| re: SUNSET BLVD preview (harsh, with spoilers) | |
| Posted by: royscho 04:50 pm EDT 10/10/24 | |
| In reply to: SUNSET BLVD preview (harsh, with spoilers) - lordofspeech 01:30 pm EDT 10/10/24 | |
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| Everything you write is true. The story is absolutely sacrificed for a directorial approach that showcases style above anything else (and tries to give the audience a contemporary relevancy, even though it keeps the show in 1950, supposedly. But I am not sure how the story is served by being more accessible through contemporary lenses.) And yet, I loved it when I saw it in London. It was the highlight of my visit there and one of the best shows I've seen in years. I realize I know the story well and didn't need a good storytelling to experience it - so maybe this is a good show for fans and people that are familiar with the plot - but there is so much theatrical richness to compensate for the poor storytelling. The score never sounded so lush (even when it was played by an orchestra of 41 in the last revival.) The sound design is sensational. The show is visually breathtaking with a modern aesthetics that you rarely see on a Broadway musical. Provocative choreography. I know the video/screen thing has been done a lot of times by Jamie Lloyd and Ivo Van Hove (among others,) but it's so spot-on here: beyond the movie-inside-a-movie and the camera motif, it illustrates the central approach of this production which explores the celebrity aspect of being a star, and how we see celebrities on screens (social media and others) and what aging (or decline) is doing to our self-esteem. With the close ups, it manages to be relentlessly (and uncomfortably) intimate, especially for a production that plays in a big Broadway/West End house. And befittingly, it's the most well-realized hybrid of a live movie and a musical that I've yet to see. I guess that you really need to love the original show or the movie (and know it to a reasonable degree,) and/or love the choices Jamie Lloyd is making here. I admit that I absolutely loved both. |
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