Sunset Boulevard is a musical with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Opening first in London in 1993, the musical has had several long runs internationally and also enjoyed extensive tours, although it lost money because of its extraordinary running costs. A star vehicle, many well-known actresses have played the leading character, Norma Desmond, and the show has seen its share of legal battles. Image File history File links Sunsetlogo. ... Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful English composer of musical theatre, and also the elder brother of Julian Lloyd Webber. ... Don Black OBE (born June 21, 1938) is an English lyricist. ... Christopher Hampton (born January 26, 1946) is a British playwright, screen writer and film director. ... Don Black OBE (born June 21, 1938) is an English lyricist. ... Christopher Hampton (born January 26, 1946) is a British playwright, screen writer and film director. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... It has been suggested that Norma Desmond be merged into this article or section. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... // 1940s 1949 Kiss Me, Kate - Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. ... The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. ... The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is the Tony awarded to the librettist(s) of the musical. ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Don Black OBE (born June 21, 1938) is an English lyricist. ... Christopher Hampton (born January 26, 1946) is a British playwright, screen writer and film director. ... Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful English composer of musical theatre, and also the elder brother of Julian Lloyd Webber. ...

Based on the 1950 film of the same title, the plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the fabled Los Angeles street. When young screenwriter Joe Gillis accidentally crosses her path, she sees in him an opportunity to make her comeback to the big screen. A unrequited romance and tragedy follow. It has been suggested that Norma Desmond be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Sunset Boulevard (1950 film). ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ...

Background and history of productions

For many years, Lloyd Webber kicked around the idea of a musical version of Sunset Boulevard focusing on "the moment when Norma Desmond returns to Paramount Studios". He finally obtained the rights from Paramount and attracted Hampton and then Black to the project. After Aspects of Love had been produced in 1989, the team set to work on the new musical.^[1] The Paramount Pictures logo used from 1988 to 1989. ... Aspects of Love is a chamber opera with a book and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. ...

Sunset Boulevard's West End production, directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Bob Avian, opened on July 12, 1993 at the Adelphi Theatre with Patti LuPone as Norma Desmond, Kevin Anderson as Joe Gillis, and Daniel Benzali as Norma's ex-husband, Max. Reviews were mixed - many critics felt that the score was repetitive and more time had been spent constructing the mammoth set than working on the book. Still, it was an instant sell-out success and ran for 1,529 performances. Anderson left the London company in January 1994 to be replaced by the late Gerard Casey. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in... Sir Trevor King (born 14 January 1940) is a loser and film director. ... Choreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... Bob Avian is a Tony Award-winning American choreographer and a theatre producer and director. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The Adam brothers Adelphi Buildings in an 18th-century print; the terrace stood upon riverfront warehousing. ... Patti LuPone in her Tony Award winning role as Eva Perón in the Broadway musical Evita. ... Kevin Anderson (born January 13, 1960 in Gurnee, Illinois) is an American actor. ... Daniel Benzali (born January 20, 1950 in Rio de Janiero, Brazil) is an American actor of television, film and theater. ...

The American premiere was at the Shubert Theatre in Century City, Los Angeles, California, on December 9, 1993, with Glenn Close replacing LuPone as Norma and Alan Campbell as Joe. Featured were George Hearn as Max and Judy Kuhn as Betty. Lloyd Webber had reworked both the book and score, tightening the production, better organizing the orchestrations, and adding the song "Every Movie's A Circus". This new production was better received by the critics and was an instant success, running for 369 performances. The Los Angeles production also recorded a new cast album that is well-regarded. It is also the only unabridged cast recording of the show, since the original London recording was trimmed by over thirty minutes. Many theatres are named the Shubert Theatre; many of these are now or were previously owned by the Shubert Theatre Corporation. ... View of the Century City skyline from the Getty Center. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is a five time Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actress. ... With Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd George Hearn (born June 18, 1934, in St. ... Judy Kuhn is an American actress and singer. ...

The musical opened on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre on November 17, 1994 with Close, Campbell, and Hearn recreating their roles from the Los Angeles production and Alice Ripley joining the cast as Betty. Also in the cast were Allen Oppenheimer as Cecil B. DeMille and Vincent Tumeo making his Broadway debut as Artie Green. The production opened with the highest advance in the history of Broadway ticket sales and ran for 977 performances. In a season with no other new musical productions of note, it won several Tony Awards, and Glenn Close - with not more than token competition - walked away with the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theatre. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress and singer. ... Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was one of the most successful filmmakers during the first half of the 20th century. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award® but is formally the Antoinette Perry Award is an annual American award celebrating achievements in theater, including musical theater. ...

