Sunset Boulevard – Broadway St James

I am not clever or indeed psychic enough to know the reasons (and all any of us can truly do is guess) - but British musicals, and ALW ones specifically, getting a much harder time on Broadway than here is not exactly new or unexpected lol. Or rather not lol.

So I am slightly frustrated (well, ish) but not surprised. 

People on BWW are desperate for Cabaret to not be a success (and go on about it) yet it's a top performer on their grosses week in week out. Make it make sense!

Agreed. It is all very unsurprising!

Though be nice to have a feel of what the actual main theatregoing public think as ever all we have to go on is the minority of the BWW et al bubble and the evil Twitter!

I don't really read BWW but most of the reactions I've seen on Reddit and elsewhere on social media to the show itself have been very positive. I was admittedly quite surprised at how much flack the outside sequence is getting, but most of the criticism seems to be coming from people who haven't actually seen the show. Those who have all seem to think it still works exceptionally well.

That said, I'm torn on whether I want them to continue doing it exactly as is. As thrilling as the sequence is, it just doesn't look safe or particularly sustainable where it's currently being done. There have been lots of mentions of the roof so I wonder how well it would work there.

Sounds like the early days in this thread

Yeah as someone who's followed the revival (from afar, obviously) and was spying regularly about ticket sales, the American production is following a similar trajectory here - with one caveat - there's more anticipation and hype after the reception it received in NY.

As others have said, ALW (unfairly) has been derided by critics and theatre people in the US. When the original Sunset premiered in NY - the raves were more towards Glenn while still getting in these snides and callous remarks about ALW at the same time. And the fact that it opened with the largest Broadway advance ever ($37.5 million) a record that held even with Hamilton opening and only got broken by Bette Middler in Hello Dolly, that didn't sit well with the same people.

Thats why I was particularly interested last year in the US critics who went over to check out this revival. Not only did they love the performances, direction, etc. but there was an appreciation for the score I hadn't ever really seen before. The slightly slower up tick here, you have to remember is that Nicole is really not as big a name in the US as she is in the UK. That's in part why she's so thrilled and excited to be doing this in NY as it really has the opportunity for her to have a breakthrough here. I cant wait till Saturday to see this for myself...

The criticisms from BWW are so ridiculous - I've stopped arguing with people there as there's no point. There's nothing constructive and I reiterate there's a bunch that are simply whiny and looking to complain.

To be quite fair, Nicole is nowhere near famous in the US as she is in the UK. So anyone hoping that her name alone will sale tickets is quite delusional. Yes, the show created a hype around her performance, I know. But as you said, there’s a huge difference UK and US on her name as force for selling tickets.

It is funny how certain things unite (most) of us on this forum - and one is the struggle of BWW lol!

She’s a judge on the masked singer in the US which is still massive there

Yeah, she released 2 albums in the UK, multiple singles, had solo hits, did a solo tour... She did several seasons of The X-Factor, has been all over the TV. She did Cats, a few performances at the Royal Variety, she performed at the coronation...

She's a well known name in the UK. In the US, she's a 'failed solo attempt' and a Masked Singer judge.

I think Sunset will change people's perceptions over her but it's not even near how famous she is in the UK over USA.

does anybody know what merch they’re selling in ny?

Poster, cap (different from London), beanie, tote bag (different from London), hoodie, 2 styles crop tshirts (incl. the most amazing imo 'He doesn't live with mother' shirt), 2 styles mug (sunset branding/ new Jamie Lloyd Co branding), pin, badge, keychain, (maybe?) magnet

BWW is a shadow of its former (arguably better) self. Years ago it was a fantastic platform for seasoned theatre goers to share their experiences and viewpoints. Nowadays it is rarely anything more than an absolute nest of vipers, none of which present as anything remotely interesting or informative.

The reception that Cabaret received in NY is remarkably different than the one the production received in London. It seemed like the community had an axe to grind with that revival. Even posters who participate on this message board and BWW concurrently have offered some head scratching opinions. For instance, one in particular raved about Cabaret with Jessie and Eddie, especially the production, but completely changed their tune when the production made its way across the Atlantic. As a result, I am not expecting NY critics to go nuts over SB.

In any event, I have tickets to see SB in early December, and cannot wait. New Yorkers rarely like anything, but I am quite looking forgot to it.