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Post by Rory on Jan 8, 2024 19:54:50 GMT
Broadway should just count itself lucky to get so much great stuff from us, rather than trying to tear stuff down. We seem to get relatively little from them in return.
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Post by jm25 on Jan 8, 2024 20:24:38 GMT
A lot of reactions online from Americans who have seen it have been very positive. Including for the 14+ second note which there is a video going round of.
Admittedly that’s only a tiny, unrepresentative sample and doesn’t necessarily reflect what the critical opinion will be, but I think it can only be a good thing that reactions have been so positive and there is so much anticipation.
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Post by 141920grm on Jan 8, 2024 20:50:17 GMT
I'm ambivalent towards the extended note but if there was any point in the show to be purely self-indulgent, 'home' is THE note. Cerebrally it really shouldn't be 18 seconds long but I'd be lying if I wasn't mightily impressed every time she pulled it off, before going into 'at laaaaaaast' in the same breath! By which point you've just got to hand it to her, and be swept along by everybody else's excitement at the feat.
Btw, 'Home' started off at just under 5 seconds at the first couple previews... how insane it got!
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Post by iamluisfelipe on Jan 8, 2024 21:23:14 GMT
And Scherzinger is a very underrated vocalist. Since Jamie wanted her for this role and so many aspects of the musical became meta about her, it's easy to understand why she's going on with the note. I think it speaks a lot for itself. And I understand those who don't appreciate it, but I think it's very honest with Lloyd's vision of the musical (and about having Nicole as Norma).
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Post by toomasj on Jan 8, 2024 22:02:45 GMT
I'm not sure how much distinction they'll make, particularly where ALW is concerned. Sunset is synonymous with him. Granted, it's all entirely subjective, but I will always remember they were savage - beyond critical - in their reactions to Elena Roger in the Evita transfer and Tracie Bennett in the End of the Rainbow transfer. Both were well received in the UK, is I recall, if not on the pedestal of this Sunset. Maybe I am wrong. Probably I am. The thing is truly lightning in a bottle. What I will say about Elena Roger - and this is from a big fan, so take it as you will. I remember one of the reviews describing her voice an electric screwdriver - it made me laugh because it was true in a way. By the time she reached Broadway her voice was very tired. In town she had an alternate (Abbie Osmon who was superb replacing Laura Michelle Kelly in The Lord of the Rings) and another actress I forgot). On Broadway her vocals sounded tired and it didn’t help singing opposite Ricky Martin. Broadway critics can be very malicious, but I can totally understand why this would potentially get a shoeing. Broadway prices relative to West End prices are astronomical. There is just much more of an elite element to seeing shows on Broadway. They won’t be able to see the money on stage. Costumes. Sets. Glitz. Nope. |
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Post by toomasj on Jan 8, 2024 22:19:20 GMT
Broadway should just count itself lucky to get so much great stuff from us, rather than trying to tear stuff down. We seem to get relatively little from them in return. Respectfully, I think the facts disagree with this. We are currently hosting Broadway replica productions of Hamilton, Wicked, The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Frozen - some of the biggest shows in town. Most of the biggest musical theatre box office shows in this country “pound for pound” actually are American. Mary Poppins, Spamalot, 42nd Street, Aladdin, Chicago, Moulin Rouge, Oklahoma, South Pacific, Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, etc etc etc x 1000 Yes, lovers of this production have “lost” it to Broadway, but a huge chunk of what makes money and funds the West End is an American import. On Broadway currently there is |
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Post by Jane Parfitt on Jan 8, 2024 22:32:01 GMT
The note we're all talking about. Mods please delete if not allowed.
