Hawaii actress-singer Nicole Scherzinger will be ready for her film closeup when she stars as Norma Desmond, a silent movie star struggling with the arrival of talkies, in a West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical, “Sunset Boulevard.”
Scherzinger, pictured below, is no stranger to Lloyd Webber productions. She earlier played Grizabella in a London version of the musical, “Cats.”
The “Sunset Boulevard” reboot will open in September in the midst of the 30th anniversary of the show, to be staged at the Savoy Theatre in London, directed by Jamie Lloyd.
Lloyd Webber said of Scherzinger, “Nicole is one of the finest singers I have worked with, and I can’t wait to get started on this exciting show with her and the rest of this brilliant team.”
The Desmond role, echoing the life and times of silent movie star Gloria Swanson when she was facing the transition to movie talkies, has a storied past. Patti LuPone originated the role in London, Glenn Close starred in Los Angeles and later on Broadway in New York.
Scherzinger also played Grace in “Annie Live!,” a revival of “Annie,” and voiced the Sina character in Disney’s animated “Moana.” She also starred in ABC’s update of “Dirty Dancing.” …
‘Bad’ news for Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Bad Cinderella,” an unlikely interpretation of the legendary fairytale, is shutting down June 4 at the Imperial Theatre in New York.
The closure, and a brief four-month run, is not surprising.
Lloyd Webber, pictured right, has had a golden run on Broadway for nearly 45 years of triumphs. Thus, his reign is over, since his biggie, “The Phantom of the Opera,” finally has left the building known as the Majestic Theatre. The grand master of British musical has had bad luck this year, when “Cinderella” ticket sales soured, and worse, the show earned zero Tony nominations but amassed mostly bad reviews.
Lloyd Webber’s storied success, which began with “Evita” in 1979, generated a tidal wave of British blockbusters transferred to Broadway from the West End, including his “Cats,” with humans as felines; “Starlight Express,” with actors as railroad cars; “Sunset Boulevard,” about the reclusive and wilting Hollywood silent-film actress battling the arrival of talkies; “Jesus Christ, Superstar,” a rock opera about the religious icon; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” with a hero with a multi-hued coat; and “School of Rock,” about youngsters rocking it out with their school teacher.
A sequel to “Phantom,” with the masked one relocated at Coney Island, never made it to the Great White Way, but in Lloyd Webber’s prime, his stage successes also commanded more Brit imports from the West End to Broadway, including “Les Miserables” and “Miss Saigon.”
Ah, memories….
New g.m. at Chamber Music Hawaii
Christopher Cabrera is the new general manager of Chamber Music Hawaii. He is both a musician and an educator, serving as associate principal timpanist and section percussionist with the Hawaii Symphony orchestra, and serves as a community outreach instructor with the Hawaii Youth Symphony.
Additionally, Cabrera is a board member for the Musicians’ Association of Hawaii, Local 677, American Federation of Musicians and serves as chair of the symphony’s orchestra committee. …
And that’s Show Biz. …