Tom Francis Is Having A Bloody Good Time In 'Sunset Boulevard' On Broadway

The British actor delivers a star-making performance alongside Nicole Scherzinger in the wild revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Tom Francis insists he’s not in danger when he steps out onto a bustling New York sidewalk for his chilling rendition of the title song from the musical “Sunset Boulevard,” accompanied by a camera crew beaming the performance onto an LED screen inside the St. James Theatre.

“When you say yes to something, but you don’t know what you’re saying yes to … that’s kind of what happened,” the British actor said with a laugh. “[Director Jamie Lloyd] said to me, ‘I’m here to make you and the piece look good,’ and I trusted him and the team implicitly. There are literal points I have to hit on certain lines, so it’s about trying to hit those points and hoping my in-ear monitors don’t cut out so that I can hear what’s going on.”

“Sunset Boulevard” — adapted by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and writer-lyricists Don Black and Christopher Hampton from the 1950 film of the same name — has, until now, been known to theatergoers as a star vehicle for Glenn Close and for the much-publicized legal wrangling that nearly overshadowed its 1993 Broadway premiere.

Watch the music video for “Sunset Boulevard” below.

Lloyd’s revival, which debuted in London last year prior to transferring to Broadway last month, takes imaginative swings with the material. In addition to having Francis perform his big solo outdoors, the two-time Tony Award-nominated director eschews the original’s glittery excess for a minimalist staging.