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Betty Buckley and John Barrowman in London

Writing for Boulevard

WATCHING THE SUN SET

When the Niederhausen production of Sunset Boulevard announced it was to close early on May 3rd, we at Boulevard realised we would never make it to Germany in time. Fortunately, Sunset devotee Kim Anthoni Røgeberg did get tickets for show the week before it closed, and he sent us this report on what he found there. Click here for images from the last night.

Sue Mathys

Yngve Gåsøy Romdal

Norbert Lamla

A review of the evening performance of Sunset Blvd in Niedernhausen, Saturday May 2nd 1998, starring Sue Mathys, Gaines Hall, Norbert Lamla, Jessica Blume

It's a strange feeling, attending one of the last ever performances (at least as we know it) of the show you live and breathe for - the show you love with all your heart. But there I was, feeling both special and grateful for being in Niedernhausen on that particular evening.

In a way it was very sad entering the Rhein-Main-Theater, seeing the souvenir stands filled with Sunset Blvd merchandise that would never be sold. Sure, all the prices were marked down because the show was closing, but that didn't seem to help at all.

But as soon as I found my seat in the theatre, I got cheered up by the huge Sunset Blvd logo that was on the stage curtain. Never before has the logo looked so beautiful!

One of the first characters to appear on stage is, of course, Joe Gillis. But not the Joe Gillis I had expected to see. The role was played by understudy Gaines Hall, and not by my fellow Norwegian Yngve Gåsøy Romdal. The word understudy is not a pleasant one, and we all seem to do our best to avoid seeing them on stage - we want the big stars! But, as it turns out, Gaines is a very good Joe Gillis. In fact, he is the best Joe Gillis I have ever seen/heard. Not only does he have a great voice, his acting is terrific too. It looks like he's been playing the part of Joe every day his whole life; he does it with such ease, in such a convincing way. As he delivers the title song, I realise that it is the best interpretation of it I have ever heard!

As you all know, Sunset Blvd doesn't really get started until you hear the spine-chilling "You there! Why are you so late?". Or in this case "Sie da! Warum kommen Sie erst jetzt?". When Sue Mathys walks down the staircase, she radiates "I'm a star". Unfortunately, that changes when she starts singing "Nur ein Blick". Her voice is powerful, but it doesn't sound like she wants to use it to her best advantage all the way throughout the song. In the beginning of the song, she sounds rather flat and it does not look like she's concentrating. But then, as the song reaches its climax, she gives it her very best and her voice actually reminds me of Patti LuPone and Betty Buckley. And it goes on like this; a couple of times in the "soft" parts of the songs, it's almost embarassing, but as soon as she "powers up" she sounds amazing. BUT, some of you may argue that the singing comes second, that a Norma must first and foremost know how to act. Well, in that department Sue is awesome - she looks so comfortable playing Norma. You can tell she's enjoying herself, and she's in complete control of the character at all times. She is not hysterical (like Helen Schneider) and not butch (like Glenn Close). Sue is simply Norma, she does not surrender! This is particularly apparent in 'The Final Scene' when she says "Ach - du lügst! Wie man mich liebt, das beweist meine Fan-Post " with such self confidence, and not in that desperate way other Normas often tend to do.

Norbert Lamla portrays Max, as he also did in the premiere back in 1995. His voice is just as strong as Max's should be, but he looks awfully young. At times he looks even younger than Norma! Betty Schaefer is played by Jessica Blume - a very mediocre Betty. Her voice is good, but she is way too anonymous up on stage. She becomes a grey mouse.

Not much to say about the ensemble, they all did what they were supposed to do - no complaints!

Sue Mathys received a standing ovation, which she rightfully deserved. She also had the courtesy to turn around and bow to her fellow cast members - takes a classy lady to do that!

All in all, I found the performance very interesting and satisfactory. I was positively surprised by Sue Mathys, but the star of the evening was definitely Gaines Hall! (If anyone from PACE is reading this - he would be the perfect man to play Joe Gillis in the upcoming U.S. Tour)

So, when the enchanted evening was over, I sat in my hotel room with a glass of wine, thinking of what a lucky guy I was, to have seen Sunset Blvd once more before it closed.

The day after, when I was checking out of the hotel, I spotted a beautiful red cardboard stand with Sunset Blvd flyers. I asked the receptionist if I could buy it, since the show was closing. She smiled and said I could just take it. I thanked her and said "Ich bin eine große Fan". I don't know if it was correct grammatically, but she understood it and disappeared for a second before she came back with Sunset Blvd logo stickers that she gave me. Talk about treating hotel guests the right way!

I will remember that weekend forever - the perfect weekend.


Sue Mathys & Yngve Gåsøy Romdal		Sue Mathys