Patti LuPone, who initially had been promised the Broadway run, sued Lloyd Webber and received an out-of-court settlement reported to be very large. She wasn't the only actress to get paid for not playing - Faye Dunaway, set to replace Close in L.A., proved unable to meet the vocal challenges of the score and was let go. She also sued Lloyd Webber. Frank Rich, in his book The Hot Seat, noted that these lawsuits contributed to Sunset Boulevard setting the record for the most money lost by a theatrical endeavor in the history of the United States. Despite its record advance sales, weekly operating costs were so high that it could not pay back its initial investment, and its road companies generated large financial losses. Rich puts the final figure near or above US$20 million, making it what he termed a "flop-hit", as it ran more than two years. Patti LuPone in her Tony Award winning role as Eva Perón in the Broadway musical Evita. ... Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941, in Bascom, Florida) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Frank Rich (born June 2, 1949 in Washington, D.C.) is a columnist for The New York Times. ... Flop-hit, a term coined by American critic Frank Rich in his book The Hot Seat, refers to a theatrical production (often on Broadway, where economics are difficult) that appears to be a hit but turns out to lose money (a flop. ...

Petula Clark recorded Norma's three major songs while appearing in the West End production

The London show was revamped to follow the lead of the New York production and starred Broadway and TV veteran Betty Buckley and John Barrowman. Michael Bauer, who had played DeMille in the original production replaced Benzali as Max, a role he played until the end of the London run (and subsequently on the UK tour). Buckley and the production garnered rave reviews. Buckley then followed Glenn Close as Norma Desmond in the second year of the New York production. Elaine Paige, who had been Buckley's understudy, took over as Norma Desmond in the West End production. Petula Clark filled in for Paige during her holiday in September/October 1995, before taking over the role the following January. The last "star" to take on the role of Norma Desmond in London was Rita Moreno who filled in for a vacationing Clark in September and October 1996. John Barrowman played Joe until 1995, when he was replaced by Alexander Hanson. Graham Bickley played the role for the final year of the London run. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American theater, film, and television actress. ... John Barrowman (born 11 March 1967 in Mount Vernon, Glasgow) is a British-American actor, musical performer, dancer, singer, and TV presenter who has lived and worked both in the United Kingdom and the United States. ... On the cover of Elaine Paige Tour Programme 2004 Elaine Paige OBE (born Elaine Bickerstaff on 5 March 1948 in Barnet, Hertfordshire) is a world-renowned English singer and actor, primarily in musicals. ... West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in... Petula Clark, CBE (born November 15, 1932), is an English singer, actress and composer best known for her upbeat popular international hits of the 1960s. ... Rita Moreno on the 1962 album cover for Academy Award Winner Rita Moreno Sings Rita Moreno (born December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico) is an Academy Award-winning actress and the first and only Puerto Rican actress in history (as well as one of only nine people) to have... Alexander Hanson is a British stage actor who is currently starring in the high-profile West End revival of The Sound of Music as Captain Georg Von Trapp. ... Graham Bickley is a British based actor, best known as the second incarnation of the character Joey Boswell in Carla Lanes Bread. ...

The Toronto production opened in 1995 with Diahann Carroll in the lead role. Her performance was also praised by critics, although the production closed sooner than expected. It also starred Rex Smith as Joe, Walter Charles as Max and Anita Louise Combe as Betty. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Diahann Carroll, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955 Diahann Carroll (born July 17, 1935) is an American actress and singer. ... Image:RexSmith. ... Walter Charles (born April 4, 1945) is an American actor and singer. ...

A German production of the revamped musical opened December 7, 1995 at the newly build Rhein-Main Theater in Niedernhausen starring Helen Schneider and Uwe Kröger in the lead roles. The show ran with moderate success until it closed in August 1998. During the last few months Helen Schneider was replaced by German Actress Daniela Ziegler in the lead role of Norma Desmond. The show has not been revived since in Germany. is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Niedernhausen im Taunus is a town in Hesse, Germany. ... Helen Schneider (born december 23, 1952 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an american singer and actress working mainly in Germany. ... Uwe Kröger, 2006 Uwe Kröger (IPA pronunciation: [uvǝ kʀøgǝ]) (Hamm, Germany, December 4, 1964) is one of the most famous musical stars in the German-speaking countries of the world. ... Helen Schneider (born december 23, 1952 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an american singer and actress working mainly in Germany. ...

