Sydmonton, 1992 : Lupone singing "With One Look" with original lyrics

OP is Stevie Wonder.

Beautiful?

She was in fine voice then.

The best legitimate criticism I heard of the thing came from Patti after she saw the revival. She said the problem with the original version was they were all fixated with replicating the film. I thought the revival, while imperfect, actually made the characters quite real for the first time.

Does she go cross-eyed on purpose to show Norma's insanity or is that Lupone's natural gaze?

Meh....

She's better with lyrics like: Dimmy up widda heed windja nod ebba nod ebba do me!

R3 I hear what you're sayiong / she's saying, but isn't that a major reason why audiences originally went to see this in 1993-94 on the West End and B'way ? It was the era of the big, mesmerizing musical - and the original delivered. It captured every aspect of the 1950 original, only live and in color. 30 years after, it wouldn't work - we're in the slimmed down 'Ozempic' era of B'way.

(Just my thought).

R7, fair point, and yes, I think in the context of the time, you are right. They couldn't see the forest for the trees but did a successful job of transposing it from one medium to another in tact. I think I also heard Sunset referred to as the one that sunk the megamusical, owing to the costs and the nightmare of making that house rise and fall.

When I saw the Lloyd revival in London I went in very skeptical because I had loved the overwhelming bulk of the original show, in all its turbaned excess. And I left thinking it was one of the best nights at the theatre I'd ever had. Part of it was the part in the hands of a real belter. But stripped down, it moved along at great pace and, despite its occasional weirdness and affectations, it just clicked. Maybe it was actually pretentious and self-indulgent treatment (I think Jamie Lloyd is fast becoming a one trick pony), saved by the strength of Scherzinger's voice. Or maybe I'm just an old doll easily swayed by a belter. I can never tell. I find many ALW show's quite entertaining, while so many others find them triggering by even existing.

There is a book I read called Murder at the Adelphi: A rehearsal diary of the original London production of the musical ‘Sunset Boulevard’. It's quite an insight into the whole process of mounting it, though the author sometimes seems to be hogging the spotlight with his me, me, me stories (though he's an actor, yielding the spotlight isn't a strong suit typically.) Is birthing every show a shitshow like this was? It was a nightmare. LuPone comes across as a real pro. Lloyd Webber as almost non-verbal. I get the impression, across his career, he's a capricious pain in the ass.

I also wonder if the slimmed down Ozempic version of today would've been a hit in 1994, as the original was. Even the slimmed-down revival starring Glenn Close in 2017 (which I loved) would probably never have survived in 1994. People were expecting so much more.

By the way, I also read that the lost investment of SB in the end (investors only made about 75-80% of their investment back) was the moment when Broadway investors said 'enough' to big, expensive, 'spectaculars'. Then again, it was the dawning of a new decade and new century - so it was time to freshen up Broadway.

As a side note, if not for the fact that the production had to pay out two leading lady salaries from one box office during Close's run (as part of the legal settlement, ALW was ordered to pay Lupone the exact same salary as Close when Close did B'way), I think the show could've lasted much longer on B'way - probably another year or two, minimum.

[quote] we're in the slimmed down 'Ozempic' era of B'way.

And it fucking sucks.

r9 The investors were suckers for letting Lloyd Webber get away with that rather than making him pay for Lupone from his own funds.

R9. I remember hearing Petula Clark was going to play Norma after Elaine left but they pulled the plug and closed it. Pet headlined a US tour instead.

Watching Lupone come down those stairs was like watching Irene Ryan as Granny in the mansion. She was terribly miscast and terrible. And she’s terrible person.

R12 Petula Clark would have closed the Broadway run within a week of taking the stage. I saw her when she toured in my city (1998) and she - and the show - was awful. Thank God I had seen Buckley on Broadway two years earlier.

There were so many 'celebrity' names that ALW had wanted in the role to replace Buckley and boost the box office (it took a dip with Buckley, as she was a sensational 'Broadway' star but her name didn't attract tourists). I think the mistreatment of Lupone (and Close) was enough to keep all of those actresses away. And the one 'name' who did step up and offer to take the role after Buckley was Diahann Carroll (hot off her run in Canada), and ALW said 'no'. So he brings in Paige (another name not known to tourists) and the box office drops like a rock.

R13, she’s messy, reminds me of several relatives. She’s delivered great work and she is annoying,

Those original keys are ridiculously high, and Patti is major.

A majorly unmedicated cunt.

Elaine, like Patti, is wildly overrated.

[quote] [bold]A masterpiece.[/bold] Lupone was 43 at the time, [bold]looking beautiful.[/bold]

Musical theatre queens are the worst and most delusional.

R19 Yes, but we enjoy you being the worst and most delusional. Stop by and share your pearls of wisdom any time !

I don’t know where she grew up, but I respect her singing pronunciation of “I”. It’s an irritating sound and she tempers it very well.

Patti was quite lovely...