A luminary of stage and screen is giving praise to a star who is following in her storied footsteps.
Glenn Close had nothing but praise for the cast and team behind the revival of “Sunset Blvd.” after attending a performance of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in New York City on Tuesday night, calling the show a “thrilling experience” on her Instagram.
The legend, who played the role of main character Norma Desmond on Broadway in the original 1994 production, had particular praise for the show’s current star Nicole Scherzinger.
“Nicole’s performance is an act of raw artistry and astounding bravery,” Close wrote.
One of the two photos she posted showed Close and Scherzinger – who as of Thursday is a Tony Award nominee for her role in the show – posing for a selfie after curtain call. Close wrote that Scherzinger “and the entire production blew me away.”
“Nicole and I really bonded over our love for Norma Desmond, arguably THE greatest role ever written for a woman,” she added. “You can’t approach Norma with a faint heart. She tests your metal, demands that you dig deep.”
“Sunset Blvd.” tells the story of a fading screen star who lives in the past when she was queen of the silent film era, as she languishes in her decrepit mansion in Los Angeles on the titular boulevard.
Based on the Oscar-winning 1950 Billy Wilder film “Sunset Boulevard,” the original stage production opened in London in 1993. Close earned a Tony Award in 1995 for her work in the musical, along with several other accolades. She went on to reprise the role in the 2017 revival of the show.
This year’s revival featuring Scherzinger has been equally critically acclaimed, with several Tony, Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award nominations under its belt and praise coming from the likes of Heidi Klum and Oprah Winfrey.