Sunset Boulevard (West End) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (230)
See it if You love clever staging and great voices
Don't see it if You prefer more of a big budget staging.
See it if You like something new
Don't see it if You prefer orginal adaptation
See it if you want a different take on putting on a musical which sees you are part of the story. Simply phenomenal.
Don't see it if you don't want to be made to think about the bigger picture beyond just the story of the musical itself.
See it if You only see musical theatre and have no other theatre reference to draw upon to understand this is all old ideas
Don't see it if Audience members faking delirious praise annoys you
See it if you want to love Sunset Boulevard much more than you expect to.
Don't see it if you dislike groundbreaking reimaginings of shows that make them better.
See it if You like a story of an actress who wanted fame and did everything to conquer it; great singing and acting that you will absorb it too.
Don't see it if You don’t like tragedy
See it if You like creative and minimalist staging, intense acting and singing, innovative direction
Don't see it if You want a happy, uplifting show with a complex set or if you don’t like blood
See it if You love seeing modern updates on traditional musicals. Acting excellent. Songs still as amazing as ever!
Don't see it if It's in the savoy theatre unless you are in the stalls. Their balcony isn't steep enough so it's hard to see stage. No costumes. No glitz.
Critic Reviews (14)
“Nicole Scherzinger absolutely bloody smashes it as Hollywood diva Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1993 musical, dazzlingly reborn by director Jamie Lloyd. She brings not only an operatically powerful voice but shrewd comedy, harrowing pathos and a dancer’s physical precision to the washed-up silent star, besotted with young screenwriter Joe. It’s a physically and emotionally exposing performance”
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“As a piece of live theatre this is truly awesome stuff. Jamie Lloyd has been one of our best directors for a long time now, but for me this feels like a landmark for him, a perfect synthesis between the gleeful, gory showmanship of his earlier work and the more challenging artiness of his recent stuff. The pictures may have gotten small, but theatre has rarely felt so alive with possibility.”
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“The show has a stupendous sense of reinvention, with an end scene so arresting that it surprises even those who know what’s coming...it is sure to incite strong reactions. For some, it may be the show of the year. For me it was emotionally empty. Either way, few people will walk out indifferent.”
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“The unrelentingly stark evening has its longueurs, but it’s hard not to salute Scherzinger’s unmistakable triumph or fall in love with Lloyd Webber’s satisfyingly sinister opus once again.”
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“This audacious production from the enfant terrible Jamie Lloyd will no doubt pull in audiences purely on the strength of Scherzinger’s name. She looks fantastic, although that isn’t necessarily an advantage when you are portraying a star whose best days are far behind her. But in the end this is a show that exposes her limitations as an actress and a singer.”
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“Her voice is a wonder, both seductive and subtle, but big enough to raise the roof. It’s an extraordinary performance in a beautiful rethinking of one of Lloyd Webber’s greatest shows. A ‘Sunset Boulevard’ like no other, revealing its dark heart and deep grandeur.”
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“Throughout, Lloyd walks a wavering tightrope between postmodern wit, in concert with the snarky, satirical book, and visceral emotion that makes Lloyd Webber’s gorgeous score, with modified orchestrations, soar afresh. This is a ‘Sunset Boulevard’ for a new generation.”
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“This is an unsparing depiction of a world in which everyone uses everyone, nothing is quite what it seems and no one is completely sure who they are. It is Joe and Norma’s world, and it’s also ours. ”
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