Sun., April 18, 1999
By E. Kyle Minor
Irresistible: Playing Norma Desmond was the challenge Petula Clark couldn't refuse
By E. Kyle Minor
NEW HAVEN - It may strike many of the over-40 crowd as peculiar to see Petula Clark play the delusional Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard," which runs Tuesday through May 2 at the Shubert Performing Arts Center.
Photo by Joan Marcus
Clark, after all, is the smiling pop singer in go-go boots who brought us "Downtown" more than 30 years ago.
The fact is that Clark, 66, has been acting since she was a child -- just like Norma
"My father wanted very much to be an actor," Clark said recently from Lansing, Mich., where "Sunset Boulevard" was playing. "When I showed signs of talent, he and my mother supported me."
By the time she was 8, Clark broke into the limelight during World War II when she sang for the troops in Piccadilly Circus. By war's end, she was so popular in England that she was asked to sing at a national victory celebration at Trafalgar Square. That year she was put on contract for a British film company; she made her debut at age 12 in "A Medal for the General." Clark, who in 1948 had her own TV show called "Pet's Parlour," went on to make more than 30 British and American films.
She has since become one of England's most successful pop vocalists. She came to America in the "British Invasion" of the mid-'60s and quickly distinguished herself with such singles as "Downtown" (1965), "I Know a Place" (1965) and "Don't Sleep in the Subway" (1967).
Even though her film career and hit singles evaporated, Clark continues to sell out concert venues worldwide and perform in such stage hits as "The Sound of Music," "Candida" and "Blood Brothers," which played the Shubert in 1994.
"I've never really separated the two, acting or singing. They've both been a major part of my life," said Clark, best known as an actor in the states for the film version of "Finian's Rainbow" (1968) with Fred Astaire and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (1969) with Peter O'Toole.
In the sense that she has performed most of her life, Clark actually brings a greater wealth of experience to the role of Norma Desmond than her better-known predecessors, Patti Lupone, Glenn Close, Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley.
Her early film career eerily parallels that of her character -- which, in turn, is often confused with that of Gloria Swanson, who played the role in Billy Wilder's acclaimed 1950 film. The main difference, of course, is that silent-film star Desmond couldn't adjust to changes in her industry -- namely sound. Because of her dueling careers as a singer and an actress, Clark hasn't stopped working.
The other difference is that Clark shares none of Desmond's delusions of grandeur. She certainly understands them, though.
"I think that ultimately Norma must be sympathetic," Clark said. "I've seen her played simply as a monster and it doesn't work. Yes, Norma is badly behaved, rude and delusional. The audience still has to care about her. That's what makes her a tragic figure."
After performing Norma for a year in London, Clark had reservations about going on a national tour. Director Susan Schulman promised a new production different from both the Broadway and London productions. Clark was, in fact, the only veteran from either production.
"The first two weeks of rehearsals were quite ... ah ... confusing," she said with obvious care. "Everything that had been on done on the right side of the stage was now being done on the left side. I kept saying, 'This isn't the way we did it,' and Susan would say, 'That's right. We're doing it fresh.'
"Thankfully," Clark said, "Susan stuck with me."
Other than its leading actresses, the Broadway and West End productions were best known for their overwhelming sets, specifically their looming, majestic staircases. The Broadway set's size made it impractical if not immobile. Clark has adjusted to a scaled-down version.
"It's still beautiful, but much smaller," she said. "I like it, actually. It's no longer a show about a set."
Clark also has high praise for the rest of the touring company, which includes Lewis Cleale as Joe Gillis, Sarah Uriarte Berry as Betty Schaefer, Allen Fitzpatrick as Max, Michael Berry as Artie Green and George Merner as Cecil B. DeMille. Local audiences may remember Sarah Uriarte Berry as Julie in the Royal National Theater's 1996 touring production of "Carousel," which played the Shubert.
Clark said the touring production of "Sunset Boulevard" recently received high praise from the show's esteemed composer.
"Andrew came to see us the first time in Detroit three weeks ago," she said. "He loved it. Said it was the best production of 'Sunset' he had seen."
Clark had also been apprehensive about embarking on a yearlong tour because this is the most demanding role she has tackled.
"Vocally and physically," she said. "Andrew's music is far more demanding than any I've performed. It's very different from doing, say, 'Blood Brothers' or singing a concert."
The musical theater stage is vastly different from the concert hall, Clark said, but she revels in the difference.
"There's much more freedom in concert," she said. "It's just me and my little band. If I want to change the order of the set, I just have to look over at my music director and tell him.
"Plus, there's no American accent," she said, flattening out her "A" sounds for a Midwestern effect. "And you get to rest between songs.
"In a show like this, where the music plays throughout most of the show," she said, "you don't have that luxury. On the other hand, you have these wonderful actors to work off of. It's a group effort."
Clark's decision to hit the road with the show was galvanized by a casual conversation with British producer Cameron Mackintosh. When Clark told him she was entertaining the offer, she wasn't ready for his theatrical reaction.
"He said I must be mad, that it was the most challenging woman's role in musical theater," she said. "Since he put it that way, I couldn't resist."