In 1996, Debra Byrne as Norma and Hugh Jackman as Joe starred in the first Australian production of Sunset Boulevard. The production opened the newly restored Regent Theatre, Melbourne. In 2005, Judi Connelli starred in a new Australian concert version for The Production Company in Melbourne (State Theatre, with David Campbell as Joe) and in Sydney (Luna Park, with Michael Cormick as Joe and Anthony Warlow as Max), both for limited seasons. The show was revived briefly in Australia in 2006, in an extremely scaled down version, with Judi Connelli again starring as Norma. Debra Byrne, born in Melbourne, Australia on 30 March, 1957, is an Australian entertainer. ... Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian film producer, and film, television and stage actor, known for playing Wolverine in X-Men and its sequels, and for his Tony Award-winning performance on Broadway in The Boy from Oz. ... Recent Theatre The Regent Theatre is a theatre in Melbourne, Australia. ... Judi Connelli (born 20 July 1947 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) is an actress. ... John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow during their concert tour The Main Event (CD) Anthony Warlow (born November 18, 1961) in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, is an Australian star of opera and musical theatre. ...

The excellent reviews Petula Clark garnered, helped launch a second national tour in the U.S. A first attempt starring Linda Balgord had been aborted due to exorbitant costs involved in transporting the set, so Lloyd Webber called in director Susan H. Schulman to design a scaled-down production, with Clark again in the lead opposite Lewis Cleale as Joe. This production featured Anthony Powell's Tony Award-winning costumes and a new, more tour-friendly set by Derek McLane. In 2004, Clark repeated her performance opposite Michael Ball at the Cork Opera House in Ireland for broadcast on BBC Radio. To date, with more than 2500 performances to her credit, she has played the role more often than any other actress. Petula Clark, CBE (born November 15, 1932), is an English singer, actress and composer best known for her upbeat popular international hits of the 1960s. ... Susan H. Schulman is an American theater director. ... Lewis Cleale is an American theatre actor and singer. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Ball (born Michael Ashley Ball, 27 June 1962, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England) is a British actor and singer, best known for the song Love Changes Everything and musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ...

In August 2001, a UK tour commenced in Plymouth starring Faith Brown as Norma, opposite Earl Carpenter as Joe. The show had a completely new set, much simpler than the original London set, but without compromising the quality of the show. Carpenter left midway through the tour. He was replaced by Jeremy Finch who had previously understudied the role. The tour finished in late 2002 in Manchester and had met with both excellent reviews and respectable ticket sales. , Plymouth (Cornish: ) is a city of 243,795 inhabitants (2001 census) in the south-west of England, or alternatively the West Country, and is situated within the traditional and ceremonial county of Devon at the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar and at the head of one of the... Faith Brown (born 28 May 1944 in Liverpool, England) is a British actress, comedienne and impressionist noted for her extremely large bonanzas. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ...

Synopsis

The story begins in 1949-50 with down-on-his-luck screenwriter Joe Gillis having car trouble, on Sunset Boulevard, in front of former silent film star Norma Desmond's mansion. To keep the repossession agents at bay, he hides his car in Desmond's garage. After 20 years out of the limelight, eccentric Miss Desmond (she is attached to a stuffed chimp, a prop from an old movie) wants to make a screen comeback. Gillis comments, "You used to be in pictures, you used to be big," she retorts "I am big . . . it's the pictures that got small!" She invites Joe to live at the mansion if he'll edit her script, Salome, for director Cecil B. DeMille. Joe goes to the studio to borrow money to pay off his debts and meets sweet, pretty Betty Schaefer, who works with him on his own script and falls for Joe, leaving her boyfriend, Artie. Coin of Salome (daughter of Herodias), queen of Chalcis and Armenia Minor. ...

