At This Performance:
Sydney Jones as Betty Schaefer in Sunset Blvd.
Let's be honest, Betty Schaefer is not the big draw of Sunset Boulevard, and in this revival she's pretty far down the list of reasons to visit the St. James. Between the epic (and much bally-hooed) Nicole Scherzinger performance, the transfer of the principal cast from London to Broadway, and, of course, the radical re-vision of the piece by Jamie Lloyd.
And so, when the understudy slip fell out of my Playbill announcing that Joe Gillis' would-be lover would not be played by Grace Hodgett Young, I didn't think much of it. I was sure whoever would be in the role would be fine.
Then the show started...
Hair pulled into two jaunty braids, knee high, white striped black athletic socks, and an outfit one might see on a Hollywood spin class teacher, Betty Schaefer made her entrance and I was enthralled instantly. Her name in real life is Sydney Jones, and she has that ever elusive "it" thing that everyone hopes to have. Singer? Check. Actress? Check. And given the concept of this austere, stone-faced staging, this is saying a lot. Her chemistry with Tom Francis is palpable, and Jones' strength makes her a legit threat to the fragile egomania of Nicole's Norma Desmond. Plus, the camera loves her. What more could you ask for?
According to her bio, Sunset is not her Broadway debut - that was just across 44th Street as a swing in A Beautiful Noise - and she has created roles in two Broadway-bound shows, the soon-to-open Boop!and the potential future musical version of The Karate Kid. With 12 seasons at The Muny, and a BFA from the University of Oklahoma, her experiences seem to have primed her for a big career on the stage.
When I reviewed Sunset, I said of her performance, "Similarly, a heartbroken Betty Schaefer, in solitude, sheds a single dramatic tear before she makes her final exit. At this performance, the role was played by a star in the making, Sydney Jones; she is simply divine." If you get to see her in the show, trust that you are in excellent hands. In a role that is a meal, she's a whole banquet!
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