| SUNSET Revisited -- Two Joes and Two Normas | |
| Last Edit: robert_j 12:30 am EST 12/18/24 | |
| Posted by: robert_j 12:28 am EST 12/18/24 | |
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| I went back to Sunset Boulevard tonight to catch one of Mandy Gonzalez’s performances. I had seen the show last month with Nicole Scherzinger and the understudy for Joe, Diego Andres Rodriguez, who usually plays Artie. This time Tom Francis was back as Joe, so now I have seen two Normas and two Joes, although not the intended Norma and Joe together. I will say that, having seen Diego as Joe previously, it adds a layer seeing him on the stage as Artie, especially since he and Tom have similar clothes and build. I guess Betty has a type. Or maybe Joe and Artie are meant to be interchangeable in certain respects. I don’t really have a strong preference for either actor in the role. Diego sings it better, but maybe his vocal freshness comes from singing it less. Tom was sounding tired tonight, and a bit flat in terms of characterization. The run may be taking a toll. As for the Normas, they are difficult to compare, but I came away thinking that Nicole’s performance is in a different league from Mandy’s very professional but less exciting portrayal. Nicole brings more to the table, for better or worse. The “for better” is her luxurious vocal quality, her undeniable star power, and the unexpected goofiness she brings to the role. The archness of her portrayal balances out the melodrama and reminds you that the original movie was a comedy after all. Without Nicole, the only time the production really captures that playful tone is at the top of Act Two, which makes that segment feel more out of place without her. That said, the “for worse” is that Nicole's goofiness can be fourth-wall breaking, and I never really felt like her characterization came together into an actual human person I could recognize. Mandy’s performance is more grounded and human, but it is missing the extra bit of glamor that would make it feel special. The one moment when I thought Mandy’s presence specifically brought something extra to the performance was at the end of the show, when I suddenly and unexpectedly found myself taken back twenty years to Dance of the Vampires. Otherwise, while I respect her work, the show works better with Nicole. As for the production itself, I don’t like it, but I don’t mind it either, in the sense that I would go back again if the casting was interesting. I just don’t find it to be particularly insightful, and it does not communicate the story well. I don’t think the ending makes sense unless you are already familiar with the material. The screens are overused and they do not add much except for the one scene when Norma is watching her old movies. That is the only time I felt an emotional connection to the material thanks to a staging choice. I do love Sunset Boulevard and I saw the original production twice. When Glenn Close brought it back, I liked it somewhat less and felt it needed a refresh. So I appreciate the attempt at something new. I also appreciate that it got me to watch the movie again, and I have newfound respect for it, especially now that I am around Norma’s age. But what is on the stage of the St. James is not a Sunset Boulevard I recognize. |
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