She wasn't even going to audition for Evita, as I recall.
And she was getting obsessed, it seems (or is at least very likely) with refocusing her image and career narrative to her as an ACTOR who sings (exceptionally well). So I think this really impacted how she approached playing Sunset Blvd. Coupled with being in the shadow of the iconic and over-the-top legendary performance of Gloria Swanson in the beloved and acclaimed film that her Norma would always be compared against, she really wanted to make it her own and I think actively resisted what the material of the actual musical wants from its star.
I think if Patti were playing Norma now, or in the last 15 years, she'd have killed it from day 1. |
