Norma
Everyone’s favorite non-operatic diva Faye Dunaway reacts to the news of her “firing” by Andrew Lloyd Webber. (The show, of course, was Sunset Blvd., and the year was 1994. Miss Faye sued Lloyd Webber and eventually settled out of court for a reported $2 million.)
sunset boulevard was one of my pet trash loves, saw it five times with four different NOrma Desmonds. Saw Glenn Close twice, she basically channeled Charles Pierce. Betty Buckley was the best of the lot, with Elaine Paige a close second. the worst was Petula Clark.She looked like Ms. Piggy. I understand from someone who worked on the ny production however that between Close and Buckley they couldn’t decide who was the bigger c–t. They both were so evil to deal with. (That’s why neither appears on Broadway that often, they really are impossible to deal with, it is also why Buckley after a brilliant Mama Rose at Paper Mill, was still axed form the proposed London and Broadway revivals-Bernadette Peters did the NY run- rumor has it that the cast hated her and that Sondheim was disgusted with her behavior) and when Paige came into the production it was a breath of fresh air as she was wonderful to work with.