Review - Sunset Boulevard (UK tour)

Followers of theatre news are likely to remember April last year when during a run of Sunset Boulevard at the ENO, actress Glenn Close fell ill and understudy Ria Jones took on the leading role of Norma Desmond, winning over audiences and receiving raves for her performance. The musical, with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, has been a firm favourite with musical theatre fans for years, and the juicy leading role is one which any actress would surely love to take on. Well, now Jones is back in that role again, this time in director Nikolai Foster's touring production. Stunning audiences with her refined acting and immense vocal power, she gives a performance which is hard to forget.

Danny Mac, Ria Jones and Adam Pearce in Sunset Boulevard

Photo credit - Manuel Harlan

As Norma Desmond, a faded silent movie star desperate to make a return to the limelight in Hollywood, Ria Jones captivates from her very first entrance. Clad head to toe in decadent and outlandishly glamorous attire, she carries herself airily, and it is clear that she is a woman living in her own world, unaware that her audience has left her behind. As well as some enthralling acting, Jones sings the role staggeringly well. Accompanied by a sumptuous live orchestra, Jones lends her thrilling vocals to iconic numbers such as With One Look and As If We Never Said Goodbye, bringing the house down in several occasions.

Opposite Jones, Hollyoaks and Strictly Come Dancing star Danny Mac proves himself to be a charming leading man as Joe Gillis, a down on his luck screenwriter who accidentally stumbles into Norma's home one night and finds himself thrust into her world of fantasy. His cynical narration ties the story together, and he plays his own part in Norma's illusion without hesitancy. Impressively, in a musical full of showstoppers for its female lead, Mac holds his own and performs the title number passionately, showcasing strong vocals. Following his turn as Warner Huntington III in the Leicester Curve's production of Legally Blonde last year, and more recently Gabey in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's On The Town, it seems as if his musical theatre career is on the rise!

Aside from the masterful performances, set and costume designer Colin Richmond's gorgeous designs are undoubtedly the highlight of this touring production. Cleverly playing on the idea of Norma's life mirroring the artificial facade of Hollywood, the set pieces break apart throughout the show to reveal their fakeness. Car chase scenes are played like something from a movie, with the bare bones of a vehicle being swayed by a barely disguised stage hand whilst the road is projected on a screen behind it. Yet despite this, the production maintains a sense of old Hollywood glamour. This is further emphasised by Ben Cracknell's lighting design, which is full of glorious brightness and warmth, and serves to increase the filmic aspect of the production design.

Sunset Boulevard is undoubtedly one of the most well known and loved musicals to have ever been written, and this touring production does an excellent job of showing just exactly why that is. With countless sublime musical numbers, a wonderfully atmospoheric design and a couple of exemplary leading performances, this production of Sunset Boulevard should not be missed.

Interview - Ria Jones (Sunset Boulevard)

'It’s taken years but it’s worth the wait.'

26 years after she created the role in a workshop which took place during one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's exclusive Sydmonton Festivals, Welsh musical theatre star Ria Jones is finally getting the chance to play the iconic role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. 

Having first workshopped Sunset Boulevard aged just 24, Ria Jones is thrilled to be returning to the role now. Especially because, the way she sees it, there aren't many roles out there for older women. 'I think the other one that this compares to is Mamma Rose in Gypsy, and that’s another role that I’d love to play, but apart from that there aren’t that many great female roles. I suppose there's Hello Dolly, Mame, Gypsy and Sunset Boulevard, and Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes can be played by an older actress, but there aren’t as many as when you’re in your twenties and thirties'. 

Recalling how she first became involved in the show during its conception, she says 'I was in Cats and working closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and I heard he was writing a musical called Sunset Boulevard. I didn’t really know much more about it than that really'. But soon she would be whisked away to Lloyd Webber's house in Sydmonton, where a chapel in the grounds had been converted into a theatre. 'I spent weeks there working with other actors, creating the role and working on the very first draft, and showing the musical in front of producers, agents and friends who he’d invited over to show his new piece'. Despite loving the score, Ria was fully aware that, being in her early twenties at the time, the role of Norma Desmond, a faded silent movie star in her fifties, was not a great fit. Indeed, when the show opened in the West End in 1993, Norma was played by none other than Patti Lupone. 'I jokingly said to Andrew that I’d do the revival one day' Jones laughs, 'And now I’m doing it in my own right, at the right age, and in an exciting new production.'

Danny Mac, Ria Jones and Adam Pearce in Sunset Boulevard
Photo credit - Manuel Harlan

Of course, this isn't the first production of Sunset Boulevard that Jones has appeared in since her early encounters with the show. In 2016 she made headlines when she went on as the understudy for Glenn Close whilst the show was playing at the London Coliseum. Despite a whirlwind of media hysteria, and some initial grumblings from one or two audience members, by the time the curtain came down at the end of her first show, Jones had totally won over naysayers and went on to receive an influx of rave reviews from both news outlets and general audiences alike. In fact, the response was so positive that it led to her being asked to star in the UK tour. 'Andrew Lloyd Webber was so thrilled when I went on in the Coliseum. He left me a lovely message on my phone, saying how delighted he was and how unbelievable it was that the original Norma Desmond was now playing the role at the London Coliseum. He was so thrilled and so disappointed that he wasn’t there because he was in New York working on School of Rock, I think. But he heard all the reports. Michael Harrison, David Ian and Curve, the producers of the Sunset Boulevard tour, were in for my last show. I got a call the next day saying would I be interested in touring it.'

Despite being a dream role, playing Norma Desmond does come with its challenges, especially when playing the role is combined with the demands of the touring lifestyle. 'I’ve got to pace the show 8 times a week, because, especially on two show days it’s very emotional because there’s a lot of shouting as well as singing, and sometimes shouting can tire out your voice more than singing'. However, for Ria Jones, the thrill of performing in Sunset Boulevard outweighs the pitfalls of touring by far, and her enthusiasm for the show, and in particular, its music, is extremely apparent. 'The score is so beautiful, it’s a cinematic score. I think it’s one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best works. It’s certainly a favourite of mine to listen to. I often put it on just to hear the overture and the entr’acte, just gorgeous.' And interestingly it seems that the UK touring production, directed by Leicester Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, is different from past productions of Sunset Boulevard in many ways as well, adding a new element of excitement for fans. 'Nikolai Foster’s vision is incredible' Jones enthuses, 'It’s breathtakingly visually, as well as sounding fabulous, because we have one of the biggest orchestras touring at the moment. We have 16 in the orchestra and with extra padding out in the keyboards, it’s going to sound like a full orchestra, and I don’t think you can do this show on anything less because it would be sad not to, because it’s so beautiful. You need to hear the strings, you need to hear the harp, because it’s written with such detail and it’s so cinematic. You need that full luscious score. With the new set, and costumes, and lighting, it’s just going to take the show to the next level.' And she's also very complimentary towards her castmates, including Strictly Come Dancing 2016 competitor Danny Mac, who she describes as 'lovely to work with', along with musical theatre performers Molly Lynch and Adam Pearce. 'It’s just a lovely atmosphere, and of course you create your best work when you’re happy!'

If Ria Jones' passion is anything to go by then the UK tour of Sunset Boulevard should be on every musical theatre fan's to-see list. Now you've read about Jones' fascinating history with the show, make sure you catch her as Norma Desmond. Details of the tour can be found by visiting uktour.sunsetboulevardthemusical.com.