Director Jamie Lloyd has a formula for his revivals. If he accepts you, which he regularly does with great enthusiasm (most recently here: A dollhouse, Cyrano de Bergerac, betrayal), he presents it without anything approaching a traditional set. His impulse is to put the emphasis on the material, without the (distracting?) embellishment that the furnishings bring. He only keeps the essentials. Perhaps for obvious reasons, he does not forego light and sound.

He did it again with the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Don Black-Christopher Hampton musical Sunset Blvdof course based on Billy Wilder's 1950 film of the same name. Customers who gamble a lot for tickets will notice this Sunset Blvd. It lacks, among other glittering aspects, anything like a grand staircase, although Jack Knowles' carefully focused lights and Adam Fisher's commanding sound are present.

The result – which stars Nicole Scherzinger gloriously as the fading silent film idol Norma Desmond – is unique. In my opinion, nothing like it has ever been seen on a Broadway stage or more recently on a West End stage. And whether this is unadulterated praise remains a question. The immediate answer is rather positive, because this time Lloyd waves his revival wand and not only strips the film and the musical down to the essentials, but is more about the production of black and white films.

(Read Frank Schecks ★★★★☆ Review here.)

In previous revivals, he had set and costume designer Soutra Gilmour keep all the actors in black and white. Here he does it too – all in black – but in this appearance she consciously stays true to the black and white canvas, on which the wardrobe only appears in black, white and shades of gray despite the actual color palette. (For that Sunset Blvd. Red will appear at some point, but specifying when, where and why is a spoiler.)

This time, Lloyd's Black is consciously commenting on the finished quality of the films. As soon as they are packaged and printed, the time has come. They are frozen in time. Lloyd expands on this irreversible truth by reminding the audience, through constant video footage on stage, that the actors are regularly, if not always, facing cameras – the images are then seen on a screen in the background – as if they were filming. (Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom are the busy video and camera designers.)

In the end Sunset Blvd In the film, Gloria Swanson memorably tells CB DeMille that she is ready for her close-up. In Sunset Blvd. All the main characters are constantly ready for their close-ups, so much so that when Norma bluntly says she's ready for her close-ups in the unforgettable finale, Wilder's cathartic effect is somewhat weakened.

Lloyd's determination to show that Norma delivers a screen performance focuses primarily on Scherzinger. It's as if every expression on her face, every gesture she makes, is calculated. The impression is that at every performance – she has played it many times in London, where she won an Olivier Award – she plays it exactly as she has done at every previous performance and will do at every subsequent performance. The strategy is perhaps most evident in her rendition of the popular anthems “With One Look” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye.” Her attack on every note, her every movement, is so precise as if, like films, this were the recording intended for posterity.

The audience watches their finished filmed performance. On the evening I attended, Scherzinger's performances, the mere raising of her arms in strategic moves, the extended climactic notes as she finished “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” elicited the desired theatrical response: a standing ovation. (Alan Williams is the music director.)

Former Pussycat Doll Scherzinger is ready, willing and able to comply with all of Lloyd's demands on her. The vocals are relentlessly strong. The fact that she is too young to play the role doesn't matter here. Slim, with long, flowing black hair and wearing a tight black mini dress, she was asked only to showcase the tireless drive and ultimate madness of Norma Desmond. She presents it completely.

The great Sunset Blvd The story is told, as always, by down-and-out, frustrated screenwriter Joe Gillis (Tom Francis, who carries himself with a rough and truly captivated aplomb). The ever-present butler/former husband Max Von Mayerling (David Thaxton, stern and expressionless, almost to the gloomy end) and young studio employee Betty Schaefer (Grace Hodgett Young, beautiful and determined) still grace the brooding proceedings. Lloyd and choreographer Fabian Aloise often bring a hot ensemble that whips up a nervous storm whenever the dramatic weather calls for it.

Copywriters Black and Hampton took just a few liberties with the original script by Wilder-Charles Brackett-DM Marshman Jr. They omit Norma's amusing Charlie Chaplin impersonation twice and the former silent film stars' bridge playing. They hold on to crucial elements like the funeral of Norma's adored chimpanzee.

By the way, there's a first act second act in which Francis powerfully intones the title number while… well, while Joe does a time-consuming walkabout. It was filmed 100% live by cinematographer Shayna McPherson. Just know that it's a gimmick and leave it at that.

Often during Sunset Blvd.Norma insists on informing Joe that in Hollywood “we have given the world new opportunities to dream.” It's safe to say that the esteemed Jamie Lloyd is trying to open up new possibilities for the theater world with his revivals, especially this one. You go, boy.

Sunset Blvd. opens October 20, 2024 at the St. James Theater. Tickets and information: Sunsetblvdbroadway.com