Monday, July 23, 2012

Gray Sunset

The porch was getting dark and the sky was graying over as the movie flickered to life. Mid-week I watched the classic film noir Sunset Boulevard staring William Holden and Gloria Swanson. It's one of my all time movie favorites. I wanted to view it one more time before taking in the Maine State Music Theater musical adaptation yesterday with J-. For me the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical score was strong with "With One Look" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye", but there was no real  musical show-stopper. And when Denise Whelan's "Norma Desmond", the faded silent-fim star was off stage, the story paled. She gave a mighty strong performance. The set was magnificent, complete with the winding staircase as a centerpiece. Along with Norma, the two other lead actors, Joe, the down on his luck writer and butler Max were perfectly cast. They had to be to make this show work. The standing ovation was certainly well deserved. Best show of the season!

17 comments:

  1. you've caught a wonderful little still life here, bird.

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  2. Oh my gosh, I had the opposite reaction to my first time seeing this show but, that was back in the mid-90's. It really did not impress me at all. Different cast, different theatre, different circumstances probably contributed. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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  3. You paint a very nice word picture!

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  4. Sunset Boulevard est un de mes films preferes, un classique, et Gloria Swanson est si belle

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  5. I always liked Sunset Blvd. Great film. Hard to believe it is a musical. Interesting photo. Have a good week.

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  6. Live theatre is always a bit of a thrill but not always wonderful. I like the painting!

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  7. Sounds like a lovely evening!!!
    V

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  8. A great film! You have an interesting painted vision of the idea of a grey sunset ..

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  9. the photo of the painting is great -- barbara

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  10. sounds like a lovely show.

    around here in LA, sunsets are sometimes brownish. smog effects.

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  11. I confess I have not watched that classic....

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  12. I really had to connect the dots here - gray sunset, William Holden, Sunset Boulevard, palette knives (I thought they were fishing lures before I enlarged the photo), summer outdoor theater, Andrew Lloyd Webber... I was looking for Don't Cry For Me Argentina next but then I figured it out.

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  13. Sunset Blvd is one of my favorites. I just saw it a few weeks ago.

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  14. oooohh utrecht! thats the most beautiful city in the netherlands, and where i used to live before moving to boston...
    but oddly its also a painter-shop...

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  15. I like this idea of painting,it's beautiful!
    Léia

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  16. Love the movie, don't know the musical...

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