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Recorded By Barbra Streisand from "Sunset Blvd":
"As If We Never Said Goodbye"
"With
One Look"
Back
to Broadway (1993) |
"Sunset Blvd."
opened in New York at the Minskoff Theatre on November 17, 1994 and
lasted 977 performances. The musical was written by Andrew Lloyd
Webber (music) and Don Black (lyrics), based on the 1950 Billy
Wilder film which turned Gloria Swanson into a film icon. The
musical was directed by Trevor Nunn. For the Broadway stage, the
role of Norma Desmond, the reclusive one-time star of Hollywood, was
played by Glenn Close. Close won a Tony award as Best Actress
in a Musical. The show was voted Best Musical, and Lloyd Webber and
Black won for Best Score. In all, "Sunset Blvd." took home an
impressive six Tony awards out of its eleven nominations.
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Ready for their close-ups:
Gloria Swanson (1950 film) and Glenn Close (1994 Broadway) |
The story concerns
Norma Desmond, an all but forgotten Hollywood screen star who now
lives secluded in her dark mansion on Sunset Blvd. With only dusty
memories, old film reels and a faithful servant to remind her of
glories long past, Norma exists with the fantasy that she is still
Hollywood royalty. When Joe Gillis, an out of work writer enters
Norma's life, she asks him to polish up her own screenplay. When
Norma returns to Paramount studios for, what is essentially a
courtesy meeting with Cecil B. DeMille, her screenplay is politely
rejected. Norma's failure is a crushing blow, and she recedes deeper
and deeper into her own psychosis with tragic consequences.
The 1950 Billy Wilder film won just three technical Oscars that
year, but the movie has since achieved cult status among classic
film aficionados. In 2005, the final line in the film, spoken by
Gloria Swanson, was voted by the AFI as the #7 most memorable movie
quote of all time: "Alright, Mr. DeMille. I'm ready for my
close-up."
The stage role of Norma
Desmond was eventually played by a series of notable actresses
during the course of its runs in New York, London, and various other
national and international productions. Patti LuPone played the role
in London. Others who got the chance to play Norma on stage included
Betty Buckley, Petula Clark, Elaine Paige, Rita Moreno and Diahann
Carroll.
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The
Barbra Connection |
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Barbra
Streisand recorded two of the biggest numbers from "Sunset
Blvd." The poignant showstoppers "With
One Look" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" are two of the
highlights found on Barbra's 1993 album, "Back to Broadway."
In the show, "As If We Never Said Goodbye" was sung by Norma
to mark her dramatic return to a Hollywood studio. During
Barbra's 1994 concert tour, she opened her performances with
the same number (and some rewritten lyrics) to mark the
occasion of her own monumental return to the concert stage.
Incidentally, if you called the Adelphi Theatre for tickets to
see the London production of "Sunset Blvd." in 1995, it was
Barbra's studio version of "As If We Never Said Goodbye" that
you heard while you were waiting on hold. |
"As If We Never Said
Goodbye"
December 31, 1993 in Las Vegas |
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Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber is arguably
the most commercially successful composer of the past three decades.
With hits such as "Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats"
to his credit, many Lloyd
Webber compositions have been covered by nearly every contemporary
recording artist, Barbra among them. Her renditions of Andrew Lloyd
Webber ballads have always fit her vocal style perfectly. One of
Barbra's particular performances, "Memory" (from "Cats") became her
first Lloyd Webber signature song. The original cast notwithstanding,
Barbra's "Memory" is perhaps the most recognized version of this
"Cats" showstopper.
Other than "Memory" and the two numbers from "Sunset Blvd.", Barbra's
only other Lloyd Webber recordings were taken from the smash hit, "The
Phantom of The Opera." Barbra's first "Phantom" performance was the
love song, "All I Ask of You," recorded for her 1988 "Till I Loved
You" album. On 1993's "Back to Broadway", Barbra recorded the powerful
duet, "The Music of The Night," with Broadway's original Phantom (and
"Hello, Dolly!" costar), Michael Crawford.
In 2006, Barbra performed her rendition of "The Music of The Night"
with Il Divo for audiences during her North American concert tour. In
2007, she reprised the performance, this time with her Broadway vocal
backup group, during her European tour.
"Sunset Blvd." A Streisand Movie Musical?
When Barbra performed at
the O2 Arena in London last year, Andrew Lloyd Webber was in
attendance. Almost immediately, rumors began to fly about Barbra being
cast in the film version of Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Blvd." Andrew Lloyd
Webber has himself fueled the speculation that Barbra Streisand might
play the part. In a recent interview (UK's WENN News), Lloyd Webber
said,
“The remake of 'Sunset Boulevard' is not really under my control.
It’s really controlled by Paramount, because they own the original
movie. I am just waiting to hear what Paramount in the end want to
do about it. It is absolutely true that both Glenn Close and Barbra
Streisand very much want to play the part. But I’m slightly with my
hands tied behind my back about it.”
On the
short list of possible Norma Desmond's are Barbra, Meryl Streep,
Elizabeth Taylor and Glenn Close. While many would cheer Barbra's
starring role in, what would seem to be a perfect musical vehicle for
her, official word of her participation in the film has yet to be
forthcoming. Nevertheless, Paramount has slated "Sunset Blvd." for
development in 2009. Time will eventually disclose whether Barbra
Streisand and Andrew Lloyd Webber
will join forces for "Sunset Blvd." - the movie musical.
More Information About "Sunset Blvd."
"Sunset Blvd." on Internet Broadway Database
Andrew Lloyd Webber Official Web Site
YouTube - "With One Look" (Glenn Close)
YouTube - "As If We Never Said Goodbye" (Barbra
Streisand) |