New York City
Jamie Lloyd’s revival is running at the St. James Theatre.
As Sunset Boulevard returns to New York in an all-new production from Jamie Lloyd, we’re looking back at the leading ladies who have played Norma Desmond.
Nicole Scherzinger is the latest to take on the iconic role of the once-giant, and now-faded sweetheart of a bygone era who begins an affair with a young writer, only for her delusions to be shattered catastrophically.
But before her were great stars – including, Gloria Swanson who immortalized Desmond on screen in the ’50s Billy Wilder classic, Patti LuPone, and Glenn Close. Having bagged both the WhatsOnStage and the Olivier Awards for her turn, Scherzinger joins the ranks with Mandy Gonzalez as her alternate, and Caroline Bowman on standby. They’re ready for their close-ups; quite literally, if you’ve seen anything of what the revival will be offering!
Jones originated the role in 1991 when Lloyd Webber staged a 30-minute-long workshop at his Sydmonton Estate. It wasn’t until 2016 that Jones was seen publicly while understudying the great Glenn Close in the 2016 revival, before finally getting her time in the spotlight leading a UK touring production.
A year later, and with Christopher Hampton and Don Black on board, another workshop was staged. In the audience was a potential Norma, Meryl Streep, but headlining was Patti LuPone. She went on to open the show, despite many ongoing technical issues with the set, in London to unanimous praise. However, she was fired before the Broadway run, leading to an infamous feud between LuPone and the composer.
Close had the great pleasure of opening Sunset Boulevard in the States, first in LA and then on Broadway. It becomes a defining role and her dedication to the title continues – she reprised the role on Broadway, returned to the London stage in a semi-concert staging of it, and is still determined to make the much-talked-about big screen movie happen.
While understudying for Close so she could take a vacation, box office figures were inflated to make it seem as though the star’s absence had no effect. Close penned a scathing letter to Lloyd Webber, and it ended up front page news. However, based on the reports, Mason received great applause for each performance.
The Tony Award-winner took over the role from LuPone in London, implementing changes that had been made in New York. Unfortunately, she got appendicitis and had to withdraw from the production for a couple of months. Thankfully, she was well enough to return and later hopped over to Broadway once Close finished her run. Having been absent from Broadway since the ill-fated Carrie, fans were particularly pleased.
Having led Evita and Cats, Paige was the first Brit to play Norma Desmond having filled in for Buckley while she recovered. Paige later did the same again and made her Broadway debut, 20 years after her West End debut.
The “Downtown” singer played the role of Norma Desmond in London and on tour in America. When she later returned to the role, it was in Ireland, and her performance was televised by the BBC.
Moreno stood in for Clark in London and had her turn as the iconic Norma Desmond.
Carroll made history by becoming the first African American actor to take on Norma, playing her in Toronto in the mid-1990s.
The Pussycat Doll made her West End debut in Cats, before headlining the recent revival of Sunset Boulevard. She brings the award-winning production to Broadway with other original cast members, Tom Francis, Grace Hodgett-Young, and David Thaxton.