NORTH SHORE MUSIC THEATRE PRESENTS
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S TONY® AWARD-WINNING MASTERWORK
“SUNSET BOULEVARD”
STARRING TONY® AWARD-WINNER
ALICE RIPLEY
September 24 – October 6, 2019
Bill Hanney’s award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) is thrilled to announce complete casting for the upcoming production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterwork, SUNSET BOULEVARD, which will star the previously announced Alice Ripley as the fading Hollywood star, Norma Desmond. SUNSET BOULEVARD is on stage from Tuesday, September 24 thru Sunday, October 6, 2019.
“Producing Sunset Boulevard combines two things I am very passionate about, musical theatre and classic Hollywood films,” said Bill Hanney, NSMT’s owner/producer who also owns Entertainment Cinemas, a chain of movie complexes throughout New England. “Our team has been challenged to create a show that is so thrilling and opulent that it will take the audience’s breath away and keep them on the edge of their seats the same way the original Billy Wilder film did. From the extraordinarily talented cast being led by Tony® Award-winner Alice Ripley, to the exquisite multi-level sets being created for the show, to the glamorous costumes, audiences will need to prepare themselves for an evening of theatre unlike anything they have ever seen.”
SUNSET BOULEVARD is the magnificent tale of Norma Desmond, a faded silent-screen goddess living in her Sunset Boulevard mansion clinging to a fantasy that audiences still long for her, but in reality they hardly remember her. When an impoverished screenwriter Joe Gillis, stumbles into her reclusive domain she persuades him to help her work on her film script that she believes will put her back in front of the cameras again. Seduced by her and her luxurious lifestyle he agrees. Entrapped in a claustrophobic existence, his love for another woman leads him to try and break free of Norma’s web, but with dramatic consequences.
Based on the film by Billy Wilder, SUNSET BOULEVARD, features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. The Tony® Award-winning masterwork is packed with lush and swelling songs including “With One Look,” “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” “Sunset Boulevard,” and “Perfect Year.”
It has been previously announced that Tony® Award-winner Alice Ripley will take on the iconic role of Norma Desmond. Alice Ripley earned critical acclaim and won the Best Actress in a Musical Tony® and Helen Hayes Awards for her work as Diana in the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera, Next to Normal. Ripley received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for her work as conjoined twin Violet Hilton in the cult hit, Side Show. She also created the role of Betty Schaefer in the original 1994 Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard. She was also part of the original Broadway casts and created the roles in American Psycho, The Rocky Horror Show, James Joyce’s The Dead, King David, and The Who’s Tommy in addition to enjoying a long stay at the Imperial Theatre playing Fantine in the original Broadway production of Les Misérables. Alice Ripley is also an accomplished screen actress and recording artist.
Tickets for SUNSET BOULEVARD are priced starting from $61 – $86. Kids 18 and under save 50%. $25 Student Rush tickets are available with a valid student I.D. starting one hour prior to curtain time. Prices are subject to change without notice. Phone, internet, and other fees may be applied at time of sale.
SUNSET BOULEVARD performances are September 24 – October 6, Tue – Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit nsmt.org, or visit the box office at 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA.