Nicole Scherzinger has now checked another item off the bucket list.
On Wednesday night, Scherzinger made her debut at Carnegie Hall with a one-night-only concert in New York, following her Tony win earlier this year for best actress in a musical. Scherzinger starred as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. “I have been so blessed to have had so many dreams come true these past few years, but I don’t know if I ever dreamed this big,” she said to the crowd. “Ever since I was a little girl, I said, ‘One day I’m going to perform at the Carnegie Hall.’”
To kick things off, Scherzinger arrived in an all gold look to belt out “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl. But of course, she restarted the song at the beginning, giving a memorable nod to its original star, Barbra Streisand.
The singer also took the opportunity to honor some of her heroes by singing Shirley Bassey‘s “Diamonds Are Forever,” Follies‘ “Losing My Mind” and Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
But it was Scherzinger’s humor that made the night one to remember, in addition to her obvious talent. She joked about Diva behavior, showed off her Olivier and Tony Awards and debuted a hilarious, original song called “Bullshit.” She also said that she was working on “something” and teased that new music is coming.
Later in the night, she even brought out a bullhorn to poke fun at that viral moment in April when Sunset Blvd. experienced technical difficulties ahead of their matinee show, so instead of canceling the entire performance, she sang “With One Look” into a bullhorn to still give audiences a taste of the show’s experience. When THR spoke to her in May following her Tony nomination, she said her “pop star mentality” prepared her to “think on my feet.”
While it was a fun and lively performance, it was also emotional for Scherzinger, who wiped away tears between songs, likely overwhelmed by receiving seven standing ovations throughout the night. After Sunset Blvd.’s “As If We Never Said Goodbye” came to a close, she looked up the balcony, where its director Jamie Lloyd was sitting and thanked him for his support.
Scherzinger closed the night by reliving her pop star days as The Pussycat Dolls’ lead member. She sang “Buttons,” “When I Grow Up,” and “Don’t Cha,” sparking a collaborative performance as she walked out into the crowd, dancing and singing the songs with audience members.
With her 2011 solo track “Don’t Hold Your Breath” as the last number, she ended the night, saying to concertgoers: “I know you could be at a lot of places tonight, but you’re here with me and with all of us and that means the whole world to me.”
Scherzinger’s night at Carnegie Hall is the second stop in her three-part shows. She performed in London’s Royal Albert Hall on Monday and completes her run at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall on Oct. 30.
