Le monde des musicals

Impoverished screenwriter Joe Gillis stumbles upon the stuffy mansion of faded filmstar Norma Desmond by chance. She initially employs him to edit her script for a movie of Salome, which she plans to use as her comeback vehicle, demanding he reside at her home whilst he works. She soon falls hoplessly in love with him, and persuades him to stay on as her live-in lover, much to the shock of her loyal butler (and ex-husband) Max. Joe finds himself torn away from his old lifestyle and friendships. Meanwhile, Norma has proceeded with her plans for her return to the screen, and visits Paramount studios to seek Cecil B. DeMille's help. Away from Norma's glare, however, Joe collaborates in secret with young studio employee Betty Schaefer, and they soon declare their love for one another. Torn between his life of luxury supplied by Norma, and his genuine affection for Betty, Joe decides to leave Hollywood and start life afresh in his native Ohio. Norma, in a fit of shock and rage, shoots Joe as he leaves her home on Sunset Boulevard. In the final scene, she descends into insanity as press and police invade her home, and, believing herself to be back on the set of one of her movies, descends the grand staircase in ger mansion with the immortal words: "and now, Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.."

Act I
From the bottom of a murky swimming pool we see a fully clothed body floating above us. Over this scene the voice of Joe Gillis becomes established…
"I guess it was five a.m., a homicide had been reported from one of those crazy mansions up on Sunset. Tomorrow every front page is going to leads with this story; you see an old time movie star is involved… Maybe the biggest star of all."
The scene changes and we are transported back 6 months to the busy Paramount Studios. As Joe wanders through the crowds he greets several acquaintances; "Lets have lunch… gotta run". Soon, however, he bumps into two men in hats and bad suits: Financemen. "We want the keys to your car. You're way behind with your payments". Desperate to keep his car, Joe slips away into the crowd where he meets his agent. "You've got to find me a job!". His agent cannot help however; he is too busy with his new prodigy. Disappointed, Joe moves on to the offices of Paramount; he has an appointment with Sheldrake, a producer, to talk about a screenplay Joe has submitted. Sheldrake summons someone to "bring in whatever we have" on Joe's script. Betty Schaefer, a young staff member brings in the synopsis she has prepared, but she makes it clear she thinks Joe's screenplay is pretty awful: "It's just a re-hash of something that wasn't very good in the first place". Suddenly she notices Joe in the room and is obviously embarrassed. Joe is annoyed and will not listen to her when she says insists really liked some of his other work; particularly a short story called 'Blind Windows'. Joe is still stubborn and insists that her idea to turn it into a movie is not worth the trouble "Sheldrake won't buy this story – he likes trash with neon lights". Suddenly the financemen reappear and Joe agrees to discuss the idea further if Betty will distract them while he escapes. They are only put off for a minute, however, and soon they catch up with Joe and a car chase ensues.
Turning onto Sunset Boulevard, Joe sees an empty garage and pulls into it whilst the financemen cruise on unaware. He is taken aback by the size of the garage and the huge luxurious car within. From the veranda of the great house a voice comes; "You there! Why are you so late?"
A solemn figure approaches Joe and leads him into the house, despite his objections. This is Max, the butler. He believes Joe to be the funeral director who has come to arrange a ceremony for their recently deceased chimp. Joe is left alone in the great hall of the house where, through the gloom, he makes out a veiled figure hunched over the body of the dead ape. She is singing a farewell lullaby to it: "I'll see you again when I surrender…". It soon becomes apparent that Joe has no right to be there, but as he turns to walk away, Joe calls back "Aren't you Norma Desmond? You used to be in pictures. You used to be big!" Her curt reply comes: "I am big. It's the pictures that got small!". She lectures Joe on how the film industry has been ruined by the advent of 'talkies': "They threw away the gold of silence when all they needed was this face of mine". Joe insists "Don't blame me; I'm just a writer!", but there is no stopping Norma. "With one look I can break your heart" she goes on. She fully believes she can still be queen of the film industry. As Joe turns to leave once more, Norma calls him back: "Did you say you were a writer?". She hands Joe a think bundle of manuscripts. "I wrote this..." she proclaims, "It's a very important picture". She insists that Joe reads it, despite his obvious objections: "It's about Salome – the woman who was all women". After skimming the script, Joe has a few objections: "Could be it's a little long… Shouldn't there be some dialogue…? It could use a few cuts." Norma decides Joe is the person to perfect her 'masterpiece' and that he should stay the night and start his work early tomorrow. Max leads him to the sparse guest room and there describes Norma's once glorious career "If you said 'Hollywood', hers was the face you'd think of… Today, she's half forgotten, but it's the pictures that got small; she is the greatest star of all…"
