Diahann Carroll starred as Norma Desmond in the Canadian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard". It premiered Sunday, October 15, 1995, at the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts in Metro Toronto (previews began Thursday, October 5 of that same year.) To Diahann it was yet another dream come true. She loved "Sunset Boulevard" the movie, and when she saw the musical in L.A. with Glenn Close as Norma, she knew she wanted to do the musical. It was a demanding role physically. Both Glenn Close and Betty Buckley said to Diahann that she had to stay in good shape to do the part - for example, Diahann had to run up and down 900 stairs in every performance. "I would cry after each performance," Diahann said in a 1996 interview. "The knee is not accustomed to doing all that in a 21/2-hour period. But slowly the body learned. And it relearns."   Portraying Norma Desmond was yet another "first" for Diahann Carroll - she was the first Afro American actress to play the lead in Sunset Boulevard. The Canadian production became a big success. After almost a year in Toronto, the musical moved to Vancouver. See the following pages for articles, cast details and reviews.