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From: OfficialRUG
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  • absolutely the only Norma Desmond on stage for me! period.

  • Awesomesauce!!!! 

  • Wow! I gain new appreciation for Glenn Close. She IS Norma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • one word wow! :) <3

  • I see it and always find new nuances, look at her crazy look at the final. Glenn is simply perfect playing desperate Norma Desmond. What a pleasure !

  • I love her costume, she still looks like Cruella or a Disney witch, GREAT PERFORMANCE! Love her voice too.

  • I am amazed that the first 10 comments on this page all similarly express my admiration for this performance. After I post this, i shall look further!

  • Fantastic. Born to play the role. I love that she stays in character during the applause.

    The thing about acting is that it's an invisible art - in hearing Elaine Page or Patti LuPone sing this song, one cannot deny their vocal skill, it's evident. Great acting is harder to qualify or notice. Sometimes, you see the character onstage - you forget the actor. That is when the acting is fantastic, and Glenn Close is the only Norma who completely is the character, not an actress with a great voice.

  • Perfect 

  • "I can play any role!"- totally true.

  • I agree, Glen Close all the way xx

  • Perfection!

  • This actress is genious

  • Glenn WAS Norma Desmond. Total power of art, thanks !

  • Oh my gods!. (And I don't even believe in them.) That was supremely powerful. And for once, I'm not editing and re-editing to stay below the 500 character limit. It can be said as simply and concisely as that.

  • Voice, expression, gesture, everything perfect, what a pleasuse to see it.

  • this is beautiful~~ Thank you for your wonderful voice!

  • Glen was fabulous on "DAMAGES" now I have 2 wait until DVD for the new season, I don't have DIRECTV.

  • Until I saw this on TV I had no idea that Miss Glenn Close could even sing ! What a wonderful surprise. I was completely mesmerised by her stunning performance !

  • katgryn evans did a better version in london 2 years ago

  • I've always loved Glenn Close in every role I've seen her play...but this absolutely blew me away! I knew she played Norma Desmond, but I've never actually seen her perform...this was one of the best performances I've ever seen, and was definitely the high point of this concert!

  • Glenn Close exceptional in this song. 

  • Miss Close is perfect for the role… the melodramatic diva has been Norma Desmond is really alive in her performance… and being so over acting is a Broadway thing…. You need to do that so that people at the farthest end of the theatre would still feel the emotion. Miss Close is truly a great actress… both in theatre and film.

  • she's way overacting this song. patti kept it controlled and believable

  • @lesmizfanatic90 Are you kidding? That's the character! Norma Desmond literally is a "drama queen"! Plus, Glenn's voice is much better for this song than Patti's, no offense to Patti. I grew up on this very performance, and no one can do it justice in my eyes.

  • @lesmizfanatic90

    If there is ONE part you can't overact it's Norma Desmond's! She supposed to make those faces and gestures! That's the way movies looked like back in the days!

  • She is phenomenally mesmerizing in this performance!

  • Again, Glenn Close's interpretation of Norma is the best EVER. Wouldn't want to run across her in a dark alley.

  • PERFECT!!!! Absolutely PERFECT!!!!

  • great acting, but this is a musical, and poor glenn doesn't sing very well.

  • @loggats This is also theatre, and poor Patti Lupone and Betty Buckley don’t act very well.

  • patti lupone is far superior in voice and acting. close has to hit us over the head with the fact that she is insane especially with those over done eyeball enlargements. sry but this role belonged to patti

  • @lesmizfanatic90 I also prefer Patti Lupone's interpretation to Glenn Close's. Patti's Norma (on the London cast recording) sounds like a real person while Glenn's Norma (on the American premiere recording) sounds like an actor playing a "character."

  • Yes, but it’s an interpretation that works very well because the character Norma Desmond is a has-been actress that Hollywood has long forgotten. Part of of Norma Desmond’s self-delusion is that she still believes herself to be a Hollywood star and her purchase on reality is so tenuous that she continues playing the part of a Hollywood Diva, whether anyone is watching or not. In this part, I prefer a strong actress over a strong singer. I saw Lupone in London. Hers was nothing like this.

  • @avesraggiana I totally agree!!! totally...we're not looking for technical singing perfection...we're looking for someone who can act like she's totally crazy, but doesn't realize it herself...Close is that actress....

  • @seleehwekim thank you seleehwekim! im sry but whoever says patti isn't a great actress just needs to watch evita, les miserables and gypsy. she's gives remarkable performances. true there are occasions when she gives horrendous performances but i choose to focus on those that are beyond fantastic.

  • @lesmizfanatic90 I think the expressions Close makes adds to it. She plays the desperate, manic "diva" very well. Both versions work, IMO.

  • Glen Close - She's a Giant among Giants! The depth and breath of her talents are phenomenal. She's on my want to meet "Bucket List"....She transforms every part she portrays into an auto-biography - her ability of acting metamorphosis is uncanny. You never questions the dedication to her craft or the convictions of her portrayals. Her skills have not quavered or diminished with age and she becomes a legacy via whatever genre she performs through, stage, screen or television.

