Sunset Boulevard, Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

Stephanie J. Block as Norma with members of the ensemble in the Kennedy Center's Broadway Center Stage production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard. Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel.

The latest Broadway Center Stage (BCS) production at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Sunset Boulevard, which was well-received during its all-too-brief eight-day, 10-performance run.

Whenever critics compile lists of the best films of all-time, director/co-writer Billy Wilder’s 1950 masterpiece, “Sunset Boulevard,” is almost always on the list, and for good reason. Its story of a faded film star trying to reclaim some of her former glory has elements of tragedy, dark comedy, romance, mystery, and suspense.

The musical generally follows the plot of the film. For those who are unfamiliar, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter, Joe Gillis, frustrated by a lack of work (and income), is being followed by loan sharks eager to repossess his car. Escaping them, he happens upon a garage somewhere along Hollywood’s famed Sunset Boulevard, where he is able to hide the car. The garage is part of the estate of a once-famous film star, Norma Desmond, living a reclusive life in her mansion, attended by her devoted butler/chauffeur, Max Von Mayerling. Once a darling of silent films, she has been left behind by the success of “talkies,” forgotten by 30 million fans. Joe recognizes her, saying, “You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big.” Norma responds, “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”

The delusional Norma has written a 700-page script for a film she wants to make, a silent film based on the biblical character Salome. She convinces Joe, the writer, to assist her in preparing the script to submit to Cecil B. DeMille, who directed her in years past. She becomes Joe’s benefactor, providing him with lodging and a fancy wardrobe, among other perks. Joe knows that he is being manipulated as a “kept man,” but he enjoys the attention and the lifestyle, admitting to being fascinated by Norma.

After Max delivers the revised script to Paramount (in Norma’s antique Isotta Fraschini towncar), Norma receives a call. She believes Paramount wants her to star in a film based on her script. She makes a triumphant return to the movie studio where she is welcomed by many of the crew who remember her from her glory days. We learn that the studio is not interested in her, but in using the unique car Max drove to deliver the script.

There are, of course, other complications. Joe becomes enamored with Betty, a “script girl” at Paramount who wants to help him write a film based on one of his stories and whose fiancé, a friend of Joe’s, is on location in Tennessee. We learn that butler/chauffeur Max (generally based on Erich Von Stroheim, a silent-era director who played the role in the Wilder film) was once Norma’s director and first husband. He has remained loyal and takes great pains to protect her from the reality that she is no longer remembered by the public. He even sends her fan letters.

As Norma’s descent into madness accelerates, she becomes more possessive of Joe and jealous of Betty, deranged and violent. Ultimately, she shoots and kills Joe as he tries to leave her. As reporters and photographers gather at the mansion to report the event, Max convinces her that they are there to film her. She reverts to her star persona and descends the stairs as the great star she imagines herself to be.

Musicalizing “Sunset Boulevard” was discussed as early as the 1960s, but it was not until 1993 that a production was written and mounted. The music is by the prolific Andrew Lloyd Webber, responsible for such blockbuster musicals as Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and Cats, not to mention the longest-running Broadway musical of all time, The Phantom of the Opera. The book and lyrics are by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, who have collaborated with Lloyd Webber on other projects.

Patti LuPone was the original London Norma, whom Lloyd Webber unceremoniously replaced with Glenn Close for Broadway. Close was followed on Broadway by Betty Buckley (who was starring in the show when I saw it in 1995) and Elaine Page. Diahann Carroll starred in the role in Toronto. All five should be considered Broadway divas of tremendous talent, each one a powerhouse but also a distinctive persona. (What a treat it would have been to see all of them!)

Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block takes on Norma for this production. Hers is a no-holds-barred performance, filled with moments of bravura as well as moments of unexpected coquettishness. She is by turns commanding yet vulnerable, strong yet fragile, generous yet demanding. Block debuted on Broadway playing Liza Minnelli in The Boy from Oz and won her Tony for playing the “star” Cher in The Cher Show, but in this production her interpretation is very much her own. Block basks in the ovations she earns with her renditions of the show’s most memorable songs, “With One Look” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye.”

(DC audiences will have the opportunity to see another side of her talent later this month when she stars as the Baker's Wife in the national tour of the 2022 Broadway revival of Into the Woods, a role she played from September of last year until it closed on January 8.)

Sunset Boulevard could not succeed without a dominating Norma, but if Norma has no formidable counterpart, the show would be like one of those football games won by a score of 65-0. Derek Klena, a Tony nominee for Jagged Little Pill, is well cast as Joe Gillis and proves a suitable foil to Norma. I was unfamiliar with Klena’s work, but DC audiences will be remembering this performance for some time. (He interrupted his run as the lead in the current Broadway Moulin Rouge for this Kennedy Center role.) Klena proves that he is a worthy counter to Block’s Norma. A handsome, confident actor, he displays great charm and sings the role with a strong, clear baritone/tenor. His rendition of the title song is a passionate and bitter acknowledgement of his plight.

As Max Von Mayerling, the director/ex-husband who does his best to help keep Norma sequestered, Nathan Gunn delivers an operatic bass/baritone and persona that are understated and powerful. Auli’I Cravalho provides the right combination of business, sweetness, infatuation, and support as Betty Schaefer. Also contributing nicely are Paul Schoeffler as Cecil B. DeMille and Michael Maliakel as Joe’s friend Artie.

On Broadway, the stage was dominated by a huge staircase with ornately detailed settings and featured not one but three cars (or parts of cars) on the stage. The BCS series has used a slimmed-down physical production that focuses our attention more on the script and score than on the spectacle. The orchestra occupies a prominent place at center stage with staircases (much less grand than on Broadway) on either side and “stations” for scenes in front of and behind the orchestra. Paul Tate Depoo III designed a set and projections that provide sufficient spaces for acting as well as placing the action in the specific time period. (Especially creative is the iconic gateway entrance to the Paramount lot.) Similarly, costumes by Alejo Vietti provide period and character details and support. Lighting design by Cory Pattak and sound design by Kai Harada and Haley Parcher are clear, helping direct the audience’s attention. As for the missing cars, clever lighting effects demonstrate a car chase as we see two sets of headlights, one in hot pursuit of the other. Sometimes less really is more.

As mentioned earlier, the orchestra occupies a prominent spot at stage center, so I must give due credit to musical director/conductor Ben Cohn and the 20-piece orchestra, who bring Lloyd Webber’s majestic melodies to life. Similarly, the vocal work of the ensemble and choreography by Emily Maltby are entirely on point, all the more remarkable since the BCS productions are mounted with only approximately two weeks of intensive rehearsals. Sammi Cannold, who directed, ensured that everything fit together seamlessly.

Sunset Boulevard is a suitable follow-up to the endlessly entertaining fall production of Guys and Dolls. We can look forward to the final BCS production, Kiss of the Spider Woman, later this spring.