Rehearsals are underway for the Broadway at Music Circus production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, which will begin performances July 23 at the UC Davis Health Pavilion in downtown Sacramento.
Directed by Glenn Casale, the cast will be led by Ellen Harvey as Norma Desmond, Jason Gotay as Joe Gillis, William Ryall as Max von Mayerling, Julia Udine as Betty Schaefer, Paul Schoeffler as Cecil B. Demille, and Albert Jennings as Artie Green.
The ensemble includes Ashley Agrusa, Joshua Michael Burrage, Adena Ershow, Devon Hadsell, Tanya Haglund, Michael Scott Harris, Alexi Ishida, Lisa Karlin, Adam Lendermon, Stuart Marland, Cole Newburg, Domonique Paton, Nathan Andrew Riley, Brian Steven Shaw, Audrey Biehl Simmons, Jack Sippel, Cayel Tregeagle, and Jason Weitkamp.
Go inside rehearsals for the upcoming production in the photo gallery below:
Jason Gotay, Ellen Harvey, and William Ryall
Ellen Harvey
Glenn Casale, Jason Gotay, Albert Jennings, Ellen Harvey, Julia Udine, and William Ryall
Glenn Casale, Albert Jennings, Jason Gotay, Julia Udine, Ellen Harvey, and William Ryall
The Sacramento production will also have choreography by Gerry McIntyre and music direction Dennis Castellano plus costumes designed by Anthony Powell for the original Broadway production.
Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard (with a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton) is based on the 1950 Billy Wilder movie of the same name, which featured Gloria Swanson as the reclusive Norma Desmond who falls in love with an unlucky writer—Joe Gillis—who happens upon her home by accident. William Holden played Gillis in the film, which was directed by the late Billy Wilder. Swanson, Holden, and Wilder all received Academy Award nominations for their work.
Tony and Olivier Award winner Patti LuPone created the role of Norma
Desmond for the musical's world-premiere production in London, earning
an Olivier nomination for her performance. Glenn Close played the role
in Los Angeles and later in New York, where she won a Tony Award for her
work as the aging actor. Other musical Normas include Tony winner Betty
Buckley (London and New York), Olivier winner Elaine Paige (London and
New York), Tony winner Diahann Carroll (Canada), Petula Clark (London
and U.S. tour), Debra Byrne (Australia), Helen Schneider (Germany), and
Linda Balgord (U.S. tour). After bringing her Norma to London, Close
starred in the 2017 Broadway revival of Sunset, while Tony winner Stephanie J. Block played Norma in a production at the Kennedy Center. Sarah Brightman is currently starring in an Australian production, while the recent acclaimed London staging will open on Broadway in the fall starring Nicole Scherzinger.
Tickets are available at BroadwaySacramento.com.
