Fall Preview: Jamie Lloyd and Nicole Scherzinger Press Reset on Sunset Boulevard

In the original 1993 production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, the primary set, designed by John Napier, was the gilded rococo interior of a Hollywood mansion, replete with sweeping staircase, grand columns and pipe organ, exuding an oppressive, ghostly glamor.

In this season’s Sunset Boulevard, scenic designer Soutra Gilmour's set is, essentially, an empty stage—dark, impregnable, abyss-like.

“You kind of clear, in a way, the history, the legacy of the show,” director Jamie Lloyd told The Broadway Show about his initial intentions for the production, which arrives in New York after an acclaimed run in the West End. There was an exhilaration to “pressing reset on the material,” distilling the work to “the bare minimum you need to be able to tell the story. And actually you just need people in a space. It’s as simple as that. And then the work grows from there.”

“That's why I get out of bed in the morning,” Lloyd added. “How do we reinvent these things?”

With no elaborate scenery to hide amongst, there’s an added intensity of focus—and pressure—on the performers. “There’s nothing to distract you,” said Nicole Scherzinger, who is reprising her Olivier-winning performance as Norma Desmond on Broadway. "It's just literally based on our talent and how far and deep we're willing to go on that stage to truly just connect with the audience."

Check out the full segment below.