Nicole Scherzinger Bids Farewell to Sunset Blvd. as Tony-Winning Musical Revival Closes on Broadway

Nicole Scherzinger has, in fact, said goodbye to Broadway.

The Tony Award-winning actress and Grammy-nominated singer, 47, took her final bow as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. on Sunday, July 20, as the acclaimed Andrew Lloyd Webber musical played its final performance at the St. James Theatre in New York City after 20 previews and 312 regular performances.

Ahead of her final performance, Scherzinger shared a post on Instagram, reflecting on her journey as Norma.

“Today, the sun sets on Sunset Blvd for the final time. After living and breathing Norma Desmond for the past two years, it’s almost impossible to grasp that today is the last show,” she began. “What began as a limited run, then extended, now somehow, nearly 10 months on Broadway have flown by.”

“Norma’s story is for anyone who’s ever felt alone. Lonely. Abandoned. Outcast. For anyone who never felt like they belonged. For those who once loved something deeply and had it taken from them, aching to reclaim it,” she continued. “For the dreamers. The fighters. The believers. The warriors. For those unshakable in their purpose and power, doing what they love most.”

The star concluded her emotional post by saying that “Norma has changed me forever” and thanking some of the people behind the musical, including Lloyd Webber and director Jamie Lloyd.

Scherzinger’s star turn in Lloyd’s stripped-back, modern production marked a triumphant Broadway debut. Critics hailed the star as a revelation in the revival, audiences even giving her an infamous six-minute standing ovation during the show’s opening back in October 2024 for her powerhouse performances of signature numbers like “With One Look” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye.”

“I have worked many, many years to build up to this moment, and it’s changed my life,” Scherzinger noted in PEOPLE’s digital cover story in May, as she reflected on the role that marked a transformative chapter in her career. “I’ve never been more happy, I think, because I always had so much inside of me that I felt like people didn’t see or understand. It just feels good now to be able to share that with the world.”

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The Pussycat Dolls alum first tackled the iconic role during a sold-out run at the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End, earning rave reviews and an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

She brought the same intensity to Broadway, where her emotionally charged rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic score drew weekly sold-out crowds.

Sunset Boulevard tells the tragic story of a faded silent film star and her ill-fated entanglement with a young writer she recruits to help her stage her Hollywood comeback.

The musical, with a score by Lloyd Webber and a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, originally premiered in London in 1993 with Patti LuPone as Desmond before transferring to Broadway the following year, this time starring Glenn Close. It ran at there fore three more years before closing in 1997. Close reprised the role as Desmond in a limited run 2017 revival.

Lloyd’s revival — billed as Sunset Blvd. — took a stripped-down approach to the material, tossing out the elaborate costumes and sets and in favor of colorless costumes on a black-box stage. State-of-the-art cameras were used to project love close-ups of on-stage moments to a large digital screen center stage, allowing the audience to be immersed in the world of the show.

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The vision forced Scherzinger to explore new parts of herself. “I’ve had to just chip away at my insecurities, at my ego, at my fears,” she told PEOPLE. “You can’t have any vanity when you’re just like pretty much laying it all out on the line, with the worst lighting and snot laying down your face. I’m obviously not wearing any costumes, I’m barefoot, I’ve got a camera on me with a 65-foot screen. It’s a bit scary.”

“It’s been such a transformative evolution for me,’ she added. “I have grown so much in so many ways and I’ve healed so much. I’m forced to look at these insecurities and these fears every night within this character, that I’m getting in tune with and in touch with. And because of that, in a weird way, it’s healed a lot of my stuff in the past issues that I’ve had.”

Scherzinger has much to look forward to following her final bow, including a wedding to fiancé Thom Evans, who popped the question in June 2023.

And while the curtain has now come down on Sunset Blvd., Scherzinger has hinted that this is far from the end of her stage career. She previously told PEOPLE that she dreams of a solo tour or a residency, and that she could see herself returning to Broadway down the line.

“I have many dreams because sky’s the limit,” she said. “Nicole’s got a lot more chapters to her as an artist. But I’m built for the stage, and I can’t wait to share that.”

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She’s also ready to finally be able to reflect on her time in Sunset Blvd.

“I will tell you, I don’t think I’ll fully be able to have seen it from the outside until I’m done with it,” Scherzinger said back in May. “I’m so immersed in Norma Desmond’s world and too focused on making every performance — the first and the last. When it’s all said and done, then I’ll be able to be like, ;Wow, that’s probably one of the greatest achievements of my entire life.’ “