For Patti LuPone,
the standing ovations began almost 30 years ago and
have not stopped. The excitement of seeing Patti LuPone live
has been thrillingly captured in Patti LuPone at
Les Mouches, the never-before-released
recordings from her legendary 1980 nightclub act.
Patti LuPone in
Gypsy
This summer Patti
LuPone won her second Best Actress Tony Award for her
work as Rose, the ultimate stage mother, in the latest
revival of Gypsy. That evening she brought the
audience to its feet with her electrifying performance
of "Everything’s Coming Up Roses."
Gypsy is often described as the greatest
musical of all time -- the perfect marriage of book and
score. Revived on Broadway in 2003, critics agreed
Bernadette Peters was an odd choice for the role, and
most went out of their way to dismiss her and the show
itself. But Peters’s superior acting made the
performance a thrill a minute, and the actress scored
a Tony nomination.
But Patti
LuPone's stepped it up a notch. Vocally she is perfect for
the role. Where Peters struggled with the
Styne-Sondheim score, LuPone plants her feet a little
wider and steamrolls through each song with a brassy
belt you just don't hear on Broadway these days -- and the
standing ovations from audiences and critics were
among the loudest they've ever been on the Great White
Way.
For Patti LuPone,
the standing ovations began almost 30 years ago and
have not stopped. The excitement of seeing Patti LuPone live
has been thrillingly captured in Patti LuPone at
Les Mouches, the never-before-released
recordings from her legendary 1980 nightclub act.
The album is an
eclectic, often inspired combination of songs recorded
throughout her 27-week run at Les Mouches. The music ranges
from ’30s standards to iconic moments from her
own musical theater triumphs in Evita and the
lesser-known work The Baker's Wife. For extra
measure she throws in some pop, disco, and even a
little punk -- a reach the show's musical director,
David Lewis, wasn't originally certain LuPone could handle.
Lewis had already
created nightclub acts for actresses including
Butterfly McQueen and Diane Keaton when he began working
with LuPone. He had met the Broadway star playing for
her at auditions and decided to fashion a show after
her Eva Perón persona, a portrayal he describes as
"fierce." He refers to her as a diva of the people, and the
album proves if you can sing…you can sing.
And Patti LuPone
can indeed sing it all.
Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.
Page 1 of 3