Cathy Miller as Norma Desmond

READING — Genesius Theatre kicks off its 42nd Season on Feb. 15 with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical classic, “Sunset Boulevard,” based on the classic Billy Wilder film of the same name.

The Season Theme, “From The Silver Screen to the Stage” will feature six musicals that originally started as films and then were turned into musicals.

When the cameras stop rolling and the lights go out, that’s when the real drama happens, as Genesius brings to its stage “Sunset Boulevard,” the lush and sweeping tale of Hollywood’s darker side. The show opens on Friday, Feb. 15 and runs through Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Tenth and Walnut Theater. The production stars Cathy Miller, in the classic role of Norma Desmond. 

Three top local talents, also support Ms. Miller, with Kevin Cooper as Max, Katie Ott as Betty and Jon Browning as Joe. The show also features a talented Genesius ensemble of upwards of 25 or more and a 15-piece live orchestra.

It’s Hollywood, 1949, and struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis needs work. At Paramount Studios, all he finds is Betty, a pretty script editor. A near escape from repossession agents finds Joe at the faded, dilapidated mansion of once-great silent screen star Norma Desmond. “You used to be in pictures — you used to be big,” Joe says, to which Norma responds, “I am big ... it’s the pictures that got small!”

Under the watchful eye of her ever-present and devoted manservant, Max, Norma proposes that Joe and she collaborate on the script for her comeback movie to be directed by the one and only Cecil B. DeMille. Each senses an opportunity with the other: room and board for Joe, and a young kept man to make Norma feel young again. Joe soon discovers that Norma is not what she seems to be, and Norma finds Joe may not be the man to bring her back to her “glory days.”

“This production of Sunset Boulevard is truly a great adventure for us,” says L J Fecho, artistic director of Genesius. Christopher Sperat, the director of ‘Sunset…’ said, “It is a musical that captures the Golden Age of Hollywood, when the movies were big and the stars even bigger. But, this is really an intimate account, of two people who want very different things from each other.”

From blockbuster composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber (“Cats,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “The Phantom of the Opera”), “Sunset Boulevard” won seven 1995 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Glenn Close); and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (George Hearn). Lloyd Webber’s gorgeous and unmistakable melodies are showcased in such sweeping musical numbers as “With One Look,” “New Ways to Dream,” “The Perfect Year,” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye.”

“Sunset Boulevard” opens Friday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. and runs Feb. 16, 22 and 23 at 8 p.m., as well. It also performs on Sunday, Feb. 17 and 24 at 2 p.m., and on special mid-week discount nights - Wednesday/Thursday, Feb. 20 and 21 at 7 p.m., at Genesius Theatre, 153 Walnut Street, (10th and Walnut). 

To purchase tickets with all major credit cards and get more information please visit the website at www.genesiustheatre.org or call 610-373-9500 to purchase tickets with credit cards only. If you need more information, contact the theater at 610-371-8151. Tickets range from $15 to $25 and credit card fees apply. Genesius Theatre is handicap accessible and there is free parking aside of the theater (limited space available). This production is rated PG-13 – FOR AGES 13 and up.