  • Other Normas were far better singers and equally fine actresses. But none of them inhabited the role of Norma Desmond, as completely as Glenn Close did. And if one could still argue that point, none of the other Normas possessed what Glenn Close does: spellbinding charisma, and sheer, old-style Hollywood, megawatt starpower. You can't learn that, you have to born with it.

  • this is so beautiful :)

    so honest and truthful ! x

  • I almost forget she's singing her acting performance is so perfect. I find myself just watching her face instead of listening to voice, which is also stunning. An amazing performance. Beautiful.

  • @standup22 I know what you mean. I found myself doing the same thing, Actually I think Glenn Close masterfully used her weak, scratchy and non-singer's voice to her advantage by using it to project Norma Desmond's borderline-crazed mind state.

  • Elaine who?!?! No disrespect to Elaine, she is a truly amazing talent. However, there is only one woman who can truly do Norma Desmond the justice she deserves, and it is Glenn Close.

  • This is the most awesome threat song ever sung. It reminds me of my mutilated mother-in-law.

  • one song/performance where everything clicks and correlates from its title to its lyrics and manner of singing. she  just do not only sings but communicates as well. who could ask more than that.

  • Magnífica. No hay palabras. Sabía que ella cantaba, pero hasta ahora no había encontrado su caractarización como Norma Dsmonds. Fabulosa. Glenn sigue demostrando que es una de las mejores actrices que tiene el cine americano y desgraciadamente no saben aprovecharla. Pero espero que todos sus fans podamos seguir disfrutando de ella por mucho tiempo

  • Noone has or probably will ever top her in this role (not counting the movie). She truly understood the passion,acting,singing,emotion needed for this! BRAVO! Got to see her do this live in NY years ago!

  • Is it me ..but has their any memorable song from a musical these days? i miss that .. I think that this was the last song that was memorable in a musical. What about the music its self..NOT catchy ..sorry ..my opinion

  • Glenn understands every single phrase in this song. Undoubtably the best of all Normas.

  • they lowered the key for Glenn, but she is still great!

  • Es como la mia!!!!

  • Great pipes Glenn!!! Love it!

  • She is the most amazing actress !

  • I LOVE YOU GLENN!!!! YOU ARE MY STAR!!!

  • She UNDERSTOOD this character.. this woman's absolute passion for being herself, her star, her soul... nothing else matters to the character not voice, nuthin! that is why she makes it incomparably great. Voice is not all... not by a long shot.

  • i hear Cruella in "Blaze" - 2:30

  • Lupone is a better singer, no doubt about that. However, Glenn Close's voice and acting is much more appropriate for Norma Desmond. She got the movie star quality that Gloria Swanson evoked in the original film. Exaggerated facial expressions, big eyes, histrionics...that is what Norma Desmond is supposed to be and Close hit the nail on the head. Lupone was too restrained from what I've seen and doesn't really create the camera acting the way she should.

  • Who knew Cruella can sing XD, But no, In all seriousness, this is a fabulous performance.

  • since fatal attraction she became my fave lady....love you glenn!!!

  • Glenn owns this song.

  • I love Glenn Close :D Didn't think singing was her thing though. She's still an amazing actress :D xx

  • Wow she is NOTHING to compared to Patti LuPone!!! So Glenn not even close.

  • MAGNIFICENT

  • Patti Lupone is the true Norma and no one does the role justice like she does. She deserved better.

  • one word to define this "PERFECTION"

  • jesus....she is perfect for this part. she looks as crazy as norma desmond. What an amazing actress.

  • She is gifted...she projects the delusions of grandeur that Norma Desmond seems

    to be having in these parts of the show perfectly.

  • This is SO MAGNIFICENT! I never get tired of watching Glenn Close perform this number. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for putting this on YouTube!!!!!

  • She is a good actress, but she doesn't have the emotion in her singing that Patti does.

  • @01BroadwayMagic

    And Patti doesn't have the emotion in her acting that Glenn does! She OWNS this!!

  • esta mujer es algo increible , cualquier cosa que personifique es un exito rotundo es una maestra del arte general

    fabulosa

  • i must admit, i was blown away. I too had no idea she could sing so well. I've always loved her as an actress, but WOW what brilliance in the role. Some may say her singing is up to the same level as the others like LuPone, Buckley or Page, but there's no denying that her interpertation and character acting is spot on. And whether or not the singing is in the same league doesn't change my opinion a bit, and I personally think her singing was wonderful.

  • "I can play any role"

    Truer words were never spoken, Glenn Close is an amazing talent.

    I love her.

  • I love this! I also enjoyed Betty buckley.

  • A CLASS ACT!

  • god! she's fricken amazing! this is incredible! i had no idea she was so amazing!

  • This song is amazing and I love the way Glenn Close sings it :)

  • this song is so pretty...and sad..