Norma has also developed feelings for the young screenwriter, buying him lavish gifts; she even attempts suicide when he goes off to a party. Joe finishes Salome, but the phone rings: The studio is calling, but it turns out that her car is wanted for a film, not her. Max, her ex-husband (and live-in butler), can't bring himself to give the ex-star this sad news. So, Norma happily meets DeMille, who is, of course, non-committal about Salome. Meanwhile, Norma has detected that Joe and Betty are lovers. She telephones the younger woman to confront her, but Joe grabs the phone from her hand, asking Betty to come see first-hand the hell he is living in. Betty arrives, and Joe tells Norma that he and Betty are getting out. Norma, furious and grief-stricken, shoots Joe dead. Descending into insanity, Norma mistakes her arresting officers for her beloved fans and studio executives. Thinking she is on the set of Salome, Norma descends the staircase with the immortal phrase, "...And now, Mr. De Mille, I am ready for my close-up."

Major characters

• Norma Desmond (a faded, eccentric, former silent screen star)
• Joe Gillis (a struggling young screenwriter)
• Max von Mayerling (Norma's ex-husband and butler)
• Betty Schaefer (Joe's new girlfriend)
• Cecil B. DeMille
• Artie Green (Betty's old boyfriend)
• Sheldrake (A movie producer on the lot)
• Manfred (An expensive tailor)

Musical numbers

†Not included on the World Premiere recording.
‡Revised somewhat from World Premiere recording to subsequent versions.

Expected musical film and other information

In July 2005, Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group announced that a film version, with Glenn Close reprising her role, was to be produced with an expected release date of 2006. However, as of 2006 the projected date for release of the film has been put back to 2008, possibly due to the release of Webber's film version of The Phantom of the Opera, according to the IMDB. ^[2] Ongoing events • 2005 Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes • 2005 Maharashtra floods • 2005 Gujarat Flood • Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan • Fuel prices • Gomery Comm. ... The Really Useful Group (RUG) is a international company set up in 1977 by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ...

Sunset Boulevard ranked fifth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals" (wherein Nation refers to the United Kingdom). ^[3] BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is the most popular station in the UK. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in Western House, adjacent to Broadcasting House in central London. ... An opinion poll is a survey of opinion from a particular sample. ...

Awards

Tony Awards What is popularly called the Tony Award® but is formally the Antoinette Perry Award is an annual American award celebrating achievements in theater, including musical theater. ...

• Best Musical
• Best Score of a Musical
• Best Book of a Musical
• Best Scenic Design
• Best Lighting Design
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical - George Hearn
• Best Actress in a Musical - Glenn Close

Outer Critics Circle Awards Begun during the 1949-1950 theater season, the Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway. ...

• Outstanding Broadway Musical
• Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Glenn Close

Drama Desk Award: Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Glenn Close Created in 1955, the Drama Desk Award was created to recognize Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway shows in addition to Broadway shows. ...

Drama Logue Awards (Los Angeles production) The Drama-Logue Award was an award given by the publishers of Drama-Logue newspaper, a west-coast theatre trade publication. ...

• Outstanding Production
• Outstanding Original Music
• Outstanding Direction
• Outstanding Writing
• Outstanding Scenic Design
• Outstanding Costume Design
• Outstanding Lighting Design
• Outstanding Performance - Glenn Close
• Outstanding Performance - Alan Campbell

L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards

• Outstanding Scenic Design
• Outstanding Lighting Design
• Outstanding Costume Design
• Outstanding Sound Design
• Outstanding Lead Performance - Glenn Close

Ovation Awards Established in 1989, the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards are Southern Californias premiere awards for excellence in theatre. ...

• Best Musical
• Best Scenic Design
• Best Costume Design
• Best Lighting Design

Notes

1. ^ Information from Lloyd Webber's site on the genesis of the musical but This article disputes his version.
2. ^ Information about the expected film version of the musical
3. ^ BBC listener poll

References

• Ganzl, Kurt. Ganzl's book of the Broadway musical: 75 shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Sunset Boulevard. New York: Schirmer Books, 1995. ISBN 0028708326
• Official website
• Extensive article by Sylvia Stoddard about the show and its genesis that is critical of the score and makes various (unsourced) claims that the music was developed from unused songs cut from Webber's older shows.
• Synopsis and production information from the NODA website
• Profile of the musical from the Broadway Musical Home website
• Information about the Australian production

External links

• Sunset Boulevard at the IBDB database
• New York Times review
• Boulevard (a comprehensive fansite)
• Dutch site on Sunset Boulevard (An Andrew Lloyd Webber Site)
• Profile of the musical at the Imagi-nation website