Sunset Boulevard. And she means it.
The new production, a London transfer of director Jamie Lloyd’s stark and stunning reimagining, strips away the mid-century time stamp, launching the story of a silent film star grasping at the vestiges of fleeting popularity into ephemeral clouds of smoke and live video feeds that soar to the heights of Broadway’s St. James Theatre.
While Lloyd’s interpretation hovers in the black-and-white celluloid of a bygone era (save a splattering of red in the musical’s final dramatic moments), the cast embodies a more modern take — a cacophony of diversity that reaches for the idea that any of them could be “The Greatest Star of All.” Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Among them is Jimin Moon (they/them), a recent graduate of Penn State’s musical theater program who quickly found themselves making their Broadway debut as a swing in the long-running hit Aladdin, then rode the magic carpet into last season’s Lempicka, the short-lived musical about bisexual artist Tamara de Lempicka (who’s long inspired Madonna). But Broadway isn’t for the faint of heart.
The musical lasted 41 performances despite a star turn by former Elphaba Edin Espinosa and some wild choreography by Raja Feather Kelly. Moon clearly made their mark and returns this season in Sunset Boulevard‘s dynamic ensemble (he’s also stepped into the lead role of Joe Gillis several times).
Choreographer Fabian Aloise, known to UK audiences for their Olivier-nominated work on Sunset Boulevard and the 2019 revival of Evita at Regent’s Park, puts the company through the paces with precision-like movement—modern and angular formations that transform into amoeba-like organisms—as if Hollywood’s evolution is unfolding before us (perhaps after taking an edible). Moon is reveling in the experience, working with some of the industry’s best, but still found time to chat with Queerty amid the holiday hustle
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