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| Kyle Bennett plays out-of-work screenwriter Joe Gillis, and Val Stasik is aging silent-film star Norma Desmond |
On Saturday night hubby and I went to see Sunset Boulevard at Fountain Hills Theater. We have never seen this musical before, but always wanted to. The traveling production came to the Civic Opera House in Chicago in the Spring of 1997, but at that time we were already too busy making plans to move here to Arizona, so we never did see it. That's probably a good thing because then I was only 34 years old and would not have appreciated it as much as I did now that I am 50 years old. I could relate more now to the Norma Desmond's character, plus and even more importantly what is going on today is much like what happened back then. Times are a changing...and if you don't change with the times you are left out in the cold. Just like in the Oscar winning film The Artist, Norma Desmond the silent film star does not make the transition into talking films. Her industry changes, but she does not. Today, every industry is changing in a BIG way and it will continue to keep changing at a rapid pace. People who are stuck on the old ways of doing things will be the ones left in the cold just like Norma Desmond. The Norma Desmond story is more relevant today than ever.
I never even saw the 1950 movie the musical is based on until just this past week. I got the DVD from our library and watched it, plus all the extra bonus features. I'm really glad I saw the movie first, because with my very poor hearing I really struggle with trying to figure out what the words are, especially when being sung. I have hearing dyslexia and tinnitus. So knowing what the story was about helped me follow the musical along much better.
I was telling my sister I got a copy of the movie so I could follow the story of this musical better. She reminded me of that funny episode on the TV show Wings where Antonio played by Tony Shalhoub is playing his guitar for Helen and sings the first American folks song he learned when he was a kid growing up in Italy.
He starts singing the following to the tune "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore."
My goat knows the bowling score.
Hal-le-lu-ia.
Helen then tells him the correct words to the classic song, and Antonio says, "Get Out! The meaning changes."
I found a Youtube video of this classic scene. I have to admit, I am very much like Antonio even though English is my first language. lol I just blame my bad hearing.
I LOVED this musical, and the always stellar Fountain Hills Theater and cast did a marvelous job. BRAVO!
