By Randi Bjornstad
For the folks at Actors Cabaret of Eugene, the thrill is back, with lots of exclamation points and exultation as they prepare to open an eight-performance run of the musical version of Sunset Boulevard.
“Sunset Boulevard was going to open on Friday, March 13, 2020,” the announcement of the play said. “It was cancelled after the final dress rehearsal and was never performed in front of an audience. We’ve been waiting to bring it back ever since (and, in all caps) we are ready for our closeup!”
This is the 43rd season for Actors Cabaret, although with the two years lost to the pandemic it’s not always clear whether those are included in the total or not. In any case, Sunset Boulevard, started out as a legendary film made in 1950, written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, directed by Wilder, and produced by Brackett for Paramount. The movie starred Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards.
It was turned into a musical version in 1993, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics and book by Don Black and Charles Hampton. It won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book (script) of a Musical.
The story line revolves around an aging and largely forgotten star of silent movies by the name of Norma Desmond, who believes she is as talented and revered as much as ever, which of course is not true. She hires a young screenwriter to finish and polish the script of a movie she has begun and in which she intends to star and rejuvenate her long-over career, abetted in her quest by her faithful butler who writes fan letters to her, allegedly from doting members of the public, to buoy her spirits.
Eventually, the arrangement falls apart when the screenwriter, Joe Gillis, realizes that the movie will never happen but nonetheless is captivated by the lifestyle her wealth and luxury make possible for him. The crisis comes when he meets and falls in love with a young woman, and the conflict devolves into madness, violence, and death.
Joe Zingo and Jim Roberts, the founders of Actors Cabaret, say that Sunset Boulevard has never been produced on the Eugene stage and that they “are thrilled to have the chance to share this amazing musical” with Eugene audiences. Zingo directs the show and also designs the costumes, sets, and lights. Roberts is executive producer.
The 11-member cast features Michelle Sellers, Cody Mendonca, Clarae Smith, Brent Anderson, Rob Roberts, Donovan Seitzinger, and Jim Arscott, plus an ensemble that includes Paul Anderson, Hillary Humphreys, Lauren Moore  and Lois Stark.
Sunset Boulevard at Actors Cabaret of Eugene
When: 7:30 p.m. on April 29 and 30 and May 6, 7, 13, and 14, with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. on May 1 and 8
Where: Actors Cabaret, 996 Willamette St., Eugene
Details: Beverages available, but no food service for this performance
Tickets: $25 per person, available only by telephone from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; call 541-683-4368
Covid requirements: Everyone entering the theater must provide photo identification and proof of full covid-19 vaccination; masks are required at all times except when taking a quick sip of a beverage. Social distancing is not required.
Michelle Sellers plays the fading silent-film star Norma Desmond in Actors Cabaret’s production of Sunset Boulevard.
