"Sunset Boulevard" by Erewash Musical Society.
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.
With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, you are guaranteed a lush soundtrack. That is exactly what you get.
Screenwriter Joe Gillis is down on his luck, struggling to escape from debt collectors, and enters her life and her mansion quite by accident and is asked to stay by Norma, whose only other human interaction is with Max, her butler.
There is a provision though to Joe boarding with Norma, and that is that he agrees to edit a script for a film that she has written called "Salome"; a film that she intends to star in as the teenage seductress.
Norma still believes that she is as beautiful and as in demand as she was in her heyday, and Joe does nothing to discourage this belief. As time passes, Norma falls in love with Joe, telling him that if he ever leaves her, she will commit suicide. The fragility of her mental health starts to show and when she discovers that Joe is not as interested in her romantically, things do not look good for the young writer!
This show positively oozes glamour and 1950s Hollywood style, it's like you have walked through the doors of the Duchess Theatre and have been transported back seventy odd years in time. The musical opens with a cinematic backdrop which is like visiting the pictures, or sitting on a sofa on a Sunday watching some classic old movie. In a strange way very comforting, all you need is a duvet.
Alex Tavener has immense style as Norma, a role that she was obviously born to play. Her vocals are the best that I've heard from her, and believe me, I've heard Alex sung many times in the past and she has blown me away with her understanding, delivery and feel for a song. Alex's manic, wide-eyed look, pierces your mind, and the final scenes make you feel quite uneasy. A real powerhouse of a performance.
Phil Deakin plays Joe Gillis. Phil's vocals, as with Alex's, are the best that I've heard from him. Phil is on stage for practically the whole show and anyone who has seen this musical before will know that it is almost all sung, so vocal stamina is out in force here.
Max Von Mayerling, Desmond's butler, is played by John Fletcher. His voice came as a bit of a surprise as it was a lot deeper than I had thought it would be, which works well in this role.
Betty Schaefer, Joe's lover and co scriptwriter, is played by Emma Barnes-Marriott. Now I keep going on about these fantastic voices, but Erewash Musical Society is blessed with some brilliant vocalists, and Emma is another with a wonderful clear voice.
Cecil B DeMille is played by Keith Butcher, and I love the characterisation that Keith brings to this iconic movie director.
Artie, Betty's fiancé, is played by a young man who has been away from the stage too long, and it's good to see him back, Hayden Fletcher Fletcher. Hayden has been showing off his other talents away from the stage for the past couple of years, but it's good to see that fun side of Hayden back again, especially as he doubles as a salesman.
It's a relatively large supporting cast, with bags full of talent in all areas. Jason Parker, James Christian, Martin Briggs, Sue Hagan, Tracey Renshaw, Paige Sisson, Laurie Fitch, Nick Buckthorpe, Hayley Wood, Megan Asher, Louisa Ward, Richard Dawson, Gabryl Oleshko, Barbara Bostock, Anna Fitzpatrick, Karen Robbins, Laura Dawson, Gary Fowkes, Andrea Kemish and Natalie Austen make up the rest of the talented and energetic cast.
Directed by Chris Moss, and assisted by Kathi Ludlow; this is a job, by both, well done and smoothly presented.
Sound design by Dave Dallard, and I know that I can sometimes be a bit critical with the sound at The Duchess, but not tonight; it was perfect. I heard every word from the actors and every lyric of every song. Not one sound cue missed either.
Lighting design by Dave Martin. I noticed one spot on an actor was not done, near the start when the actor was sat at the desk on the right of the stage, and the lines delivered were in the dark, but apart from that, the lighting was spot on.
The soundtrack contains a few songs that you may already be aware of. "As If We Never Said Goodbye", "With One Look" and "The Perfect Year" sit serenely besides songs like "The Greatest Star", "New Ways To Dream" and the epic title track, ensuring that you leave the theatre with these melodies whirling around your head.
The Musical Director for this show is James Bowden, and the fourteen piece orchestra sounds beautiful with this soundtrack.
The costumes are as gorgeous as the orchestra is lush. Norma has many costume changes and every one is as special to behold as the previous. Heather Weaver is responsible for making sure that Norma looks every bit the star that she is.
Laurie Trott has choreographed this musical and it has that feel of the old Hollywood classics in every step. Just delightful to watch.
I loved the props and attention to detail and era appropriate, especially the writing desk and the furniture adorning Norma's mansion. Tyna Burnett and the team are responsible for this.
A sumptuous set, mainly chez Desmond, and the cinematic backdrop really added that luxurious feel about the set design, especially with the storm outside the window at Norma's place, like a living back wall. There is a staircase, chaise longues, exotic drinking cabinet, and was that a harpsichord partly hidden?
There are many times that I sit down as a reviewer and leave as a reviewer. With this production I very quickly transformed from a reviewer to a viewer, settling in and just enjoying the show, its' wonderful cast, the lush soundtrack and that wonderful Sunday afternoon feeling from years ago watching the old black and white films with my parents.
"Sunset Boulevard" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 8 October.
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