If Nicole Scherzinger’s overwhelmingly praised performance as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard isn’t sure to cement her Broadway iconicity, then her brilliant solution to a show-canceling technical malfunction is sure to do it.
During a Wednesday matinee showing of the Jamie Lloyd-directed revival, the sound system at the St. James Theater in New York City appeared to malfunction, prompting delays to the musical’s start time. When it became clear that the backstage issue wouldn’t be resolved in time, the show was cancelled altogether and audience members were offered a refund.
Despite technical difficulties at today’s matinee, Nicole Scherzinger found a way to keep the show going for all you beautiful people out there in the dark 🖤 Tonight’s performance will continue as scheduled. pic.twitter.com/TdA4xnn8F1
— Sunset Blvd. (@sunsetblvd) April 23, 2025
Much like the audience-adoring character she embodies in Sunset Boulevard however, Scherzinger refused to leave the crowd empty handed and brought out a bullhorn to sing one of the musical’s songs, “With One Look,” to still give fans a taste of the performance
“When it became apparent they couldn’t do the show, it was her idea to go out and speak to the audience, so she and [co-star] Tom Francis came out,” Rick Miramontez, a spokesman for the show, told The New York Times. “She asked stage management for a bullhorn, and she gave them a performance of one of the show’s biggest numbers.”
went to the matinee of sunset blvd and they had to cancel due to technical difficulties but nicole scherzinger came out and sang us a song thru a bullhorn 😭 pic.twitter.com/1gteto0WJF
— darcy༺☆༻ (@ghostdarcy) April 23, 2025
The revival of Andrew Llyod Webber’s musical has been the toast of Broadway, and the West End, since it began its theatrical run in 2023. It received eleven nominations at the 2024 Laurence Olivier Awards, and took home seven including a Best Actress nod for Scherzinger who has consistently proved herself a formidable force in the musical theater space.
The Daily Beast’s resident theater critic Tim Teeman sung the show’s absolute praises in his October review, writing: “The velocity of the audience reaction to Sunset Blvd. is not just about Scherzinger. It’s about the force and concerted visual punch of the show, as executed so expertly by Lloyd.
“Scherzinger gives her full-throated diva best to the role, and—just as the best movie directors do—Lloyd ensures we cannot keep our eyes off her.”
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