Sunset Boulevard: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony-Winning Musical
Lesher Center for the Arts, At the corner of Civic Dr. and Locust St. (1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek, CA 94596)
- Full Price:
- $44.00 - $49.00
- Our Price:
- $25.50 - $28.00*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Sunset Boulevard have expired.
The last date listed for Sunset Boulevard was Sunday April 15, 2012 / 2:00pm.
Currently at Lesher Center for the Arts:
100 Lunches: Comedy About Two Unlikely Table Mates
- Full Price:
- $22.00
- Our Price:
- $11.00
In this gourmet comedy by Jack Sharkey and Leo W. Sears, a successful playwright and newspaper critic sit down to eat, and more importantly exchange ideas, over 100 Lunches. It's an odd match. The critic consistently pans the writer's work in public. What could they possibly have to talk about? Secretly, the critic is hungering to write her own play. When she asks the playwright for his help, he agrees. The catch is he insists she foot the bill at some of the most expensive restaurants in New York. Helen Means directs this play about hidden desires, tapping into courage and seeing things from the other side of the table. Learn More
Goldstar Member Tips
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Goldstar Member on Information
Nice, Casual is appropriate
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Goldstar Member on Information
Many restaurants line the street and on Main St
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Goldstar Member on Information
Large garage right next door for a flat fee
65 Goldstar Member Reviews
Dominic DiNardo
Written on May 28 2012A disaster, not as great as the TITANIC, but close.
Goldstar Member
Written on Apr 29 2012Thought this was an outstanding performance. Kudos to the cast and the set designer for that fabulous staircase. On the night we attended, the lightening crew was off cue.
Goldstar Member
Written on Apr 17 2012I recently had knee surgery. Setting with my leg at a 90 degree angle during an entire performance would be significantly uncomfortable. I want to give a special “thank you” to Eryn at Goldstar for contacting the Lesher Center box office to obtain an easy accessible aisle seat for me. It made such a difference to view the performance pain free!
The cast, the singing and the sets are terrific. Unfortunately, though, the story and the dialogue are still old and outdated. If you love Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music and enjoy a night at the theater, Sunset Strip is a fair value at Goldstar prices.
Goldstar Member
Written on Apr 17 2012The actor who played Norma Desmond was superb! What a great voice. All of the actors did an excellent job. The stage settings were clever and creative. They conveyed the scenes without a lot of adjustments.
More Information About Sunset Boulevard
Website
Description
Sunset Boulevard weaves a magnificent tale of faded glory and unfulfilled ambition. Silent movie star Norma Desmond longs for a return to the big screen, having been discarded by tinsel town with the advent of 'talkies.' Her glamour has faded in all but her mind. When she meets struggling Hollywood screen-writer Joe Gillis in dramatic circumstances, their subsequent passionate and volatile relationship leads to an unforeseen and tragic conclusion.
With Book and Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, Sunset Boulevard boasts Lloyd Webber's “most shamelessly and artfully constructed score, and offers two of his best songs in 'With One Look' and 'As If We Never Said Goodbye.'” (Time Magazine). The writing team has reinvented Billy Wilder’s 1950 classic film noir as a romantic musical spectacle, adhering closely to the screenplay co-authored by Wilder. Praised by many critics when first released, the film, starring Gloria Swanson and William Holden, was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won three.
Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation was first produced in London’s West End in July 1993, featuring Patti LuPone as Norma Desmond. The American Premiere opened in Los Angeles later that year, featuring Glenn Close. Ms. Close recreated her role for the Broadway Premiere in 1994, earning her a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress; the production garnered an additional 6 Tony Awards including those for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book of a Musical.
Due to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s now-legendary dissatisfaction with the casting challenges associated with the iconic leading role of Norma Desmond, licensing of Sunset Boulevard to regional theatre companies was delayed for nearly two decades. When performance rights became available in 2011, diligent negotiation with Rodgers & Hammerstein Theatricals resulted in CCMT earning the enviable honor of presenting the East Bay Premiere this season.
Casting of CCMT’s production generated an unprecedented level of interest among bay area performers. In the coveted leading role of Norma Desmond, CCMT is pleased to present Annemarie Martin. A native of Menlo Park and proud Actors’ Equity member, Ms. Martin has been performing in venues throughout the Bay Area and beyond for over 20 years.
In the leading male role, that of down-on-his-luck Hollywood screen-writer Joe Gillis, CCMT welcomes back Robert Lopez, who was last seen on our stage in the leading role of Roger in CCMT’s critically-acclaimed 2010 production of Rent. In the pivotal role of Joe’s love interest, Betty Shaeffer, CCMT presents Nicole Helfer in her third appearance for the company. Ms. Helfer appeared as Val in CCMT’s 2010 production of A Chorus Line and, most recently in the leading role of Audrey in this season’s opening production of Little Shop of Horrors. Rounding off the principal characters will be Gene Bencomo, in the role of Norma’s ex-husband and devoted protector Max.
About the Ticket Supplier: Contra Costa Musical Theatre
Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Inc. (CCMT) was founded in August 1961, for the express purpose of producing Broadway musicals. Since its opening in 1990, CCMT has performed exclusively at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. CCMT produces high quality regional theater, and our shows and artists working on our shows have been honored with numerous Bay Area Theatre Critic Circle and Shellie Awards -- in fact, earning more Shellie Awards for musical theatre that any other company in the history of the Shellie Awards. CCMT celebrates both classic and contemporary musical theatre, presenting East Bay premieres of shows like Titanic: the Musical, The Full Monty, Urinetown and Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which holds the record of the highest attended production of any event ever at the Lesher Center for the Arts. CCMT produces two full productions a year and partners with Center REPertory Company to offer a four-show musical season.