Music theatre fans, hold onto your hats. A new production of a beloved Andrew Lloyd Webber classic is coming our way – and it's bringing a revered star soprano.
Sunset Boulevard will shine with the glitz of old Hollywood in a brand new lavish production at the Sydney Opera House for a strictly limited season in August 2024, starring the one-and-only Sarah Brightman.
If her name is familiar, it's because she was the *original* Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera on both the West End and Broadway. The British international superstar has since gained global acclaim as a beloved soprano and recording artist, and is now returning to the stage to play her first role in a musical in more than three decades – right here in Australia.
Brightman will play the lead role of Norma Desmond in this lavish production from Opera Australia and GWB Entertainment, a character made famous by Glenn Close in the Tony award-winning musical. (Does the phrase "Mr. DeMille, I’m Ready for My Close Up!" sound familiar to you?)
Based on the 1950s film noir by Billy Wilder, Sunset Boulevard features music by prolific composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (the mastermind behind treasured musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita and more) and a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton.
The original 1994 Broadway production won six Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book, and had the highest ever ticket pre-sales in Broadway history at the time. The new Australian production will be the first time the musical has graced our shores in almost 20 years, where it played to sold out theatres.
Sunset Boulevard follows the journey of forgotten silent movie star Norma Desmond, whose Hollywood career takes a turn for the worst with the advent of the "talkies". It regales her story of faded glory and unfufilled ambition, and how a chance encounter with struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis and their subsequent passionate but volatile relationship leads to an unforseen and tragic ending.
The upcoming production will see the classic musical refreshed with new staging under the direction of Paul Warwick Griffin, featuring extravagant sets and costumes to evoke the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood. Audiences will be treated to the hits like ‘With One Look’, ‘The Perfect Year’, and the anthemic ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’. This production is undoubtedly set to be the unmissable theatrical event of the year.
Sunset Boulevard will open at the Sydney Opera House in August 2024 after debuting at Melbourne's Princess Theatre in May 2024. Find out more and sign up for the ticket waitlist here.
