Nicole Scherzinger can add bona fide Broadway star to her list of career accolades, after her stunning debut in the revival of Sunset Blvd.
The musical – based on the 1950 film of the same name – first opened on London’s West End in 1993 starring Patti Lupone as Norma Desmond, with Glenn Close starring in the Broadway run in 1994.
Close also returned for the West End revival in 2016 and the Broadway revival in 2017, though Scherzinger, 46, starred in the 2023 West End revival.
She took home the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and following a successful preview run – taking in $1 million in the first week – the show opened in earnest on Sunday at the St. James Theatre.
The actress received numerous standing ovations throughout her Broadway debut, including one, according to People, that lasted a whopping six minutes.
Nicole Scherzinger can add bona fide Broadway star to her list of career accolades, after her stunning debut in the revival of Sunset Blvd
The actress received numerous standing ovations throughout her Broadway debut, including one, according to People , that lasted a whopping six minutes
She also came out to pose for photos alongside composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, while covered in fake blood.
While standing ovations are not necessarily out of the ordinary on Broadway, The Daily Beast insisted that this standing ovation was quite different.
‘It is not the usual Broadway standing ovation: polite and dutiful. It is not even the appreciative and happy standing ovation: heartfelt and feelgood. This is something else. The whooping and applauding goes on and on, a wave upon wave of loud appreciation, no one in any rush to stop or leave,’ the article says.
They added that the only thing that came close to that kind of, ‘audience fervency in recent years was the reaction to Bette Midler in the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly!’
‘At Sunset Blvd. too, you think the roof could legitimately blow off, or the theater simply launch into outer space powered by an explosive burst of pure gay joy,’ they added.
There should be paramedics outside to make sure everyone emerging, dazed and delirious from the crazy fabulousness of Sunset Blvd. stays safely upright. In the best ways, the show takes camp and spectacle to oxygen-needed-on-Everest levels.
She revealed in September that she had never even considered tackling this iconic role before she spoke with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
‘I was like, “Are you crazy? Are you mad?” I didn’t get it, because I only ever had Glenn Close in my mind — and Gloria Swanson in the old film,’ Scherzinger said.
She also came out to pose for photos alongside composer Andrew Lloyd Webber , while covered in fake blood.
While standing ovations are not necessarily out of the ordinary on Broadway, The Daily Beast insisted that this standing ovation was quite different.
‘It is not the usual Broadway standing ovation: polite and dutiful. It is not even the appreciative and happy standing ovation: heartfelt and feelgood. This is something else. The whooping and applauding goes on and on, a wave upon wave of loud appreciation, no one in any rush to stop or leave,’ the article says
‘It is not the usual Broadway standing ovation: polite and dutiful. It is not even the appreciative and happy standing ovation: heartfelt and feelgood. This is something else. The whooping and applauding goes on and on, a wave upon wave of loud appreciation, no one in any rush to stop or leave,’ the article says
She revealed in September that she had never even considered tackling this iconic role before she spoke with Andrew Lloyd Webber
‘He was like, “Don’t watch the movie, don’t listen to anybody else, just read the lines and listen to the music.” And when I did, I just fell in love with Norma,’ she said.
‘I didn’t realize that this is the role that I’ve been waiting to play all my life. We’re doing a completely different, new interpretation,’ she insisted.
‘There are so many parallels between Sunset Boulevard and what you have to do to make it in Hollywood,’ Scherzinger added.
‘Even when you’re fully loaded with so much talent, you could still be overlooked because of stereotypes and ageism. It is a tragedy. ” have so much ammunition for this — so much fuel,’ she said.
Scherzinger has already been earning rave reviews for her performance, with Variety raving it’s a ‘coming-out party’ for Scherzinger, ‘whose plainly evident raw talent has long outstripped her ability to find a landing place in the entertainment industry.’
‘Scherzinger and the stage she inhabits push each other to grand extremes. The result is something like magic,’ the review adds.
The review also calls the character of Norma Desmond a role Scherzinger, ‘was born to play.’
The Washington Post‘s review adds, ‘Nicole Scherzinger’s radiance as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Blvd.” is difficult to overstate.’
Scherzinger has already been earning rave reviews for her performance, with Variety raving it’s a ‘coming-out party’ for Scherzinger, ‘whose plainly evident raw talent has long outstripped her ability to find a landing place in the entertainment industry’
‘Scherzinger and the stage she inhabits push each other to grand extremes. The result is something like magic,’ the review adds
The Washington Post ‘s review adds, ‘Nicole Scherzinger’s radiance as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Blvd.” is difficult to overstate’
‘She sings “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” an aching one-sided duet with fame, with such delicacy and gut-slugging power that even Barbra Streisand, who covered it the same year the musical came to Broadway in 1994, might consider retiring the song from her repertoire,’ the Post’s review adds.
USA Today‘s review adds, ‘That Scherzinger’s performance is so affecting is a credit to her formidable stage presence, given that Lloyd’s muddled concept for the revival is occasionally at odds with the source material.’
Vulture called Scherzinger’s performance, ‘ravenous,’ while the New York Post said the whole production will, ‘leave you breathless.’
Chicago Tribune added, ‘Both marquee numbers received long, show-stopping ovations at the performance I saw, and not just from fans of the Pussycat Dolls. Scherzinger is fantastic.’
Observer added, ‘Just as Scherzinger inhabits Norma within giant neon quotation marks, the whole production seems to admit the overall musical is trash.’
New York Sun stated, ‘Her performance is one of remarkable, and at times ludicrous, intensity.’
The review added, ‘This Norma is forever mugging for the camera, scrunching up her face or tossing her hair; I found her antics — surely encouraged, or at least approved, by Mr. Lloyd — a little excessive, though many in the audience ate them up during the preview I attended.’
The Wrap added, ‘For me, the big surprise of this Sunset Blvd. is Scherzinger’s outrageously campy over-the-top performance.’
‘She sings “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” an aching one-sided duet with fame, with such delicacy and gut-slugging power that even Barbra Streisand, who covered it the same year the musical came to Broadway in 1994, might consider retiring the song from her repertoire,’ the Post’s review adds
USA Today ‘s review adds, ‘That Scherzinger’s performance is so affecting is a credit to her formidable stage presence, given that Lloyd’s muddled concept for the revival is occasionally at odds with the source material’
Chicago Tribune added, ‘Both marquee numbers received long, show-stopping ovations at the performance I saw, and not just from fans of the Pussycat Dolls. Scherzinger is fantastic’
The review added ‘Like so much of this revival, it is both minimal and excessive. Her look is minimal while her acting goes way beyond anything delivered by either Swanson or Close, neither of whom offered particularly subtle studies in mature womanhood.’
The Hollywood Reporter said, ‘Scherzinger’s roof-raising vocal power, especially on the musical’s signature songs, “With One Look” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” is astonishing, literally stopping the show with her soaring money notes and dramatic key changes. She’s the rare Norma who has the supple dance moves, too.’
New York Stage Review thinks Scherzinger was ‘miscast,’ though admits, ‘you can’t take your eyes off’ of her.’
Another New York Stage Review critic added, ‘nothing quite like it has ever previously been seen on a Broadway stage or, recently, a West End stage.’
