By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“)
Jamie Lloyd has made a reputation for himself as a visionary minimalist director, winning a remarkable collection of Olivier Awards on the West End. His inspirational production last year of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Blvd. garnered major buzz for its sleek and slimmed staging and his improbable casting of former Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger in the role of Norma Desmond proved to be prescient.
The use of the abbreviation in the title is deliberate. What was once envisioned as a grand production featuring a massive interior staircase and vibrant Hollywood exteriors bedecked in bright colors has been stripped down to its essentials. The homage to the 1950 Billy Wilder black and white film that inspired the musical is made complete by bleaching out almost all of the primary colors into simple shades of black and white.
On the technical side, there is extensive use of several “steadycams” broadcasting huge projections onto a giant screen in real time at the rear of the stage. Duets or trios in the through-sung work are accentuated by the deliberate choreography of Fabian Aloise; at times key actors face away in silhouette from the audience but peer directly into a camera where we see their visage splashed high upon the rear platform many times their size.
Lloyd distills this once clunky, massive set into a series of small scenes where the libretto and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton describe the action and the actors carry out their roles without the pesky props or scenic design that might require sets to fly in or out.
Lloyd has transferred his award-winning cast complete to the St. James Theatre on Broadway with Scherzinger playing opposite hunky Tom Francis in the role of Joe Gillis, the ill-fated narrator of the musical. David Thaxton plays the dark and dedicated Max Von Mayerling to great effect and Grace Hodgett Young plays Betty Schaefer. (Sydney Jones substituted for her at this reviewed performance.)
For those familiar with the movie or the musical’s book and songs, Gillis is a down-on-his-luck screenwriter, who turns out to be an excellent storyteller. With his powerful tenor, he begins his tale of woe, giving us insight into a homicide that has summoned the Los Angeles police to respond in the early morning hours to the mansion of a former Hollywood screen star, “maybe the biggest star of all,” he opines.
Gillis takes us back six months previous as he is on the verge of financial disaster. Following a flap at Fox Studios, he is just one step in front of the repo men assigned the task of taking back his car. Desperate and on the run, he takes refuge in a Sunset Boulevard mansion that reminds him of an abandoned movie set.
Emerging from the darkness, the sleek and sinewy outline of Scherzinger glides across the smoke-filled stage of the St. James Theatre as the sumptuous strings of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s music pulsate back and forth in waves. She is captivating as she calls out to Gillis “You there…why are you so late?”
Mistaken as an undertaker by both her and her manservant Max, Gillis soon recognizes her.
“Aren’t you Norma Desmond?” he asks. “You used to be in pictures. You used to be big.”
“I am big!” she shoots back. “It’s the pictures that got small.”
Scherzinger eventually launches into her leitmotif of “With One Look” in which she establishes her past star power and her ability to connect to her formerly adoring fans. At the end of the number and also after “As If We Never Said Goodbye” in Act II, she stands defiant, knowing that she has the rapt attention of the audience. She and Norma Desmond are one and the same and the audience bursts in thunderous applause.
Having been a siren of the pop world, Scherzinger can easily identify with the conceit of an aging star trying to hold onto her waning popularity. She is riveting in her portrayal. As Norma Desmond, she uses all of her feminine charms to seduce and take advantage of Gillis, who she needs to polish up a self-penned script she feels certain will mark her “return” to the screen and to her waiting, adoring fans.
From the start, we recognize this is largely a codependent relationship with little chance of success. Gillis is a lowly opportunist who grows to enjoy all the finer things in life she can provide. But, as we see, she is highly manipulative; it is a trap and he feels smothered. Eventually, he yearns to break free of the star’s hold over him and connect to Betty Schaefer, a woman who is closer to him in age. We see that he is as bad for her as the faded film star is for him.
While some might object to Scherzinger being cast as being too young to play the role, it is entirely within the spectrum of believability. Gloria Swanson, who played the diva in the Billy Wilder film noir was 50 at the time of its release and Scherzinger is now 46, having first played the role just last year.
If anyone were to be accused of being too young, it might be Francis, who, at 25 ,is seven years younger than William Holden when he played the hardened screenwriter in the film.
But the two figures – Scherzinger and Francis – cut exquisite figures in black and white. They are drawn to each other with wild abandon as they parry and thrust to the musical’s climactic and tragic ending. It is only then that the black and white hues give way to the ruddy color that defines the finality of their defiant and desperate relationship.
As Max, Thaxton’s dark and foreboding “The Greatest Star of All” echoes his deep feelings for her and establishes him as her ultimate protector. He demonstrates his unwavering devotion to her, even when providing for her occasional lovers such as “Mr. Gillis.”
This is not a typical love triangle. It is more like a love polygon. Norma loves Joe. Joe loves Norma, but he also loves Betty. A director friend, Artie, loves Betty, too, and is engaged to her, while she chases after Joe when Artie is away on location. We suspect that Max is similarly smitten with Norma and it is verified that he, too, has a history with Norma that is more fully revealed in Act II.
Sunset Blvd. seems to be the very definition of love gone wrong. In a strange set of circumstances following the recent presidential election, Scherzinger became the object of scurrilous attacks in social media. The fallout, which seems to be temporary, was generated following a social media post by Scherzinger meant to acknowledge her deep-seated Christian faith. Her comment was wrongly interpreted as an endorsement of conservatism and more specifically Russell Brand, who has been publicly accused by several women of sexual assault. Although she has responded to the critics and tried to distance herself from that association, it seems her reputation has become sullied by those who are more upset with politics and not actually interested in evaluating her performance on stage.
Make no mistake about it. Scherzinger’s performance is extraordinary. Whether her critics recognize it or not, this is a revitalized work that plumbs depths previous revivals on Broadway have never achieved. Jamie Lloyd is to be congratulated for the innovative process in which he has redefined the characters and permitted the words, music and lyrics to be experienced in a fresh and spectacular manner.
This version of Sir Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s grand work may well be the preferred version licensed to be performed in smaller houses across the world. The story is more accessible, its words more direct and its impact enhanced by the popular adage “Less is more.”
Sunset Blvd. (2 hours and 35 minutes with a 15-minute intermission) continues at the St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th Street in New York City. Tickets can be purchased here or in person at the box office.
