Nicole Scherzinger shared a story from her life that she had been silent about until now
Nicole Scherzinger is ready for her close-up.
The Grammy-nominated singer is making her Broadway debut this fall in Jamie Lloyd’s celebrated production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beloved musical Sunset Boulevard.
It’s a role that Scherzinger has already played to much acclaim (and an Olivier Award) when Sunset Boulevard opened in London in 2023. The transfer to Broadway puts Scherzinger on the boards in New York City for the first time, a milestone she’s still pinching herself over.
«It’s always been my lifelong dream to go to Broadway,» she tells Lloyd, in a filmed conversation between the two shot earlier this year during the final weeks of her West End run. «Can you believe I’ve never been to Broadway? I always say I’m the greatest thing to never happen to Broadway.»
«They don’t know what’s coming. Nobody saw what’s coming,» says Lloyd. «That’s what was amazing about this whole journey. I think it surprised a lot of people; about your performance, about the approach to the production, about everything.»
PEOPLE has the exclusive debut of the long-form chat, the first in a series following Scherzinger’s road to Broadway. It’s fittingly dubbed New Ways to Dream, after one of the musical’s signature songs.
During the discussion, Scherzinger spoke with Lloyd about her casting in the musical. She plays Norma Desmond, the faded silent movie star living in a decaying mansion who longs for a return to the big screen but has aged out of the Hollywood system.
Audiences first met the iconic character in Billy Wilder’s Oscar-winning 1950 film, when she was played by Gloria Swanson. On stage 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.
Scherzinger, on paper, might not feel like the typical successor to those stars. Even she recalls telling Lloyd when he presented the concept, «That’s your big idea?”