The next day, Joe arrives at Schwabb's Drugstore where he agreed to meet Betty. At the bar, he meets his friend Artie Green and learns that Betty is his bride-to-be. Joe and Betty discuss the possibility of filming Blind Windows, but Joe will not be persuaded. He tells her to write the script herself and call him if she has any problems. They bid each other goodnight and Joe drives back to the Norma's mansion. He meets Max on the patio who reveals he is "greatly worried about Madame". He knows she has no hope of being a star again; her fans have deserted her leaving him to write fan mail to her so that she doesn't realise her once loyal followers have left her for the new stars of Hollywood. Joe, he says, must not leave the house to avoid upsetting Norma. In the days that follow, Joe "hack(s) (his) was through the script" which turns out to be a bigger task than he had thought. The only entertainment available is Norma's old silent movies, which they watch together as she relives her past triumphs. Joe is marooned in the house, and even when he completes the script he is unable to leave; his car has been towed away and he has not been paid for his work.
One morning, Norma marches into the room and announces "Today's the day!". She instructs Max to take the script to Paramount and give it to Cecil B. DeMille "in person". Joe thanks Norma for her faith in his abilities and makes to leave; "the script is finished". Norma, however, has other plans. She passionately proclaims "You'll stay on with full salary, of course… I need your support!" and pleads with Joe to stay. He agrees. December 21st comes and Norma arranges a special treat for Joe; tailors from "the best men's shop in town… I had them close it down for the day". The oily manager attempts to kit out the reluctant Joe in the finest merchandise he has; "second rate clothes are for second raters!" Joe is left with a huge pile of boxes and packages ready for Norma's New Years Eve celebration which she insists he attends.
The party night arrives and Max has "pulled the stops out". The house looks fabulous, the drinks are ready and on the staircase a string quartet is discreetly playing. Joe enters the room, dressed in his new clothes; tails and black tie. The guests, however, are not visible. Norma struts in wearing an amazing creation, and gives Joe a present; a gold cigarette case engraved with "mad about the boy". As the band start a tango, they move to the dance floor and the atmosphere is electric. They hold each other closely as they twirl round the tiles and Norma whispers in Joe's ear of her plans for their next year together "if you're with me, next year will be the perfect year". Joe seems contented with the notion for a few minutes, and they move to the sofa as the music ends. Joe enquires when the other guests are due to arrive and Norma answers "there are no other guests! Just you and me. I'm in love with you, surely you know that." Joe objects: "What right do you have to take me for granted… I'm the wrong guy for you". Norma: "What you are trying to say is "You don't want me to love you. Say it! Say it!" Norma slaps Joe and he storms out, taking a taxi to Artie's apartment where quite a crowd has gathered.
The young hopefuls are sharing their New Year's resolutions to succeed in Hollywood: "Hope we're not still saying these thing this time next year!" Betty is still in need of Joe's help in the writing of Blind Windows, but Joe's opinion has not changed. Betty, however, is able to persuade him that her's is a good idea. Joe decides to stay with Artie until he can find somewhere to live and work on the screenplay. He rings Max and asks him to bring over his things. Max has no time for this, however. "I am attending to Madame," he insists, "She found the razor in your room and she cut her wrists." Joe grabs his coat and rushes back to the house on Sunset.
He finds Norma lying on the sofa, her arms bandaged.
"What kind of a silly thing was that to do?" he asks.
Norma is upset: "You must have some girl. Why don't you go to her?
"I never meant to hurt you, Norma. You've been good to me" he insists.
"Why don't you just say thank you and go? GO! GO!"
Joe goes to leave, but then turns and faces Norma: "Happy New Year" he whispers to her.
"Happy New Year, Darling" she replies.
As the curtain falls, he embraces her and they kiss.

