LuPone was part of the first graduating class of Juilliard's Drama Division (1968–1972: Group 1),[10] which also included actors Kevin Kline and David Ogden Stiers.[11] She graduated from Juilliard in 1972 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.[12] According to LuPone, her rigorous Juilliard training has instilled in her "a respect for the craft of acting and the stage", but maintains that it did little to prepare her for the realties of pursuing a career on Broadway.[13] LuPone has a mezzo-soprano vocal range,[14][15][16] and she is known for her strong/high "Broadway" belt singing voice. In a 2008 interview, she maintained that she was "an actor who sings", and thankful she "had a voice".[17]
In 1976, theater producer David Merrick hired LuPone as a replacement to play Genevieve, the title role of the troubled pre-Broadway production of The Baker's Wife. The production toured at length but Merrick deemed it unworthy of Broadway and it closed out of town.[23]
Since 1977, LuPone has frequently collaborated with David Mamet, appearing in his plays The Woods, All Men Are Whores, The Blue Hour, The Water Engine (1978),[24]Edmond, The Old Neighborhood (1997),[25] and The Anarchist (2012). The New York Times reviewer wrote of LuPone in The Old Neighborhood, "Those who know Ms. LuPone only as a musical comedy star will be stunned by the naturalistic fire she delivers here. As Jolly, a part inspired by Mr. Mamet's real-life sister and his realized female character, Ms. LuPone finds conflicting layers of past and present selves in practically every line. She emerges as both loving matriarch and wounded adolescent, sentimental and devastatingly clear-eyed."[26] In 1978, she appeared in the Broadway musical adaptation of Studs Terkel's Working, which ran for only 24 performances.[27]
1979–1999: Evita and Broadway stardom
LuPone gained stardom for her portrayal of Eva Perón in Evita (1979)
In 1979, LuPone starred in the original Broadway production of Evita, the musical based on the life of Eva Perón, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and directed by Harold Prince.[28] She reportedly won the role over 200 auditionees, including Meryl Streep, Ann-Margret and Raquel Welch.[29] Although LuPone was hailed by critics, she has since said that her time in Evita was not an enjoyable one. In a 2007 interview, she stated "Evita was the worst experience of my life," she said. "I was screaming my way through a part that could only have been written by a man who hates women. And I had no support from the producers, who wanted a star performance onstage but treated me as an unknown backstage. It was like Beirut, and I fought like a banshee."[30] Despite the trouble, LuPone won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.[31] "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina", a song she performed for the show, became one of her signature songs throughout her career.[32] It was not until she had reprised the role in a production in Sydney when she had finally enjoyed the part and felt comfortable singing the score.[33][34] LuPone and her co-star, Mandy Patinkin, remained close friends both on and off the stage.
In 1980, LuPone's cabaret act, "Patti LuPone at Les Mouches," played for 27 consecutive weeks on Saturday evenings at midnight following her 8pm performance in Evita.[35] The New York Daily News reviewed saying, "Anyone who thinks there are no volcanoes in New York should check out Les Mouches any Saturday midnight in March. It is here at the witching hour that Patti LuPone fulminates, thunders, and showers the room with sparks of her debut cabaret act."[36] In 2008, a restored recording was released as an album by Ghostlight Records.[37]
