye) and they were featured in her new album on musical theatre. She was actually the first one who had been given permission by ALWebber to release the two signature Norma songs in public for the first time and it fueled the buzz about her handling of the role in the musical film version of Billy Wilder's film noir classic

Barbra was supposed to have been in talks with AlWebber around early 2003 to take on the role of Norma Desmond for the musical film adaptation. What caused the failure of the project to move forward was the conflict between Andrew and Barbra to agree on artistic control. It was said that Barbra wanted to handle the film directing as well as the female lead role but Andrew did not agree to that. It was also buzzed at that time that she had expressed a preference for Hugh Jackman for the role of Joe. I picked all of this up from the defunct message board of Broadway.com, whose members eventually moved over to create the Broadwayworld.com message board.


Norma was supposed to have been a great beauty...but the first one to handle the role of the musical Norma Desmond was Patti Lupone ( no offense meant, but Patti is not exactly known for great looks either). I saw the show once with Betty Buckley and another time with Elaine Paige -- and they are more known for their stage presence and vocal power. Glenn Close is not a great beauty either by Hollywood standards. Petula Clark was another Norma.

Barbra is a good actress albeit many of her film roles were more of the comedic bent - but I am sure she does not have to be comedic all the time to succeed in a film version.

But all this is ex-future wishful thinking as the film adaptation is now nowhere near happening

Sigh... the score has always been one of my 2 favorite works by Andrew Lloyd Webber and it is a faithful adaptation of the film classic. Will it ever make it to the big screen? I think Glenn had mentioned in an interview when the show was revived for London that she was hoping she could do the film version... but now it seems it might only be a possible Broadway transfer that could happen.

Jo

[jo]

What is wrong with movie audiences? All that most seem to want to see are the likes of superhero/comicbook/action movies or animated films or mindless comedies or horror thrillers or disaster movies ? Is there no room anymore for excellent drama or real-life tales other than in indie arthouses? Even some of the people revered now as excellent actors are sadly sometimes more manufactured by publicity ( real, enhanced, or made up) than by great acting moments. Biopics seemed to be a favorite, too as Oscar-baits? Sometimes I wonder if the ability to imitate in looks or mannerisms or vocal ability are the true hallmarks of excellent acting. And movie musicals are always viewed as belonging to risky genres at the box office ( thankfully, it is not so in our country). Hmmm... maybe if someone writes a superhero movie musical, the fanboys will go ? LOL - I doubt that very much

Is it all a generation gap? Or do we now all want escapist entertainment, albeit they go back to childhood fantasies sometimes? Gone are the days when the screenplays did deserve their recognition and awards, as a general rule. Now technology seems to be driving the worth of a movie *rolleyes*


End of rant


Jo

[jo]

LOL -- Sunset Boulevard seems to be another wish list candidate in Hugh's theatre credits

According to a dream casting wish by one ATC member --

www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat_new/d.php?id=2345303

[jo]

Michael Riedel reports that SUNSET BOULEVARD is a go for Broadway at the Palace Theatre ...but in January 2017

nypost.com/2016/10/13/broadway-theater-owners-all-want-the-harry-potter-play/

Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard,” starring Glenn Close, is definitely a go for the Palace Theatre in January. The Broadway production was a little tentative because of the cost — the English production has an orchestra of 50 — but the producers have cracked the numbers to make it more viable.
The orchestra will now have 40 players, which is still generous by today’s standards.

Opening night of “Sunset Boulevard” is shaping up to be the hottest ticket in town.

He also updates on the Harry Potter musical ( being produced by Sonia Friedman of THE RIVER et al) bound for Broadway.

[jo]

Variety writes about the revival of SUNSET BOULEVARD on Broadway.

variety.com/2017/legit/features/glenn-close-broadway-sunset-boulevard-1201974522/

If I had a chance to be back in NYC, this is one show I would have wanted to revisit --

*It is one of my favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical scores.
*I was very taken with the Billy Wilder classic, with its film noir appeal.
*I have never seen Glenn Close on stage. I have seen her sing the two iconic Norma Desmond songs ( With One Look and As If We Never Said Goodbye in the Lloyd-Webber birthday concert, complete with her ornate stage costume).
*I saw two stagings in London ( with Betty Buckley and with Elaine Paige, with John Barrowman as Joe Gillis in both stagings), but have only listened to an "unofficial" audio of the Australian stage production.
*Over the years, the chances of seeing Hugh as Joe Gillis have become more and more remote as the film adaptation project has been in the back burner for decades.


If as the article hints, there is still a slight chance of a film adaptation by Paramount with Glenn Close as Norma Desmond --

*If Hollywood can fall in love with itself, in a romcom/musical called Lalaland, why can it not respond even more fervently with a musical that has a dramatic story of Hollywood at its heart, all beautifully and dramatically-portrayed in SUNSET?

*If Glenn is now almost 70 ( 20 years older than the Norma character), the role of Joe Gillis cannot be an actor in his 30's as that would be an age gap of 35-40 years. Too much! Why not someone in his mid-40's as that would be more credible? After all, Joe Gillis has been around, so the story goes! Hint, hint!


I wonder if they will film the stage production on Broadway, as they did in London. This staging has a 40-member orchestra support -- that would be such a lush and beautiful staging musically-speaking and with Glenn as Norma, also dramatically-speaking. On the other hand, they did film the London revival, so the chances of any filmed version would be in favor of the London production.


Jo

[jo]

Review by a mesmerized Matthew Murray ( ATC) who is usually not too complimentary when he writes about shows --

www.talkinbroadway.com/page/world/SunsetBoulevard2017.html


I wish I could see this revival!

[jo]

Some highlights --

www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay/BWW-TV-Take-a-Trip-to-SUNSET-BOULEVARD-with-New-Highlights-of-Glenn-Close-Company-on-Broadway-20170209

[jo]

Ben Brantley writes a love letter to Glenn Close!

As if she never said goodbye!

www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/theater/sunset-boulevard-review.html?_r=0

[jo]

And for those who have not seen this documentary of the Australian production ( circa 2006) -- you can see snatches of songs and the sets and a lot of a very young Hugh Jackman --




My favorite part is at around past 35 minutes where he does the duet with Betty ( Too Much In Love to Care). That has always been my favorite song from the musical -- and I saw it in London way before I ever saw Hugh in Oklahoma!. It is a very nice coincidence that he says it is his favorite song from the musical, too.

Someone on ATC noted that he cannot get that same tune out of his head


Jo