Nicole Scherzinger makes Broadway debut in 'Sunset Boulevard'

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Filipino American singer Nicole Scherzinger made her Broadway debut in the Jamie Lloyd-directed “Sunset Boulevard” on Saturday, ahead of the official opening night on Oct. 20. The former Pussycat Dolls singer greeted fans at the St. James Theatre in New York City covered in fake blood as part of her finale costume after her performance that received a standing ovation.

• About the musical: Set in Hollywood during the silent film era, “Sunset Boulevard” stars Scherzinger, 46, as fading movie actress Norma Desmond, who enlists young screenwriter Joe Gillis (Tom Francis) to help restart her career in an ageist industry. Based on the 1950 Billy Wilder film, the musical premiered in London in 1993 and moved to Broadway in 1994 before closing in 1997. Scherzinger debuted the role in the new production, which ran from Sept. 21, 2023, to Jan. 6, 2024, on West End, London’s version of Broadway. The production announced its plans in March to take the musical to Broadway, with previews kicking off on Saturday.

• A dream come true: Scherzinger said performing on Broadway has been a lifelong dream. “It has taken a long time, but it feels really special because I get to do it as Norma Desmond,” she told Vogue. Back in April, she won the Olivier Award for best actress in a musical for her portrayal of Desmond in the London production. Acknowledging what it is like to be “dismissed” and “discarded” like Desmond, she told Vogue, “I connected to her feeling of loneliness. The industry is difficult like that. I have always struggled with loneliness. I have definitely struggled with abandonment.”

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