In 1983, LuPone starred as Rosalind opposite Val Kilmer in As You Like It at the Guthrie Theatre, directed by Liviu Ciulei.[38] In May 1983, founding alumni of The Acting Company reunited for an off-Broadway revival of Marc Blitzstein's landmark labor musical The Cradle Will Rock at the American Place Theater. It was narrated by John Houseman with LuPone in the roles of Moll and Sister Mister.[39] The production premiered at The Acting Company's summer residence at Chautauqua Institution, toured the United States including an engagement at the Highland Park, Illinois' Ravinia Festival in 1984 and played in London's West End. When the run ended, LuPone remained in London to create the role of Fantine in Cameron Mackintosh's original London production of Les Misérables, in 1985, which premiered at the Barbican Theatre, at that time the London home of the Royal Shakespeare Company.[40] LuPone had previously worked for Mackintosh in a short-lived Broadway revival of Oliver! in 1984, playing Nancy opposite Ron Moody as Fagin.[41] For her work in both The Cradle Will Rock and Les Misérables, LuPone received the 1985 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.[42][43]
LuPone played Libby Thatcher on the television drama Life Goes On, which ran on ABC from 1989 to 1993.[49][50][51] In the 1990s she had a recurring role as defense attorney Ruth Miller on Law & Order. She has twice been nominated for an Emmy Award: for the TV movie The Song Spinner (1995, Daytime Emmy Award nominee),[52] and for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series on Frasier in 1998.[citation needed] She had a cameo as herself that year on an episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Kelsey Grammer. In 1993, LuPone returned to London to create the role of Norma Desmond in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard at the Adelphi Theater. There was much anticipation of LuPone appearing in another Lloyd Webber musical, the first since her performance in Evita. Her time in the show was difficult, and she was abruptly fired by Lloyd Webber. Lloyd Webber then selected Glenn Close to open the show in Los Angeles and eventually on Broadway, despite LuPone being contracted to open both productions.[53][54] She claims she was essentially blacklisted in Hollywood after the Sunset Boulevard debacle due to rumors that she had been difficult to work with in New York.[55]
In November 1995, LuPone starred in her one-woman show, Patti LuPone on Broadway, at the Walter Kerr Theatre.[56] For her work, she received an Outer Critics Circle Award. The following year, she was selected by producer Robert Whitehead to succeed his wife, Zoe Caldwell in the Broadway production of Terrence McNally's play Master Class, based on the master classes given by operatic diva Maria Callas at Juilliard.[53] LuPone received positive reviews, with Vincent Canby writing "Ms. LuPone really is vulnerable here in a way that wasn't anticipated: she's in the process of creating a role for which she isn't ideally suited, but she's working like a trouper to get it right."[57] She appeared in the play in the West End.
LuPone's TV work also included a recurring role on her cousin Tom Fontana's HBO series in its final season, Oz (2003).[60] She appeared as herself on a February 2005 episode of Will & Grace.[61] She also appeared on the series Ugly Betty in March 2007 as the mother of Marc St. James (played by Michael Urie).[62] LuPone had a recurring guest role as Frank Rossitano's mother on 30 Rock. LuPone appeared as herself in the season two finale of the television series Glee.[63]
She returned to Broadway in October 2005 to star as Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's new Broadway production of Sweeney Todd. In this radically different interpretation of the musical, the ten actors on stage also served as the show's orchestra, and LuPone played the tuba and orchestra bells as well as performing the score vocally.[64] For her performance, she received a Tony Award nomination as well as Golden Icon Award for Best Female Musical Theater Performance.[65] In August 2006, LuPone took a three-week leave from Sweeney in order to play Rose in Lonny Price's production of Gypsy at Ravinia.[59]Sweeney Todd closed in September 2006.
