Review: Sunset Blvd.

🌟VERDICT’S PICK🌟

“New ways to dream” is undoubtedly the theme of Jamie Lloyd’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical Sunset Blvd, based on Billy Wilder’s 1950 movie. This musical first opened in 1993 on the West End, starring Patti LuPone, who was subsequently (and infamously) replaced by Glenn Close when the production transferred to Broadway. Both of these women were well into their middle years when they played the leading role of Norma Desmond, so it came as a shock when, in 2023, Lloyd Webber announced that a new production, helmed by visionary director Jamie Lloyd, would open in the West End starring former Pussycat Doll and a much younger woman, Nicole Scherzinger, whose age they used to speak to the “standards” surrounding women in Hollywood. After garnering rave reviews, the production transferred to Broadway, opening in October 2024. 

Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Blvd.

Typically known for its massive sets and lavish costumes, this new production is unrecognizable from its predecessors. Stripping down the production to the barest of bones allows the material to shine through above all else - Lloyd's overarching goal. This production has a large, lush orchestra that plays the newly re-orchestrated score, filling the theatre with some of the most beautiful music of the season, something I greatly appreciated since so many productions nowadays have cut back their orchestra sizes substantially to save money. Lacking any set at all also allows the focus to be on Mr. Lloyd’s newest trick - a twenty five-foot tall screen that cantilevers down during multiple points of the show and, coupled with two cameras, emits a live black and white feed of what is before you on stage, just bigger. Much. Bigger. For a story set in Hollywood in the film noir era, this works perfectly, not seeming out of place, and Mr. Lloyd’s selective usage does not allow its presence to be the main focal point of the production, leaving that to its stars.

Leading one of the most talented casts I have seen in a long time, Ms. Scherzinger as faded film actress Norma Desmond has the audience in the palm of her hand from the moment she first steps onstage fifteen minutes into the show. Having already won an Olivier Award for this role on the West End, she gives one of the most powerful vocal and acting performances of this Broadway season as the audience slowly sees her spiral into madness. Her renditions of the two Norma “classics” (“With One Look” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye”) both earned standing ovations for good reason. The pure force with which she delivers those numbers turns Norma Desmond from a lost, tired woman into a warrior and a force to be reckoned with. 

Company of Sunset Blvd.

Directly opposite her is breakout star Tom Francis as the struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis, who stumbles upon Desmond’s mansion by accident. We see the story through his eyes, and he brilliantly takes the audience on that journey with him. Perhaps even more impressively, he is not dwarfed (literally or figuratively) by Ms. Scherzinger’s presence. They are also joined by Grace Hodgett Young as Betty Schaefer and David Thaxton as Max, Norma’s butler, rounding out the principal cast. Mr. Thaxton’s rich baritone is so well suited for his big number, “The Greatest Star of All,” another song that earned a standing ovation, but perhaps his greatest moment of the show is also his last and potentially most subtle. After seeing Norma so lost in her madness, he silently screams behind her, watching his and her world, a world he has tirelessly worked to maintain, crumble around them. It is a heartbreaking moment not only for him but for the audience as well, who cannot help but feel sorry. 

Director Jamie Lloyd, best known for his recent work on A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, has truly come into his element in this production. He has developed his signature style by combining new and revolutionary ideas with many of the stylistic choices he has become known for through past productions, such as minimal sets, costumes, monochromatic lighting, and a lot of stage blood. Sunset relies on Jack Knowles’ monochromatic lighting design, which harkens it back to the film noir style. The precision in Knowles' design is stunning and a feat of its own - if one actor is even six inches off their mark, they are in the dark. The same goes with the costumes - Ms. Scherzinger spends the entire show in a simple black slip, a stark contrast to the elaborate costumes worn by her predecessors, while the rest of the cast is in other simple black and white clothes, all designed by Soutra Gilmour. Also designed by Ms. Gilmour was the very minimal set, but that included the showpiece of the production - the aforementioned giant screen. 

Tom Francis in Sunset Blvd.

While many people will wonder why they are paying Broadway prices to “watch a movie,” it does not feel that way. You are almost always being played to live, with the camera feed only supplementing what is happening in front of you onstage. The only time when nothing happens onstage is during the Act Two opening sequence, which has become something of a social media phenomenon. We see Francis as Gillis wandering through the backstage and dressing rooms before exiting the theatre, crossing 44th Street into Shubert Alley, then returning with the ensemble - all while singing the title song. Through a perfect combination of Adam Fisher’s sound design that blocks out all sounds in midtown Manhattan except Francis’ voice, and Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom’s video engineering, which allows the audience to see a live feed of what is happening outside, along with countless security guards, electricians, and lead camera operator Shayna McPherson, they have orchestrated what is perhaps one of the most impressive and complicated technical marvels in recent memory that wows audiences and earns a standing ovation nightly.

There is truly nothing negative to say about this masterpiece of a production. Its reimagining is a fantastic example of what a revival should be - using and improving existing material to bring out a new aspect of the story and speak to today’s audience. The combination of the exceptionally talented cast and technical elements that transformed this show made it one of my favorite shows this season, one that I could see myself returning to time and time again. This new production is a triumphant return to Broadway (and 44th Street) for Andrew Lloyd Webber and is a thrilling reimagining of a classic.

5/5 stars

2 hours and 30 minutes, one intermission

St. James Theatre

Through July 20, 2025