Nicole Scherzinger-Led Sunset Boulevard Sets Broadway Dates, Theater, Cast Album Release

The upcoming Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard, starring Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond, will play the St. James Theatre beginning September 28, producers have announced. Opening night is set for October 20.

To coincide with the Broadway run, a cast album recorded live at the Savoy Theatre during the recent West End engagement will be released globally in October via The Other Songs, a label founded by Alastair and Billy Webber, the sons of Sunset Boulevard composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

As previously announced, Scherzinger will be joined by London costars Tom Francis (Joe Gillis), Grace Hodgett-Young (Betty Schaefer), and Olivier winner David Thaxton (Max Von Mayerling). All four actors make their Broadway debuts. Scherzinger and Hodgett-Young received WhatsOnStage Awards for their performances.

Directed by Jamie Lloyd and choreographed by Fabian Aloise, this new production of the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber (score), Don Black (book and lyrics), and Christopher Hampton (book and lyrics) is designed by Soutra Gilmour (sets and costumes), Jack Knowles (lighting design), Adam Fisher (sound design), and Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (video design and cinematography). Alan Williams is the music supervisor and musical director. Sunset Boulevard is based on the film by Billy Wilder.

This Sunset Boulevard is a stripped-down, modern dress version of the classic about a faded actress on the brink of madness, a struggling screenwriter who begins her paramour, and a murder amid cinema’s Golden Age. In our review, our critic said “the word ‘revelation’ is almost always overused…but Scherzinger is certainly tipping in that direction.”

Lloyd’s West End reimagining of Sunset Boulevard has scooped seven trophies at the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards. Triumphing in the categories of Best Direction (for Lloyd), Best Performer in a Musical (for Nicole Scherzinger), Best Professional Debut Performance (for Grace Hodgett Young), Best Musical Direction/Supervision (for Alan Williams), Best Lighting Design (for Jack Knowles), Best Sound Design (for Adam Fisher), and Best Video Design (for Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom), Sunset Boulevard was the most-awarded production of the night.