Musical Theatre University kicks off its 10th anniversary season with 'Sunset Boulevard'

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in the Coachella Valley, David Green's Musical Theatre University (MTU) is more than ready for its close-up. The company will open its 2022-23 season with "Sunset Boulevard," the Tony Award-winning musical based on the iconic film of the same name.

A tale of faded stardom and unfulfilled ambition, "Sunset Boulevard" is the story of the volatile relationship between silent movie star Norma Desmond, living in a dark fantasy world as she dreams of returning to the silver screen, and struggling Hollywood screenwriter Joe Gillis. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music for the stage version, based on the 1950 film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Gloria Swanson and William Holden.

If "Sunset Boulevard" seems like an ambitious choice for a program that trains young people for careers in theater, it's by design.

"Our stage is our classroom," said MTU founder David Green. "It's a chance for the students to put their craft to use."

He added, "I always choose shows that will challenge them and will help them grow. This year, I chose 'Sunset Boulevard' because I want the students to come together and work as an ensemble in a star vehicle show with two incredible Broadway veterans."

Green, who is directing the production, says the 16 students in the cast are learning how to be part of a cohesive unit.

"As an ensemble, it's sometimes more challenging than taking on a role that is scripted," Green said. "Because you're having to invent everything about who you are and your character and how you fit into the story – none of it that the author ever gave you. So it's a growing experience for them."

New ways to dream

Ben Van Dijk has been studying at MTU for three years, performing in shows on Zoom, on stage, in live performances at a number of venues across Southern California, and in the MTU original film, "Blame It on the Mistletoe."

Now in his junior year at Rancho Mirage High School, Van Dijk will appear in "Sunset Boulevard" as Artie Green, a character whose fiancée is drawn into an ill-fated love affair with Joe Gillis.

"Every time an actor plays a character, they learn something about themselves, about the world," Van Dijk said. "With this character, I'm looking forward to learning about the time period."

He praises the learning environment at MTU.

"The staff, the faculty, everybody is so supportive, and we're lucky to have amazing, experienced teachers," he said. "It feels like a family."

The greatest star of all

For actress Karen Mason, the MTU production marks a return to the legendary role she performed on Broadway and in Los Angeles.

She still remembers her audition as Norma Desmond.

"It was during a time when the auditions were still in the theaters, which I loved," she said. "Being on a Broadway stage and auditioning for a show. It's daunting and magical at the same time."

That audition was so magical — and daunting — that she suddenly couldn't remember the lyrics of the song she planned to sing.

"I sang 'With One Look' and screwed it up," she said. "I got to 'with one look' and then nothing came out. And I heard from the back of the house — yelled out with a British accent — 'I can break your heart.'"

The distinctive British voice shouting the lyric from the back of the darkened theater: composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

She ultimately impressed him and director Trevor Nunn so much that she was the standby for Glenn Close when the musical had its American premiere in Los Angeles then went on to Broadway.

"To watch Glenn, as she grew from the first day of rehearsal until her first performance, was like a master class," said Mason. "But the thing that I didn't know about understudies and covers is that you don't really get the same rehearsal time."

So she hired a friend to work with her several days a week.

"The tricky part about being a cover [an understudy or standby who covers for other performers] is not only do you have to find your own character, but you can't get in the way of the production," she said. "One day, I'm watching Star Trek reruns. The next day, I'm starring in a huge musical. My job is to make sure that it runs like a big Broadway musical and everyone looks great. And it's a lot of hard work."

She did the show for two and a half years.

"I covered three of the Normas — Glenn Close, Betty Buckley and Elaine Paige — and learned something from every one of them," said Mason.

For Mason, whose Broadway credits also include "Mamma Mia," "Hairspray," and "Jerome Robbins' Broadway," performing with MTU is both a teaching and learning experience.

"What's so fabulous about what David Green does is bringing in veterans and people who who have been — and are still — in the trenches of show business," Karen Mason said. "They get to rub elbows with them and see them as people and also as artists and really hear about the hard work that goes into it. It's not this magical thing that happens. It really is all about the work."

She added: "To be with young people who are still wide-eyed and passionate and ready to jump into the fray, it does rub off on you. And if you allow it, you get excited about performing again. I think that is probably the biggest gift that any student can give to a teacher."

As if we never said goodbye

Three professional artists are returning to MTU for this production.

Eric Kunze, who performed on Broadway in "Les Misérables" and "Miss Saigon," will appear opposite Karen Mason in the role of Joe Gillis. Kunze is an MTU veteran.

"I met Eric when I was running my conservatory in South Orange County and brought him in to initially do some master classes," said Green. "He made his Broadway debut at the age of 20. And he's such a gifted actor that he became an incredible role model and mentor to the students."

Vocal director Constance Gordy "teaches all of the notes and works on the rhythm," said Green.

Conductor Bob Marino leads an 18-piece orchestra of professional musicians from across Southern California.

"Not only does he conduct the orchestra, but he also works with the kids from the perspective of how the vocals fit into the orchestration and into the show," said Green. "It's one of the most challenging vocal shows we've done yet. It's really stretching them in learning how to sing really difficult harmonies, difficult meters, difficult music."

The perfect year

MTU's 10th anniversary season will continue with "A Chorus Line" and the regional premiere of "The Prom."

Green is also working with the composer and director of the musical "Minnie's Boys" about the Marx Brothers, whose comedic skill brought them stardom from vaudeville to film. A possible Broadway revival would, Green said, allow students "to experience working on material never performed before and, in some cases, written specifically around their talents."

Funded by the Palm Springs Unified School District, MTU receives a budget for each production.

But because of the scope of its program and ambitions, it also receives funding from the PSUSD Foundation, which "raises additional monies to help support, for example, the 18- piece orchestra," said Green. "That would not be possible without the donors who are supporting the students."

As MTU celebrates its 10th anniversary,Green will be cheering for two alumni of his programs. Leana Rae Concepcion, who studied with MTU Coachella Valley, will make her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" with a cast that includes Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Tony Award winner Lindsay Mendez, an alum from Green's conservatory in Orange County. Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block also attended Green's Orange County conservatory.

Green says the dedication of his students drives his own passion.

"They are so passionate and so hardworking," he said. "And they don't take 'no' for an answer. Because they don't understand the word 'no' yet, they really do believe that anything is possible. Because of that belief, they will strive for excellence beyond some working professionals."

He added, "Their commitment and their dedication and their passion and their drive continue to feed mine."

If you go

What: Musical Theatre University's "Sunset Boulevard"

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 and Friday, Nov. 18

Where: Helene Galen Performing Arts Center, Rancho Mirage High School, 31-001 Rattler Road, Rancho Mirage

Cost: $35

Learn more: musicaltheatreuniversity.com

Barbara Kerr is a freelance communication specialist with a passion for writing about people, the arts and special events. Inducted into the Dayton (Ohio) Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame, she is a past chair of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) College of Fellows.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Musical Theatre University kicks off 10th year with 'Sunset Boulevard'