A star of the silent movie era, she's been cast adrift by the advent of 'talkies' and plots her return to mega stardom, never dropping for a second her sense of glamour, theatre or the all-consuming conviction of her own greatness.

It's the tragic tale contained in Billy Wilder's classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber into a stage musical of the same name. And now this little piece of classic Hollywood is coming to Queanbeyan, opening next Wednesday night at The Q.

The sets are built, the cast is finely-tuned, and Canberra actress Bronwyn Sullivan, who plays the starlet Norma, says she's looking forward to bringing this famous role to life.

"She's very much larger than life," Ms Sullivan said. "She's completely over the top and very dramatic and theatrical. Every emotion she display is heightened, so when she loses her mind, she really loses it."

And in an age where just about anyone can hack their way onto the screen, Ms Sullivan said Sunset Boulevard provides audiences with a look back into a time when the word 'star' still meant something.

"People love looking back at those old movie stars, because they lived a very, very dramatic lifestyle and a very luxurious lifestyle.

"They were big stars. It's not quite like that now. And we didn't really know as much about people's private lives back then as we do now."

The production is one of the local venue's few hand-picked, in-house shows this season, and is being directed by The Q's creative director, Stephen Pike.

"Stephen brings a very fresh eye to the story. He's very good with vision, at looking at people on stage and knowing exactly where they should be and what they should be doing. He's got a very good insight into this story, and it's a wonderful story," Ms Sullivan said.

"I think one of the luxuries about doing a production at The Q is that you get to rehearse at The Q, which is not always the case with other companies. And we're very fortunate to already have the set in there, and we can rehearse on the set. It's a big advantage."

* See Sunset Boulevard play at The Q Performing Arts Society, Queanbeyan from Wednesday October 8 to Saturday October 25. Tickets are $46 for subscribers ($41 concession and groups) or $56 non-subscribers ($51 concession and groups). For more information, or to book, phone the box office on 6285 6290 or visit www.theq.net.au.