PEOPLE takes audiences behind the scenes as the revival preps to begin performances at the St. James Theatre in New York City on Sept. 28
The highly anticipated revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beloved musical Sunset Boulevard is days away from its Broadway bow, and PEOPLE has an exclusive First Look at the cast in rehearsals.
Nicole Scherzinger is leading the Jamie Lloyd-helmed production, which is transferring to New York City after an acclaimed run in London’s West End last year. Performances begin at the St. James Theatre on Sept. 28, ahead of its official opening on Oct. 20.
Photographers Andy Henderson and Marc J. Franklin snapped the cast in over two separate rehearsals, one on Sept. 12 and another on Sept. 21. The latter was at the famed sitzprobe, where the cast practices together with the orchestra for the first time.
Among the the action captured in the pictures were a few intimate moments with Scherzinger, including one in which she struck a reflective pose and another in which she flipped her hair back.
The Grammy-nominated singer is playing faded silent movie star Norma Desmond in the musical, which follows Desmond as she hires young screenwriter Joe Gillis (actor Tom Francis) to help her stage a comeback to the silver screen after Hollywood deems her too old for the industry.
Audiences first met the iconic character in Billy Wilder’s Oscar-winning 1950 film, when she was played by Gloria Swanson. Onstage over the years, stars like Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Diahann Carroll, Betty Buckley, Elaine Paige, Petula Clark and Rita Moreno have brought Desmond to life.
But none of them quite connected to Desmond like Scherzinger does. Throughout her career, the former Eden’s Crush member and Pussycat Dolls frontwoman fought to find her footing as a solo artist domestically. Despite success as a judge on shows like The X Factor, America’s Got Talent and The Masked Singer — as well as on-screen roles in Cats and Annie Live! — there’s long been a feeling that her powerhouse vocal talent has gone unappreciated by the industry.
“I’m [46] years old,” she told Lloyd in a video series produced by the show that PEOPLE debuted last month. “I’ve never been more strong — physically, mentally, emotionally. I’m in my prime. There is no better time for me to create work that is meaningful in this world.”
“That’s the tragedy: is that you’re in the best place in your life. You’re so fully, have so much to give, and people have discarded you, and dismissed you and said ‘Your time’s up,’ ” she said.