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Patti Lupone rules Broadway in "Gypsy"Patti LuPone is the toast of Broadway right now, and with good reason.
Her turn as “Mama Rose” in the current revival of Gypsy is drawing comparison's to Ethel Merman's original characterization of the stage mother of all stage mothers. I've always been envious that my mother saw the original run of Gypsy, but not anymore. (Well, at least not as much as before.) I think Ben Brantley of The New York Times summed up Lupone's performance beautifully. “When Ms. LuPone delivers “Rose's Turn,” she's building a bridge for an audience to walk right into one woman's nervous breakdown. There is no separation at all between song and character, which is what happens in those uncommon moments when musicals reach upward to achieve their ideal reasons to be.” And that's what I love so much about musical theater – those moments when the actor, the character and the song all merge together into one utterly captivating entity. It's a combination of the strength of the performance and of the material. (For the record, I did not experience any moment like that when I saw David Hasselhoff in Jeckyl and Hyde.) These moments are why I rail against stunt-casting. I don't want to see performers who are a curiousity; I want to see performers who make me get lost in the show. I had been wanting to see Patti LuPone in a Broadway show for ages. I saw 12 zillion Evita commercials when I was a kid, and she was always this Broadway great that I had never seen.
So, I'm thrilled to have finally seen her in all her greatness. Of course, over the years I've seen my fair share of great performances. And I'm going to indulge myself by reminiscing about a few of them. Ellen Greene – Little Shop of Horrors
The original off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors is still the funniest show I've ever seen. And even among the absolutely stellar cast, Ellen Greene stood out as Audrey, the waifish bombshell dating the sadistic dentist. Between her plaintive yearning in “Somewhere that's Green” and her bombast in “Suddenly Seymour”, she was utterly appealing. Audra McDonald – 110 in the Shade
I'd been trying to see Audra McDonald in a show for years, and finally got around to it in last summer's revival of 110 in the Shade. Audra McDonald, an insanely beautiful woman successfully embodied a character that was supposed to be plain.
Now that is some acting, because this woman is not plain. And then there's her singing, which I cannot even begin to describe. So I'll just say that she's really, really good. Lea Delaria – On the Town
I never saw Ethel Merman live, but I did see what could only be her spirit incarnate, when I saw Lea Delaria in the mediocre late 90s revival of On the Town. She played Hildy, the cabbie, and brought down the house with her show-stopping number, “I Can Cook, Too.” I first saw Delaria sing on Arsenio, in the early 90s. (She also said, of Hillary, on that show, “Finally in this country, we have a First Lady that you could boink.”) I knew she could sing. But I didn't know that she could take over the stage. It was so wrong that she didn't get a Tony nod for that performance. Chita Rivera – Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life
The original material in Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life was dreck. But when Chita was reminiscing about the choreographers with whom she worked over the years or reenacting her West Side Story audition…Oh. My. God. Capitvating doesn't begin to describe it. And part of what made the show so much fun was how much of a love-fest it was. She was just having fun basking in the adulation of the audience. And why not? She's Chita Rivera! I had seen her once before, playing Roxie in the Las Vegas production of Chicago. But seeing her wax nostalgic about her great roles made me yearn to time travel and see her back in the day. Jennifer Holliday – Dreamgirls OK, I'm cheating here. I didn't see this show. I only saw this performance on the Tony Awards. But I think it counts, because I can tell that this had to be one of the best Broadway performances ever. And Frank Rich of The New York Times backs me up: “Shortly after that, Curtis departs, and Miss Holliday just keeps riding wave after wave of painful music -clutching her stomach, keeling over, insisting that the scoundrel who has dumped her is ''the best man I'll ever know.'' The song can end only when Mr. Bennett matches the performer's brilliance with a masterstroke of his own - and it's a good thing that Act I of ''Dreamgirls'' ends soon thereafter. If the curtain didn't fall, the audience would probably cheer Jennifer Holliday until dawn.” And then he goes on to compare her performance with Ethel Merman's Mama Rose. I guess there's something compelling about a nervous breakdown immortalized in song. (If there's ever a musical about Jessica Savitch, it will be another Tony Award-winner.) Well, I believe that's enough gushing for one sitting. This is only a few of the great performances I've seen, but it's a good sampling. What performances have – be they Broadway or otherwise – have stopped you in your tracks? Submitted by on March 31, 2008 - 4:20am. |
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Where do I begin?
I have been lucky enough to see many stand out performances. Here are some of my favorites:
Bernadette Peters in "Annie Get Your Gun" - that was one amazing performance. She was completely into the character and gave it her all. When she performed one of her duets with Tom Wopat (the one where she promises to love honor but NOT obey) they actually repeated one of the stanzas because they were having so much fun. It was one of those live moments in musical theater that is so incredibly magical.
Rachel York in "Victor/Victoria" - I love seeing Rachel in anything (she's gorgeous and incredibly talented) but she almost stole the show with this one. She was sexy and funny and belted every number. Check out "Paris Makes me Horny" on the soundtrack.