https://www.tiktok.com/@sunsetblvdvids/video/7320610893216238880
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Post by Rory on Jan 8, 2024 22:42:25 GMT
Broadway should just count itself lucky to get so much great stuff from us, rather than trying to tear stuff down. We seem to get relatively little from them in return. Respectfully, I think the facts disagree with this. We are currently hosting Broadway replica productions of Hamilton, Wicked, The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Frozen - some of the biggest shows in town. Most of the biggest musical theatre box office shows in this country “pound for pound” actually are American. Mary Poppins, Spamalot, 42nd Street, Aladdin, Chicago, Moulin Rouge, Oklahoma, South Pacific, Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, etc etc etc x 1000 Yes, lovers of this production have “lost” it to Broadway, but a huge chunk of what makes money and funds the West End is an American import. On Broadway currently there is I agree with you about the huge shows, and we do get some imports of course, like To Kill a Mockingbird, for example, but so many 'smaller' Broadway shows, particularly plays, just never seem to cross. |
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Post by chernjam on Jan 8, 2024 22:52:42 GMT
As one who lives in the NY Metro area, just seeing the lavish praise that the US critics had for this Sunset in London dwarfed the praise they have had for the show in my memory. At best Sunset got "mixed-to-positive" reactions. Reading the NY Times, Washington Post among others practically begging them to bring the production out here, I think it will be very well received. As for the ticket prices, that's just an accepted reality as well. When I paid $300 a ticket for Hamilton, it mattered little to me that there was pretty much one set piece and not the most lavish of costumes/etc. The performance, the story, the music were top notch... Bad Cinderella - as much as I'm a huge ALW fan and liked some of the music from it, and from the looks of the production were more extensive than many others - I had really no interest even going for the great discounts that were offered. Hearing how many theatregoers from the US flew in just to see Sunset and came back raving about it - I think this will be the event of the 24-25 season and wouldn't be shocked if "Gypsy" gets delayed.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 9, 2024 8:38:46 GMT
The note we're all talking about. Mods please delete if not allowed. https://www.tiktok.com/@sunsetblvdvids/video/7320610893216238880 Blimey, she didn’t do that when I saw it in November! I suppose it’s a very in your face example of “watch me fly, we both know I can do it”… we do now Nicky, we certainly do! |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jan 9, 2024 8:40:29 GMT
SO SELF INDULGENT!!! Absolutely loving that.
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Post by steve10086 on Jan 9, 2024 9:28:25 GMT
The note we're all talking about. Mods please delete if not allowed. https://www.tiktok.com/@sunsetblvdvids/video/7320610893216238880 Blimey, she didn’t do that when I saw it in November! I suppose it’s a very in your face example of “watch me fly, we both know I can do it”… we do now Nicky, we certainly do! What an awful noise. Perhaps it serves as some kind of warning to boats on the Thames. Otherwise, can’t see the point of it. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 9, 2024 10:44:18 GMT
I wonder what Patti thinks…. Actually, I think we know  |
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Post by budd on Jan 9, 2024 11:42:31 GMT
As one who lives in the NY Metro area, just seeing the lavish praise that the US critics had for this Sunset in London dwarfed the praise they have had for the show in my memory. At best Sunset got "mixed-to-positive" reactions. Reading the NY Times, Washington Post among others practically begging them to bring the production out here, I think it will be very well received. As for the ticket prices, that's just an accepted reality as well. When I paid $300 a ticket for Hamilton, it mattered little to me that there was pretty much one set piece and not the most lavish of costumes/etc. The performance, the story, the music were top notch... Bad Cinderella - as much as I'm a huge ALW fan and liked some of the music from it, and from the looks of the production were more extensive than many others - I had really no interest even going for the great discounts that were offered. Hearing how many theatregoers from the US flew in just to see Sunset and came back raving about it - I think this will be the event of the 24-25 season and wouldn't be shocked if "Gypsy" gets delayed. The NYTimes review is from Matt Wolf who is UK based and only reviews London productions for them. He's different from their Broadway critics and don't think their tastes can be said to be aligned. |
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Post by traveller15 on Jan 9, 2024 15:10:44 GMT
For me the note hold isn't the self-indulgence I think of in terms of the production, though I may have used the word. It's a feat and I admire and respect it, I don't get the point of the note hold past a certain point, but it doesn't matter to me. It would be a bit like going to the Grand Canyon and saying it's too big.
For me the self-indulgence is things like the monkey and the ALW cut out and the twerking... all the little touches that deliver a laugh but have nothing to do with advancing or supporting the time and place, which is why I've said I think the show needs to decide what it wants to be (and I hope I've been clear it isn't a massive distraction, but something I've noticed.) I just don't understand what things like the Pussycat dolls photo on the mirror is meant to contribute to the story of Sunset Boulevard. Maybe there's a subtext there about the power of the creatives, who can do as they please in creating: you want your stupid turban, here's your stupid turban, we're making art here. This is a really inventive show that, consulting my cliche machine, pushes the envelope and thinks outside the box. I would only suggest if it was a masterpiece, every step beyond and every innovation would have made sense and contributed to the whole.