ACT II
Act two begins beside Norma's swimming pool. Joe is lounging in a cane chaise-longue, sipping a cocktail. He addresses us whilst smiling smugly: "Sunset Boulevard; jackpot boulevard. She was sinking fast, I threw a rope. Now I have suits and she has hope. You think I've sold out? Dead right I've sold out!"
Norma rushes onto the terrace: "There's been a call! Joe, Paramount! They love our child. Mr. DeMille is going wild! But it was some fool assistant; if they want me, then Cecil B. himself must call."
He never does call, but after 3 days, Norma decides she is 'ready'. She dresses up "like a pharaoh" and Max drives to Paramount. Joe sends Norma to see Cecil B. on her own; "It's your show." When Norma pulls up outside Stage 18, the director is surprised to say the least. He avoids answering Norma's awkward questions about filming her script, instead rushing her into the film-set before she can persist any further. As she gazes around the crowded area, bustling with excitement and mystery, she is quite overwhelmed. She recalls her life as a star, and consoles herself by saying she will soon be back making a picture: "This time will be bigger! Everything's as if we never said goodbye."
Outside the sound-stage, Joe bumps into Betty. She says that she needs his help to write Blind Windows. Joe makes excuses and says he will call. Meanwhile, Sheldrake approaches Max. He recognises him as Norma's butler, and asks why she hasn't returned his phone calls about hiring her car for use in a movie. Max suddenly realises the implications of this and tells Joe: "It's not Madame the want; it's her car!" Norma says fond goodbyes to Cecil B. and cruises back to Sunset. He recalls her days as the world's brightest star.
Joe and Betty finally get to work on the script. Joe discovers that it's "fun writing with a partner" and they work productively. Norma is hard at work too. In the mansion, she is lying on a couch whilst a swathe of beauticians and dieticians work on her body. She is eager to get back into shape for her 'return' to show business. "Eternal youth is worth a little suffering" they console her.
Joe soon returns from his script-writing session with Betty. Norma suspiciously enquires about his whereabouts "Who is Betty Schaefer?" He tells her "there's nothing to worry about. I haven't done anything."
After a few days of work, the script is finished. Joe and Betty celebrate with a trip to the water cooler. As they walk, Betty tells Joe about her childhood around the Paramount lot: "I was born two blocks from here." Soon, the topic of Artie arises: "He wants me to come out to Tennessee", Says Betty, "But… I'm just not in love with him any more… I.. love.. you." Joe realises he feels the same way: "If I'm a fool, well I'm too much in love to care." They kiss.
Joe arrives back at the mansion late. Max is waiting. He warns Joe to be careful, he does not want Madame upset: "I made her a star, I will never let her be destroyed… I directed all her early pictures. In those days there were three young directors who showed promise… D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. DeMille and…" Joe finishes the sentence for him: "Max Von Mayerling." "Please understand," Max goes on, "She was my wife."
Inside the house, Norma is on the phone: "Hello, is this Gladstone 9281, Miss Schaefer? You do know a Mr. Gillis? He's just a, I can't say it… you ask him, I'd love to hear his answer…" Joe grabs the phone "Why don't you ask me? Come over.. right now." Norma pleads with him, but he is enraged. Outside, a storm is brewing and when Betty comes rushing across the patio from her car she is soaked. She rings the chimes and Joe lets her in. "What' going on, Joe?" she asks. Joe is firm. "It's the oldest story in the book… older woman, very well to do, meets younger man - the standard cue for two mechanical performers. You want me to go back to living on subsistence? You should go back to Artie and marry the fool, and you'll always be welcome to swim in my pool!" Betty rushes out weeping: " I can't look at you any more."
Norma is pleased: " Thank you!" Joe, however, has rushed upstairs and returned with his suitcase. "What are you doing, Joe?", Norma asks, " You're not leaving me?" Joe sharply answers: "Yes I am, Norma, and there's something you ought to know… they'll never shoot that hopeless script of yours. They only wanted your car." Norma is shocked: "That's a lie! What about all my fanmail?" Joe has an answer: "It's Max who writes your letters. Nothing's wrong with being 50 unless you're acting 20!" Norma is enraged. She pulls the revolver from her robe as Joe turns to leave, and shoots: "No-one ever leaves a star!" Joe jerks as the bullet hits him, but keeps on walking, down the steps, out the French doors and as the third shot hits him, he falls into the swimming pool.
As dawn breaks, the lights come up on the hall of the house. It is filled with film crews and reporters. One speaks into the camera "Norma Desmond, famed star of yesteryear is in a state of complete mental shock." Norma emerges at the top of the staircase in a Salome-type costume. She descends the staircase slowly, singing fragmented lines of song. She is obviously distressed and bewildered. Max calls out: "Madame, the cameras have arrived. This is the staircase of the palace and they're waiting for your dance." She does not doubt this, and as the cameras whirr, she gestures and begins an extraordinary slow dance. She fully believes she is being filmed for her movie, but suddenly breaks off: " I can't go on with this scene; I'm too happy. This is my life. It always will be. And now, Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up..."
"This time, I'm staying, I'm staying for good. I'll be back where I was born to be. With one look, I'll be me."
Darkness.

