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 – Tickets on sale now!
Beverly, MA: 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. SUNSET BOULEVARD is sponsored by Iron Tree Services.
“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.”
Photo by Dirty Sugar
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 ofSunset 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.
Along with Alice Ripley, the cast of SUNSET BOULEVARD will feature Nicholas Rodriguez (Broadway’s Tarzan, NSMT’s Jesus Christ Superstar ’06 and Cinderella‘05) as Joe Gillis, William Michals (Broadway’s South Pacific and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, NSMT’s Chicago ‘02) as Max Von Mayerling, and Lizzie Klemperer(Broadway’s School of Rock, Bright Star, NSMT’s Les Misérables ‘14) as Betty Schaefer, along with Kevin Massey (Broadway’s A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder, Memphis, Tarzan, Big River, NSMT’s A Christmas Carol ‘07) as Artie Green, and Neal Mayer (Broadway’s Les Misérables, NSMT’s World Premiere of Memphis ‘03) as Cecil B. DeMille.
The 26-member cast will also include Brittany Baratz, Kyle Braun, Michael Brennan, Ashley Chasteen, Bobby Conte, Christopher DeProphetis, Andrew Giordano, Victoria Huston-Elem, Eleni Kontos, Jesse Michels, Melissa Mitchell, Alfie Parker, Ellen Peterson, Robert Saoud, Kelsey Schergen, Domenic Servidio, Cecilia Snow, Chris Stevens, Michael Yeshion, and Janelle Yull.
The creative team for SUNSET BOULEVARD includes Kevin P. Hill (Director and Choreographer), Milton Granger (Music Director), Kyle Dixon, (Scenic Design), Kelly Baker (Costume Coordination), Jose Santiago (Lighting Design), Daryl Bornstein (Sound Design), Rachel Padula-Shufelt (Wig and Hair Design), Natalie A. Lynch(Production Stage Manager), Dakotah Wiley Horan (Assistant Stage Manager), and Robert L. Rucinski (Assistant Music Director). SUNSET BOULEVARD is produced for North Shore Music Theatre by Bill Hanney (Owner/Producer), Kevin P. Hill (Producing Artistic Director), and Matthew Chappell (Associate Producer, Casting Director).
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.
ADDITIONAL FREE AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT EVENTS:
- Meet the Theatre: post-show audience discussion with the artists on October 1 after the 7:30 pm performance and October 5 after the 2 pm performance.
- OUT at the North Shore, an evening for the LGBTQ+ Community with a post-show reception on October 3 after the 7:30 pm performance. OUT at the North Shore is sponsored by North Shore Pride.
North Shore Music Theatre will continue the 2019 Musical Season with The Bodyguard (October 29 – November 10), and the 29th annual production of A Christmas Carol starring David Coffee (December 6 – December 22).
About North Shore Music Theatre
Since opening in 1955, NSMT has become one of the most attended theatres in New England, with approximately 250,000 patrons annually. With a national and regional reputation for artistic achievement, NSMT has received numerous industry awards including Elliot Norton Awards, IRNE Awards, the Rosetta Le Noire Award from Actors’ Equity, and the Moss Hart Award. NSMT produced the World Premiere of ‘Memphis’ in 2003, the show went on to win four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Under the new ownership of Bill Hanney since 2010, NSMT continues to annually produce a musical subscription series and an annual production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ along with celebrity concerts, children’s programming and year-round education classes for children and adults.
