Director Jamie Lloyd Is Living on a Knife Edge with Sunset Boulevard

"We'll give the world new ways to dream."

The signature lyric from Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Christopher Hampton's Sunset Boulevard is also the centerpiece of director Jamie Lloyd's fresh, Tony-nominated take on the musical. Lloyd, a three-time Tony-nominated director, is back on the New York City scene this season with his modern and minimalist production, starring Nicole Scherzinger and Tom Francis reprising their Olivier-winning turns as Norma Desmond and Joe Gillis.

Now, with seven Tony nominations for the show, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical, Lloyd reflects on his creation with Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens. They fittingly began their conversation with a walk down West 44th Street, the unpredictable, ever-changing and chaotic slice of New York City that has become an integral part of the show’s setting.

It’s the surprise backdrop for the epic Act-Two opener, the musical’s title number that showcases Francis’ ability to sing and weave through Midtown tourists at the same time. "We didn't plan this originally," Lloyd says of the moment. "I went into rehearsals with Tom and I said, 'How are we going to do this title song?'” Francis’ initial thought was simple and classic: “It's such an iconic number. I'll just stand center stage and sing it,” Lloyd remembers him saying. “As he was singing, this idea came to me that we would start off in his dressing room and go all the way through the building. At the point where you think he's going to step on stage and sing the song, he leaves the building."

Accompanied by camera operator Shayna McPherson, his fellow castmates, and a team of security, Francis must sing in sync with the orchestra, which is fed to him through an earpiece. "It's been an adventure to work out the route all the way along here and into Shubert Alley," Lloyd says as he walks under the marquee, eventually arriving at a large image of Francis, plastered outside the St. James. "When he comes to this picture, he stands and he sings, 'Sure, I came out here to make my name.' And of course he's singing as Joe Gillis, but he's also singing as Tom Francis coming to Broadway and becoming this amazing Broadway star. It works on many, many levels."

When it came to incorporating camera work into the production, Lloyd discovered an even deeper meaning in the story. "The cinematic language is inherent in the text—it's about movies and movie-making and being in Hollywood. It made sense that it was a part of the language of the production." A more “democratic” musical became an unexpected side benefit. "It's all about the language of the closeup,” says Lloyd. “Wherever you're sat in the auditorium, even if you're in the balcony or in the so-called worst seats of the house, you still have this very immediate connection with the actors and you're seeing right into the whites of their eyes."

The depth the cameras bring to the production is matched only by the demand it creates; there is no room for error. "Doing the camera work for the first time was a whole new territory for me, but it was so thrilling," Lloyd says. "A lot of these shots would take hours to set up if you were filming them on a movie. The actors need to be exactly in the right spot, the camera operation, the live mixing. We are literally on a knife edge every night. It could go wrong. The signal could go down. Somehow, with this passion and perseverance from this team, it all works."

This intoxicating production is propelled by a cast willing to step into the unknown with trust in the vision, and Lloyd boldly urges the audience to do the same. "I love when [Norma Desmond] sings 'We'll give the world new ways to dream,'" he says. "There's something about thinking outside the box, exploring new territory and new ideas. That's what we try to do with all of our work. We're trying to increase the connection between the people on stage and the people in the auditorium. We're asking the audience to be co-authors in the experience. Their imagination is very much a part of the experience. Hopefully, we are giving audiences new ways to dream."

Watch the full video below.