Sam's+Essays

Samantha Krupica Thea 2000 Richmond

NY Times Review of "Sunset Boulevard"

The New York Times review of “Sunset Boulevard,” by Ben Brantley covers of the aspect of theatre. He spends a long time discussing the actors, particularly Glenn Close’s Norma Desmond, calling her, “Hollywood’s most fatally narcissistic glamour girl.” Further, he only has words of praise for Close’s depiction of the character. He only briefly speaks about the director’s approach to the play, but goes on to compare multiple sets from previous plays. As a reader, the comparison of sets is helpful as to get a better idea of what it is supposed to look like. The reviewer at times cannot seem to make up his mind and calls the musical, “thin,” but then going on to describe the music for almost four paragraphs. He also says that Glenn Close was at times, “off key,” but also describes as “celebrated.” So it’s just rather confusing, and it is difficult to know what he really thinks of the play, as he keeps contradicting himself. He only spends too much time going over the plot of the play and making little observances here and there, when he could have been talking more about the aspects of the play, such as directing or design. However, I suspect that the general public prefers a synopsis of the play, opposed to seemingly “obscure” aspects of the play, that are more beneficial to a theatre major. Overall, the review briefly covers most aspects of theater. However, the reviewer has a hard time making up his mind on whether he likes the play or not, and tells maybe too much plot information and does not spend enough time on directing, set design or costume design.