Overview
Synopsis
Both haunting and desperately sad, Sunset Boulevard revolves around the former star of the silent screen era, Norma Desmond. Aging and largely forgotten for years, she lives in her dilapidated mansion in Hollywood with her butler and chauffeur, Max. Lost in her memories, she is stirred into action when struggling screenwriter, Joe Gillis, suddenly enters her home and her life. Joe is down on his luck and struggling to escape debt collectors. Norma offers him a room and board if he agrees to edit her incomprehensible script of Salome, a movie she has written and in which she wants to star as the teenage seductress. Norma is convinced that she is still as beautiful and in demand as ever. This misguided belief is sustained by Max, who writes fake fan letters to her and shields her from the realities of the much changed, modern-day movie business. Buoyed by Joe’s presence in her house, she lavishes him with gifts and soon declares her love for him. Her obsession with the young writer further reveals her increasing mental instability, and she threatens to commit suicide if Joe ever leaves her. When Norma visits the film set of a new Cecil B. DeMille movie, she becomes convinced that the director wants to produce Salome and begins to imagine her dramatic return to the screen. However when Norma learns of Joe’s secret work and love affair with the young Betty Schaefer, her fragile mental state completely breaks down and she fatally shoots Joe as he tries to leave the mansion. With no grip on reality any longer, Norma grandly sweeps down the stairs to the waiting police, declaring, “And now, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up."
Show Information
- Book
- Don Black , Christopher Hampton
- Music
- Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyrics
- Don Black , Christopher Hampton
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Sunset Boulevard (1950, film)
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1993
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- 1949, hollywood
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Ideal For
- Professional Theatre, Small Cast, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Sunset Boulevard is based on the 1950’s film of the same name. Originally premiering at the Adelphi Theatre in 1993 in London’s West End, Sunset Boulevard ran for almost four years, being seen by nearly two million people. The show premiered in America at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles in December 1993, starring Glenn Close as Norma Desmond. The musical became an instant success, transferring to the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway in 1994. At the time, the show had been given the biggest
to read the context for Sunset Boulevard and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
ACT ONE
The lights come up on Hollywood, 1950. Joe Gillis observes his own dead body in a swimming pool as he comments that a homicide has been reported (“Prologue”).
A flashback to six months earlier, struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis has a meeting at Paramount Studios with big executive Sheldrake to talk about his script Bases Loaded. The meeting goes poorly for Joe after his script is eviscerated by Betty Schaefer, Sheldrake’s assistant. To make matters worse, Sheldrake refuses to
to read the plot for Sunset Boulevard and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
Songs
Act One
- Prologue – Joe
- Let's Have Lunch – Joe, Artie, Sheldrake, Betty & Ensemble
- Surrender – Norma
- With One Look – Norma
- Salome – Norma, Joe
- The Greatest Star of All – Max
- *Every Movie's a Circus – Joe, Artie, Betty & Ensemble
- Girl Meets Boy – Joe, Betty
- New Ways to Dream – Norma
- The Lady's Paying – Norma, Manfred, Joe & Ensemble
- The Perfect Year – Norma, Joe
- *This Time Next Year – Artie, Betty, Joe, Cecil B. DeMile & Ensemble
Act Two
- Sunset Boulevard – Joe
- The Perfect Year (Reprise) – Norma
- As If We Never Said Goodbye – Norma
- Surrender (Reprise) – Betty, Joe
- Girl Meets Boy (Reprise) – Joe, Betty
- A Little Suffering – Norma & Ensemble
- Too Much in Love to Care – Betty, Joe
- New Ways to Dream (Reprise) – Max
- Sunset Boulevard (Reprise) - Joe, Betty
- The Greatest Star of All (Reprise) - Norma, Max
- Surrender (Reprise) - Norma
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A production designed especially to show off the talents of a particular performer.
A play that centers around the downfall of the main character through tragic actions and events.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher
Emma Houlahan
Canadian vocalist and actor now based in London.