Glenn vs Nicole

[Crusty Bagel]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 6:36am

Which of them played Norma Desmond better, and why?

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 8:00am

Glenn because she is an actor. 

 

Apples and oranges as to which show or performance you prefer though, really. 

Updated On: 8/3/25 at 08:00 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 8:07am

Totally different interpretations so it’s idiotic to compare them. Different directors. Different stagings. Different productions. Same reason it’s idiotic to ask to compare Rachel Zegler and Patti LuPone and who is/was a better EVITA. 

I know you just joined this message board, Crusty Bagel, but you can do better.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 8:35am

Close was magnificent. A single moment when that spotlight hit and what she did with her face and body before singing ”With One Look” is still one of the most stunning moments in theatre. 

[KrupYou]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 8:39am

GLENN. Nicole was American Idol amazing, but Glenn is the actress of our generation......deeper, richer, less flashy but more powerful. 

[binau]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 8:47am

Glenn was excellent in the role and brought a lot of gravitas with her pedigree and acting skills. However, ultimately I think Nicole’s performance is the one for the ages. The emotional depth of the musical performances is just so unmatched. ‘American idol’ doesn’t really capture what is going on in my opinion. It’s deep, deep from her soul and you can really feel the emotion pouring out through her diverse and complex range of choices. So regardless of who did ‘Norma Desmond’ better ultimately I think Nicole gave the more special performance. 

[Crusty Bagel]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 9:04am

Glenn is the only actress who actually had the gravitas needed to play the role.  She has a very special ability to be larger than life and campy while at the same time being completely earnest and not having to resort to gimmicks.  She’s not a traditional singer, but walked on stage with so much confidence and boldness as if she was the most epic opera singer you ever heard, and that to me is the character.  Her As if I never said goodbye was more dramatic as she leaned into the delusion, it was totally serious, let your guard down performance of the song. She also has the face that looks like it should be in silent pictures. 

Nicole was far too pedestrian to play the role.  Jamie Lloyd went down the failed Patti route with the big voice and annoying schtick. He should have chosen someone like Rosamund Pike to play the role. 
Frankly, Glenn sang the score better than Nicole ever did. 

[abcd12]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 9:13am

Crusty bagel, please get off this board for good. No one wanted you here when you were Broadway Flash. No one wanted you here when you came back under a new alias. No one wants you here now. 
 

Your ignorance and idiocy are single handedly ruining this message board. 

Updated On: 8/3/25 at 09:13 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 9:16am

They're both were good under different direction.  To compare isn't worth it.

So CRUSTY BAGEL joined a week ago to pose a question and then give answer to said question???   I call foul. 

Updated On: 8/3/25 at 09:16 AM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 9:22am

Comparing is bizarre in these cases. It's not like Mama Rose, where we've had 3 major Broadway mountings in 20 years. Norma's have been two, 30 years apart. Both were arguably excellent, because they were perfectly cast for their productions, and for their respective generations.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 9:24am

Crusty Bagel just revealed themselves with that long assessment on their own question. No we know how to proceed whenever we see them posting. 

[pattilupony]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 10:42am

Having been lucky enough to see both of them, they both are so wonderful in the role, and I'm so glad I've gotten to see two wildly different but beautiful takes on the role.

That said Nicole will always BE Norma to me - her singing is obviously beautiful but the nuance and vulnerability in her acting is what really made me love her performance. Her connection to the material is obviously overwhelming - some people criticize her for seeming too much like Nicole in the show, but to me that's precisely the point. Those moments where she sings things like "I've come home at last" or says "this is my life, it always will be, there is nothing else," you know she is feeling it both as Norma and as Nicole and allowing the audience to feel the emotion for both of them. I know some may argue that this isn't acting but to me the way this production asked you to consider whether Nicole is a modern day Norma Desmond really worked and she played the role so magically. 

[Crusty Bagel]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 11:09am

How exactly is she a modern day norma?  She was never big enough to even be considered a real norma.  All her acting was forced and fake.  It was all dreadful. 

[Skip23]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 11:21am

What in hell is a modern day Norma?  
 

Stripped down, doing schtick, No costuming, barefoot. Young acting, constantly sexually forward?

 

Then that’s not Norma.  It’s an entirely different character. Interesting to watch, powerhouse vocals - But not Norma.  
 

 

[ER765]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 11:31am

Crusty Bagel said: "How exactly is she a modern day norma? She was never big enough to even be considered a real norma. All her acting was forced and fake. It was all dreadful."

No one cares about what you think. 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 11:35am

I honestly have no idea who the OP is, but why would you post a question than answer it yourself? 

[Crusty Bagel]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 11:37am

Because I wanted to share my own thoughts and hear everyone else’s

[OhHiii]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 12:09pm

Crusty Bagel said: "Nicole was far too pedestrian to play the role. Jamie Lloyd went down the failed Patti route with the big voice and annoying schtick. He should have chosen someone like Rosamund Pike to play the role.
Frankly, Glenn sang the score better than Nicole ever did."

I’d suggest you look up the definition of pedestrian because the use in this context is actually comical. You the same person who’s been dogging Nicole and the revival since first preview in London?

[abcd12]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 12:09pm

OhHiii said: "Crusty Bagel said: "Nicole was far too pedestrian to play the role. Jamie Lloyd went down the failed Patti route with the big voice and annoying schtick. He should have chosen someone like Rosamund Pike to play the role.
Frankly, Glenn sang the score better than Nicole ever did."

I’d suggest you look up the definition of pedestrian because the use in this context is actually comical. You the same person who’s been dogging Nicole and the revival since first preview in London?"

Don’t even bother feeding the trolls. 

[Crusty Bagel]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 12:23pm

No pedestrian is the right word. Nicole is a dime a dozen with her twerking and mugging and big voice. Glenn is actually a one of kind, there’s simply no one else like her and her acting and singing is superb.  
 

i saw Nicole singing losing my mind on Colbert, well guess what Nicole, Glenn’s got you beat there too because she sang it at the Kennedy center honors and it was UNREAL.  One of the best things EVER!!

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 3:18pm

Why do people never posit these kinds of questions about male performers?

[David10086]

Posted: 8/3/25 at 7:43pm

This question can only be answered by someone who knows the complexities of the character, and the true Julliard meaning of the skill we call acting.  So I paid a visit to Patti Lupone and asked her the question.

Patti gave me a cold stare without blinking once for 30 seconds. She then turned her head, looked out the window, and asked, "Isn't it a beautiful day ?" 

I hope her answer settles this once and for all.