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Andrew Lloyd Webber: "Sunset Boulevard"

 "Sunset Boulevard" is not a musical I love; it seems bloodless. It is an overly literal translation of a good movie. I think it adds nothing to the movie.


But I like the title song. It opens Act Two, and it nicely recalls the opening of the show, in which Joe speaks directly to the audience. In the song "Sunset Boulevard," Joe makes an explicit connection between the L.A. sunset and Norma Desmond's "sunset"; he lets us know we are watching a kind of death (at least one kind of death, possibly several kinds).

In witty verses, Joe tells us about becoming a gigolo:

She was sinking fast;
I threw a rope.
Now I have suits--
And she has hope.
It seemed an elegant solution.

One day, this must end; 
It isn't real.
Still, I'll enjoy a hearty meal--
Before tomorrow's execution.

It's the bridge that ups the stakes; Joe admits to us that he is not coolly disengaged from the events of his life. In a way, he has feelings for Norma.

If I'm honest,
I like the lady.
I can't help being
Touched by her folly...
I'm treading water--
Taking the money--
Watching her sunset.
Well, I'm a writer....

The song is an effective, queasy introduction to the second half of the show. It seems to me that no pupil of Andrew Lloyd Webber has been as memorable as William Holden; I'm interested to see what Tom Francis does on Broadway.

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