  • woww I didn't know she could sing!!! glenn! so talented

  • She nailed that role. ALW managed to make the role so huge that only a few actresses could do it justice. The audience went nuts for Glenn when I saw the original Bway cast.

  • South Pacific didn't let Glenn use a tenth of the talent she really has.

  • HOLY CRAP! I never knew Glenn Close could sing so damn good!! SHE IS INCREDIBLE!!

  • wow, i had no clue she could sing like that!

  • I ave this on vhs wud u believe-mst transfer it 2 dvd. Glenn stole the show! I loved it all actually!

  • oh man, i still get the shivers when i see this clip. from the moment she went into the stage, the show was hers!

    there was sarah brightman between glenn close and boyzone, good for the boys really, they wouldn't want to be compared with this real actress.

  • She is SUCH a good actress!

  • Genial! no se puede ser más expresiva! realmente es una verdadera actriz!

  • What a great actress!! AND singer!!!

  • WOW, when I heard they passed up Lupone for her I was woah she must be excellent. I was fairly surprised that she was as good as she was. Props!

  • three words: andrew lloyd webber.

  • Breathtaking performance. Wow, is glenn versatile!

  • I always think good vocals make a song, but this is a new dimension - interpretation and conveyance! She burns the screen! Bravo and encore! ^3

  • I was looking for an established singer like Elaine Page but Glenn Close is so very magnetic! Who else can look like she just step out of the bathroom and still hold your attention with such a rvieting presence? I find her voice above-average but it is not the voice - it is the interpretation of the song, the nuances, the subtleness, that she means every word she sings - that takes your breath away.

  • Not bad, but no one can top the performance given by Charles Nelson Reilly. He set the standard for playing Norma Desmond.

  • bravo!

  • Saw Elaine Paige do it in New York, great performance.

  • Could you imagine performing this song dressed as Cruella? LOL That would be HOT! Hell, I might do that! Hehe

  • I saw her in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway in 1995 and have never forgotten it, it was an amazing experience. NO ONE interprets this the way she can, she's incredible!

  • Wow - what a great Actor :-)

  • WOW! Thanks for posting. What a fabulous voice!

  • Glenn Close becomes "Norma Desmond," in her melodramatic attempt to escape being forgotten by movie-goers, She is pathetic, but she also deeply stirs our sympathy. Close's fine acting and great voice are wonderful here.

  • I saw both Glenn and Betty Buckley and its so close for me as to whom i like the best... either way what a great song!

  • A phenomenal performance by Glenn Close! I always watch this over and over because it is a fantastic song and an incredibly powerful performance :D

  • Just one word to describe this performance-incredible.

  • The good thing about it is that I can't imagine she is not that woman with that nature

  • I get chills when I hear this. It's so fantastic!

  • the eeerie thing is that glenn close looks just like Norma Sheerer looked in 1922... wow

  • Glenn Close is one of my favorite actresses! She performs this song beautifully! I love her face when she sings "I can play any role"... I am unable to find a word that says completely what I think about her performance!

  • She is awesome in this role, I would have loved to see the show with her cast.

    Barbara Streisand was alright in Meet The Fockers but I prefer Glenn Close when

    it comes to Broadway.

  • a total performer/ artist...that's what glenn close is!!!

  • Glenn is incomparable! this role was made for Her..... a sublime performance!

  • this song is greit

  • Wow...Artistry! On a side note some of the lyrics in this song remind me of Gus the Theatre Cat. "I can play any role..."

  • One of my favorite songs out of the concert disc... I remember watching this over and over again on DVD...

  • Sooo great..

  • fantastico!

    saludos desde las islas Filipinas!

  • She is PERFECTION!!

  • She is great! She is expressive!

  • GLENN CLOSE IS THE BEST!!! JT.

  • I forgot about this song.

  • Come on now, guys. She's much better than the majority of actors that claim to have a good singing voice. I do think her switches from head to chest voice and vise-versa are a bit dramatic, however. That could use some work, but she has a very nice, present, supported voice!

  • She doesn't have the best voice for singing, but the way she says every word is great. You can understand everything evev if english isn' t your native language. There are many singers considered to be good that you don't undersand a word they sing. As for myself, she taught me how to pronounce the word "go". In four words: she is an actress! And a brilliant one!

  • The acting of this performance is the richest out there, She truly captures the madness and desperation of a fallen goddess desperate to return to glory. She also captures the silent film mystic with her facial and body gestures. She is the best. Brilliant. As far at the singing goes, she is quite good, how many great singers out there do you love who do not have the "best" voices ie: Merman, Sinatra, Dylan,

  • Never knew Glenn could sing!!

  • She can't

  • True. She has a very strong stage presence, but alas her vocal range is very limited, especially when compared to other Normas like Patti LuPone or Helen Schneider.

  • HAHAHAHA!!! SOOO WITTY!!! Do you revel your mother with your razor sharp wit? Eat your heart out, Oscar Wilde!

  • yeah she can

  • she is good at this show.

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