REVIEW: Sunset Boulevard (Kennedy Center BCS)
Preview: I’ll be honest. I really dislike Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work. Always have! His scores just ooze out melodrama and stale lyricism. I’ve given a chance to so many of his shows, from Jesus Christ Superstar to School of Rock and each time I cannot get the appeal. This being said, there were a few glaring omissions; Starlight Express and Sunset Boulevard. A friend of mine really enjoyed Glenn Close’s recent turn as our has-been-heroine Norma Desmond — even as a fellow ALW-hater — so when the Kennedy Center announced a production as part of its biennial one-week Broadway Center Stage series, with its expectedly stacked cast of talent (Stephanie J. Block, Derek Klena, and Auli’i Cravalho). I considered actually giving an ALW production a try. This review is gonna be a little short, due to the inconsequential nature of this review of an 8-day run, but for posterity I’m writing one anyway!
Acting: As mentioned, stacked performances. Kennedy Center being the attraction that it is sure is a great way to attract Broadway’s best. This show is merely a vehicle for a glamorous mezzo-soprano to really show off her pipes, and our Desmond here is no exception. SJB is a force on any stage, and it’s simply incredible that it took The Cher Show for her to win a Tony. The house quakes whenever she’s on, whether it be a mere entrance in a bedazzled dress or whether she brings it all down during the 11-o-clock "As If I Never Said Goodbye”. Klena, with his unexpected baritone, does his job well as eye candy on and off the stage. I’ve wanted to see him since my sister raved about him from his Broadway role in Anastasia, so I’m glad to have finally caught him. I do think his role is under-written in this show (I mean, all this for a car? really? give us some depth). For as much as we have to focus on him, they sure don’t make us care about him like we oughta. The real treat of this production was Auli’i Cravalho’s Betty Schafer. HOW has she not been on Broadway yet???! She’s got the voice, charismatic acting chops, and her chemistry with Derek Klena was authentic and cozy. Looking forward to when some producer is smart enough to throw her on the Rialto. 8/10
Production: The idea behind the Broadway Center Stage program at the KC is that they’re just elevated concert performances of the shows; the music is front and center. The way this gets elevated is by upping the budget for costumes, casting, and with a few moving set pieces. The set had orch in the center of the stage, with two staircases flanking, and a rear platform. To distinguish scenes, there would occasionally be chandeliers that floated down. Besides this things were pretty minimal. There were flashier than expected costumes, and the car chase was fun and included handheld flashlights that whirled around the stage. This was about the bare minimum I expected, but it was done well enough. 4/10
Book/Lyrics: Eugh. I really wanted to give this show, and by extension ALW, a chance here, but I just think he cannot write musicals well. He can write songs, but not the whole thing. There were some ones I enjoyed, such as the title number and the aforementioned 11-o-clock, but by and large they were 7 minute slogs of the same idea repeated over the same measures. And that’s if they were actual songs; plenty of the songs were mere attempts at opera that bored me to tears. I’m not even against opera, but this is done so boringly. Act II picks up the pace with increased romantic drama but does not make up for its first act shortcomings. 2/10
VIsDev: The last BCS show I saw was Chess when I was in college, and I can’t remember if this was the case then too, but the preshow staging is just a projection of the logo of the show with “Broadway Center Stage” in Arial font below. I know there’s no point in doling out money to the marketing budget when it’s a limited run concert showing, but I would have at least liked to analyze the set pieces pre-show. 1/10
Verdict: Sunset Boulevard at the Kennedy Center shoves a bucket load of talent into a husk of a show, leading to a quality night at the theatre if you can move past the mediocre source material.