Sutton Foster in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" - Sutton has been discussed on AE before. I just have to say, the woman can do no wrong. I've seen her in all of her Tony nominated roles and she never disappoints. She can do it all! When she sang "Gimme, Gimme" she almost stopped time. I have never been so entranced before. You could tell that she was enjoying every minute of it and was so proud to be there. It makes the show even more special when you can see how excited the actors are.
...Patti Lupone...
i don't know how i feel about Patti Lupone..i dunno i saw the sweeney todd revival performance at the Tonys and i wasn't impressed...i'm not saying she's not good at what she does i just want to understand why everyone loves her so much.
.....??
But yeah, you're so lucky to have seen little shop off-broadway!
and i saw Jennifer Holiday's Tony performance on youtube and wow!! lol
the only shows i've seen are Spring Awakening, wicked, A chorus line, young frankenstein, hairspray, the little mermaid, and beauty and the beast...rent tour, lion king tour, and sweeney todd tour
out of all of those, though, i would have to say Spring Awakening is just AMAZING
Megan Mullally and Sutton Foster were so great in Young Frankenstein
And i don't think i can say enough about Sierra Boggess in TLM...i am so in love! lol
oh yeah, thanks so much for talking about broadway stuff...i like being able to talk to other people about stuff that i'm really interested in :)
Whenever you blog about
I had the incredibly good fortune of seeing Patti in Sweeney Todd a few years ago, as a birthday treat. She was unbelievable, and I was almost as horrified when that revival didn't win the Tony as I was when Raul Esparza didn't win for Company a year later (which I saw as well). I'm a giant Sondheim devotee, and both of those productions did his incredible music such wonderful justice. I remember seeing Company the day I auditioned at NYU, and it was an experience quite like the one you described with Gypsy. After the performance, I literally could not move. I was crying, and I made my mother give me a moment. It was one of the most wonderful theatre experiences I've ever had.
August: Osage County was also spectacular. There were so many moments that made me feel as though I had to get up and just... go because it was so intense my mind couldn't process it. Wonderful writing and spectacular performances by everyone in that cast. I haven't seen Gypsy yet, but one of my teachers saw it and she said that overall it was one of the most astonishing performances she'd seen onstage. My friends and I are going to rush it sometime this week, I think, and I absolutely cannot wait. I'm sure I'll have more to say once I've seen my favorite Broadway diva in action. :P
Also, after Sweeney, she signed my tophat. It was marvelous.
Up until the punching, it was a real nice party...
Raul Esperza in Company.
Raul Esperza in Company. Mmmmmm.
I have nothing constructive to add. I just love him belting out "being alive."
God, Company makes me weep.
God, Company makes me weep. I love Raul Esparza's rendition of "Marry Me a Little."
Hoorah for theatrical or musical-theatre lovin' lesbians. We're few and far between!
Question
Does anybody know how long Miss Lupone will be doing the show? Im gonna be in NY in May and it would be a dream come true if i get to see her :D. Please help me out, someone....
Oh and the only incredible dream come true performance i ever saw was Idina Menzel as Elphaba in Wicked but that surely was good enough for me, how i love that woman :D.
soo jealous!
yeah, gotta love Raul Esparza....omg, i would have loved to see Idina in Wicked, damn that would've been a dream come true..lol..yeah, i'm kinda a big fan, lol
Elisabeth, i would think that she's still be there in May, i mean the show just opened and she's got a contract to fulfill..so i would think she'd still have to be there, but that's just what i think makes sense, so don't take my word for it, lol.
Angela Lansbury is a freakin' broadway hoss! lol, well at least that's what my sister and i think, lol.
Patti Lupone's run
Sadly, not living in NY,
Sadly, not living in NY, and having visited only twice and about ten years ago, I rarely get to see the actual big names (about the most I can claim is seeing Georgia Engel in the touring company of Drowsy Chaperone last week, or the original cast and the original touring cast of Rent back in 1997--other than that, I get whatever touring casts come through my town) other than in bootlegs, but Patti LuPone as Mama Rose is literally enough for me to be considering a weekend trip to New York just to see her in this show. One of my own personal dream roles played by one of my longtime idols?? Especially after the whole mess she went through with Arthur Laurents to even GET to be able to play this part? I feel like I would regret not going to see it even if I have to shell out big bucks that I don't have to get out there.
I'm glad to hear it's as wonderful as I was hoping and expecting!
Audra McDonald in 110
On my one and only trip to New York city (so far), I was fortunate enough to see Audra McDonald in 110 In The Shade. Absolutely phenomenal. There's aren't words for that woman's talent.
I submit for your consideration Donna Murphy as Fosca in Passion. Didn't see it live, just on the DVD, but she was amazing in that role.
Leading ladies...
on Broadway. What's not to love?
Bernadette Peters in Sunday in the Park with George, Song and Dance, and Into the Woods.
