The latest in news from the cultural universe
Just For Culture
  • Home
  • Art & Literature
  • Music
  • Day & Nightlife
  • Film & TV
  • About Us & Contact

Theatre Review: Sunset Boulevard, The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh, 3 October 2017

3/10/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
If you ever need proof that the staging and performance of a musical can salvage a lousy script then look no further than the Curve production of Sunset Boulevard.

Let’s talk briefly about the characters and plot in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award winning musical. Lord knows how the script made it off the cutting room floor nevermind found its way into an award ceremony.

The musical is the story of down-on-his-luck Hollywood screenwriter Joe Gillis (Danny Mac), who stumbles upon the mansion of faded silent-film star Norma Desmond (Ria Jones). Norma lives alone with her loyal-to-a-fault butler Max Von Mayerling (Adam Pearce). She’s effectively the Opera Ghost from Phantom of the Opera, but instead of torturing other people for love, she’s intent on killing herself over it.

She convinces Joe to live in her mansion/lair to help her polish and shine the film script she’s been working on while she’s been hiding away from the world. Joe agrees and is paid handsomely for his efforts. He inevitably ends up in a romantic relationship with the actress, who is twice his age, and Norma threatens to commit suicide anytime he tries to leave. Seriously, there are increasingly few scenes as the musical goes on where she’s not trying to commit suicide.

Meanwhile, Joe also continues to help Betty Schaefer (Molly Lynch), the fiancee of seemingly his only friend Artie Green (Dougie Carter), work on adapting an old story of his for the big screen behind Norma’s back. While doing this [spoiler], he also falls in love with Betty, and she with him, and they end up having an affair. This builds towards the inevitable confrontation which takes place at the climax of the musical.
​
The only problem with all of this? All of these characters are ridiculous, unsympathetic and incredibly dislikeable, which means by the time you reach the climax, you don’t much care what happens.
Picture
Take the two prominent women in the script, who are both incapable of functioning without the leading man Joe Gillis in their life. Norma is constantly trying to commit suicide anytime Joe turns his back (almost literally, it’s ridiculously over the top) and Betty repeats time and time again throughout the play how she is incapable of finishing her screenplay without Joe’s help. Slightly patronising, to say the least. For a play with two leading female characters, there is almost no sign throughout the musical that a woman can achieve literally anything of worth without the help of the big hunky man. We know this was adapted from a 1950’s film, but this is slightly ridiculous.

On top of all this, Joe Gillis, the man they’re all fawning over, is a monumental dickhead. He starts off as a sympathetic screenwriter and morphs into a monster, taking advantage of an older woman while also happily cheating on his only friend in the entire play. 

Max meanwhile, at this point the only admirable character, then disposes of all credibility by declaring that ​[spoiler] he was once in fact Norma’s first husband - and now, still in love with her, stays around, apparently to chaperone the young men her way and serve her as a butler. Errrr, okay.

By the time finale arrives, we were less concerned about the fate of the characters and more glad to be rid of the lot of them. We are in genuine astonishment that this is the plot for what is described as one of the “all time great” musicals.
Picture
But you know the funny thing? Curve Productions managed to take this piece of bemusing, student-level drivel and turn it into an enjoyable performance. The scenery, props and costumes were absolutely fantastic. From the Paramount studio to Norma’s haunted mansion (which, again, is interchangeable with the Phantom’s lair), the audience were put right in the middle of the action time and time again. And the speed of the scene changes were really impressive.

The cast too were emphatic, even if the roles they were playing were not. Each and every singing voice was on point and while the musical seemed scared to use the medium of speech instead of song, when often the former would have been more impactful, what was heard was impressive. Ria Jones and Danny Mac excelled, though again we felt the lyrics they were given by A.L.W were basic and unimaginative. Their enthusiasm and passion in their roles, as well as the outstanding orchestra, kept the performance engaging throughout.

All round then, a good job done by all who were hired to take Sunset Boulevard from the page to the stage in Edinburgh. It’s just a shame what’s on the page is so utterly disappointing.

2/5

Stuart Kenny


Photos by Manual Harlan
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Art & Lit

    Reviews and news from the theatre and literature world, including short reviews of new books and old classics.

    Archives

    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    August 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    5 Things To Do
    Amsterdam
    Attractions
    Barcelona
    Beatlemania
    Best
    Canada
    Canucks
    Canvas
    China
    Chinatown
    Chinese
    Cirque Du Soleil
    Coffeshop
    Eat
    Edinburgh
    Edinburgh Playhouse
    Erick Villeneueve
    Food
    Guide
    Heineken
    Highlights
    Ice Hockey
    Immortal Chi
    Knowledge
    Let It Be
    Live
    Local
    London
    Museum
    Musical
    Music Festivals
    Neighbourhood
    News
    Phnom Penh
    Playhouse
    Red Light District
    Review
    Scotland
    Secrets
    Smoke
    Stage
    Theatre
    The Beatles
    Tour
    Travel
    UK
    United Kingdom
    Vancouver
    Vancouver Island
    Victoria
    Vincent Van Gogh
    West End

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.