Sunset Boulevard (tour)
The Really Useful Group’s completely redesigned production of Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s Sunset Boulevard, opened to a standing ovation at Plymouth’s Theatre Royal. It’s also the first time the show has been seen in this country outside the West End. A musical version of Billy Wilder’s 1950 movie, Sunset Boulevard tells the story of Norma Desmond, a former silent movie star now teetering on the brink of insanity.
However, along comes Joe – a second-rate hack writer who doesn’t have the backbone to resist being ensnared by Norma’s mature fascination, her somewhat faded beauty and, yes, her immense wealth. Supposedly helping her rewrite a screenplay which will return her to the silver screen, Joe not only loses out on the love of a clever young woman but also seals his own doom.
As for Norma, the ageing process (“nothing wrong with being 50 unless you’re acting 20”), and an absence of adulation, brings about her final downfall, as she fails to steer a straight line through the confused debris of her life. Add a sinister butler with a history, and a whole cast of movie set extras, and you have a lively show full of surprising optimism and enthusiasm.
Faith Brown gives a most exhilarating performance as Norma. Mesmerising to watch and astonishing to listen to, her voluptuous figure is exquisitely dressed by Rob Howell‘s Dior-like gowns and her voice (although becoming lost slightly in the higher register) is full of resounding emotion. Brown pours every ounce of her being into the melodramatic delivery of the songs, as befits the portrayal of a movie star. Her whole being contorts and coils, serpentlike, as she endeavours to live out a tortured existence. From the finely-manicured blood-red fingertips, along the diamond-strewn wrists and throat, to the delicately sandalled and slender ankles, Faith Brown is every inch the silent screen goddess that Norma Desmond once was.
Lloyd Webber’s score is one of his most haunting and heartbreaking, whilst being both exciting and exhilarating. Earl Carpenter (Joe), Michael Bauer (Max) and Ceri Ann Gregory (Betty) are perfectly cast and completely at home in their roles, giving beautifully paced performances. But it’s Faith Brown who will be remembered most fondly, ascending her sumptuous gilt and marble staircase to find new ways to dream in a hostile world.
“And now, Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
Annie Dawes (reviewed at Plymouth Theatre Royal)
