| Sunset Blvd: 2 Normas, 2 Bettys and a Joe | |
| Last Edit: Shutterbug 10:55 pm EST 01/05/25 | |
| Posted by: Shutterbug 10:54 pm EST 01/05/25 | |
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| This week I saw Subset Blvd twice. On Wednesday night 1/1, I saw it with Mandy Gonzalez as Norma (excellent orchestra seat, thanks to TDF). Today I saw it with Nicole Scherzinger (in a very reasonably priced balcony seat). These are two very different performances. Mandy’s Norma is earthy, funny, and more contained. Nicole’s Norma is raw, scary, and more glamorous. Where Mandy seems grounded, Nicole seems emotionally fragile. Nicole’s grandeur is a facade that (barely) masks her neediness and fragility. Mandy’s flirty coquetteishness seems more calculated and manipulative. Nicole’s performance as a whole is more successful and convincing and the show just works better with Nicole in the driver’s seat. When Joe refers to Norma as a gorgon it makes sense in reference to Nicole’s characterization of Norma. Also, the young Norma plays better off Nicole as they bear such a striking resemblance to one another. Both Nicole and Mandy sing the hell out of Norma’s two big songs. Tom Francis is excellent. On Wednesday I saw Grace Hodgett Young as Betty Schaefer and today Sydney Jones went on for her. Both were very good and giving notably similar performances. They both read very young. Both have strong voices. Both have a disaffected quality. This Betty isn’t the dewy eyed ingenue I’ve seen before. I know this production is divisive, but I LOVED it. I thought the stripped down black-and-white aesthetic was visually stunning, and the use of video worked with, rather than against, the material. The design is bold and cinematic - the perfect setting for Nicole’s towering performance. And Mandy’s funnier/warmer one, too. |
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