Signature is renowned for its musical productions and Sunset Boulevard is a prime example of why the company receives so many accolades.
Sunset Boulevard is a musical adaptation of the classic noir film directed by Billy Wilder about faded silent screen star Norma Desmond, desperate to make her return to a film industry that abandoned her when "talkies" became the norm, and her relationship with Joe Gillis, a down-on-his-luck Hollywood writer who is equal parts cynic and opportunist.
Admittedly, I've never been a huge fan of Sunset Boulevard as a piece of musical theatre. It isn't the most tuneful of Lloyd Webber's shows with only two or three noteworthy songs. Neither lead character is relatable or particularly likeable; Norma is, for all intents and purposes, totally bat-shit crazy and Joe is jaded and humourless.
Sunset Boulevard first debuted in the era of the mega-musical; the original production design on Broadway and the West End featured gigantic, mechanized set pieces such as Norma Desmond's mansion which rose up from the floor of the stage. Also, the show has almost always had to rely on having a "name" in the lead role; Glenn Close on Broadway, Diahann Carroll in Toronto, Petula Clark in the national tour.
Given all the above I had pretty much dismissed Sunset Boulevard as a mediocre show that requires empty razzle-dazzle and celebrity star-power to attract an audience.
Signature Theatre's approach to the production really shed a new light on the piece for me and allowed me to appreciate the show in a way I couldn't before.
Florence Lacey played the lead role of Norma Desmond and acted the part brilliantly. Lacey's Desmond starts off subtly crazy; at first she just seems a little eccentric but throughout the course of the show her level of craziness ramps up to full-blown delusional insanity at the show's climax.
D.B. Bonds puts in an admirable effort as Joe. While not entirely likeable, you can get the sense that his character struggled with the notion of "selling-out" and was not always a cynical opportunist.
The venue; the Max theatre is a small, intimate performance space (fewer than 300-seats) yet the production is as grandiose as it would be in an opera house. Signature's Sunset feels grand and lavish. Daniel Conway's scenic design is elaborate and employs automated set elements. The attention to detail is immaculate, the set seamlessly transforms from an old Hollywood soundstage to Norma Desmond's mansion.
The full orchestration of Andrew Lloyd Webber's score is performed by a 20-piece orchestra perched on the balcony of the mansion.
Director Eric Schaeffer's staging is dynamic and the scenes flow into each other with seamless transitions.
The production is performed on a thrust stage and the seating is arranged in a half-round. The choice to stage the production nearly in-the-round brings the characters closer to the audience members. The intimacy of the space combined with the performances of the leads really humanize the characters in the story. As we watch Lacey's progression as Norma Desmond throughout the course of the show; her facial expressions and her energy, we get an understanding of the character and can at least see the pathos of Norma Desmond even if we still don't fully empathize or sympathize with her.
What I took away from the Signature Theatre production of Sunset Boulevard is that the show actually can work as a compelling piece of theatre if it's done on a smaller, more intimate scale with an emphasis on the characters.
Sunset Boulevard by Signature Theatre
Book and Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on the Billy Wilder Film Sunset Boulevard
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
December 7, 2010 – February 13, 2011 at the Signature Theatre in Shirlington, Virginia
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