The Plot
An actress from the silent film era is getting older. She can’t get work in Hollywood because movies now have spoken dialogue. She becomes a recluse hiding in her mansion. But then, a young man accidentally wanders into her life, and everything changes…although the show opens with an image of that young man dead in a swimming pool, so it is safe to say that things don’t go well for him.
Why The Gays Are Going
Glenn Close can captivate an entire audience just by changing her facial expression. Watching her play an old Hollywood star, who descends into the depths of dementia and despair, is a delicious experience to behold. But Sunset Boulevard is not just an excuse to watch Glenn Close lose her marbles for two hours; this production has the largest orchestra currently on Broadway, so big it doesn’t fit into the pit so they perform on stage with the actors, and the impact is lovely. As a bonus, the male lead (Michael Xavier) performs an entire scene wearing nothing other than a tiny swimsuit, and he has nice pecs. (This production is a revival; Close played this same role on Broadway 22 years ago, and she won a Tony for Best Actress, making her ineligible for a nomination this year.)
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