Following the Ravinia Festival production of Gypsy, LuPone and author Arthur Laurents mended a decade-long rift, and she was cast in the City Center Encores! Summer Stars production of the show. Laurents directed LuPone in Gypsy for a 22-performance run (July 9, 2007 – July 29, 2007) at City Center.[68] This production of Gypsy then transferred to Broadway, opening March 27, 2008 at the St. James Theatre.[69] LuPone won the Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League Award, Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for her performance in Gypsy.[70][71] It closed on January 11, 2009. During the penultimate performance of Gypsy on January 10, 2009, LuPone interrupted her performance of "Rose's Turn" to address an audience member using a flash camera, a violation of theater etiquette.[72] After the patron was removed, LuPone resumed her performance to applause.[73] This incident, captured on video and widely circulated online, sparked a broader discussion about the impact of audience distractions on live theater.[74][75]
In August 2010, LuPone appeared in a three-day run of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun where she played the title role opposite Patrick Cassidy at the Ravinia Festival, directed by Lonny Price.[76] That same year, LuPone created the role of Lucia in the original Broadway production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which opened at the Belasco Theater on November 4, 2010, and closed on January 2, 2011, after 23 preview and 69 regular performances. LuPone was nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance. LuPone's memoir recounting her life and career from childhood onwards, was published in September 2010 titled Patti LuPone: A Memoir.[77][78] It was a New York Times Best Seller. [79]
In 2011, LuPone played the role of Joanne in a four-night limited engagement concert production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company at the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Paul Gemignani. The production starred Neil Patrick Harris as Bobby. Harris had previously worked with LuPone in the 2000 and 2001 concert productions of Sweeney Todd. The cast of Company performed the song "Side by Side by Side" at the 65th Tony Awards on June 12, 2011. LuPone made her New York City Ballet debut in May 2011 in a production of The Seven Deadly Sins directed and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett. A piece she had previously performed, LuPone sang the role of Anna in the Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht score.[80] LuPone concluded a 63-performance Broadway engagement of her concert with former Evita co-star Mandy Patinkin entitled An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin. The run started on November 21, 2011, at the Ethel Barrymore Theater and ended on January 13, 2012.[81] In late 2012, LuPone appeared with Debra Winger in the premiere of David Mamet's play The Anarchist.[citation needed]
In early 2015, she returned to Los Angeles Opera to perform the role of Samira in a new production of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles, receiving positive reviews.[88][89] In April 2016, an audio recording of the production was released by Pentatone (PTC 5186538, a 2-SACD album).[90] It won the 2017 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Album and for Best Opera Recording.[91] In June 2015, LuPone appeared in the Douglas Carter Beane play Shows for Days at Lincoln Center Theater.[92] LuPone again received media attention for an incident during a Shows for Days performance when she confiscated a patron's cellphone after they were observed using it during the show; it was returned after the performance. LuPone expressed frustration with audience members who disrupt performances with their phones, stating, "We work hard on stage to create a world that is being totally destroyed by a few, rude, self-absorbed and inconsiderate audience members who are controlled by their phones."[93] In October 2015, LuPone, along with the current Fantine on the West End, joined her castmates to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Les Misérables.[94]
In 2017, LuPone originated the role of Helena Rubinstein in the musical War Paint on Broadway, after performing the role in the summer of 2016 in the musical's world premiere at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.[95] Performing opposite Christine Ebersole as Rubinstein's longtime competitor Elizabeth Arden, LuPone stayed with the role for War Paint's entire run at the Nederlander Theatre, from March 7 to November 5, 2017.[96] The show closed prematurely to allow LuPone to undergo hip surgery.[97] LuPone disclosed in an interview that War Paint would be her last musical on stage: "I'm too old. It's been hard—it's been harder than it's ever been. I can't do it anymore."[98] Nevertheless, in September 2017 it was announced that LuPone would star as Joanne in the 2018 London revival of Company alongside Rosalie Craig as Bobbie in a gender-swapped production directed by Marianne Elliot.[99] For her performance she received her second Laurence Olivier Award, this time for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical. In August 2019, it was announced that the production would move to Broadway, with LuPone returning as Joanne and Katrina Lenk as Bobbie.[100]
In 2019, LuPone played an antagonistic role in Pose, appearing in second season of the series. In 2020, LuPone starred in the Ryan Murphy series Hollywood for Netflix.[101] The following year she teamed up with social media star Randy Rainbow to perform a duet song criticizing Donald Trump three weeks before the 2020 US election.
