Patti LuPone has praised Nicole Scherzinger‘s “unbelievable” performance in ‘Sunset Boulevard’.
Patti LuPone was very impressed by Nicole Scherzinger
The Broadway legend – who originated the role of Norma when the musical premiered in London in 1993 – had the chance to see the former Pussycat Dolls singer follow in her footsteps in director Jamie Lloyd’s revival of the musical, and she was bowled over by both the ‘Poison’ singer and her co-star Tom Francis.
In a voice note to NY1’s Frank DiLella shared to his social media accounts, Patti gushed: “I loved this production. I thought Nicole and Tom were stunning.
“I thought Nicole was unbelievable. She broke my heart. She is a force.
“I thought the cast was fantastic.
“I love this production. 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 am I at the theatre? This worked brilliantly.
“The whole thing, the whole thing. I was energised when I left the theater. I loved it.”
After starring in the London production, Patti was replaced by Glenn Close when the play moved to Broadway, which sparked a lengthy feud with her and writer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who she eventually sued and received a $1 million settlement.
But the ‘Agatha All Along’ actress insisted any “trepidation” she had about seeing the show was not due to what happened to her.
She said: “I went in with trepidation because I have strong feelings about the show — not with what happened to me in the show, but the show.”
Patti previously recalled how furious she was when she found out she wouldn’t be starring in the 1994 Broadway production after reading it in a gossip column while backstage in London.
She wrote in her 2010 memoir: “I took batting practice in my dressing room with a floor lamp. I swung at everything in sight — mirrors, wig stands, makeup, wardrobe, furniture, everything. Then I heaved the lamp out the second-floor window.”