Nicole Scherzinger arrives in the makeshift dressing room in a flurry of silk and nervous energy.
She takes off her dark glasses: no makeup.
This is me in work mode, she says.
CALL IT A COMEBACKScherzinger photographed in costume as Norma Desmond inSunset Blvd.,which begins previews on Broadway September 28.Sittings Editor: Max Ortega. Costume Designer: Soutra Gilmour.
Shes the star attraction but admits shes anxious.
I am always picky about sound, she says.
Weve moved to her trailer, sitting amid white leather cushions and sipping coconut water.
STAR POWER“I just felt Norma’s pain. I didn’t judge her. Who doesn’t want to be seen and accepted?”
Its been the vehicle for memorable performances by Patti LuPone and Glenn Close.
But Scherzingers interpretation, which she debuted at Londons Savoy Theatre last year, offered something raw and revealing.
STAR POWERI just felt Normas pain.
SIRENSNorma Desmond through the years: Gloria Swanson in Billy Wilder’s 1950 film; Patti LuPone on the London stage, 1993; and Glenn Close on Broadway in 2017. Photos: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images; Robbie Jack/Getty Images; Chance Yeh/Getty Images.
I didnt judge her.
Who doesnt want to be seen and accepted?
I know what its like to be dismissed, she says.
ALT THENScherzinger led the 00’s girl group Pussycat Dolls, here performing in Belgium, 2006.
I know what its like to be discarded.
I connected with Norma in that way.
What brought her to life was her imagination, her creativity, her dream.
That is where she felt whole, in front of that camera.
She carries on with some force: I connected to her feeling of loneliness.
The industry is difficult like that.
I have always struggled with loneliness.
I have definitely struggled with abandonment.
Who doesnt want to be loved?
In this way, the production turns a Grand Guignol drama about an actorly has-been into an epic tragedy.
It becomes everybodys story.
And the story of time, Scherzinger adds.
Where does time go?
Everybody will experience that, even those cute little TikTokers!
Its like, honey, you will blink, and you will say, Where did that time go?
Scherzinger is funny and confiding, with a rich sense of irony.
Ive had that my whole life, she says ruefully.
Lloyd, one of the UKs most in-demand stage directors, laughs when he recalls the reaction.
For many people it was such a baffling proposition, he says.
Me directing Nicole in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.
I was taken aback by the cynicism and skepticism.
And it was not what they were expecting.
Lloyd Webber, who has known Scherzinger for years, had no doubts.
I genuinely think she is exceptional, he tells me.
There are only a handful of actors who really can act through the music and the words.
So many singers sing wonderfully, but they dont necessarily understand the language.
I would put Nicole in the league of the very highest.
Nicole is clearly a world-class vocalist.
Working together, they have become the firmest of friends.
(He just understood me, Scherzinger says.)
She came down the stairs in a huge hat and sunglasses, he remembers, laughing.
Photos: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images; Robbie Jack/Getty Images; Chance Yeh/Getty Images.
Scherzingers rock star glamour can also be worn as an armor against the world.
I was seated next to Elton John and Sir Ian McKellen, she recalls.
I was like, What am I doing here?
I mean, I love theater, but these arent my peers.
She laughs about it now.
I still feel the little Nicole in me come out.
Little Nicole was born in Honolulu and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, where nobody looked like her.
I was really, really shy, she says.
I was of my own skin, a Hawaiian, Ukrainian, Filipino little girl.
I had these long, lanky arms, and I felt awkward and didnt have a lot of confidence.
Her sense of difference was exacerbated by the familys lack of means.
We were super blessed, but I didnt grow up with much money.
My mom went to yard sales and consignment shops, she says.
As I got older, I was like, Im going to buy stuff from the Gap.
The family drove two hours to a Gap outlet, and still felt they were overpaying.
To this day, she says, I dont take anything for granted.
It was listening to Whitney Houston that first made her believe she might have a chance to be somebody.
I would put her music on and pretend I was her.
I found my tribe, she says of those years.
She never, however, dreamed of playing Norma Desmond.
Broadway actress Lea Salonga, who is Filipina, was her idol growing up.
But thats the beauty of Jamie; it wasnt about what Norma looked like or her skin color.
It was quite an awakening, she says with a smile.
To go from theater to these gigs with all these rowdy people who were standing up?
I was like, People are not sitting down quietly and watching me?
ALT THENScherzinger led the 00s girl group Pussycat Dolls, here performing in Belgium, 2006.
Its clear that the bands hypersexualized image didnt sit easily with her.
I just wasnt comfortable wearing those clothes, Scherzinger says.
I was a singer first, always.
I think over time I was able to find my own style.
By now we are in the middle of our second interview.
Shes in elegant red, a lovely little summer number by Valentino.
Shes described going to the gym for hours a day and obsessing over food.
She is a vulnerable person, says Lloyd.
Its amazing how open and honest she is about that.
When you get to know her, she is the funniest person I have ever met.
Highly intelligent, hugely insightful.
She pauses before she answers.
Real strength is loving yourself, embracing yourself.
The audience swayed along, thoroughly under her spell.
Self-acceptance and love are always a work in progress, Scherzinger tells me.
Thats the beauty of getting older.
Life happens and things are put into perspective and you realize whats most important.
How does she feel when she sees the success of stars such as Harry Styles?
I am so happy for them, she says.
They had that shot and they made the most of it.
What people sometimes forget is the hard work and the sacrifice.
Its a quality she brings to her own life.
The thing I am most inspired by is her work ethic, says Lloyd.
She has this real desire to find the depths and the detail in everything.
She keeps going until its perfect, and for her its never perfect.
Lloyd Webber says shes an inspiring presence in a rehearsal room.
When she is committed to something, she will go through hell and high water, he says.
She had quite a bad flu whenSunsetopened in London, but youd never have known it.
As she gears up for Broadway, Scherzinger is looking for a place to live in New York.
Its such a buzz, she says.
I am going to see all the shows, plays, and musicals I can.
Familyher mother, father, younger sister, and Thoms family toois clearly important to her.
We like game nights where we play cards and board games.
Shes nervous about Broadway, she admits.
But I think when I do get nervous, I just put my head down.
Jamie is always saying I need to be brave.
I say, Youve got me barefoot without makeup in the most uncomfortable positions!
And hed say, No, be braver.
I am proud of that.
Thats a testament to not to listen to anyone elses judgments.
Only you know whoyouare and what you are meant for.
I know who I am.
Produced by AL Studio.
