Stephanie J. Block to Star in Kennedy Center Production of Sunset Boulevard

Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block (presently appearing as the Baker's Wife in the Broadway revival of Into the Woods) will play Norma Desmond in the Broadway Center Stage production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, which is set to perform at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater February 1-8, 2023.

Based on the 1950 Billy Wilder Film, Sunset Boulevard is about a silent movie star retreating into her own private world of delusion in the age of the talkies. Glenn Close last played the role of Norma Desmond on Broadway. You can read TheaterMania's review of that production here.

Joining Block will be Derek Klena (Jagged Little Pill) as Joe Gillis, Auli'i Cravalho (Moana) as Betty Schaefer, and star operatic baritone Nathan Gunn as Max von Mayerling.

Sammi Cannold (Evita at New York City Center) directs, with choreography by Emily Maltby (Evita at New York City Center) and music direction by Ben Cohn (Dear Evan Hansen). Tyrone L. Robinson (the Kennedy Center's Show Way) will be the associate director. The score will be performed onstage by the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

Additional casting and design team members will be announced at a later date.