Could probably just swap out the songs! Would be fun to replace all the songs in Sunset with the songs from Phantom and see if the narrative still holds up. Just change a few lyrics. Like "Music of the Night" could be "Movies of the Night" for Norma.
Another great tangent talk. Intriguing theory. I also enjoyed your Sunset Blvd review. I saw the show in London. While I did think it was an interesting interpretation, it made me wish I had seen the more traditional Glenn Close version. Also, I came out singing the same refrains that you did.
Thanks! Yes, this is definitely not the definitive version of the show but it is a wild ride! I never saw Glenn Close. I saw Betty Buckley who replaced her.
There is a TON of humor in the Blvd revival…Lloyd & Scherzinger really lean into the inherent camp, especially in Act 1. Even the way Max is presented is often played for laughs…until things go off the rails in Act 2 of course. I think your theory makes more sense when referring to the previous B’way productions which were indeed pretty humorless.
I agree 100%. In my Sunset Blvd review I talk about ho the director understood the limitations of the source material so he found humor by leaning into the camp elements. The same thing could be done with Phantom but it's not so necessary because Phantom has comic characters that allow there to be humor without the camp element.
These parallels were pointed out when Sunset was new, especially with horrible LuPone skulking around the mansion like some lifeless Dollar Store Phantom.
It doesn't have the comedy, because this newer version didn't include the numbers, The lady is paying, and Eternal Youth is worth a little suffering...
True. But are those really all that funny? I thought they found the humor in other places with Nicole mugging at the camera and rolling around on the floor in her Salome song.
@@MatthewHardyMusical I don't find that funny at all, but forced and ridiculous the other "winks" at the original production seem disrespectful and unnecessary. And the numbers before mentioned, might not be "lol funny" but at least they were part of the movie and they were bright and cute.
@@LouBrikanT I hear you. Nicole is absolutely breaking character and commenting on the role as an actor which I totally understand how that can be viewed as disrespectful and unnecessary. I think I found it funny because I don't hold the original production at such high esteem. I find it kind of ridiculous. But I feel the same way about Phantom of the Opera. Most of ALW stuff is so melodramatic that you give it a little nudge and it becomes a farce.
The Betty Tom song had me going “wait, is this just All I Ask of You?”
Could probably just swap out the songs! Would be fun to replace all the songs in Sunset with the songs from Phantom and see if the narrative still holds up. Just change a few lyrics. Like "Music of the Night" could be "Movies of the Night" for Norma.
WOW, you have a point.
Thanks! Webber loves to adapt stories where someone dies!
Another great tangent talk. Intriguing theory. I also enjoyed your Sunset Blvd review. I saw the show in London. While I did think it was an interesting interpretation, it made me wish I had seen the more traditional Glenn Close version. Also, I came out singing the same refrains that you did.
Thanks! Yes, this is definitely not the definitive version of the show but it is a wild ride! I never saw Glenn Close. I saw Betty Buckley who replaced her.
There is a TON of humor in the Blvd revival…Lloyd & Scherzinger really lean into the inherent camp, especially in Act 1. Even the way Max is presented is often played for laughs…until things go off the rails in Act 2 of course. I think your theory makes more sense when referring to the previous B’way productions which were indeed pretty humorless.
I agree 100%. In my Sunset Blvd review I talk about ho the director understood the limitations of the source material so he found humor by leaning into the camp elements. The same thing could be done with Phantom but it's not so necessary because Phantom has comic characters that allow there to be humor without the camp element.
Yes they are both similar stories Sunset Boulevard had the horror story elements its about the dark side of Hollywood and fame
Has Webber ever written a show where someone doesn't die?
I think these stories miggghhhtt have something to do with Lloyd-Webber’s life.
I believe that’s why he’s able to write such heart wrenching music.
Someone should do a melodrama of Andrew Lloyd Webbers life.
These parallels were pointed out when Sunset was new, especially with horrible LuPone skulking around the mansion like some lifeless Dollar Store Phantom.
Love that they used the shattered mirror in both campaigns.
It doesn't have the comedy, because this newer version didn't include the numbers, The lady is paying, and Eternal Youth is worth a little suffering...
True. But are those really all that funny? I thought they found the humor in other places with Nicole mugging at the camera and rolling around on the floor in her Salome song.
@@MatthewHardyMusical I don't find that funny at all, but forced and ridiculous the other "winks" at the original production seem disrespectful and unnecessary.
And the numbers before mentioned, might not be "lol funny" but at least they were part of the movie and they were bright and cute.
@@MatthewHardyMusical BTW, she rolled around the floor, because the production is so poor there are no furnitures at all.
@@LouBrikanT I hear you. Nicole is absolutely breaking character and commenting on the role as an actor which I totally understand how that can be viewed as disrespectful and unnecessary. I think I found it funny because I don't hold the original production at such high esteem. I find it kind of ridiculous. But I feel the same way about Phantom of the Opera. Most of ALW stuff is so melodramatic that you give it a little nudge and it becomes a farce.
@@LouBrikanT LOLOL 😆