Diva Alert #18: Patti LuPone : PerformerStuff More Good Stuff

Diva Alert #18: Patti LuPone

Written by Jackson Upperco

January 18, 2018

Welcome back to Diva Alert, Performer Stuff’s series on Great Dames from the Golden Age of Broadway. In these posts, we’re taking a look at some of the American Musical Theatre’s most legendary ladies, along with their seminal stage triumphs.

This dame is as brassy and bold in real life as she is in performance. One of the most recognized stars of the American Musical Theatre, she is an institution. She is a life force. She is a diva in the truest, rawest sense of the word. She is… Patti LuPone.

Patti LuPone had theatre in her blood. Her great-grandaunt was an opera star, and her older brother, Robert, originated the role of Zach in A Chorus Line (1975). By this time, she herself had graduated in the first class of Julliard’s Drama Division and had become an original member of John Houseman’s The Acting Company.

LuPone earned her first — of seven (so far)! — Tony nods following her Broadway debut in The Robber Bridegroom, and then proved herself a capable dramatic actress in several straight plays. She won her first Tony in 1980 — for playing Eva Peron in the Broadway Production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.

Over the next 15 years, LuPone hopped back and forth between Broadway and the West End, headlining notable revivals of The Cradle Will Rock and Anything Goes, along with the 1985 English-speaking premiere of Les Miserables. During this period, she also spent four seasons on an ABC dramedy.

In 1993, LuPone opened in London with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, which she’s since gone on to describe — in no uncertain terms (you know Patti tells it like it is!) — as one of the worst professional experiences of her life. But this diva bounced back.

Since 1995, Patti LuPone has appeared in revivals of classic plays like Master Class and Noises Off, along with musicals Pal Joey, Passion, Anyone Can Whistle, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy (for which she won a Tony). She’s also starred in the Original Broadway casts of Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (2010) and War Paint (2017).

As of this writing, LuPone is preparing to open in London’s gender-swapped Company. Like any diva, there’s no stopping her… And while we revere this dynamo for the intensity with which she imbues her work, there’s no doubt that this diva is just like this off the stage, too! When we think of what it means to be a Broadway legend today, we think of Patti LuPone.

DID YOU KNOW? Patti LuPone went viral in 2009 when she stopped a live performance of Gypsy to call out and order the removal of a patron who had ignored the “no flash photography” rule. Later, in 2015, she confiscated a rude audience member’s cell phone.

LuPone Roles You Should Know*

Rosamund in The Robber Bridegroom (1975, Broadway)

Patti LuPone made her Broadway debut (alongside Julliard classmate Kevin Kline) in this folksy musical set in 18th century Mississippi. In concert, her she is with “Sleepy Man.”

Eva Peron in Evita (1979, Broadway)

Although her later association with Andrew Lloyd Webber would prove traumatic, there’s no doubt that this role — which earned LuPone a Tony win — was a game-changer.

Fantine in Les Miserables (1985, London)

LuPone originated the role of Fantine in the first English-speaking production of this now-iconic French revolution drama, from which she emerged with a Laurence Olivier award.

Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1993, London)

After Gloria Swanson, there was Patti LuPone — playing fading silent film star Norma Desmond in this drama-filled endeavor that at least gave her one dynamite number.

Lucia in Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (2010, Broadway)

Nominated for another Tony, LuPone originated a role on Broadway (for the first time since 1975) in Lucia, a Madrid woman figuratively “on the verge.” Here’s “Invisible.”

Helena Rubenstein in War Paint (2017, Broadway)

Starring alongside diva Christine Ebersole as Elizabeth Arden, LuPone played rival cosmetics businesswoman Helena Rubenstein in this show that closed in November ‘17.

Hungry for more theatre history? Check out our other stories below!

Jackson Upperco is a lover of retro television, forgotten Broadway musicals, and Pre-Code Hollywood. He boasts a Bachelors Degree in Film and Television from Boston University. You can keep up with all of his entertainment interests at jacksonupperco.com.