Sans doute, à notre avis, l'un des plus belles réussite de Andrew Lloyd Webber, on n(est pas loin du pur chef d'œuvre. Patti Lupone (Evita) a créé le rôle à Londres. Les problèmes vont naître dès qu'Andrew Lloyd Webber va décider de porter sa nouvelle oeuvre à Los Angeles. Lloyd Webber, déçu de la première version la retravaille, et propose le rôle à Faye Dunaway. Celle-ci ne convainc pas et est forcée de quitter les répétitions ce qui l'amène à porter plainte Andrew Lloyd Webber va trouver la perle rare, LA Norma Desmond : Glenn Close. En Décembre 1993, "Sunset Boulevard" ouvre à Los Angeles au Shubert Theater, et remporte un vif succès. Andrew Lloyd Webber avait promis à Patti Lupone qu'elle jouerait le rôle à Broadway, mais finalement il impose Glenn Close. Patti Lupone à son tour porte plainte pour rupture de contrat !!!!
Le spectacle fut un succès à Londres: 1529 représentations.

1 Sunset Boulevard peut-être considéré comme un Top musical

From approximately 1952 to 1956, Gloria Swanson worked with actor Richard Stapley (aka Richard Wyler) and cabaret singer/pianist Dickson Hughes on a musical adaptation originally entitled Starring Norma Desmond, then Boulevard! It ended on a happier note than the film, with Norma allowing Joe to leave and pursue a happy ending with Betty. Paramount originally had given Swanson verbal permission to proceed with the musical, but there had been no formal legal arrangement. On 20 February 1957, Paramount executive Russell Holman wrote Swanson a letter in which he asked her to cease work on the project because "it would be damaging for the property to be offered to the entertainment public in another form as a stage musical." In 1994, Hughes incorporated material from the production into Swanson on Sunset, based on his and Stapley's experiences in writing Boulevard!. A recording of the entire score, which had been housed in the Gloria Swanson archives at the University of Texas, was released on CD in 2008.

