Sunset BLVD Review

Going in, I was not at all familiar with either the 1950 movie or the 1993 original musical, but I knew who Nichole Scherzinger was, and I was familiar with the song “As If We Never Said Goodbye.” I was also familiar with director Jamie Lloyd’s polemic reputation for his minimalistic style and heavy use of video cameras and screens. However, this show was a critical darling in London, where it won every Oliver Award it was nominated for, so I was very excited when the transfer to Broadway was announced.

Sunset Boulevard tells the story of a silent film star named Norma Desmond, who is well past her glory days but still yearns for fame. She crosses paths with a young and handsome struggling screenwriter named Joe, who she falls for while also using him to make her grand return to the big screen as she descends deeper into insanity. 

When I went, sadly, Tom Francis, who plays Joe and won the Oliver Award in London, was out due to a vocal chord injury. I have since had the opportunity to watch his Sunset Boulevard walk at the top of act two twice. At my performance, I instead had the honor of seeing his outstanding understudy, Diego Rodriguez. We also had a few ensemble swings on. One of my biggest Broadway regrets is that I never returned to see Francis’ performance. 

This production is intensely minimalistic, as is the norm for Jamie Lloyd’s style. There is no set, no grand special effects, and the only props are a chair and a steering wheel. The cast are all dressed in simple monochrome clothes, and, with one exception, the lighting design is quite simple. The focus in this production is on its flashy, young, sexy cast, and on the use of video equipment. This forces the audience to focus more on the characters and their individual journeys throughout the show. Such is why I love Jamie Lloyd’s style; he knows how to make an actor dig deep and give an excellent and grounded performance, thus allowing the audience to also do some critical thinking and understand the characters. 

Nichole Scherzinger was a force to be reckoned with as Norma. I couldn’t believe that this was her Broadway debut because she seems so at home on stage. Scherzinger’s performance and interpretation of Norma is volcanic, sexy, earth-shattering, heartbreaking, and vulnerable. Sitting in the tenth row allowed me to see and feel Scherzinger’s passion for this role, which made me love her Norma even more. 

Some critics think Scherzinger is a little too young and sexy to play a character who is supposed to be “an old hag,” but she plays the role with beauty and grace, as well as with chutzpah and manic energy, which makes her portrayal scarier and the age difference between Norma and Joe creepier. I cringed at the end of act one when Norma jumps into Joe’s arms and locks all fours around him before devouring his mouth in kisses. The implications of their sexual relations made my skin crawl even more because most of the actors playing Joe are younger then me while Scherzinger is old enough to be my mother.  

One of my favorite things about the performance was being able to slowly see the madness growing in Nichole eyes as the show progressed. Sitting as close as I was, it looked scary, almost demented.

Perhaps the most talked about moment in this particular production is also the most thrilling: the top of act two. A screen lowers onto the stage, and a livestream feed is beamed into the theater. Two cameras follow Rodriguez around, traversing the backstage area, visiting Scherzinger’s dressing room (where she is wearing Norma’s iconic turban from the original production, and we get a quick Chekhov's gun moment), and mingling with members of the ensemble. The music slowly changes to the title song, Rodriguez swings open the stage door, and does a four minute walk down Schubert Alley. This happens in the rain, snow, shine, sweltering heat, or freezing cold, eight times a week. Towards the end of the song, the screen lifts, the doors open again, and Rodriguez enters from the side of the auditorium, climbs up on stage, and belts out the final lines to roaring applause and many jaws on the floor. I've since been lucky enough to see Tom Francis do the walk twice from different points. I’ve actually planned a whole evening around being able to see this, it’s that cool. That final moment of the walk was the first time I've reacted vocally in a theater. I actually said “oh my god!” as the music crescendoed. I felt something very powerful in that moment. I'm not sure what it was, but damn, did it hit me in the feels. No need for special effects, or mind-blowing set reveals, just the camera and a man in a suit singing one of the greatest—and most vocally taxing—act two openers of all time at the top of his lungs. How Rodriguez or Francis do that walk, every day, in all types of weather, is quite the feat.

Speaking of the man himself, Diego Rodriguez had the herculean task of replacing the charming and charismatic, Oliver award-winning, Tom Francis. The role of Joe Gillies is very vocally and mentally demanding, and Rodriguez handled it like a pro. I actually had no idea that he wasn’t the usual lead until he kissed a picture of Francis outside the theater during the live sequence. Rodriguez was so charming, yet so deadpan. From the moment Rodriguez climbed out of a body bag, he had me mesmerized, and managed to do the impossible: he took my eyes off of Nichole Scherzinger. His rendition of the title song sent a thrill up my spine.

One performance that I believe was underrated, not to mention completely snubbed by the Tonys, was David Thaxton’s as Norma’s devoted butler, Max. His deep voice made the floor shake every time he spoke, and his presence on stage was intimidating. He reminded me of Darth Vader, with a smidge of Bane’s charisma from The Dark Knight Rises. Something about him screamed “I mean business” while also screaming at the top of his lungs for help, and my hunch about him screaming for help was correct.

The arrangements maintained their classic feel, while getting a modern update. The music is thrilling and haunting at the same time, beautiful, but chilling. And boy, Scherzinger can sing! Andrew Lloyd Webber songs can be difficult to sing, not just because of the vocal demands, but also because the emotions demand to be shown while singing a song like “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” but this cast more than delivers. Scherzinger has spoken at length about how she worked with Lord Webber to develop Norma’s musical voice for this production, how Webber “ripped” emotions out of her from a very deep place, and how she is singing “from her head to her vagina.”

Overall, one of the most thrilling afternoons I've ever had in a theater, and it solidified Jamie Lloyd as my new favorite director.