Sunset Blvd., Savoy Theatre, London, February 2023; St James Theatre, New York, October 2024: Everybody wants to go to Hollywood
January 2026
As much as Sunset Boulevard is a critique of Hollywood and the machine behind the dream, it is also a precise examination of straight white male privilege. Joe Gillis is a straight white male who feels he should be a “master of the universe” in his chosen field as a screenwriter. Joe’s disillusionment at his lack of success has propelled him into making a mess of his life. Over time, he has become a Hollywood drifter and grifter, no longer the young man about town with youthful potential, able to get by on his looks and charm. He realises that he has run out of options and has squandered his privilege. He’s not on his way to becoming a “has-been” so much as a “never-was.” The story begins with Joe’s death — the narrative traces his journey to the pool in the film or, in Lloyd’s version, to a body bag.
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