Sure, they came out here to make their name. And they succeeded. The Jamie Lloyd revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Blvd. not only won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, it has also been one of the most talked-about musicals this past season. Much of that is attributed to Nicole Scherzinger's fiery, and bloody, performance as Norma Desmond. But that notoriety also comes down to the musical sequence for the song "Sunset Boulevard," which is staged in a way that is truly unique and unprecedented. It is a musical sequence that has become so iconic that even Cynthia Erivo parodied it during her opening number for the 2025 Tony Awards.

Before Sunset Blvd. closes on Broadway July 20, let's look back at that sequence, which has made the show the most viral musical currently running on Broadway. 

For those who have not seen this revival, the second act of Sunset Blvd. has a camera operator following the actor who plays Joe Gillis (usually Tom Francis, now Pierre Marais) around the backstage of the St. James Theatre—while the orchestra plays the show's entr'acte. The sequence begins in the actor's dressing room, where he's usually watching the Gloria Swanson Sunset Boulevard film (on which the musical is based). He then walks down the stairs, past the show's many company members. He detours into the dressing rooms of the actor playing Max Von Myerling and Norma Desmond (the only time in the show that Norma wears a turban). 

He also walks past some Sunset Easter eggs: a chicken, a man in a chimp costume, and a cardboard cutout of Lloyd Webber (sometimes, the real Lloyd Webber has shown up for this moment).

The actor then walks all the way to the ground floor backstage, then through the lobby. As the first notes of the song "Sunset Boulevard" begins, he opens the doors of the St. James Theatre to reveal 44th Street before performing nearly the entirety of the song outside—usually he walks down 44th Street, crosses the street into Shubert Alley, stops next to a Sunset poster, and then walks back to the St. James. As he walks back, the ensemble of Sunset joins him. 

The entire time, he is singing "Sunset Boulevard" with the orchestra perfectly timed to his vocals.

Inside the St James, the audience is watching all of this on a giant screen via the live-feed from the camera. They then see the actor re-enter the theatre at house left to finish the song on the stage of the St. James. Usually ecstatic applause follows. The entire sequence is always performed live.

Ever since this sequence debuted in London, where this revival originated, onlookers have begun waiting every night outside the theatre to catch a glimpse of it (and to capture video for TikTok). 

There's no official video of the sequence. But below is a version that Tom Francis performed at the 2024 Olivier Awards. (If you want to experience the sequence yourself, you have until Sunday.)

What makes the Sunset Blvd walk memorable is it's truly a feat of vocal ability and stamina on the part of the actor who has to perform a challenging song while entirely in motion. And it's a feat of technical prowess and coordination on the part of everyone behind-the-camera—from the security people who have to stop vehicle traffic to let the cast members cross the street, to the cinematographers who have to make sure there is no lag between the orchestra inside and the actor outside, to camera operator (usually Shayna McPherson), who has to make sure she doesn't trip or drop the camera.

Video: How to Be a Camera Operator on Sunset Blvd., According to Cast Member Shayna McPherson

And that sequence is performed live every single night; it has even been done in the wind and the rain and a blizzard. When it's raining, the actors were given umbrellas and coats.

When there was a recent 100-degree heat wave in New York, Francis was allowed to take off his suit jacket. 

That's not to say there were never any mishaps. When there was a blizzard outside, there was a plan B walk, where a majority of it took place backstage and in the lobby of the St. James, and then Francis took a very short outdoor walk under the marquee. 

There have even been celebrity cameos during the Walk. Filmmaker Spike Lee walked with Marais during one recent matinee performance.

And most recently, Bernadette Peters and Beth Leavel made a cameo when Marais did the walk during the day—which happened at the same time that the two legends were hosting Broadway Barks. 

Many of the young people who have been posting about Sunset Blvd. were mere babes when the musical premiered on Broadway (and they likely haven't seen the 1950 film). And yet, the sight of an actor singing live on the streets of New York has captured their imaginations—showing that any musical, when done audaciously, has the ability to resonate across generations and move beyond Broadway to dominate the cultural conversation. 

And director Jamie Lloyd is repeating this ethos with his current production of Evita in the West End (where the crowd outside is currently numbering in the hundreds).

When Marais does the final Sunset Blvd. walk July 20, there will no doubt be crowds of onlookers outside to capture it. And it will be a showcase of just what happens when theatre is taken out of its dark spaces and brought to the people. Talk about a "jackpot boulevard."