I saw Glenn Close as Norma Desmond in the original Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s flawed, overtly dismal SUNSET BOULEVARD the week it opened back in November 1994, and, despite her suspicious Tony Award win, it was not a very good performance (I saw her twice in the role just to verify/refute my initial reaction). They seemed to lower the key for her limited range, rearrange the score, and, more often than not, Close seemed lost in the grand spectacle of the staging, something she wasn’t used to as a more intimate stage actress. The show was beneath her skills as an actress, too. It needs to be said that Close was only one of two actresses nominated as Best Actress in a dim year for musicals (the other being Rebecca Luker for SHOW BOAT) and Broadway overall, so her Tony wasn’t unexpected.
How Close garnered the role is legendary in itself…I just finished reading an advance of Patti LuPone’s autobiography, PATTI LuPONE: A MEMOIR (release date is September 14 – if you’re a theatre buff, PRE-ORDER IT! It’s craaaazy!), who reiterates the horror that was the experience of the show – especially the back-stabbing and the mendacity attributed to the producers and, especially, Webber himself. The chapters of LuPone’s book were a mesmerizing read.
Once Close left the role, in stepped Betty Buckley – and I was astonished at what she was able to do bring to it. She resurrected Norma back to life. Long a Broadway legend for her supernatural voice, Buckley’s performance was stunning, each song a show-stopper.
According to LuPone, she was treated like garbage by Weber and his evil minions – and Broadway will never know what they missed in a Patti “Norma.” There are some YouTube clips posted of her performances that give us a minute taste of what this incandescent lady might have accomplished had she been given the chance.
And here’s a mere taste of what I experienced with Buckley in the role. I’m not sure if this was from the London production, or from Broadway – I downloaded this clip from YouTube, and the poster didn’t say. The audio was low, so I encoded it at a much higher rate.
To witness Buckley on stage is to be beholden to one of the greatest forces of nature…an unparalleled gale force. From her Grizabella in CATS, to her staggering Emma in SONG & DANCE (she replaced the great Bernadette Peters), I’ve been enchanted by them all. I was there opening night for the much-maligned CARRIE too, and, while the show is legendary for all the right/wrong reasons, I’ll never forget Buckley as Margaret White. I adored her in the short-lived TRIUMPH OF LOVE in 1998, and of course in THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD a decade earlier.
Betty Buckley can easily brilliantly interpret even the most monumental banalities. Like an Andrew Lloyd Webber score.
My New Boyfriend 