‘A fever dream': Jamie Lloyd and Tom Francis describe their radical new take on ‘Sunset Boulevard'
'I'm not sure anyone's going to like this, it is such a big swing and such a departure from that original production,' Jamie Lloyd remembers thinking about his remounting of Sunset Boulevard right after seeing the dress rehearsal of the Broadway production. Following a successful four-month run in London that earned 11 Olivier Award nominations, Lloyd's cinematic take on the musical opened in New York in October and will conclude in July. The Tony-nominated director recently sat down with Gold Derby and other journalists at the 2025 Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event.
The visionary director, who has received Tony nominations for his productions of Betrayal and A Doll's House, offered insight into his approach for his radical reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical. He shared, 'It's about a psychological space, a liminal psychological place. The whole production is almost, in my mind, like a fever dream emanating from this fractured mind, from Norma Desmond's fractured mind. She's haunted by her past, she's haunted by her memories. It's a production in which reality is almost always just out of reach. … By the end, it feels like you've plummeted to the depths with Norma and you've gone very deep inside her mind.'
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Gold Derby also spoke with Tom Francis, who stars as Joe Gillis, a down-on-his-luck writer who crashes into the orbit of faded silent film star Norma Desmond, lives off her wealth while trying to help her write a new film, and suffers tragically when their professional relationship becomes personal. He revealed that the show's second number, 'Let's Do Lunch,' helps him gear up for the incredibly taxing hours to come, sharing, 'It really sets you up for the rest of the show. … The breakdown bit at the end of 'Let's Do Lunch' is such a great way to completely let go of anything you've got in your body, get it out, and focus and do the rest of the show. … It's a great way to dial in.'
Sunset Boulevard received seven Tony Award nominations. Gold Derby's odds currently predict the show will win the top honor of Best Musical Revival, Best Director for Lloyd, and Best Lighting Design for Jack Knowles. Nicole Scherzinger is extremely competitive for the Best Actress prize, ranked second in our odds and leading the tally with the most user predictions. Francis ranks fourth in Lead Actor, though this is one of the most hotly-contested categories of the season, as most of the performers, Francis included, received critical acclaim. Both he and Scherzinger won Oliviers for this performances, as did Lloyd.
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