In the early 1960s, Stephen Sondheim outlined a musical stage adaptation and went so far as to compose the first scene with librettist Burt Shevelove. A chance encounter with Billy Wilder at a cocktail party gave Sondheim the opportunity to introduce himself and ask the original film's co-screenwriter and director his opinion of the project (which was to star Jeanette MacDonald). "You can't write a musical about Sunset Boulevard," Wilder responded, "it has to be an opera. After all, it's about a dethroned queen." Sondheim immediately aborted his plans. A few years later, when he was invited by Hal Prince to write the score for a film remake starring Angela Lansbury as a fading musical comedienne rather than a silent film star, Sondheim declined, citing his conversation with Wilder.

When Lloyd Webber saw the film in the early 1970s, he was inspired to write what he pictured as the title song for a theatrical adaptation, fragments of which he instead incorporated into Gumshoe. In 1976, after a conversation with Hal Prince, who had the theatrical rights to Sunset, Lloyd Webber wrote "an idea for the moment when Norma Desmond returns to Paramount Studios"; Lloyd Webber did no further work on the play until after 1989's Aspects of Love.

At that point, Lloyd Webber "felt it was the subject [he] had to compose next", though by February 1990 he had announced plans to turn Really Useful Group private so he could "make movies rather than musicals."

In 1991, Lloyd Webber asked Amy Powers, a lawyer from New York with no professional lyric-writing experience, to write the lyrics for Sunset Boulevard. Don Black was later brought in to work with Powers; the two wrote the version that was performed in 1991 at Lloyd Webber's Sydmonton Festival. This original version starred Ria Jones as Norma but it was not a success. A revised version, written by Black and Christopher Hampton had a complete performance at the 1992 Sydmonton Festival, now with Patti LuPone playing Norma, and "met with great success". Lloyd Webber borrowed several of the tunes from his 1986 mini-musical Cricket, written with Tim Rice, which had had an acclaimed run at Windsor Castle and later at the Sydmonton Festival.

Sunset had its World Premiere at London's Adelphi Theatre on July 12, 1993, with Patti LuPone (Norma Desmond) and Kevin Anderson (Joe Gillis) starring and Daniel Benzali playing Max. The opening had been delayed slightly due to complex technical problems which plagued the show during development. Press interest had been unprecedented ever since the project was announced, but initial reviews were mixed. This did not stop the show receiving record advance bookings, however.
The American Premiere took place on December 9, 1993 not on Broadway, but in Los Angeles at the Shubert Theatre. This time the show starred Glenn Close (Norma Desmond), Alan Campbell (Joe Gillis), Judy Kuhn (Betty Schaefer) and George Hearn (Max von Mayerling).
Soon, it was decided that Close should open the Broadway production, with Faye Dunaway replacing her in LA. This caused great problems, as Patti LuPone had been promised the leading role on Broadway. She filed a million dollar lawsuit, feeling she had been badly let down. When Faye Dunaway came to rehearse for the LA show, it quickly became clear that her singing voice was not up to standard, and she too filed a court case (both were settled by out-of-court agreements). Without a leading lady, the LA production was closed when its cast moved to New York.
On November 17 1994, Sunset Boulevard opened on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre, with Close, Campbell and Hearn reprising their roles and Alice Ripley joining as Betty Schaefer. The show had the highest advance in Broadway history ($37.5 million in ticket sales). Sunset Boulevard gained the theatre's highest honour when it received seven Tony Awards in 1995, including Best Musical, Best Leading Actress, Best Score, Best Lighting and Best Scenic Design. The improvements made to the show for its American opening were incorporated into the London production in 1994, and it closed for a short while whilst these were implemented, reopening with a new star - Betty Buckley.
Divas Rita Moreno, Elaine Paige, Petula Clark and Karen Mason were all to play the title role on London and/or Broadway.
Sunset closed on Broadway on March 22nd 1997. The London production closed on the 5th April 1997 with Petula Clark and Graham Buckley playing the title roles.
The Canadian production opened on October 15, 1995 starring Diahann Carroll (Norma), Rex Smith (Joe) and Walter Charles (Max), but despite public interest, closed after a relatively short run.
The First US National Tour of Sunset Boulevard premiered in June 1996 with Linda Balgord in the starring role, but the tour ended in Chicago in 1997, despite having had plans to tour for at least a further two years. The Broadway production - flying mansion and all - had been recreated for this tour, and the sheer expense of moving the production around eventually proved its Achilles heel.
The show opened in Melbourne, Australia in October 1996 but it closed in 1997. Plans for an entirely new production to play the Sydney Opera House in November 1999 did not come to fruition.
Sunset Boulevard also played at Niederhausen near Frankfurt, Germany in a theatre specially constructed to house the show. The show was translated into German, and seemed to adapt very well. The production starred US jazz singer Helen Schneider, and TV-personality Daniela Ziegler during its respectable 2 1/2 year run; and was seen by nearly 1 million people. German Sunset had been set to close in 1997 alongside the London and Broadway productions, but it was saved by Peter Buck, a building contractor who bought the German rights to the musical from the Really Useful Group. He attempted to cut back on the running costs of the show, but unfortunately it still proved financially unsound. It closed on May 3rd 1998 with Sue Mathys (Norma Desmond) and Yngve Gasoy Romdal (Joe Gillis) in the lead roles.
A new US Touring Production opened in December 1998 in Pittsburgh, starring Petula Clark. This was a new production, with entirely new scenic design and direction, which was the cause of much controversy among fans of the show, many of whom saw it as highly inferior to the lavish original. The tour ran for over a year, however, and was well received by press all over the US.

