The rumors continue! After breaking the hearts of London's theater critics and audiences with one look this past spring, Glenn Close may be ready for her close-up once again on Broadway. The English National Opera's rapturously received revival of Sunset Boulevard, headlined by Close reprising her Tony-winning role of Norma Desmond, could transfer to the Great White Way's Palace Theatre.
According to the New York Post, the engagement would last 20 weeks starting in January 2017, if producers can make the finances work. The recent London incarnation of the Tony-winning tuner had around 50 musicians.
No word yet on further casting, but the semi-staged ENO production was directed Lonny Price and co-starred Michael Xavier as Joe Gillis, Siobhan Dillon as Betty Shaefer and Fred Johanson as Max Von Mayerling.
Close was recently seen in A Delicate Balance on Broadway, the first time she had appeared on the Main Stem in 17 years. The six-time Oscar nominee got her start on the Great White Way, and also won the Tony for her work in The Real Thing and Death and the Maiden. Her film and TV roles include Dangerous Liaisons, Air Force One, Fatal Attraction and Damages.
Featuring a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a book and lyrics by Christopher Hampton and Don Black, Sunset Boulevard premiered in the West End in 1993, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Patti LuPone. In a widely publicized upset that resulted in an out-of-court settlement, Close brought the role to Broadway the following year. The production garnered seven Tony Awards including Best Musical.
Based on the 1950 film of the same name, Sunset Boulevard tells the story of Norma Desmond, an aging silent film star who recruits young writer Joe Gillis to help relaunch her career in the world of talking films. A reclusive shut-in, Desmond forms an unhealthy obsession with Gillis and soon demands he move in to her lavish Hollywood mansion.
The Palace Theatre currently plays host to An American in Paris, which will close on October 9 and is due to undergo renovation in a year or so.