Sunset Boulevard was the big winner at Sunday’s Olivier Awards, tying the record for most wins for a musical at the ceremony.
Its seven wins included awards for best musical revival and acting for its stars Nicole Scherzinger and Tom Francis.
Other winners included Succession star Sarah Snook, who won best actress for her performance in an adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Haydn Gwynne also won an acting award, six months after his death at age 66.
Accepting her award, Scherzinger joked: “I always wanted to be a singer and do musicals, and I dreamed of so many roles that I wanted to do. And, honestly, this role, Norma Desmond, was not one of those roles.
huh. huh. huh. huh. huh. huh. huh. huh.
“But God works in mysterious ways,” he laughed as the audience applauded, “because, honestly, it’s one of the most daring and brave things I’ve ever done in my life, and I have an incomparable director, Jamie Lloyd, to thank for it”.
Sunset Boulevard’s seven wins mean it ties Cabaret, Matilda and Hamilton for the most trophies ever won by a musical in a single night.
Lloyd’s revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was done with a monochrome color scheme and minimalist set design.
But its lack of scenery, color and props didn’t stop it from earning five-star reviews, particularly for Scherzinger, who rose to fame two decades ago with the girl group Pussycat Dolls. The musical closed in London in January, but will move to Broadway later this year.
Scherzinger’s co-star Francis thanked the Savoy Theatre’s security team “for making me feel safe every night,” referring in part to a section in which he exits the theater onto the streets of London while being followed by video cameras.