Carol Channing in Hello Dolly.
Bebe Neuwirth in Chicago.
Marissa Jaret Winokur in Hairspray.
Angela Lansbury in ...everything else!
The writer who benefits us most isn't the one who tells us somethng we don't know, but the one who puts words to those feelings within us struggling to get out.
Audra, Be Still My Heart...
I have Ms. Lupone on CD (Les Mis) and on vinyl (Evita), and was amazed to watch Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking on stage in Fosse, but....
Nothing beats sitting in Row 3 watching and listening to Audra MacDonald in the original production of Ragtime. Oh my! I had no idea who she was, all the hype was about the male lead, but whooee! When she was on stage the whole house just held a collective breath. She wasn't a diva back then and if the owner of Livent hadn't blown the company and the musical apart, we would now be blessed with the full NYC cast recording instead of a partial version from Toronto. It is a wonderful CD, but the biggest omission is Audra's version of "President". Its been over 15 years, but in my mind I can still hear and see her...
Full NYC cast recording
It's available: http://www.amazon.com/Ragtime-Musical-1998-Original-Broadway/dp/B0000064XS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1207074642&sr=8-3
I saw Ragtime late in the run so I missed Audra MacDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Alas.
Common appreciation
It's been nice to see some of the performers/shows I cut for length represented in the comments -- I almost included:
Bernadette Peters (Annie Get Your Gun)
Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Women -- bad show, great performance)
Marissa Jaret Winnokur (Hairspray)
Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago)
Spencer Kayden (Urinetown)
And I could keep going...
There are a few but Christine Ebersole took the cake
I can't wait to see Patti in Gypsy. It's perfect. Gotta get my tickets soon. As for my past experiences, Idina Mensel made me cry the first time I saw Wicked. Sherie Renee Scott took my breath away with her big notes in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. In Drowsy Chaperone I don't even think I could decide who was my favorite. I've seen more than my share of Broadway musicals, both live and on film. But Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens captivated me. And when she sang the final song, I forgot I was sitting in a theater watching a play. She transported me away. I jumped to my feet faster than I ever have to applaud her. She was simply captivating. Even now when I listen to the cast recording, it puts a lump in my throat every time. She is the most underrated stage actress there is, in my opinion. She's been around for a long time, and has had a good career but few people outside of the hard core theater lovers world even know who she is. She deserves just as much fame and as many accolades as someone like Patti Lupone (who I adore) or Ethel Merman or Bernadette Peters. In fact the 3 people I always wanted to see live on broadway more than anything (other than those who have passed on long before I had a chance) are Patti, Bernadette and Christine. I saw Patti in Sweeny Todd and Bernadette in Gypsy. Sadly, I was disappointed by both. Not due to their lack of ability by any means, the parts were just not a good fit for either actress and didn't properly showcase their extraordinary talents. I was beginning to think I'd never see one of my favorites in a role that would give me that "finally" moment. But seeing Christine in Grey Gardens did it. She was phenomenal, the whole show was phenomenal. My favorite Broadway experience ever.
Christine!
Patti is awesome, but--ARGH--I don't think I'll make it to NY to see her!!!! But I have to second the praise of Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens. Managed to see her in the final week, and she was absolutely enthralling!!!! It's those rare moments when everything comes together that are the reasons to keep advocating for live theater--and Christine was the first one who ever did that for me. For her to be able to pull off being absurd, contentious, repressed, heartbreaking and even a little sexy--sometimes all in one song--is AMAZING.
And Audra...sigh...
'Where Do I Begin?'
First off - I have to say, I CANNOT stand Patti Lupone onstage. Off stage, she's gracious, charming and down-to-earth, but onstage she more than earns her nickname of Mumbles Lupone. I saw her in the breathtaking remount of Sweeney and she was just awful!
Personally, I saw Bernadette Peters in Gypsy three times, and each time I was held captive by her energy, talent and delivery. She truly projected a woman who knew she has been sucked dry by life and was hanging on to her sanity. Flawless!
Thoroughly Modern Millie had not one but THREE amazing performances: Sheryl Lee Ralph (who was in the original cast of Dreamgirls and held the audience in the palm of her hands) who brought the house down with her performance of 'Only in New York'; Harriet Harris (Bebe from Fraiser; Deserpate Housewives ect...) was a KILLER Mrs. Meers and received standing O's from her very first entrance; and of course - the FABULOUS Sutton Foster who was the ultimate Brodway story come to life and brought her offstage energy and spirit to the role of Millie and made me fall in love with her and the Musical genre.
One show I never saw but have both the 'selected songs' (which is really more of a taped rehearsal) and the full double album of is Ragtime. Marin Mazzie (hot!), Brian Stokes Mittchell & Audra McDonald in the quintessential American story?!? Amazing!
"Damn it Johnny! You know I love my Big Beef and Cheddar!"
-Isabella Rossellini on 3o Rock