Rosie O'Donnell recently revealed that had no idea who Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger was before seeing Sunset Blvd.
via: EW
Rosie O'Donnell is tightening up the buttons on her pop culture knowledge after admitting that she had no idea who Grammy-nominated Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger was before seeing her on stage in the Broadway adaptation of Sunset Blvd.
The 62-year-old actress and former View cohost shared her impassioned reaction to TikTok on Saturday, moments after exiting a preview performance of Scherzinger's highly buzzed New York City stage turn as the iconic character Norma Desmond, who first appeared via Gloria Swanson's Oscar-nominated performance in Billy Wilder's classic 1951 Hollywood film.
"I just left Sunset Blvd. on Broadway, and Nicole Shlessinger — I don’t know how you say her last name — but she’s on The Masked Singer, which I haven’t seen that much, I don’t think I really knew who she was before this. That was the best performance I’ve ever seen on a Broadway stage in the last 15 years," O'Donnell said, mispronouncing Scherzinger's last name. "I started to cry when I met her backstage. Imagine having that much talent and never getting a chance to have a venue like this until this time in her life."
Scherzinger has, however, played arenas around the world as part of the Pussycat Dolls pop group, which released a string of successful singles throughout the aughts — including four top-ten hits, "Don't Cha," "Stickwitu," "Buttons," and "When I Grow Up."
O'Donnell went on to recall the moment she met Scherzinger, which moved her to tears.
"She is gorgeous, she has the most amazing voice, she moves beautifully, she can act, she was riveting. Absolutely riveting. When I went backstage, I started to cry like an idiot," O'Donnell said. "I was like, 'I don’t even know what to say to you.' She was lovely. She’s doing this until July. People, go see this. It is a stripped-down, modernized version with playbacks and videos and everyone in the cast was outstanding."
O'Donnell even went as far as to say that audiences who see the production are witnessing a "historic Broadway" moment unfold before their eyes.
“Two standing ovations during the show, after two of her big songs, people stood up. A lot of people, including me," O'Donnell observed. "It was amazing. I can’t explain how much I loved it. Sunset Blvd. Nicole — I don’t know how to say your last name — she’s going to win the Tony."
The entertainer's prediction comes after Scherzinger made waves in the United Kingdom during Sunset Blvd.'s initial run on the West End, which led to the singer winning the 2023 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Scherzinger follows in the footsteps of the legendary Glenn Close and Patti LuPone, both of whom also played Desmond on stage in prior iterations of Sunset Blvd., with Close winning the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for the role.
Comentários