Sunset Boulevard Fun Facts
Fun Facts | Songs
Liz Callaway | Photo: Archie Carpenter
- Sunset Boulevard is based on the 1950 film noir of the same name. The film was directed by Billy Wilder and starred William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson.
- “Sunset Boulevard” received 11 Academy Award nominations and won three Academy Awards for Best Music, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black-and-White) and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
- Sunset Boulevard made its Broadway debut on November 17, 1994, at the Minskoff Theatre.
- The original Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard starred Glenn Close as Norma, Wicked’s George Hearn as Max and Next to Normal’s Alice Ripley as Betty.
- The film version of Sunset Boulevard is responsible for coining the immortal phrases "Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," and "I am big, it's the pictures that got small!"
- The music for Sunset Boulevard was written by the legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Truly a musical theater icon, Lloyd Webber has been honored with Pittsburgh CLO’s own Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater, seven Tony Awards®, three Grammys, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale, The Kennedy Center Honor and a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.
- Andrew Lloyd Webber currently owns seven London theaters, including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and one of the largest theatrical operations in London, the Really Useful Group.
- Sunset Boulevard opened with the highest advance in the history of Broadway ticket sales at that time.
Click the LISTEN NOW button found on the Sunset Boulevard page here to listen to a selection of Andrew Lloyd Webber hits!
Let’s Have Lunch
Surrender
With One Look
Salome
The Greatest Star Of All
Every Movie’s a Circus
Girl Meets Boy
New Ways to Dream
The Lady’s Paying
The Perfect Year
This Time Next Year
Sunset Boulevard
As If We Never Said Goodbye
Eternal Youth Is Worth a Little Suffering
Too Much In Love To Care
1995 Tony Awards®:
Best Musical (Winner)
Best Original Score (Winner)
Best Book of a Musical (Winner)
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Nominee)
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Winner)
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Winner)
Best Direction of a Musical (Nominee)
Best Choreography (Nominee)
Best Scenic Design (Winner)
Best Costume Design (Nominee)
Best Lighting Design (Winner)
1995 Drama Desk Awards:
Outstanding Musical (Nominee)
Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Nominee)
Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Winner)
Outstanding Director of a Musical (Nominee)