DECEMBER 11, 1998 GAY PEOPle's ChroNiCLE

Road version of Sunset Blvd. is closer to the film

by Kaizaad Kotwal

Columbus-Andrew Lloyd Weber has amazed audiences with singing cats, an operatic phantom and an Argentine dancing diva. Whether it's Cats, Phantom of the Opera, or Evita, Weber's work has often focused, in part, on an individual, ravaged and disfigured, yearning for youth and beauty. This nostalgia for lost radiance and a lust for eternal life is perhaps best exemplified in Weber's Sunset Boulevard.

Petula Clark

Based on Billy Wilder's acclaimed 1950 film Sunset Blvd., the musical takes its audience on a journey with Norma Desmond, who is searching for one last glimmer of stardom. Set against the glamor of 1950s Hollywood, the show is perfect for Weber, who has been the king of Broadway's opulence and glitz for the past three decades.

The touring version of Sunset Boulevard comes to the Palace Theater in Columbus Dec. 15-20. It features Petula Clark in the role of Norma Desmond, played by Glenn Close on Broadway. Clark is an international film and music star from England, whose records have sold over 68 milljon copies worldwide.

The Broadway version of Sunset Boulevard was a huge success, but it veered from the brilliance of the film and celebrated baroque opulence instead. Like many of Weber's shows, this one became about a particular special effect. While Phantom became famous for a crashing chandelier, Sunset Boulevard wowed audiences with its ornate mansion that levitated at one point in the show. While this gilded extravaganza worked on Broadway, it also became a hinderance when considering a

tour.

Good sense prevailed and Weber gave his blessings to a new team that was brought on to scale down the show and strengthen its story for tour audiences. The touring version, which recently opened in Pittsburgh, has been getting good reviews. Columbus

will be the third stop on the tour.

Daniel Wright is the assistant choreographer on the show and he spoke to me from Pittsburgh regarding this new, slimmed down version. Wright and principal choreographer Kathleen Marshall have worked together on many shows, from Cats and 1776 on Broadway to several other theatrical

ventures.

Wright worked extensively with Marshall in pre-production to come up with the new look for the show.

"Kathleen and the director, Susan Schulman, are incredibly collaborative people and work extensively so that everyone is always on the same page," Wright said, praising the team he has worked with.

Wright graduated from the North Carolina School for the Arts and has danced extensively with the Laura Lupovich Dance Company. Originally from Los Angeles, Wright now calls Brooklyn home. He straddles the two worlds of dance-concert dance and musical theatre-two disciplines that are often seen as being at odds with each other. But Wright seems to have managed the crossover well.

"The choreographers I admire are very eclectic from Jerry Robbins and George Balanchine to Yuri Killian and Jack Cole," Wright said.

Wright says he came out as a gay man when he was 18 and today, at 32, he says he is "still defining who he is and what it means, to be a gay artist." He added that his parents "were really cool about the whole thing" and have been very supportive.

Wright loves the new version of Sunset Boulevard because "the team has brought out what made the movie great, which is the relationship between Norma Desmond and Joe." Wright also believes that gay audiences will find a lot to love about the show. "There is a subtle beauty to the show that is not typically cliche or campy and I think gay people have a sixth sense about these things," he said.

Like many of Weber's shows, Sunset Boulevard is about the importance of dreams and keeping them alive. "I think gay audiences will also identify deeply with what the show has to say about needing validation as a human being and how we have to deal with unrequited relationships and misunderstood emotions," Wright said. “As gay people we face these things daily-I think gay audiences will tap into this emotional core very easily."

Sunset Boulevard will play at the Palace Theatre in Columbus from December 1520, Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices range from $32.50 to $51.00 and can be reserved by calling 614-224-7645 or any Ticketmaster location.

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