Glenn Close will return to Sunset Boulevard next year for the first time in more than 20 years. You may have heard. There has been more buzz about the production, the second in the collaboration between English National Opera and the GradeLinnit Company following this year’s Sweeney Todd, than at an over-full bee farm.
Back in 1995 Close won a Tony Award for her performance as the faded movie star desperate to reclaim her place in the spotlight. Back then, the Fatal Attraction and Dangerous Liaisons star was in her mid-40s; some might argue too young to play a star who has been tossed to the side.
Two decades on and Close, and her Desmond, have changed, as the actress told the press today when she appeared at a launch at the London Coliseum.
The new London production, the first in the West End since 2009, will be a semi-staged affair featuring a full orchestra playing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic songs, which include With One Look, The Perfect Year and As If We Never Said Goodbye.
You can see what the acclaimed actress said about returning to the production, playing Desmond 20 years ago and preparing to take to the London Coliseum stage in the video above.