IF YOU GO
Event: "Sunset Boulevard"
Time: Tuesday through May 2, 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., 2 and 7 p.m. Sun.
Place: Shubert Performing Arts Center, 247 College St., New Haven
Tickets: $33-$65
Info: (203) 562-5666 or (800) 228-6622
E. Kyle Minor of Danbury is a free-lance writer.
"My father wanted very much to be an actor," Clark said recently from Lansing, Mich., where "Sunset Boulevard" was playing. "When I showed signs of talent, he and my mother supported me."
By the time she was 8, Clark broke into the limelight during World War II when she sang for the troops in Piccadilly Circus. By war's end, she was so popular in England that she was asked to sing at a national victory celebration at Trafalgar Square. That year she was put on contract for a British film company; she made her debut at age 12 in "A Medal for the General." Clark, who in 1948 had her own TV show called "Pet's Parlour," went on to make more than 30 British and American films.
She has since become one of England's most successful pop vocalists. She came to America in the "British Invasion" of the mid-'60s and quickly distinguished herself with such singles as "Downtown" (1965), "I Know a Place" (1965) and "Don't Sleep in the Subway" (1967).
Even though her film career and hit singles evaporated, Clark continues to sell out concert venues worldwide and perform in such stage hits as "The Sound of Music," "Candida" and "Blood Brothers," which played the Shubert in 1994.
"I've never really separated the two, acting or singing. They've both been a major part of my life," said Clark, best known as an actor in the states for the film version of "Finian's Rainbow" (1968) with Fred Astaire and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (1969) with Peter O'Toole.
In the sense that she has performed most of her life, Clark actually brings a greater wealth of experience to the role of Norma Desmond than her better-known predecessors, Patti Lupone, Glenn Close, Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley.
Her early film career eerily parallels that of her character -- which, in turn, is often confused with that of Gloria Swanson, who played the role in Billy Wilder's acclaimed 1950 film. The main difference, of course, is that silent-film star Desmond couldn't adjust to changes in her industry -- namely sound. Because of her dueling careers as a singer and an actress, Clark hasn't stopped working.
The other difference is that Clark shares none of Desmond's delusions of grandeur. She certainly understands them, though.
"I think that ultimately Norma must be sympathetic," Clark said. "I've seen her played simply as a monster and it doesn't work. Yes, Norma is badly behaved, rude and delusional. The audience still has to care about her. That's what makes her a tragic figure."
After performing Norma for a year in London, Clark had reservations about going on a national tour. Director Susan Schulman promised a new production different from both the Broadway and London productions. Clark was, in fact, the only veteran from either production.
"The first two weeks of rehearsals were quite ... ah ... confusing," she said with obvious care. "Everything that had been on done on the right side of the stage was now being done on the left side. I kept saying, 'This isn't the way we did it,' and Susan would say, 'That's right. We're doing it fresh.'
"Thankfully," Clark said, "Susan stuck with me."
Other than its leading actresses, the Broadway and West End productions were best known for their overwhelming sets, specifically their looming, majestic staircases. The Broadway set's size made it impractical if not immobile. Clark has adjusted to a scaled-down version.
"It's still beautiful, but much smaller," she said. "I like it, actually. It's no longer a show about a set."
Clark also has high praise for the rest of the touring company, which includes Lewis Cleale as Joe Gillis, Sarah Uriarte Berry as Betty Schaefer, Allen Fitzpatrick as Max, Michael Berry as Artie Green and George Merner as Cecil B. DeMille. Local audiences may remember Sarah Uriarte Berry as Julie in the Royal National Theater's 1996 touring production of "Carousel," which played the Shubert.
Clark said the touring production of "Sunset Boulevard" recently received high praise from the show's esteemed composer.
"Andrew came to see us the first time in Detroit three weeks ago," she said. "He loved it. Said it was the best production of 'Sunset' he had seen."
Clark had also been apprehensive about embarking on a yearlong tour because this is the most demanding role she has tackled.
"Vocally and physically," she said. "Andrew's music is far more demanding than any I've performed. It's very different from doing, say, 'Blood Brothers' or singing a concert."
The musical theater stage is vastly different from the concert hall, Clark said, but she revels in the difference.
"There's much more freedom in concert," she said. "It's just me and my little band. If I want to change the order of the set, I just have to look over at my music director and tell him.
"Plus, there's no American accent," she said, flattening out her "A" sounds for a Midwestern effect. "And you get to rest between songs.
"In a show like this, where the music plays throughout most of the show," she said, "you don't have that luxury. On the other hand, you have these wonderful actors to work off of. It's a group effort."
Clark's decision to hit the road with the show was galvanized by a casual conversation with British producer Cameron Mackintosh. When Clark told him she was entertaining the offer, she wasn't ready for his theatrical reaction.
"He said I must be mad, that it was the most challenging woman's role in musical theater," she said. "Since he put it that way, I couldn't resist."
IF YOU GO
Event: "Sunset Boulevard"
Time: Tuesday through May 2, 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., 2 and 7 p.m. Sun.
Place: Shubert Performing Arts Center, 247 College St., New Haven
Tickets: $33-$65
Info: (203) 562-5666 or (800) 228-6622
E. Kyle Minor of Danbury is a free-lance writer.