Poor Norma Desmond.
Deluded, deranged, forgotten by her legions of long-ago fans. In Vintage Theatre’s elaborate production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber warhorse “Sunset Boulevard,” Norma is wild-eyed, glamorous, lovably insane and in fine voice. She’s not a campy monster but a tragic figure who believes she can pull off a return to her glory days by offering her terrible script of “Salome” to Cecil B. DeMille.
* * * Stars | Musical
Sad, dotty Norma. There’s a reason this by now not-quite-camp musical is beloved: the over-the-top melodrama strikes a chord for hard-core theatergoers. (See Susan Sontag’s )
, an accomplished opera singer (Opera Colorado, Central City Opera and more) who unleashes her best inner diva for the role, lights up the stage and brings urgency to the lyrics: she can tell a story with her eyes.
Agile in her movements, Ragonetti as Norma makes us believe she hails from the days of the silent films, before talkies ruined everything, a time when “we didn’t need words, we had faces.”
The Vintage production brings the flavor of the 1950 Billy Wilder film classic to bear on the Webber musical. The movie lives on: The definitive sad tale of early Hollywood, with Gloria Swanson as faded star Norma Desmond and William Holden as young writer Joe Gillis who unwittingly is drawn into her orbit, to become a kept man. The stage version broadens and over-populates everything.
This “Sunset,” with Ragonetti playing against Drew Hirschboeck as Joe Gillis, staggers under its own weight. A seemingly fatigued orchestra doesn’t help.
Directed by Craig A. Bond and Evgueni Mlodik, the poignant solos are the best moments. The crowded ensemble numbers dilute the power of the noir story.
Wes Munsil (as manservant Max von Mayerling) and Miranda Byers (as young writer Betty Schaefer, who interests Joe) are terrific supporting players, both lending fine voices to the work.
The busy stage full of studio employees, harem girls, New Year’s Eve partiers, keep things moving but Ragonetti is the engine. We, the little people in the dark, await her return to the stage with each scene.
The sets for Schwab’s Pharmacy and the interior of Norma’s mansion are impressive; the period detail is rich.
Old Hollywood takes a beating in this story, but Tinsel Town ultimately is celebrated, too. As Norma sings, “We gave the world new ways to dream.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830, jostrow@denverpost.com or @ostrowdp
“SUNSET BOULEVARD”
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. Directed by Craig A. Bond and Evgueni Mlodik. With Marcia Ragonetti, Drew Hirschboeck, Miranda Byers and Wes Munsil. Through May 29 at Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St,, Aurora. Tickets $28- $34, at vintagetheatre.org or 303-856-7830.