A transfer of the successful West End production of Company was set to open at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 22, 2020, coinciding with Stephen Sondheim's 90th birthday, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[102] The production returned, featuring LuPone starring opposite Katrina Lenk, with previews starting on November 15, 2021, before officially opening December 9, 2021.[103] LuPone won her third Tony Award for the role. On May 10, 2022, during a live conversation with the American Theatre Wing and her Company co-stars, Patti LuPone publicly addressed a patron who was not wearing their face mask properly, a violation of Broadway League COVID-19 safety protocols.[104] LuPone later explained that the patron had already been warned by theater staff and had responded dismissively.[105] Her passionate response highlighted the importance of adhering to safety guidelines to ensure the continued operation of Broadway. This incident led to increased attention on safety protocols and a subsequent extension of the mask mandate by the Broadway League, from May 31 to June 30, 2022.[106][107]
LuPone performs regularly in her solo shows Matters of the Heart; Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda; and The Lady With the Torch[118] which sold out at Carnegie Hall. For example, she performed her one-woman show The Gypsy In My Soul at the Caramoor Fall Festival, New York, in September 2010.[119] She also appears at venues across North America in concerts with Mandy Patinkin, at such venues as the Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in September 2010.[120][121]
She appeared as the inaugural act at a new cabaret space, 54 Below, in New York City in June 2012. According to The New York Times reviewer, "Nowadays Ms. LuPone generates more raw excitement than any other performer on the Broadway and cabaret axis, with the possible exception of Liza Minnelli.... And her brilliant show, conceived and directed by her long-time collaborator, Scott Wittman, deserves many lives, perhaps even a Broadway run in an expanded edition. It certifies Ms. LuPone's place in the lineage of quirky international chanteuses like Lotte Lenya, Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf, who, like Ms. LuPone, conquered show business with forceful, outsize personalities while playing by their own musical rules."[122] She also appeared as the inaugural act at the Sharon L. Morse Entertainment Center in The Villages, Florida on April 30, 2015, to a sold-out audience of residents mainly 55 years-of-age and older.[123]
Artistry and reputation
LuPone is widely regarded as one of the greatest Broadway performers of her generation,[29][124][125][126] and one of the most influential actors in musical theater.[127]The London Times once nicknamed her the "first lady of the theater",[29] and American-British journalist Hadley Freeman declared her "the queen of Broadway" and "the goddess of the modern musical".[128] In 2010, theatre critic Charles McNulty wrote that her stage presence demonstrates a ferocity that, when paired with the right material, resembles "a return to a golden age when powerhouses ruled Broadway".[124]AllMusic biographer William Ruhlmann noted that, unlike her predecessors Mary Martin and Ethel Merman, LuPone was never afforded the luxury to seamlessly transition between musical productions, instead using lulls in her Broadway career to diversify her endeavors by appearing in plays, films, television, nightclubs, concert tours, and recording solo studio albums.[125] According to Susan Vaughn of the Los Angeles Times, LuPone is mostly known for playing "larger-than-life characters" on stage,[29] whereas Adam Sandel of The Advocate observed "she's often played women who've fought like hell to overcome obstacles through the sheer force of indomitable will".[129] She has also played many Jewish women, both on stage and screen, despite not identifying as Jewish herself.[13][130][131] LuPone believes she is often cast in ethnic parts because of her Italian heritage and prominent facial features, which allow her to play more interesting female roles.[130] At the same time, she has expressed frustration at frequently being overlooked for roles she believes she is best suited for, often in favor of less qualified actors,[126] and insists she has been bullied by Broadway professionals for much of her career.[132]
