Norma’s (Nicole’s) final moments. Eerily calm. The audience awaiting every word. There’s nothing like a final performance. And this Norma today, for the last time, covered in blood, mascara running down her face, completely mad, STILL had the hope she would prevail. What a show🖤
Donna Murphy’s Kiss of the Spiderwoman in a mere 60 seconds is one of the most THRILLING performances in musical theatre history. And we’re left with a huge “what might have been.”
my favorite moment of Caroline Bowman’s performance as Norma today was when she made a unique choice on “the whispered conversations” to actually whisper the word “the” instead of the more obvious “whispered.” One beautiful subtle moment out of hundreds. She was superb. 💜
While Sunset Boulevard is trending, here’s Diahann Carroll in the final haunting scene. She’s notably the only Norma who made the choice to let the reality of it all come crashing down in the final moment… absolutely terrifying.
some drowsy trivia for you. Nancy Opel did the chaperone on the 1st national and she had them RAISE THE KEY for “As We Stumble Along.” It is as glorious as it is cartoonish 😭😍
I am not joking when I say today I’d like to extend a hearty thank you to the stealth Broadway bootleggers of the 2000s. I’m sure some of you had to lug full sized camcorders into those theatres but I am grateful some of these performances will live on forever