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CAMELOT THEATRE Camelot Theatre in Talent: This 'Sunset' is not as dark Kinder, gentler version of tale told in classic Wilder movie Comment By Roberta Kent For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Roberta Kent For the Tidings Posted Mar. 22, 2015 at 1:12 PM Updated Mar 22, 2015 at 1:18 PM By Roberta Kent For the Tidings Posted Mar. 22, 2015 at 1:12 PM Updated Mar 22, 2015 at 1:18 PM 'Sunset Boulevard' --> 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through April 19 at the Camelot Theatre, 101 Talent Avenue, Talent. For tickets ($25-29), call 541-535-5250 or go to www.c... » Read more X 'Sunset Boulevard' 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through April 19 at the Camelot Theatre, 101 Talent Avenue, Talent. For tickets ($25-29), call  541-535-5250 or go to www.camelottheatre.org. » Social News “Sunset Boulevard,” Billy Wilder’s classic 1950 gothic film about a faded silent star and an ambitious screenwriter, is untouchable, right? Even Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1993 over-the-top Broadway musical stayed true to the film’s dark grotesque images.  What would become of “Sunset Boulevard” if the familiar plot outlines remained the same, but perceptions of the characters changed?  The Camelot Theatre production of Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” that opened on Friday is a kinder, gentler take on Wilder’s film. Director Roy Von Rains, Jr., Camelot artistic director Livia Genise and Nathan Monk have given us a romantic tragedy instead of a melodrama.  Genise’s Norma Desmond is more cougar than black widow spider. Think Madonna and her collection of boy-toys. Monk’s Joe Gillis is a nice guy, seduced by Hollywood glitz. He's not the film’s deeply cynical opportunist.  Poor Norma Desmond. She just needs to get out of that gloomy house, re-invent herself and find the right role. Something age-appropriate, like Shirley MacLaine appearing as a sassy American dowager in Downton Abbey or Meryl Streep as the Witch in “Into the Woods.” Just think of Norma’s rejuvenated career if she had been willing to play Salomé’s evil mother instead of her script’s 16-year-old lead!  Genise doesn’t give her Norma Desmond the jagged edges of the dangerously loopy original. This is a more nuanced character who has moments — but only brief moments — of accepting reality.  Monk gives Joe the right balance between hungry ambition and intermittent integrity. There is wide-eyed excitement when he realizes he is in the presence of a real star. And he genuinely likes the old broad — except here, she is not that old.  Sarah Gore makes for a perky ingénue as Betty Schaefer and Jeff Golden is properly amused and amusing in his cameo as Cecil B. DeMille.  The weak link in the cast is Mark Schneider as Norma’s lugubrious butler, Max. To be effective, Max has to come across as vaguely threatening or overly protective. Schneider is neither. He is just dreary and stiff. In addition, Max has two important revelatory songs in “Sunset Boulevard.” Alas, Schneider cannot sing either.  Both Genise and Monk can pull off Lloyd Webber’s technically complex score. Like Lloyd Webber’s “Evita,” “Sunset Boulevard,” with its sung dialogue and big production numbers, is more opera than musical. (A lot of the music is reminiscent of “Evita” as well.) It is to the credit of musical director Michael Wing and his six offstage musicians that they give the illusion of a much larger pit orchestra. Sarah Gore’s choreography creatively moves a very large cast of extras around the stage, as well as up and down the theater’s aisles.  Camelot’s production has much of the razzle-dazzle of the Broadway production on a substantially less generous budget. Scenic designer James Leyson provided a minimal set with lush details reserved for Norma’s dramatic staircase and the mansion’s furnishings. “Sunset Boulevard’s” rich ambience is really provided by lighting designer Evan Carbone and by sound and video designer Brian O’Connor, starting with a projection of the play’s “credits” and continuing with bits of “silent film” for effect.  Barbara Henson’s costumes and Virginia Hudson’s wigs artfully carry through the '50s setting of the play’s action. True to Rains’ and Genise’s concept, there are no '20s-diva turbans here for Norma. The faded star may be in seclusion but she kept current on her subscriptions to Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.  If you are willing to accept Norma and Joe — and the rest of Hollywood — as real people rather than cardboard cutouts, Camelot’s “Sunset Boulevard” works. This “Sunset Boulevard” is no larger-than-life horror story. It is a romance with an unhappy ending. Norma and Joe are simply two unhappy, vulnerable people who never should have met. There is no close up for Mr. DeMille. Roberta Kent is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach her at [email protected].       By Roberta Kent For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Roberta Kent For the Tidings Posted Mar. 22, 2015 at 1:12 PM Updated Mar 22, 2015 at 1:18 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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