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Post by traveller15 on Jan 9, 2024 15:12:05 GMT
I wonder what Patti thinks…. Actually, I think we know ALW's dream would be to have Patti and Glenn attend the Broadway opening. You can imagine the rest. |
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Post by danb on Jan 9, 2024 15:27:02 GMT
For me the note hold isn't the self-indulgence I think of in terms of the production, though I may have used the word. It's a feat and I admire and respect it, I don't get the point of the note hold past a certain point, but it doesn't matter to me. It would be a bit like going to the Grand Canyon and saying it's too big. For me the self-indulgence is things like the monkey and the ALW cut out and the twerking... all the little touches that deliver a laugh but have nothing to do with advancing or supporting the time and place, which is why I've said I think the show needs to decide what it wants to be (and I hope I've been clear it isn't a massive distraction, but something I've noticed.) I just don't understand what things like the Pussycat dolls photo on the mirror is meant to contribute to the story of Sunset Boulevard. Maybe there's a subtext there about the power of the creatives, who can do as they please in creating: you want your stupid turban, here's your stupid turban, we're making art here. This is a really inventive show that, consulting my cliche machine, pushes the envelope and thinks outside the box. I would only suggest if it was a masterpiece, every step beyond and every innovation would have made sense and contributed to the whole. I agree with you to a point but perhaps JL didn’t want to be quite so formal & po-faced? The ‘silliness’ is restricted to a very small portion of the show after all. The twerking & ‘dancing’ are different again as they’re a direct expression of Norma being who she is or wants to be seen as. |
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Post by apubleed on Jan 9, 2024 16:43:06 GMT
You know what Patti LuPone said after finally seeing the original production of this show? It’s boring. And I can only reflect my experience seeing the Glenn Close concert production and agree with her. I think what Jamie Lloyd has done with some of these touches is just try to make it entertaining and lighten the mood. ESPECIALLY with this highly minimalist practically monochrome production we need a bit of a break sometimes!!! I would suggest that some of the light touches are meant to be more than JUST a cheap laugh - the twerking is definitely part of the character and scene, as is the idea of Norma’s first husband idolising a photo of her in her more youthful prime. The ALW cut out probably more of a cheap laugh. I don’t mind though, I’d rather be entertained than bored.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 9, 2024 17:16:26 GMT
The expression on David Thaxton’s face when he was looking at that photo tickled me no end.
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Post by jaybird89 on Jan 9, 2024 18:07:36 GMT
You know what Patti LuPone said after finally seeing the original production of this show? It’s boring. And I can only reflect my experience seeing the Glenn Close concert production and agree with her. I think what Jamie Lloyd has done with some of these touches is just try to make it entertaining and lighten the mood. ESPECIALLY with this highly minimalist practically monochrome production we need a bit of a break sometimes!!! I would suggest that some of the light touches are meant to be more than JUST a cheap laugh - the twerking is definitely part of the character and scene, as is the idea of Norma’s first husband idolising a photo of her in her more youthful prime. The ALW cut out probably more of a cheap laugh. I don’t mind though, I’d rather be entertained than bored. Yes i got the thought its funny max is obsessed with norma and then David has the photo of the pussycat dolls i thought that was quite funny and easily connected i did find it funny that the cut out or Andrew happened during "The greatest star of all" moment of the music. I thought it was a good mix of telling the story making the current connections and relevance and also just pointing out how ridiculous some of it is. one thing i can't remember if i put in my original post after seeing the show is just how amazing the sound is i mean it felt so big and it felt very cinematic. |
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Post by traveller15 on Jan 9, 2024 19:11:45 GMT
I don't see how anybody can consider it in character for a faded silent film star to be tweking in 1950, but OK.
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Post by chernjam on Jan 9, 2024 19:30:39 GMT
You know what Patti LuPone said after finally seeing the original production of this show? It’s boring. And I can only reflect my experience seeing the Glenn Close concert production and agree with her. I think what Jamie Lloyd has done with some of these touches is just try to make it entertaining and lighten the mood. ESPECIALLY with this highly minimalist practically monochrome production we need a bit of a break sometimes!!! I would suggest that some of the light touches are meant to be more than JUST a cheap laugh - the twerking is definitely part of the character and scene, as is the idea of Norma’s first husband idolising a photo of her in her more youthful prime. The ALW cut out probably more of a cheap laugh. I don’t mind though, I’d rather be entertained than bored. Did she actually see the original production after she left or was this her reflecting on the show herself? It's not abnormal for her to piss all over ALW after she's left a production of his. She dissed Evita too, yet still finds a way to sing Don't Cry for Me Argentina in concert and talk about how special she was for singing it in the original key and how those who've followed after haven't and blah, blah, blah... I'd love for her to sit and hear Nicole singing the hell out of this score - in the original, high notes... |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 9, 2024 19:48:55 GMT
I don't see how anybody can consider it in character for a faded silent film star to be tweking in 1950, but OK. &Juliet and What’s New Pussycat played with time shifting. Shakespeare is time shifted repeatedly. In fact you never see a Shakespeare in it’s original era nowadays. |
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Post by traveller15 on Jan 9, 2024 19:55:21 GMT
Never? OK.
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Post by Jon on Jan 9, 2024 19:56:43 GMT
I know Patti is a bit of a diva but there does seem to be a bit of a dismissal over her talent. Nicole is great but Patti is also a great talent as well.
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