Joanna Ampil to play Norma Desmond in 'Sunset Boulevard' Philippine debut
MANILA, Philippines — Filipina stage actress Joanna Ampil will lead the Philippine debut of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard" when the production arrives in the country next year.
The show based on the 1950 film of the same name follows faded silent film era star Norma Desmond who comes across young screenwriter Joe Gillis and sees an opportunity for a grand return to the limelight.
Billy Wilder's original movie won three of its 11 Oscar nominations before Webber, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton adapted it for the stage in 1993.
Patti LuPone played Desmond when "Sunset Boulevard" debuted on the West End, however the production found greater success when it moved to Broadway a year later.
The original Broadway run won seven of its 11 Tony nominations including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Actress in a Musical for Glenn Close as Desmond.
Several revivals were made in the following years, the most successful ones being the versions by Jamie Lloyd where Filipino-American artist Nicole Scherzinger played Desmond and won both an Olivier and Tony for her portrayal.
An Asian tour recently concluded this year with Sarah Brightman playing Desmond, and now Ampil steps into the iconic role as "Sunset Boulevard" arrives in the Philippines for the first time.
Ampil has taken on celebrated characters in musical theater around the world including Kim in "Miss Saigon," Grizabella in "Cats," Mary Magdalene in "Jesus Christ Superstar," Carlotta Giudicelli in "The Phantom of the Opera," and both Eponine and Fantine in "Les Miserables."
In 2023 she became the first woman to play The Engineer in "Miss Saigon." Ampil has not performed a stage musical in the Philippines since 2019's "Cats" though she did take part in 54th Anniversary Gala of the Cultural Center of the Philippines three years ago.
Local production outfit CueCraft Entertainment, in an arrangement with Webber's LW Entertainment Ltd., will oversee the limited staging from August 18 to September 12, 2027 at Makati's Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza under the direction of Nelsito Gomez.
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