As King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, ‘there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to live and a time to die, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away…’ To paraphrase the great King, everything is of a time, one’s time in the sun is fleeting and so is our youth. Silent movie star Norma Desmond lives her life, in her mansion, in denial, and this leads to her demise. It is so sad to see and is like a fountain of sorrow.
In the two titular roles, international superstar Sarah Brightman as Norma Desmond and Australia’s own superstar Tim Draxl as Joe Gillis are outstanding.
Local stage and screen veteran Robert Grubb gave a very impactful performance as Norma’s great shadow and carer Max Von Mayerling from her halycon Hollywood days.
Ashleigh Rubenach was great in the role of Betty Schaefer who falls for Joe but who is torn because of Joe’s ambivalence and also because Betty has a long time boyfriend Artie, well played by Jarrod Draper.
Paul Hanlon gives a poignant performance as tHollywood producer/ mogul Cecil B. Demille, who was very diplomatic with Norma in respect of the great star that she was, in the silent movies, and the harsh reality that her time as a shining star had truly come and gone. Troy Sussman played the role of Sheldrake.
The show featured a great ensemble cast comprising Regan Barber, Amy Berrisford, Billy Bourchier, Campbell Braithwaite, Benjamin Colley, Grace Driscoll, Madison Green, Peter Ho, Leah Lim, Mary McCorry, Charlotte Page, Morgan Palmer, Caity Plummer, Taylor Scanlan, Tom Sharah, Lisa Sontag, Riley Sutton and Dean Vince.
It is important to note that for select performances the role of Norma Desmond is to be played by the very talented Silvie Paladino.
Lloyd Webber’s music has a powerful, elemental force with brilliantly performed songs such as Sunset Boulevard, New Ways To Dream, With One Look, and As If We Never Said Goodbye, backed by an outstanding 28 piece Opera Australia orchestra conducted by Kristen Blodgette.
There were some light moments in the show such as when Joe is dancing with Norma and asks her to remove her hat as her feathers are getting in the way, Norma slips the hat off and frisbees it upstage hitting her minder Max in the head!
The staging was awesome and gold standard; direction by Paul Warwick Griffin, Set and Costume Design by Morgan Large. Choreography by Ashley Wallen, superb lighting design by Mark Henderson and musical sby Kristen Blodgette.
As an end note, it is good to reflect on what a remarkable and iconic journey SUNSET BOULEVARD continues to go on since it was first launched in humble beginnings back in July 1993 at the Adelphi Theatre in London as a brand new adaptation of the classic Paramount film.
This is a grand, panoramic, epic show. SUNSET BOULEVARD, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, book and lyrics by Dan Black, and Christopher Hampton, presented by Opera Australia and GWB Entertainment by arrangement with The Really Useful Group, is playing the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House until the 1st November 2024.
