Billy Wilder Collides with Andrew Lloyd Webber (Seriously)

She’s Ready for Her Close-Up

A faded silent movie star, enthusiastic young, and not so young, people waiting for their big break, and the crass underbelly of the dream machine that is Hollywood are highlighted in the musical version of Sunset Boulevard, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Book and Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. It won eight Tony awards in 1995, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.

Based on the 1950 film written and directed by Billy Wilder with silent screen star Gloria Swanson as the delusional aging diva Norma Desmond, the musical remains true to the film, while stripping it down to essential story elements.

O’Connell and Company’s production is an entertaining rendering that had sound difficulties opening night. When that issue is resolved, and dialogue and song lyrics can be clearly heard, this will be a very enjoyable production.

Enter Norma Desmond

The year is 1949. Norma Desmond lives in the past in a decaying mansion on Sunset Blvd. with her butler/caretaker Max. A down-on-his-luck young screenwriter, Joe Gillis, whose script and request for a loan to pay off his car are turned down by a Paramount producer, flees from the repo men chasing him at the studio, pulling into a long driveway. His curiosity takes him inside the mansion. When Norma sees him, she screams at him to get out. When he tells her he is a screenwriter, she sees an opportunity to get back in the game. Romance and tragedy follow, as he moves from the room over the garage to the husband’s room in the house.

Mary Kate O’Connell plays Norma, all but forgotten in Hollywood, as a woman who is indeed living in a world of her own. She seems almost ethereal at times, floating above the realities of being human, gliding around her domain in extravagant, gold lame and black costumes, decked out in expensive jewelry, speaking as if she is still doing a scene from one of her silent films, when as she says, all one needed was a face. When the real world crashes through her fantasies, she clearly expresses the very human feelings of jealousy and fear of abandonment that overwhelm her fragile mind.

Kevin Deese is in almost every scene and does a fine job as the opportunistic Joe, becoming more cynical as he allows himself to become Norma’s “kept man.” He is charming and a bit of a rogue. He has a knack with the ladies, particularly the attractive Betty Schaefer (Heather Casseri), who wants to rework one of his screenplays with him. 

Michael J. Galante as Max has a powerful voice that reverberates throughout the room with his song “The Greatest Star of All.” His devotion to Norma is the driving force in his life and his understated, yet forceful manner as he defends her, is a testament to his devotion.

The Ensemble is excellent. They move as one during scene changes, and their songs are expressive of that desire to be somebody in Hollywood, as in “This Time Next Year”, wherein they sing about how successful they will be in the coming year. Their dance moves are very much in keeping with the musicals of the time, are playful and fun. Choreography is by Joey Bucheker, who also directed.

Life of the Hollywood Starlet 

Music Director Luis Colón, also on keyboards, conducts a group of excellent musicians with a deft hand, never overwhelming the singing or dialogue.

Javier Bustillos is Production Supervisor. Costumes by Timmy Goodman are reflective of the era. Norma’s costumes, from the 1920s, evoke the glamor of that time. Relating to that, Vincent Murphy as Manfred, the haberdasher outfitting Joe, has a delightful turn in the song “The Lady’s Paying,” showing outfit after outfit to the horrified Joe.

The music and songs in this show, and the acting and choreography meld together to create a very pleasurable and at the same time sad experience. Faded glory and living in the past, combined with the exuberance and hopefulness of youth, make for an evening of laughter and tears. With the sound issue sorted, Sunset Boulevard at O’Connell and Company is a winner.