What: Sunset Boulevard
Where: McPherson Playhouse
When: To May 14
Rating: five stars (out of five)
For many years, the camp image of Gloria Swanson as faded film siren Norma Desmond wafting down the staircase has been fodder for lampooning. For those of a certain age, it鈥檚 impossible to hear the words 鈥淚鈥檓 ready for my closeup鈥� without remembering Carol Burnett鈥檚 send-up of Sunset Boulevard鈥檚 most iconic scene.
The comedy clich茅 has endured because the film is so powerful. It鈥檚 curiously refreshing to revisit the tale in Andrew Lloyd Webber鈥檚 1993 musical adaptation of the film. Witnessing this familiar narrative, we鈥檙e reminded how potent and unsettling it truly is.
The Victoria Operatic Society has opened a first-rate revival of Sunset Boulevard that鈥檚 worth seeking out. Skillfully directed by Heather-Elayne Day, this briskly paced production succeeds on every level: first-rate performances, superior production values, fine costumes, wonderful attention to detail overall. Indeed, this one of the strongest VOS shows I鈥檝e seen.
Sunset Boulevard is a case study in unhealthy relationships. Norma 鈥� played by Francesca Bitonti with confidence and brio 鈥� is particularly bad news. Once a silent movie heroine, and now forgotten by the public, she鈥檚 atrophied into a quivering pool of neuroticism. Norma, closeted in her decaying Los Angeles mansion, forges an unholy alliance with struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis (Jeffrey Stephen). Ensnared like a beetle in a tarantula鈥檚 web, he鈥檚 enlisted to rewrite her comeback script. Soon Joe makes the devil鈥檚 bargain, becoming Norma鈥檚 gigolo (despite their considerable age difference) in return for a luxurious lifestyle.
The possibility of redemption hovers tantalizingly in the shape of Betty (Ashley King) , a wholesome script editor who鈥檚 willing to dump her fianc茅 for Joe. Unfortunately, Norma鈥檚 boy-toy has a fatal flaw 鈥� his unwillingness to give up magnums of champagne and cheekfuls of caviar.
Ambitiously, the VOS gang has opted for fully-staged version of the musical. And, almost miraculously, they鈥檝e pulled it off. It鈥檚 no easy feat.
On Friday night. the audience marvelled at the monumental curved staircase (almost a character in itself) with its faux-marble detail and art-deco lamps. There鈥檚 an organ with giant pipes and an opulent recreation of Norma鈥檚 Isotta Fraschini automobile, cleverly outfitted with screens so we see the actors鈥� bodies when they鈥檙e inside. Elsewhere, Schwab鈥檚 diner is a retro wonder with its vintage counters and stools.
Jason King鈥檚 videos and projections are accomplished 鈥� we see black-and-white car chases through Hollywood (really the Uplands), footage of 1950s Los Angeles and the eerie repeated image of one character at the bottom of a swimming pool. It鈥檚 impressive stuff, created with bona fide wit and artistry.
Throughout, the visual aspects of this show are of a professional calibre. The wonder of community theatre is the willingness of volunteers to pitch in. In this case, a whopping 99 signed up for Sunset Boulevard, and the results are readily apparent onstage.
Bitonti is a VOS veteran well able to fit into Norma鈥檚 larger-than-life shoes. She captured the character鈥檚 immensity through expressive gesture and facial expressions. At the same time, she was never over-the-top. Bitonti brought out Norma鈥檚 fragility and neuroticism, her petulant willingness to manipulate others.
Her singing was strong 鈥� stand-out numbers included the melodic New Ways to Dream and As If We Never Said Goodbye, in which Norma muses on her imagined return to Hollywood. For the operatic mad scene concluding the show, Bitonti 鈥� wearing a glittering headress 鈥� sinuously descended the staircase, once again fully mining the bigness of her character while also portraying nuance and complexity.
Stephen was equally convincing as Joe, offering powerful singing while finding the world-weary resignation within the character. Robert Mitchell was a strong presence as Max, Norma鈥檚 long-suffering lackey. With such songs as New Ways to Dream, he displayed a knack for phrasing and dynamics, knowing when to swell into a crescendo/decresendo and when to project with a theatrical flourish.
The show benefits from a 19-piece pit orchestra, conducted by Tom Mitchell. At times, the percussion seemed overly loud, perhaps a drum screen or brushes might help. The musicians did quite well in navigating a dense and rhythmically tricky score, one of Webber鈥檚 more complex efforts.