Nicole Scherzinger sings with bullhorn after ‘Sunset Blvd.’ matinee scrapped

Nicole Scherzinger surprised theatergoers like a legend on Wednesday.

Ticketholders eager to see the Masked Singer judge in the fêted new stage adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard at New York City’s St. James Theatre were disappointed to discover that the matinee of Sunset Blvd. was canceled due to technical difficulties.

But like a true lady of the stage, Scherzinger understood that the show must go on, appeared on stage with a bullhorn, and serenaded the departing audience with a haunting rendition of the musical’s signature ballad, “With One Look.”

“Despite technical difficulties at today’s matinee, Nicole Scherzinger found a way to keep the show going for all you beautiful people out there in the dark,” the official Sunset Blvd. account wrote on X. “Tonight’s performance will continue as scheduled.”

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Scherzinger is best known as the frontwoman of The Pussycat Dolls, a dance ensemble founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 that was turned into a pop group in 2003.

Backed by Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton, and Kimberly Wyatt, Scherzinger and The Pussycat Dolls stormed the 2000s pop charts with hits like “Don’t Cha” and “Buttons.” Though the group broke up and reformed numerous times over the ensuing years, Scherzinger, 46, slowly began racking up stage credits, first as Maureen in a 2010 production of Rent, and then as Grizabella in the 2014 West End revival of Cats.

Jamie Lloyd, a Tony-nominated, British theater director known for his striking, minimalist stagings and collaborations with screen stars not necessarily known for their work on stage (Emilia Clarke starred in his 2020-2021 production of The Seagull; Jessica Chastain starred in his 2023 revival of A Doll’s House), tapped Scherzinger for the lead role of his revival of Sunset Boulevard in 2024.

The revival of Webber’s 1993 musical, itself an adaptation of the classic 1950 film by Billy Wilder, has garnered glowing reviews, with EW raving, “Scherzinger’s captivating performance makes it clear that she can still bring down the house.”

Scherzinger even garnered the elusive praise of Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who claimed after she caught the musical in December, “I thought Nicole was unbelievable. She broke my heart… She is a force.”