Twitter
Facebook
Showtune Sunday: Whose version of “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from “Sunset Boulevard” is best?
Haven’t done one of these sing-offs in awhile and I think they are just all kinds of fun.
The song is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s As If We Never Said Goodbye from Sunset Boulevard. The main character, Norma Desmond, reveals her longing to return to the spotlight of fame. She’s a faded star of the silent screen era who was originated on the London stage by Patti LuPone followed closely by Glenn Close in a Los Angeles production. The rest is history. Close was chosen over the already contracted LuPone to take the show to Broadway. LuPone sued, Close won a Tony then played the role in London in a 2015 revival and again on Broadway in 2017.
Betty Buckley also had two marvelous runs when she replaced LuPone in the original London production then replaced Close on Broadway.
Below are their versions plus a few more including Barbra Streisand who featured it on her Back to Broadway album and used the song to open her show when she returned to live performing in 1994 after a hiatus of more than 20 years.
Comments
(All comments are reviewed before being published, and I review submissions several times per day.)
John C. Nardo says:
Thanks for the fabulous sing-off! “Sunset” is one of my favorite musicals, and I’ve collected recordings and memorabilia ever since I saw the original Broadway production.
For me, the only Norma is Betty Buckley! She has the total package of acting the part and singing it excellently! From the moment she walked down that staircase in the Minskoff Theater, she owned that stage and audience. I was transfixed in my seat.
Many can act the part; many can sing the part. Ms. Buckley does both brilliantly: she is the greatest star of them all, to quote the show.
VERNON BUXTON says:
Dame Shirley Bassey has a power that no other diva could ever compare with…