'This Worked Brilliantly': Original Norma Desmond Patti LuPone Shares Her Thoughts on Sunset Blvd. Revival

The Lady's Saying…

Patti LuPone, who created the role of Norma Desmond in the London world premiere of Sunset Boulevard but was later denied the chance to reprise her work on Broadway, attended the current Broadway revival at the St. James Theatre December 11.

The Broadway favorite, winner of three Tony Awards and two Oliviers, shared her thoughts on the Jamie Lloyd-directed revival in a voice memo to theatre journalist Frank DiLella.

"I saw Sunset Blvd. last night, and I went in with trepidation because I have strong feelings about the show, not what happened to me in the show, but the show period," LuPone says in the recording. "I loved this production! I thought Nicole [Scherzinger, who plays Norma] and Tom [Francis, who plays Joe Gillis] were stunning. I thought Nicole was unbelievable. She broke my heart. She is a force. I thought the cast was fantastic. The lighting, the use of the filming was something that I questioned because I don't know where I am—Am I at a movie or I'm at the theatre? This worked brilliantly. The whole thing, the whole thing. I was energized when I left the theatre. I loved it."

Listen to LuPone's review below:

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Some Sunset history:

In the early 1990s, there was probably no role more coveted by the leading musical theatre actresses of the day than Norma Desmond—and no show more written about than Sunset Boulevard. For those unfamiliar with the tumultuous history, here is a brief recap from this writer, who was lucky enough to catch performances of most of the major Normas on both sides of the Atlantic.

Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Betty Buckley, and Elaine Page as Norma Desmond

After wowing audiences in Lloyd Webber’s invitation-only Sydmonton Festival production of Sunset, LuPone landed the role of Norma in the musical’s world-premiere London production in 1993 at the Adelphi. The three-time Tony winner scored mostly raves from the West End critics (and later garnered an Olivier nomination). But a negative notice in the New York Times may have cost her the Broadway premiere, especially after Glenn Close opened to positive reviews in a concurrent Los Angeles production (which was also somewhat-rewritten and redesigned).

LuPone, who had been contracted to open both London and Broadway, was ultimately denied the chance to open the New York bow, with Close premiering the musical at the Minskoff in 1994 to Tony-winning effect. After LuPone left the London staging, the musical temporarily shuttered to implement the changes that had been made for the Los Angeles production and reopened with Tony winner Betty Buckley in the leading role. An unexpected appendectomy forced Buckley to miss several weeks of performances, and during her absence, Elaine Paige, the Queen of the British Musical Theatre, filled in for Buckley, who subsequently returned and later succeeded Close on Broadway. When Buckley ended her acclaimed London run, Paige returned, also subsequently playing Norma on Broadway in her much-awaited Main Stem debut. Sixties pop icon Petula Clark was the final Norma of the London production, although Oscar winner Rita Moreno did play a brief vacation stint (Buckley and Paige both received Olivier nominations for their Normas).

Oh yes, Faye Dunaway also made headlines when she was unceremoniously dismissed during her rehearsal period to succeed Close in the L.A. production, which ended up closing rather than recasting (LuPone and Dunaway both sued Lloyd Webber/Really Useful and eventually reached monetary settlements without any court battle).

Other Normas of that time period included Helen Schneider in Germany, Debra Byrne in Australia, and late Tony winner and Oscar nominee Diahann Carroll in Canada. A national tour starring the late, great Linda Balgord failed to ignite the box office, although a later scaled-down tour with Clark fared better. The role remains a favorite among experienced musical theatre actresses—other notable Normas include Florence Lacey at the Signature in Washington, D.C., Stephanie J. Block at the Kennedy Center, and Sarah Brightman currently in Australia.

As for the performances of the original Normas, I’ll never understand the Times’ criticism of LuPone. I caught her performance later in the run and found that her Norma was as exciting as she was utterly heartbreaking. In fact, her performance was so powerful that I told my older brother, who was traveling with me, “Do what you want tomorrow night. I’m going back to see Patti’s performance again.” Close brought the aura of a film star and a riveting, almost Kabuki-like appearance. Buckley was the most vulnerable Norma, a commanding presence offering a richly layered and achingly seductive take on the fading screen star that masterfully built to a wildly climactic mad scene. Paige was the most Gloria Swanson-like in the part and combined a tempestuous demeanor with hitherto unseen comedic moments that made each and every scene fully come to life. All four, it should be noted, were extremely moving.

As for the vocals, it was really an embarrassment of riches with three of the greatest voices ever to come out of the musical theatre—LuPone, Buckley, and Paige—all getting the chance to wrap their rich instruments around Lloyd Webber’s haunting score. It was a true gift for musical theatre fans to be able to hear those three women's strikingly different but equally stellar renditions of “With One Look,” “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” “New Ways to Dream,” and more. Close also managed to score in the musical moments with her somewhat-jarring transition from chest to head voice adding to the lunacy of the character.

Because of the caliber of actors who have played the part, coupled with those songs, the role of Norma Desmond remains a favorite among experienced musical theatre actresses.