The infamous scene of Pearl yelling “I’m a star!” was a recurring thought in my mind as I sat watching Sarah Brightman’s Norma Desmond spiral into the madness of her faded glory in the enigmatic yet captivating Sunset Boulevard.
Set somewhere in the 1950s, the musical centers around Norma Desmond (played by Sarah Brightman), a legendary silent movie star who, after having discarded by Hollywood, is tortured by her longing for a return to the big screen amidst the age of “talkies”.
Her chance comes when she meets struggling Hollywood screenwriter Joe Gillis (played by Tim Draxl) and the two begin a volatile relationship which eventually leads to an unforeseen and tragic ending.
From the get-go, it was clear to see the toxic dynamic between Norma and Joe that was fueled by both characters’ personal hunger for something which the other had.
Having recognized her at a chance meeting, Joe reignited the crave for fame in Norma who in turn satiated Joe’s need for stability as he had been struggling to find his next paycheck.
I liked how invested I was in this trainwreck of a relationship the moment the two characters met on stage. This, in my opinion, was largely due to the actors — Sarah Brightman and Tim Draxl — who had this great chemistry together in addition to their brilliant portrayal of their roles.
As someone who has been wearing out my copy of the 1988 Phantom of the Opera original Broadway recording, seeing Sarah Brightman live on stage was a dream come true.
Her kooky portrayal of Norma Desmond had me feeling all kinds of feelings towards her character which ranged from annoyed to sympathetic, as well as angry and sad.
But, ultimately, it was Sarah’s vocals that moved me, especially in her rendition of “As If We Never Said Goodbye” where she sheds Norma’s craziness for clarity as she sings about her honest feelings to the prospect of actually going back to a place that no longer seems as familiar to her, after all those years.
In addition to Sarah’s exquisite portrayal of Norma, there’s also Tim Draxl’s electric and charismatic portrayal of Joe Gillis, which made his a class performance I will not forget, thanks to his meltdown in the second half of the musical.
Without giving too much away, the meltdown happened after Norma does something crazy which resulted in him kinda losing it in front of a woman he fancied.
In that moment, Tim did not just portray the exasperation of a man who finally had enough of Norma’s crazy antics but also someone who desperately wants to prevent anyone else from falling into the same type of hell he had created for himself.
It felt like the culmination for his character after all the push-and-pull in the relationship he has had with Norma, which had started out for all the wrong reasons.
And as cliche as it is to say that “Sunset Boulevard” is one of my favourite Andrew Lloyd Webber songs, I was very pleased with Tim’s version of the song; though Tom Francis’ rendition from Jamie Lloyd’s production of Sunset Boulevard will always have my heart.
All in all, Sunset Boulevard is a perfect mix of drama, mystery, and loss in the golden age of Hollywood that is just as relevant to the new generation of fame-seekers today.
It reminds us that fame isn’t everlasting and that one can just as quickly become irrelevant when the next viral sensation arrives.
