LuPone and Webber "Bury the Hatchet" — Page 2

I would bet $100 we will never see a proper broadway revival of sunset with Patti given we just had the Close revival. However, if she was willing surely someone would mount a one, two or three-night concert in NYC.

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Yes. I meant she would star in a revival of Evita like Close did Sunset. Maybe with the Hal Prince production. But this is a lot of wishful thinking on my part. Would Patti commit to any length of time given she thinks the score is unhealthy to sing? (At least, if I recall she claimed ALW hates women jokingly because of it).

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I like everyone love to speculate and imagine a major "détente" - where Patti and ALW return as collaborators in some form. But more than likely it will just be an end of some of the animosity. It's hard to imagine Patti ever being in a full -revival of Evita or Sunset. More than likely it just makes her singing Sunday night at the Grammy's a bit less awkward and in some sense closing the chapter on the tension. Maybe she'll stop calling ALW an alcoholic and whatever else she did and add With One Look and As If We Never Said Goodbye to her concert line ups without it being so awkward.

I imagine that the last year of Hate and discord in this country perhaps made Patti decide that the negative energy towards ALW just isn’t worth it anymore.
He treated her awfully, and I’m sure she won’t forget that, but it’s good for her soul if she can move on from it.

As for whatshisface’s comments about her being mean to assistants — that’s just not truth. She is harsh to people who aren’t able to do their jobs. Been there, seen it, experienced her generosity and have seen her angry. She is fair and professional and kind and funny, but when it comes to work, she is no-nonsense. Most of her colleagues appreciate that.

I’m SO excited for Sunday!! It’s pretty cool that Ben Platt and Patti LuPone are the ones chosen to represent Broadway AT THE GRAMMYS!!
: )

AMWB said: "I imagine that the last year of Hate and discord in this country perhaps made Patti decide that the negative energy towards ALW just isn’t worth it anymore.
He treated her awfully, and I’m sure she won’t forget that, but it’s good for her soul if she can move on from it.

As for whatshisface’s comments about her being mean to assistants — that’s just not truth. She is harsh to people who aren’t able to do their jobs. Been there, seen it, experienced her generosity and have seen her angry. She is fair and professional and kind and funny, but when it comes to work, she is no-nonsense. Most of her colleagues appreciate that.

So essentially, Patti LuPone is Broadway's version of Bette Davis.

I’m SO excited for Sunday!! It’s pretty cool that Ben Platt and Patti LuPone are the ones chosen to represent Broadway AT THE GRAMMYS!!
: )"

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The part of Evita sounds best when it is truly belted through the roof. The energy in the original rock recording proves it - but therein lies the problem. Webber wrote a piece that could be sung by a few people a couple of times in the studio. The role of Evita (as originally written) is a role amost no one can sing 6 times a week. The alterations made for the past revival to both save the voice of the actress and to soften the character show that it just isn't exciting without that. And the film version is absolutly lifeless. Patti gave a career-high (luckily, lately she's been at a career-high as well) and iconic performance. She brought a levity to the role that not many actresses could. She allowed you to laugh with the character and feel for her. Brantley even brought this up in his review for the revival. You can't play the role all ambition and gloom - its an expository piece so we'll all get bored stiff (look at the 2012 revival). I'd be willing to pay a large sum for a potential revival or concert wiht LuPone singing the original score.

As for the comment about Lupne not singing "Sunset" well... that's an asinine comment. Her final performance of the role is the best that score has ever sounded - and all in the glorious original keys!

LuPone's Final "With One Look"

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Yeah...not a fan of Patti's rendition of "With One Look" at least in that link provided.

“With One Look” is so much more thrilling in the original key.

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How did I know I’d have a couple of LuPone worshippers respond nastily to my post. You’d think I had committed blasphemy.

I like Patti LuPone. I just don’t like her on the Sunset Blvd. recording. Glenn Close is not a “better” singer but was better suited to the role, was more famous, and got better reviews. When millions of dollars are at stake, one actor’s feelings aren’t that important (although after Close left, the show still ended deeply in the red).

I’m glad she’s getting over it finally. She’s got a lot to be thankful for as she’s overall been pretty damn lucky in her career.

BuddyStarr said: "
The other thing that you’re missing is that he didn’t just “buy her out of her contract”. He made her life a living hell and tried to get her to quit the show so he wouldn’t have to pay her. She had to sue him to get what was owed to her. She was also directed to the play the role the way she did. The original London production was not campy like the version mounted in the US. Patti also sung the hell out of that score. Yes, she might have been too young but she was still spectacular."

That's news to me that he tried to get her to quit the show... had never heard that. I think that when the announcement was made that Close was getting NY there was speculation Patti might because she was (understandably) distraught and embarrassed. And if that's what you mean by "made her life a living hell" I understand.

Only a BWW board could take a good story of reconciliation between two giant parties and turn it back into a fight.

Over the years I've both read and heard from various people I knew who saw her that Patti was still shaky in the role when Sunset opened, was reviewed and recorded but that she improved tremendously as the run went on. I only know that I prefer her recording musically but the performances are so different that comparisons seem useless.

Sally Durant Plummer said: "Her final performance of the role is the best that score has ever sounded - and all in the glorious original keys!

LuPone's Final "With One Look""

This is 100 times better sung and acted than Glenn Close's bleating.

I have goosebumps. This is what Norma should be like. Her notes are sincere, only then the acting feels real.

This is what you call acting through song. Not acting in spite of song.

Updated On: 1/28/18 at 08:31 AM