Sunset Boulevard - Australia w/ Sarah Brightman 2024

What was "the John Barrowman one on Sunday"?  I've looked back through the thread and can't see a reference (may just be my eyes).

This all sounds like a real letdown for the audience if Draxl and Grubb are off too.  Feels like they need to recast for Sydney, although someone above mentioned that previous Normas may be a bit old to draft in - and may not mean much to an Australian audience. 

JB attended one of the performances and posted about it on his IG: www.instagram.com/reel/C8JE0q1R3d6

Please tell me that when this production does run that there's a dead chimp?

This is increasingly sounding like a sh*t show.

This production was in the planning before the Jamie Lloyd production opened (when people were cynical of it), so I don’t think it’s a case of jumping on the bandwagon. You only have to read the first page of this thread to see that people expected this to be the superior version.

Am I correct in thinking this is the first professional production of Sunset Boulevard in Australia since the original production with Hugh Jackman in 1996? I think it’s reasonable to want to stage a traditional revival of it.

But whose idea it was to put Sarah Brightman in it, I don’t know. Did she approach them or did they ask her? But that’s where the problem lies as they’ve marketed the show on her and she’s clearly not up to it. Tina Arena would be much more appropriate for this production than the Lloyd version.

Will she sing?
WILL SHE SING?!

Etc etc etc.

Thanks for the update and some context about why the cast might be out - it's probably rare for Australia to have the internet theatre world all waiting for daily updates like we're used to about Broadway and West End productions.  Prior to its opening the producers were definitely happy for that attention - but literally after the first previews it really seemed like any of their PR people, influencers disappeared. 

If it's a string of bad reviews, bad ticket sales and now bad luck, you have to wonder if it will even make it to Sydney at this point

I’ve heard the Sydney season is selling better than Melbs that but may just be spin.

Sydney hasn’t seen a full production before. I did attend a limited run semi-staged concert version at Luna Park in the mid-2000s which was well received, and successful enough that it came to Melbourne for a five show run the following year where it was also well received and attended.

I can’t help but feel this a repetition of the past… I’m old enough to remember the original Australian production which was befallen by a series of well publicised negative events. Much like now, the leading lady was held to account for the shortfall in ticket sales - I guess it can’t be helped when all the publicity is geared towards Norma's “star turn”, but I can’t help feeling the show just has a limited appeal to Australian audiences.

I hope to go again before it closes, I’ve been waiting 20 years for it to return and given the reception it’s received I probably won’t be around to see it the next time it’s revived.

As I said upthread, am sure that whatever problems Sarah Brightman has singing, I don't think it's the main problem causing poor ticket sales. It's very much a theatre community obsession, not a public one.

I think it just isn't a title audiences down under are that interested in - the mega musical sung through era being long gone. They want Tina/Wicked/Moulin Rouge/Mamma Mia!

Yes Jamie Lloyd scored a massive hit in London but as reported was a lightning in a bottle moment. Other Sunset sales after the Nunn version have generally been lacklustre. A shame as it's without doubt one of ALW's most incredible scores. (Even the JL version may well have failed in Australia; it's not the same as London).

But yeah, doubt the average Joe in Melbs is discussing SB the way we are!

I was so looking forward to this but ended up canceling my flight/hotel/tickets. Sarah’s been out of the show for almost two weeks now, there’s no way I’m taking that risk traveling around the planet, just hoping she’s in. Hopefully we get some word about whether the Sydney run will happen.

She was approached by Opera Australia (she confirms this is one of the Australian TV interviews she did after the announcement) .

Opera Australia is to blame for this disaster.
They assumed she could perform the role (when she can't) and they assumed audiences will come flocking (which they haven't).

The silence from them is also quite lousy. They really should announce what is going on with the show (or perhaps they can't because Brightman isn't giving them a clear indication of her future in the production?)

This isn't the first time Opera Australia has had a fiasco on their hands (their ill-fated 2013 staging of the Ring cycle comes to mind) nor the first time Brightman has dropped out of a project without giving an explanation (her 2015 visit to space)