Nicole Scherzinger absolutely bloody smashes it as Hollywood diva Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1993 musical, dazzlingly reborn by director Jamie Lloyd. She brings not only an operatically powerful voice but shrewd comedy, harrowing pathos and a dancer’s physical precision to the washed-up silent star, besotted with young screenwriter Joe (newcomer Tom Francis, who is excellent).
It’s a physically and emotionally exposing performance. Barefoot in a clingy slip, Scherzinger is often either isolated on stage, writhing on the floor or has her sculpted bone structure and pleading eyes blown up on a huge, tilted screen. She’s not afraid to look absurd, or histrionic, and finds a new truth and even dignity in the character as a result.