Act I
• "Overture" / "I Guess It Was 5 am" – Joe
• "Let's Have Lunch" – Joe, Actors, actress, scriptwriters, Artie, Sheldrake, Betty
• "Every Movie's A Circus" † – Betty, Joe
• "Car Chase" – orchestra
• "At the House on Sunset" – Joe
• "Surrender" – Norma
• "With One Look" – Norma
• "Salome" – Norma, Joe
• "Greatest Star of All" – Max
• "Every Movie's a Circus (Reprise)" ∞ † – Actors, Actress, Waiters, Artie, Joe, Betty, Barman
• "Girl Meets Boy" – Joe, Betty
• "Back at the House" on Sunset – Joe, Max
• "New Ways to Dream" – Norma, Joe
• "Completion of the Script" – Norma, Joe
• "The Lady's Paying" – Norma, Manfred, Joe, Ensemble
• "New Year's Eve" – Joe, Max
• "The Perfect Year" – Norma, Joe
• "This Time Next Year" – Ensemble, Artie, Betty, Joe, Cecil B. DeMile
• New Year's Eve (Back at the House on Sunset) – Joe, Norma

Act II
• "Entr'acte" – orchestra
• "Sunset Boulevard" – Joe
• "There's Been a Call (Perfect year [Reprise])" – Norma
• "Journey to Paramount" – Joe, Norma
• "As If We Never Said Goodbye" – Norma
• "Paramount Conversations" – Betty, Joe, Norma, Cecil B. DeMile, Sheldrake, Max
• "Surrender (Reprise)" – Cecil B. DeMile
• "Girl Meets Boy (Reprise)" – Joe, Betty
• "Eternal Youth Is Worth a Little Suffering" – Norma, Astrologer, Beauticians
• "Who's Betty Schaefer?" – Joe
• "Betty's Office at Paramount" – Joe, Betty
• "Too Much in Love to Care" – Betty, Joe
• "New Ways to Dream (Reprise)" – Max
• "The Phone Call" – Norma
• "The Final Scene" – Joe, Betty, Norma, Max

† This is not included on the Original London Production or in the World Premiere recording.
∞ Originally a reprise of "Let's Have Lunch"

Norma Desmond - a star of the silent screen
Joe Gillis - a young screenwriter
Max von Mayerling - Norma's Major-Domo
Betty Schaefer - a secretary at Paramount
Cecil B. DeMille - Film Director
Artie Green

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Sunset Boulevard

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Sunset Boulevard