Feud: Patti and Hal- Page 2

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 4:44pm

"95% of the world population around during 1980 and aware of EVITA have NO idea what the p*uck she's done since."

Starring in a TV series for four seasons (Life Goes On), major roles in major motion pictures (Driving Miss Daisy, Summer of Sam, The Comedian), major TV airings of musicals (Passion, Mahoganny, Sweeney Todd), recurring roles on hit TV shows (Oz, 30 Rock, American Horror Story, Penny Dreadful)?

I think America is familiar with her. And some of the rest of the world.

Ask an average person old enough to have been around in 1980 who is Patti LuPone and you'll get your answer.  

You posted facts about Patti.  Just because she has appeared in high caliber projects and won awards doesn't mean people are aware of any of this.  Ask these same people who Stockard Channing is and they'll quickly tell you she played Rizzo in the film GREASE.  They are unaware of the fabulous career she's had post-GREASE.  

I know a p*uck load of people who had NO idea who Elaine Stritch was until she appeared on 30 ROCK and these people had seen the countless of films she appeared in.  It wasn't until AFTER they knew her from 30 ROCK did she register into their brains and THEN they recognized her in these older films.  

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 4:44pm

And who is this Mandy I hear talk about?  I understand he also acts?

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 5:28pm

Bettyboy72 said: "The old marquee and sign is so much nicer than what is up there today."

 

I agree and really miss it.

 

[Demitri2]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 5:28pm

In the summer of 1979, EVITA played the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in  Los Angeles for a remarkable nine weeks. Besides matinee's Klausner, there were quite a few EVITA alternates at the time who performed the title role over the two month period. I had a friend who worked the box office and would let me know when Patti or Terri were out that day. It was great fun seeing what other actresses brought to the table (or didn't). Of the five Eva's I saw at the time, I recall being most impressed by Derin Altay and Florence Lacey (and Loni Ackerman was great shortly after in the 1st national tour in '81). But for some reason no one came close to Patti. Not only was her singing phenomenal but her timing was impeccable. She just seemed to get more out of the role than anyone else in both the comedic and dramatic scenes of the show. It was HER role. 

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 6:06pm

What happened to Loni Ackerman? She was great.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 6:12pm

blaxx said: "What happened to Loni Ackerman? She was great."

The last mention of her I can find is a regional production of Caroline or Change in Ohio this past summer. 

https://www.10tv.com/article/local-theater-company-attracts-broadway-actors-cast

[BJR]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 7:57pm

Conjecture is silly. She did open in EVITA. It was a sensation. It won the Tony. She won a Tony. Hal Prince won the Tony. All those awards owed something to each other for the win. She also had already been Tony nominated and had a career on the rise. Trying to imagine what she or the show would have been without the other is ridiculous.

She has a big ego. Prince has a big ego. She didn't like his work with her on the show. He didn't give her much credit in his book. That hurt/offended her. There is literally nothing else to parse through her, as the facts alone are enough.

Updated On: 1/3/18 at 07:57 PM

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 1/3/18 at 9:50pm

Musicaldudepeter said: "Is that so? First time I've ever heard Patti's acting referred to as 'naturalistic.'Listening and watching clips of her - especially her final few weeks - and everything I've read about her performance led me to believe that she played the role ferociously with a similar larger than life energy."

Honestly, I think LuPone is a rather naturalistic actress. While she knows how to be a star and really "sell some sparkle", if you will...after seeing her performances in War Paint, Women on the Verge, and Gypsy...she is very Stanislavski/Uta Hagen in her method. She picks an action, and she plays it through. Sometimes she plays it like a freight train through a hay bale, but she simply is playing actions. She can adorn things with a bit of pizazz, but she's not "method" - she plays actions as she herself would play them under given circumstances. Sometimes that works (Gypsy big time, War Paint it worked, but to a lesser degree), and sometimes that doesn't (Women on the Verge). And because she approaches things that way, she demands a director to work with her to discover what actions to play, specifically. And because she is such a "diva", she expects said director to mold things around that, particularly when she is in the central role.  That's what Arthur Laurents did for her (and in equal parts for Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines) with Gypsy, and it worked gangbusters (and that's also probably why it took three staged production of it for her to find her groove). She doesn't get off on being told what to do without being able to justify what she's doing. And I'm sure recreating Prince's staging as it was in London was very trying for both her and Prince. He knew what he wanted and she knew what she needed. And like BJR said...their egos are both so big that I'm sure it led to plenty of tension.

 

[Soaring29]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 2:53am

Anybody know what the exact thoughts about Evita that Hal wrote in his book? 

 

 

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 5:17am

I just hope that Randy Rainbow lip synched to her full memoirs one day. That stuff is the best.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 10:02am

Thank you inlovewithjerry-
herman, for the discussion
of LuPone's acting style.
That's what I meant, but
you said it MUCH better.

LuPone has been a
blessing as musicals
have gotten more 
serious, in general.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 10:08am

I love the photos of the former marquee and Patti and Hal.  I worked at the Broadway Theatre during the original run of Les Miserables.  I believe the marquee was changed just prior to Miss Saigon opening.

I also had the opportunity to work with Hal Prince in NYC Opera's production of Don Giovanni (198.  My experience was wonderful.  That production was supposed to be televised until the orchestra went on strike.

Updated On: 1/4/18 at 10:08 AM

[jbird5]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 11:53am

blaxx said: "What happened to Loni Ackerman? She was great."

She’s one of the very early interview subjects of the Behind the Curtain podcast.

[morosco]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 12:39pm

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 12:58pm

Hal: "now, let me hear you sing it like Elaine did."

Patti: "Arrrrrgenteeeeeenah!"  

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 5:27pm

blaxx said: "I just hope that Randy Rainbow lip synched to her full memoirs one day. That stuff is the best."

Why did he stop doing those?