Music and theatre critics have described LuPone as a mezzo-soprano,[133][134][135] which The Seattle Times said can equally "blast a big showtune out of the park, or sweetly murmur a lullaby".[136] Vocally, she is known for her powerful, emotive style of belting,[128] and according to Nerelle Harper of QNews set a new standard "for a modern generation of high-belt thrill trillers".[137] To cope with some vocally demanding roles such as Evita, during which she lost her voice several times, she remained silent when not performing and limited social activities.[138] After undergoing surgery to treat vocal nodules during the 1990s,[139] she learned how to sing in a more operatic manner to preserve her voice, prior to which she admitted to relying on "sheer guts and willpower" to belt.[29] She credits vocal coach Joan Lader with saving her career and teaching her "a technique to allow me to continue to sing with the strength and the clarity”.[139] LuPone has performed some operatic roles, despite having no formal operatic training.[140] She has performed in several Sondheim musicals, and credits the composer with making her a better singer due to the difficulty of his material.[141] In return, Sondheim has praised her singing, acting, and attention to detail, and thanked her for "enhancing my shows — and everyone else’s for that matter".[55] According to Andrew Gans of Playbill, LuPone belongs to a handful of singing actors who "are masters of stillness, bringing songs to full life with an inner well of emotions that seep out in unexpected and heartbreaking moments".[142] However, her trademark diction has been criticized for sounding unclear,[143][144][145][146] including by collaborators Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Houseman, the latter of whom reportedly strangled her over her enunciation.[132] LuPone admitted that her emotional acting choices can compromise her diction.[132] In addition to Sondheim, LuPone has identified performers Edith Piaf, Bette Davis, and David Mamet as influences,[147] and expressed admiration for stage actresses Angela Lansbury, Zoe Caldwell, and Elaine Stritch, all of whose signature roles she would eventually play herself.[13]
The media has described LuPone as a polarizing entertainer,[124] equally praised and criticized for her talent and unfiltered opinions.[147][148] McNulty observed that critics have alternated between pigeonholing her into specific genres or underappreciating her vibrancy.[124] She has been labeled a diva for much of her career,[128][149] which journalists attribute to both her talent and high standards,[128][137] and perceived demanding temperament on and off-stage.[138][132] Ruhlmann said her reported "cold, dark" persona allowed her to excel playing "the kinds of anti-heroines who peopled the musicals of the later decades of the 20th century".[125] Some sources have said LuPone developed a reputation for being difficult,[124][138] a designation the actress has attributed to sexism against women for simply asserting their needs.[55] Theatre critic Ben Brantley reported that the fallout from Sunset Boulevard damaged LuPone's public image and relegated her Broadway appearances to one-woman and non-musical shows, until she returned to musical theater in the early 2000s.[150] Meanwhile, her Evita co-star Mandy Patinkin defended her as a sensitive performer who "can’t let certain feelings go, which is a burden and a blessing. She fights through it all and gives everything, until there’s nothing left in her".[55] Her fanbase has been nicknamed "LuPonistas",[29][151][152] and she has often been hired to play exaggerated versions of herself in television and film, representing "the symbol of Broadway musical theater", according to Time Out's Adam Feldman.[126]
LuPone is known for her candid and outspoken nature,[129] a trait she attributes to her upbringing.[13] She has stated that her forthrightness has occasionally led to professional setbacks, beginning with her time promoting Evita.[13] Her unfiltered remarks and actions have often made headlines, including instances of going off-script during performances.[127] A vocal critic of the commercialization of Broadway, LuPone has likened its current state to Las Vegas,[13][132][126][153] arguing that shows should have limited runs to allow space for fresh, innovative productions.[13] She has also expressed a disdain for red carpet events, noting that her tendency to "speak [her] truth" can be at odds with the expected decorum of such occasions.[128] Additionally, LuPone has been outspoken about theater etiquette, frequently voicing concerns over disruptive behavior by some audience members.[154] She is widely regarded as a gay icon,[155] which LuPone attributes to fans recognizing that she has "had to fight, like the LGBTQ community has had to fight for identity. For a simple way to live. For acceptance".[156]
A live concert special film, An Evening with Patti LuPone, was filmed in July 2012 and released in November 2012 on SethTv.com with 104 minutes of Patti LuPone songs and stories with host Seth Rudetsky.[236]
A new CD of one of her shows, The Lady with the Torch, was released in 2006 on Sh-K-Boom Records. In December she released bonus tracks for that CD only available on iTunes and the Sh-K-Boom website.[237]
^Azzopardi, Chris (June 11, 2009). "GLT " Everything's Coming Up Patti". Gaylesbiantimes.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
^ abcRuhlmann, William. "Patti LuPone Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024. one of the most successful musical theater stars of her generation
^ abNg, David (September 28, 2011). "Influences: Patti LuPone". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2024. Equally loved ... and feared ... she is an actress whose ferocious stage presence knows no compromise.
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