Glenn Close will return in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway

Three-time Tony winner and six-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close will officially reprise her most iconic stage role as Norma Desmond in the Broadway transfer of the London ENO production of Sunset Boulevard. Previews will begin at Broadway's Palace Theatre on 2 February 2017, before an offciail opening on 9 February and a limited 16-week engagement through to 28 May 2017.

Producers Paul Blake and Mike Bosner released the following statement:

"Seeing Glenn Close revisit her Tony Award-winning performance in London's West End was a transcendent experience for us both. We wouldn't have thought it possible, but Glenn's masterful performance is even richer and more layered than before. And hearing the sweeping, breathtaking score performed by a 40-piece orchestra only solidified why Andrew Lloyd Webber is a living legend."

Synopsis: "In her mansion on Sunset Boulevard, faded, silent-screen goddess, Norma Desmond, lives in a fantasy world. Impoverished screen writer, Joe Gillis, on the run from debt collectors, stumbles into her reclusive world. Persuaded to work on Norma's 'masterpiece', a film script that she believes will put her back in front of the cameras, he is seduced by her and her luxurious life-style. Joe becomes entrapped in a claustrophobic world until his love for another woman leads him to try and break free with dramatic consequences. The musical is based on the 1950 film of the same name."

Next year, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber will be celebrated with the rare distinction of having four musicals running on Broadway at the same time: The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock, Cats and Sunset Boulevard.

Additional casting and creative team information will be announced at a later date.

Sunset Boulevard opened to rave reviews at the London Coliseum on 4 April 2016. Click HERE to read the London Theatre Guide's review.

The musical premiered in London's West End in 1993, and earned Olivier Award nominations for Best New Musical and Best Actress in a Musical. The production was directed by Sir Trevor Nunn and starred two-time Tony winner Patti LuPone. After various well-publicized law suits, Glenn Close took over the role of Norma Desmond as Sunset Boulevard premiered on Broadway in 1994, earning Ms. Close her third Tony Award and picking up seven Tonys in total.

Glenn Close made her Broadway debut in 'Love for Love' in 1974. She won Tony Awards for 'The Real Thing' in 1984, 'Death and the Maiden' in 1992 and, of course, for 'Sunset Boulevard' in 1995. She also received a Tony nomination for 'Barnum' in 1980. Other Broadway credits include 'The Rules of the Game,' 'The Member of the Wedding,' 'Rex,' 'The Crucifer of Blood,' 'Benefactors,' and most recently in 'A Delicate Balance' in the 2014-2015 Broadway season. She received Oscar nominations for "Albert Nobbs" in 2012, "Dangerous Liaisons" in 1989, "Fatal Attraction" in 1988, "The Natural" in 1985, "The Big Chill" in 1984 and "The World According to Garp" in 1983. She has also won 2 Golden Globes and 3 Emmys over her career. Other notable screen credits include "Mars Attacks!," Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy," "The Stepford Wives," Disney's "Tarzan," and Disney's "101 Dalmatians."

- by Tom Millward