{"id":143886,"date":"2023-11-21T10:45:31","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=143886"},"modified":"2023-11-21T10:45:32","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:45:32","slug":"wright-state-alumna-nicole-scherzinger-earns-critical-acclaim-as-star-of-londons-sunset-boulevard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2023\/11\/21\/wright-state-alumna-nicole-scherzinger-earns-critical-acclaim-as-star-of-londons-sunset-boulevard\/","title":{"rendered":"Wright State alumna Nicole Scherzinger earns critical acclaim as star of London\u2019s \u2018Sunset Boulevard\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nicole Scherzinger, who studied musical theatre and acting at Wright State from 1996 to 1999, stars as Norma Desmond in \u201cSunset Boulevard\u201d in London\u2019s West End. (Photo by Marc Brenner)<\/p><\/div>\n

Wright State University alumna and award-winning singer Nicole Scherzinger has received rave reviews for her starring role as Norma Desmond in the new London production of \u201cSunset Boulevard.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its review of the musical, The New York Times said Scherzinger is captivating, gives a \u201ccareer-defining performance\u201d and \u201cfinds a predatory allure in the character that is both captivating and chilling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The London Evening Standard said Scherzinger \u201cabsolutely bloody smashes it as Hollywood diva Norma Desmond,\u201d bringing \u201cnot only an operatically powerful voice but shrewd comedy, harrowing pathos and a dancer\u2019s physical precision.\u201d<\/p>\n

The British tabloid The Daily Mail said Scherzinger nails her performance and delivers an ear-popping showstopper, \u201cWith One Look,\u201d in the first act.<\/p>\n

\u201cSunset Boulevard\u201d opened Sept. 21 and runs through Jan. 6, 2024, at the Savoy Theater in London\u2019s West End.<\/p>\n

Scherzinger studied musical theatre and acting at Wright State from 1996 to 1999. As a student, she performed in numerous productions, including Velma Kelly in \u201cChicago\u201d and Julie La Verne in \u201cShow Boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

She decided to leave Wright State after consulting her professors about an opportunity in Hollywood that ended up launching her stellar career.<\/p>\n

Joe Deer, distinguished professor of musical theatre at Wright State, said Scherzinger\u2019s critically acclaimed performance in \u201cSunset Boulevard\u201d is no surprise to those who have followed her career since she left Wright State.<\/p>\n

\u201cCritics are recognizing the depth and power of this incredibly versatile performer in a daring production that has gotten nearly universal praise, largely based on her performance,\u201d Deer said. \u201cI can think of very few other performers who have sustained a top-level career in so many fields for so long. It\u2019s so gratifying to see our outstanding alumna being recognized for her breathtaking talent and longevity in a field that chews up and spits out stars after a few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deer, who taught Scherzinger when she was a student at Wright State, said he is enormously proud of her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe continues to credit Wright State as a source of important training,\u201d he said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier to see the avalanche of critical praise for this performance that has London and the international press abuzz.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2017, the Wright State Alumni Association honored Scherzinger with the Alumna of the Year Award.<\/p>\n

Marya Spring Cordes, professor in acting and musical theatre and artistic director of Wright State Theatre, recalled the inspiring message Scherzinger shared when she returned to Wright State to receive the award in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Joe Deer interviewed her on the Festival Playhouse stage, we all sat in the audience rivetted by her graciousness and radiance \u2014 really engaging with the students and inspiring them to be their most authentic selves in the world and in the business,\u201d Cordes said. \u201cHosting her was truly an inspirational day for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scherzinger is a multiple award-winning, multi-platinum-selling performer, singer, actress, dancer and television personality. She has sold over 37 million singles worldwide and 16 million records as a solo artist.<\/p>\n

She previously performed on London\u2019s West End in a revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s \u201cCats.\u201d She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance as \u201cGrizabella.\u201d<\/p>\n

She performed at Windsor Castle in the official concert for the coronation of Charles III and Camilla in May 2023.<\/p>\n

She has performed at Madison Square Garden, voiced the character Sina in Disney\u2019s animated blockbuster \u201cMoana\u201d and starred in ABC\u2019s remake of \u201cDirty Dancing.\u201d She has also been a judge on \u201cThe Sing-Off,\u201d the U.S. and U.K. versions of \u201cThe X Factor\u201d and \u201cThe Masked Singer\u201d on Fox. She won \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d in 2010.<\/p>\n

Scherzinger starred in the acclaimed musical \u201cRent\u201d at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for which she received rave reviews and performed with acclaimed Italian classical tenor Andrea Bocelli as part of the PBS \u201cGreat Performances\u201d series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nicole Scherzinger, who studied musical theatre and acting at Wright State from 1996 to 1999, stars as Norma Desmond in \u201cSunset Boulevard\u201d in London\u2019s West End. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":143892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,733,4859,725,747,715],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-fine-and-performing-arts","category-home-news-sidebar","category-liberal-arts","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143886"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143900,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143886\/revisions\/143900"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}