Fabian Aloise talks about choreographing ‘Sunset Boulevard’ on Broadway

Choreographer Fabian Aloise. Photo Courtesy of PND Photography.

Fabian Aloise chatted about choreographing the new Broadway musical “Sunset Boulevard,” which stars Nicole Scherzinger and Tom Francis.

It is being performed at the St. James Theatre in Manhattan, and it was directed by visionary director Jamie Lloyd.

Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” This quote applies to choreographer Fabian Aloise.

Choreographing ‘Sunset Boulevard’

On choreographing the show, Aloise said, “It was a labor of love. We knew we wanted to do it. As soon as we knew Nicole was onboard, we dove into the rehearsal process.”

“We played around a lot. It was a fun-filled summer. By the time we opened in the West End, we found a new way of telling the story, and very quickly we knew that we wanted to bring it to New York,” he elaborated.

Working with Nicole Scherzinger

On working with Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond, he said, “Nicole is absolutely incredible. She is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever worked with.”

“Nicole brought her pop star work ethic into the room. She brought her A-game every single day. Every single day was a new draft of what the show was going to be like,” he acknowledged.

Working with Tom Francis

“Tom Francis is great too,” Aloise exclaimed. “I’ve known him for quite a while. Tom is incredibly talented and very hard-working as well. Working with him professionally was an absolute treat.”

“Tom is a very meticulous worker, and he wants to get everything right. I had no problems creating ‘Sunset Boulevard’; it was constant fun,” he added.

Lessons learned from this musical

On the lessons learned from this musical, he reflected, “If you are surrounded by the right people and the right-minded people, you can achieve anything. This is what the show taught me.”

“We are lucky enough to be surrounded by people that are exquisite and at the top of their field. It is easy to make magic when you have people that believe in magic,” he acknowledged.

“That’s what we had in New York. The cast in New York is one of the best that I’ve ever worked with in my career,” he added.

The digital age

“In a way, the digital age keeps me going. I take a lot of my inspiration from the fact that digital streaming is accessible to everybody. I think it is very difficult to hold people’s attention these days. You need to be able to tap into that.”

“The director Jamie has a very specific approach,” he admitted. “It is minimalist and maximalist at the same time. A lot of the choreography is so incredibly narrative. It is a black box and unlike anything I’ve ever done before. With a black box, anything is possible because nothing is really confining us. This is the first time I ever worked with a camera being in a perpetual closeup.”

“I love the visceral response the show is getting,” he admitted. “I love it when people tell me that they feel they are in it, and it becomes personal to everyone.”

“We decided to approach everything as if it were the very first production… this is how we would do it,” he said.

“There is always a reverence to the productions that have come before, and at the same time, I definitely strive to create something new… something that people from this generation would want to watch… this is how you make things immortal,” he added.

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, Aloise said with a sweet laugh, “How can I be bi-coastal?”

“How can I work in two places at work? I’ve become so addicted to New York City,” he admitted. “It is like living on pure electricity.”

Advice for young and aspiring choreographers

For young and emerging choreographers, he said, “Work with as many other choreographers as you can while you get the chance.”

“I was an associate to so many amazing choreographers and I learned so much from them all and what works for them. That way, I started to develop what works for me,” he noted.

“Dance is a legacy, and it’s important to learn it like a legacy, and it is passed down from generations to generations,” he said.

“Younger choreographers can benefit from learning from their mentors. That is definitely what has worked for me… It opened a lot of doors, and it opened my mind as well to new possibilities,” he added.

Success

Regarding his definition of the word success, Aloise said, “Success means never having to work a day in your life.”

“Success, for me, honestly means getting paid to do what I love to do. This is the luckiest thing that you can do in life… and that’s  doing what you love to do,” he explained.

Closing thoughts on ‘Sunset Boulevard’

For fans and viewers, he expressed, “This is definitely a musical for a new generation, and I think it’s a very exciting installation of what theater can be, and how visceral theater can be.”

“Go with an open mind and an open heart and just let the talent that is on stage wash over you,” he concluded

To learn more about the”Sunset Boulevard” musical, check out its official website.

For more information on choreographer Fabian Aloise, follow him on Instagram.