I didn’t expect to come out of Sunset Boulevard thinking it might be my favorite Lloyd Webber score. But here we are.
In Jamie Lloyd’s stark new Broadway revival, the music is the emotional architecture. With the sets stripped down to almost nothing,just black walls, projections, and a few brutalist gestures the score becomes the scaffolding holding everything up. And surprisingly, it holds. What once felt over-orchestrated now feels pointed. Strategic. This production makes the case that Sunset Boulevard belongs alongside Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. It’s not just theatrical, it’s cinematic in structure, psychological in tone.
Tony-nominated Nicole Scherzinger’s Norma Desmond is a force, grand, mannered, at times even grotesque, but always in control. Her descent into caricature isn’t a flaw in the performance; it’s the point. The style that once made Norma a star is now what marks her as obsolete. She’s in this age, but not of it. The more she doubles down on the codes of silent-era stardom, the clearer it becomes that she no longer belongs, and Scherzinger leans into that with precision.
I saw the production twice. The first time, Diego Andrés Rodriguez went on as Joe Gillis. He usually plays Artie Green and stepped into the lead without hesitation. The performance was composed, assured, and vocally mature in a genuinely surprising way. Also, he’s gorgeous. But he doesn’t lean on that,he doesn’t need to. He’s headed to London next to star as Che in Evita, and it’s easy to see why. He’s the real deal.
On my second visit, Tony-nominated Tom Francis, who originated the role in this production, was back in. He’s excellent. A little more reactive, perhaps, but with a natural ease and chemistry opposite Grace Hodgett Young’s Betty Schaefer that makes the relationship click. One could argue that the dynamic between them is more finely drawn. But for my money, Rodriguez has the stronger voice.
(And speaking of Betty: someone needs to tweak her costume. Hodgett Young spends much of her time pulling down a too-short, thigh-length one-piece something between a tennis outfit and a romper in a production that is, in nearly every other way, gloriously immodest.)
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Mandy Gonzalez, who portrays Norma twice a week, is widely praised for bringing a different yet equally compelling interpretation.
David Thaxton’s Max is wonderfully haunted, devoted, and broken, without asking for pity. His presence never intrudes but somehow colors every room he’s in. And the ensemble, rather than simply filling space, feels essential. They’re not Norma’s world. They’re the world that’s left her behind. Where she floats in dream logic, they stomp, spin, and sprint in reality. The contrast doesn’t just sharpen her isolation,it balances it.
There’s something quietly radical in this production’s refusal to pad anything. The emotion is raw. The design is stripped. The transitions are fast and unforgiving. It’s not nostalgic. It’s not lush. It doesn’t want to transport you back. It wants you to notice the dissonance of staying here, now, with the wreckage.
This Sunset Boulevard doesn’t ask for your memory. It asks for your attention. And it earns it.
Sunset Boulevard has received 7 Tony Nominations.
- Best Revival of a Musical
- Best Orchestrations – David Cullen & Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Best Direction of a Musical – Jamie Lloyd
- Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Jack Knowles
- Best Sound Design of a Musical – Adam Fisher
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Nicole Scherzinger
- Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Tom Francis
🎭 Sunset Boulevard is playing through July 13, 2025, at the St. James Theatre (246 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036).
🎟️ Ticket Options:
Official Tickets:
Purchase directly from the production at:
https://sunsetblvdbroadway.com/tickets/
TKTS Discount Booths:
Same-day discounted tickets may be available at TKTS booths. Check current listings at:
https://www.tdf.org/discount-ticket-programs/tkts-by-tdf/
TodayTix App – Digital Rush:
A limited number of $45 digital rush tickets are released at 9:00 AM on the day of the performance via the TodayTix app.
https://www.todaytix.com/nyc/shows/38372-sunset-boulevard-broadway
Lucky Seat Digital Lottery:
Enter for a chance to purchase $46 tickets through the Lucky Seat digital lottery. Entries close at 9:30 AM the day before the performance.
https://www.luckyseat.com/shows/sunsetblvd-newyork-2024Sep
In-Person Rush:
A limited number of $45 rush tickets are available at the St. James Theatre box office on the day of the performance, subject to availability. The box office opens at 10:00 AM Monday–Saturday and 12:00 PM on Sunday.
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©️ Adam Josephs, 2025
