Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State University alumna Nicole Scherzinger won a Tony for her magnificent Broadway debut in “Sunset Boulevard” at the 78th annual Tony Awards June 8 at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
The former lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls was lauded for her fiercely transformative and vocally thrilling reinterpretation of aging silent film star Norma Desmond in the Andrew Lloyd Webber-composed production, which also won for best revival of a musical and best lighting design of a musical.
“Growing up I always felt like I didn’t belong but you all have made me feel like I belong and I have come home at last,” Scherzinger said in her emotional acceptance speech. “So if there’s anyone out there who feels like they don’t belong or your time hasn’t come — don’t give up. Just keep on giving and giving because the world needs your love and your light now more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins.”
Scherzinger, 46, also captivated in performance. Barefooted and wearing a simple black dress, she delivered a ravishing rendition of “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” Lloyd Webber’s gorgeous ballad centered on Norma’s ill-fated return to Paramount Pictures. In an ideal passing of the torch moment, Scherzinger was introduced by Glenn Close, who won a Tony as Norma in the original 1994 Broadway production.
In 2024 Scherzinger won the Olivier Award, the highest honor in British theater, for her portrayal of Norma in London’s West End. This season her accolades included the Drama League’s Distinguished Performance Award and being recognized as one of TIME magazine’s most influential people of 2025.
