When the well-received family drama petered out after four seasons, LuPone returned to the musical drama stage in London in Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of "Sunset Boulevard" (1993). Fully expecting to appear in the New York production, she was summarily dismissed by producer Lloyd Webber in favor of Glenn Close who received rave notices for her over-the-top (bordering on camp) interpretation of the role of Norma Desmond. LuPone settled for an undisclosed sum of money. After undergoing surgery to remove nodes on her vocal cords, she made a triumphant return to performing in a limited run concert version of "Pal Joey" in May 1995 and her own one-woman show "Patti LuPone on Broadway" in October 1995. When she replaced Zoe Caldwell as Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's "Master Class" in 1996, LuPone surprised many with her strong dramatic turn. She returned to the London stage in the same role the following year.