Ready for her close-up in S'pore

At 64, soprano Sarah Brightman feels she is the right age to play Sunset Boulevard's faded star Norma Desmond

- Joanne Soh

Acclaimed English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber had former wife Sarah Brightman's voice in mind when he created the music for Sunset Boulevard some 30 years ago.

However, it was only in 2023 that the renowned English singer-actress was ready to play washed-up silent film star Norma Desmond.

The award-winning musical, based on the 1950 film of the same name, follows the turbulent and tragic relationship between delusional Norma and struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis.

Discarded by Hollywood, which went on to embrace "talking pictures", Norma yearns to return to the limelight. A chance encounter with Joe raises her hopes, but he has his own agenda.

Brightman tells The Straits Times via the phone from Bournemouth, England, that the time is right for her to play Norma.

She takes the lead in Sunset Boulevard's Asia premiere at Marina Bay Sands' Sands Theatre from Feb 7 to 23.

It marks her first musical theatre production in Singapore, which is part of the Australian season that opened in Melbourne in May 2024.

"It is age-appropriate for me," says the 64-year-old soprano, whose claim to global stardom was originating the iconic role of protagonist Christine Daae in Lloyd Webber's hit musical, The Phantom Of The Opera, in 1986.