Photo: Marc Brenner
Today, producers announced that director Jamie Lloyd’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard starring two-time Olivier Award® and GRAMMY® Award nominee Nicole Scherzinger will play Broadway’s St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street) with preview performances beginning Saturday, September 28 ahead of a Sunday, October 20 opening night. The production, which features book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, based on the Paramount Pictures film directed by Billy Wilder, recently received 11 Olivier Award nominations including Best Musical Revival, has won Evening Standard Awards for Lloyd and Scherzinger as well as seven WhatsOnStage Awards.
Members of the Sunset Boulevard Priority List will have access to presale tickets exclusively at www.sunsetboulevardbroadway.com or Seat Geek HERE (terms apply) starting Tuesday, April 2 at 10 AM ET through Tuesday, April 9 at 11:59 PM ET. To sign up to be on the Priority List and to get additional news about Sunset Boulevard, please visit www.sunsetboulevardbroadway.com. Tickets will then go on sale to the general public starting Friday, April 10 at 10 AM ET.
To coincide with the show’s Broadway opening, SUNSET BLVD: THE ALBUM recorded live at the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End, is set for global release in October via The Other Songs. Featuring the powerhouse London cast, SUNSET BLVD: THE ALBUM captures the thrilling energy of this bold, new production.
Starting Tuesday, April 2, anyone who orders tickets as part of the Broadway presale will have the option of pre-ordering the album on vinyl and CD. Additionally, audience members who purchased tickets for the London run of Sunset Boulevard or signed up on the show’s website will be able to pre-order the album at the same time. Starting Friday, April 10, the album will be available for pre-order globally. Sign up to hear about additional details at www.sunsetboulevardbroadway.com
Joining Scherzinger on Broadway will be her acclaimed London co-stars, all of whom received Olivier Award nominations for their performances, Tom Francis as ‘Joe Gillis,’ Grace Hodgett-Young as ‘Betty Schaefer,’ and Olivier Award winner David Thaxton as ‘Max Von Mayerling.’
Director Jamie Lloyd said, “I was extremely humbled by the amazing enthusiasm of our West End audiences and am thrilled we get to bring this production to Broadway. When we recorded the album live on the stage of the Savoy in London, I was once again overwhelmed by the depth and power of Nicole Scherzinger’s performance — these iconic songs have never been sung like this before. Having the exceptional Tom Francis, Grace Hodgett-Young, and David Thaxton join Nicole at the St. James Theatre will be an unforgettable experience.”
When The Jamie Lloyd Company’s new production of Sunset Boulevard began performances last fall, it immediately grabbed the attention of theatergoers worldwide as an extraordinary reimagination of Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical. Scherzinger’s performance was hailed as “soul-baring and roof raising” (Daily Mail) and Lloyd’s “tour de force of a show” (Evening Standard) became the talk of both sides of the Atlantic and was called “the show of the year” (Time Out).
Lloyd Webber’s thrillingly atmospheric Sunset Boulevard features an iconic score including the songs “With One Look,” “The Perfect Year,” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye.”
Haunted by her memories and dreams, movie star Norma Desmond (Scherzinger) yearns to return to the big screen. A struggling screenwriter (Francis) who can’t sell his scripts to the Hollywood studios may be her only hope, until their dangerous and compelling relationship leads to disastrous circumstances. Drenched in champagne and cynicism, Sunset Boulevard scrutinizes the ambitions and frustrations of its characters and their intoxicating need for fame and adoration.
The creative team for Sunset Boulevard includes Soutra Gilmour (set and costume design), Fabian Aloise (choreography), Alan Williams (music supervisor and music director), Jack Knowles (lighting design), Adam Fisher (sound design), Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (video design and cinematography), Jim Carnahan CSA and Jason Thinger CSA (U.S. casting director), Stuart Burt CDG (U.K. casting director), and Johnny Milani (production stage manager). 101 Productions, Ltd. serves as the General Manager for Sunset Boulevard. The creative team also includes Rupert Hands (U.K. associate director), Benita de Wit (U.S. associate director), Paris Green (U.K. associate choreographer), and Ashley Andrews (U.S. associate choreographer).
Sunset Boulevard is produced by The Jamie Lloyd Company, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals, and Gavin Kalin Productions by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd and based on the Paramount Pictures film directed by Billy Wilder.