Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre

[Vanillalime]

Has anyone been to see Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre?

I went last Monday and can’t stop thinking about it - it was phenomenal. From start to finish I was blown away. From the credits rolling onscreen, the bit after the interval, the camera work onstage. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

I really want to go back and see Nicole Scherzinger play Norma Desmond, just to have a slightly different experience from seeing Rachel Tucker.

I haven't seen this production yet, I saw the 2008 one that Craig revel horwood was involved in and it was amazing. I knew nothing about it before I got there and loved every second. I'd love to go again...

That was the kind of production I thought I was going to see - with staging, costumes, props etc.
But it was so pared back, the lead wore a simple black slip dress throughout & there was no set pieces apart from a giant tilting screen. But it took my breath away!

I saw it with Nicole, she was really good.

I saw it with Nicole it was amazing. We adored it. She was so fantastic.

I saw it with Nicole. Not my usual thing, but I surprised myself how much I enjoyed it.

I saw it with Nicole and she gave the best musical theatre performance I've ever seen. When she was standing in the spotlights soaking it up...wow! Loved the striped back contemp choreography too.

I know someone who works there and she said it's the best thing she's ever seen.

Saw it a month ago and thought it was amazing. Nicole was utterly mental, just didn't expect so much from her. And the orchestra was stunning.

And Tom Francis is certainly nice to look at.

All round great evening. I was super lucky with a £30 lottery ticket too.

I’m going between Xmas and NY - can’t wait!

Yes, I went on my own one night when I was staying nearby, and I hadn’t read the reviews. I was completely blown away. I thought it was one of the best shows I’ve seen. Nicole was awesome.

It was amazing. I loved the staging and she was phenomenal.

Saw it today. Nicole was extraordinary- I don’t think her Pussycat Dolls career really showcased her talent!

SPOILERS

I didn’t like the changes they made from the original though - they cut “the lady’s paying” which is an important plot point - it’s where he gives up and accepts her money and then in Perfect Year goes full gigalo.

Also the change to the lyrics when Betty and Joe are writing together was a shame - in the original they’re writing together and having fun and you can see them sparking and falling in love. In this version she just continually berates him and they have zero chemistry.

also why did they change the name from “blind windows” to “dark windows”? Even Betty forgot at one point and said “blind windows”.

max was also superb - you really got how responsible he is for the whole sorry situation.

the lighting was astonishing as well - the back stage crew should have got more of an acknowledgment

Yes, it's fab we were right at the back but the seats were still good. It's a great production. I think people need to understand what the jamie lloyd productions are like. I loved the cameras

I think in the movie it was called 'Dark Windows'

Omg yes! We went to see it last week and DH have been listening to the soundtrack ever since and we’ve just spent a couple of hours watching different performances on YouTube. Absolutely phenomenal - I’m thinking if phoning the box office tomorrow to see if there are any returns to see Rachel Tucker’s last show. I’m desperate to see it again before it closes…

Imagine filming the opening of act 2 if it snows this winter!

They’ve only got until Saturday so think they might have escaped that particular problem 😆

Saw it today and really disliked it! I hate what Jamie Lloyd has done to it and I really hated NS as Norma! I’ve seen several productions of SB and this one is just not for me although I know I’m in the minority! Tom Francis was amazing though, as were the orchestra. The score sounded amazing, it’s Lloyd Webber’s best IMO.

I did wonder how many people would hate it! I’ve heard people comment that it’s Jamie Lloyd’s thing to use cameras and stark staging/lighting, but I really enjoyed the juxtaposition between that and the sumptuous, classic score. And it was the first Jamie Lloyd piece I’ve ever seen and totally wasn’t expecting it, so it took me completely by surprise. I just thought the staging and lighting and use of cameras really suited the piece. I thought turning Joe Gillis into a really dark, brooding film noir leading man instead of the funny, charming romantic lead was absolutely genius. Although I didn’t love how NS was almost forcing the rapturous applause by remaining in her final fists clenched, arms raised, enveloped in smoke and shadows pose for far too long after her songs ended. Although you could argue that that’s a very Norma Desmond thing to do!
I also wasn’t sure about the Act 2 overture sequence, going through the dressing room - it seemed a bit out of place and contrived. But the segue into Sunset Boulevard was immaculate and I was in raptures by the end of the song. As you can probably tell, I’ve been thinking about it a lot ha!
so interesting to hear others’ opinions, DH and I are still discussing it weeks later and I could honestly talk about it all night long!
i’ll shut up now though 😂

I haven't seen this production yet, I saw the 2008 one that Craig revel horwood was involved in and it was amazing. I knew nothing about it before I got there and loved every second. I'd love to go again...

I saw this production with Kathryn Evans as Norma. I also saw Glenn Close in London. Kathryn won hands down IMO.

Didn't really fancy this version. It's supposed to be grandiose in my opinion.

I saw this and thought it was good though I wasn’t blown away. We saw Rachel rather than Nicole who was fantastic, but I can help thinking it would have been better if we had seen Nicole (we didn’t realise it was her day off on Mondays). Production was interesting and the use of the cameras was very clever. It was all very dark, which I know was the point, but I didn’t find it visually exciting though I know many others disagree with me.

I would have preferred to see Rachel to be honest as I know she can act. Nicole can’t or wasn’t allowed to anyway until the finale.

I saw both these productions and both were immeasurably superior to this.

My initial reaction was not to bother with this as I don’t care for Jamie Lloyd’s recent stuff (ie. Style over substance) but I listened to the hype. What he’s done with this just doesn’t work, he’s removed the heart and the sympathy. It’s full of gimmicks that actually have no relevance and detract from the story.