A star is reborn, with epic, spontaneous standing ovations, soaring vocals, supernova presence and so much love for the theater as Nicole Sherzinger's voice and inner soul fills the St. James Theater with three hours of a glorious ache pours from out of the dark, smokey stage in Jamie Lloyd's direction of Andrew Lloyd Webber's luscious, paired down, electric, Sunset Blvd. launching Nicole Sherzinger in her first, and instant, star turn transporting all with a shot through the heart retelling of a Broadway classic.
A roaring, cracked open, musical theater Queen took stage becoming, all at once, an iconic Broadway star. In pre rehearsal talks with director Jamie Lloyd Ms. Sherzinger shared, "Every night, I rip myself open sharing heart and soul with the audience... we are in conversation, together giving everything, every night."
The new Broadway revival of Sunset Blvd. gives us a perfect blend of mania, power, sleek movement and a crushing breakdown of the mind wrapped in the luscious talents of Nicole Sherzinger. It is cinematic and alive in all the best ways.
The perfect counterpoint to this aged down revival with a 20-ish, 40-ish casting rests in the powerful hands of hunky, brawling, growl friendly Tom Francis. His full chested Sunset Blvd is the driving heartbeat of this production as the cynical writer in need of money, hope and a reconnection to his lost along the way talent. Each stare, step and movement descends us ever deeper into Norma's world.
Director Jamie Lloyd's ideas for this revival rest in giving Norma Desmond the weight of what was, reminding a generation of fame's fickleness, the hard razor's edge of losing; attention, power, influence as audiences move on.
The chemistry between the four "leads" is palpable and it is a pleasure to rest in their connections, voices, confidence and swagger watching the drama unfold. Magnificent performances by Grace Hodgett-Young, and David Thaxton round out the productions power. It is a dance between the four and they pack the necessary gravitas with humor to shine bright and hold the foundation with grace. They are the IT performance for a new 21st Century theatre event.
Having seen several previous productions of the musical version of Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd. I confess. it is a favorite of mine. In the musical, words and lyrics written by Christopher Hampton and Don Black deliver pitch perfect word notes and with a tweaking of the book under Lloyd's direction, every word is heard. Clear, powerful, perfectly heard and understood. It is THE Hollywood story laid bare to such a crystal point it becomes a cautionary tale for 21st century influencers, youtubers and all the viral tight rope walkers thrust into the limelight with its selfie like, "look at me," "film me," doing things generation.
"THIS WAS NOT MY DREAM..."
It wasn't an obvious choice to go with front woman of The Pussycat Dolls and of all the shows Ms. Sherzinger had dreamed of in childhood she might star in, she famously shared during her Olivier acceptance speech for best actress in a musical, "...this was not one of them." Jamie Lloyd brought us the paired down and stunning Jessica Chastain in A Doll's House last season. In this production, all his work to date takes flight with a vision for a thriving, pulsing, of the streets, theater kids cry of purpose, told with connection and celebration of all contemporary musical theater can be. Announcing their place in the world. We are so glad this was Jamie Lloyd's dream.
At once mysterious and thrilling, the technology with paired back set design and smoke at one point in the first reveal brought to mind Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera. The preview I attended had 5 standing ovations, and an intermission line for the men's bathroom deeeeeep.
Sunset Blvd. exists in in the rare adapted field of the ancestors, a classic of a classic, the greats, and icons of the past century. Having seen Glenn Close absolutely eat the part of Norma Desmond, with it's lyrics, words, book, relatable for dreamers and their dreams, illusions and delusions coming to life, I would be hard pressed to consider anyone could top her. It is easy to see why Ms. Close put strong pressured efforts into bringing the film version of this musical to life. Her collaboration on Dangerous Liaisons written by Christopher Hampton would be deeply satisfying for those who live in the dark inspired corners of theatrical adaptations. Her Tony winning turn as Norma Desmond in a sumptuous production 1995 is one of my all time top performances of the stage. I hope Ms. Close has the opportunity to realize her dream of starring in a filmed production. I've of the opinion the thriller aspect of Billy Wilder's film suits a woman of a certain (older) age.
It was delightful to see this Jamie Lloyd version come to life in each song, integrating a stark, expressionist style of the film, a reflection of the studio system with Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved music. The show's orchestra simply enters the heavens with thrilling the soul. All the show's iconic songs sound lush, crisp as a fall day and gorgeous as ever before.
While the production is led by Nicole Scherzinger as fading film icon Norma Desmond, actor Tom Francis, gives and gives in his roll of Joe Willis. When Tom Francis hits the streets of Broadway outside the St. James Theatre, working with a female camera operator moving backwards broadcasting his image live into the giant screen on stage at the St. James Theater capturing it all, the audience bursts will the energy of a ticking time bomb.
Here's a performance at the Olivier Awards to give you a small taste of the magic and power he brings to the work. You'll have to see the show to experience it within this astounding production of Sunset Blvd.
"GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS"
Winning the Olivier Award, the British version of the Tony Awards, Ms. Sherzinger accepted with her sense of humor, her hopes and dreams from childhood and a shout out to the power of someone seeing something in you, others may not. Having been involved in several career beginnings, it is especially powerful to have watched this performance emerge through it's westend run onto the streets of Broadway. May all who have worked on this show, experience dreams fulfilled in all their endeavors and may the magic and miracles of live theater continue on to great, thrilling, new heights.
Should you want to read Nicole's thoughts on her breakthrough star turn, the psyche and power of becoming an overnight Broadway sensation, here's a recent article where Lin-Manuel Miranda interviews Nicole Sherzinger for Interview Magazine.
Members of the creative team for the Broadway production include:
Jamie Lloyd: Director
Soutra Gilmour: Set and costume designer
Fabian Aloise: Choreographer
Jack Knowles: Lighting designer
Adam Fisher: Sound designer
Nathan Amzi: Video design and cinematography
Joe Ransom: Video design and cinematography
Cheryl Thomas: Hair and makeup designer
Alan Williams: musical supervisor and conductor
Fred Lassen: associate conductor
Steven Malone: assistant conductor.
Sunset Boulevard opened at the St. James Theatre on October 20, 2024. Nicole Scherzinger stars as Norma Desmond, and Tom Francis plays Joe Gillis.
Thank you for your patronage, your ideas and support.
Melanie Lutz
All Socials @melsloveland
Melanie Lutz is a writer/filmmaker/love activist
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