LuPone stops Vegas show - Page 2

[BroadwayBelle2]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 11:12am

I've missed hearing Patti stories!

[RyToast1]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:00pm

I think stopping in concert is totally acceptable. She's not up on stage in character, she's up there as Patti LuPone: Diva Extraordinaire. People have paid to see PATTI LUPONE, whereas in Gypsy, (most) people were paying to see the show, not the actress.

Even though, I know a lot of people went to see the ACTRESS in the SHOW, but you know what I mean.

Patti LuPone in concert isn't a story that can be interrupted by her stopping.

[RyToast1]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:00pm

Oh, and I'm seeing the show in Atlantic City, too!!!

[fbueller]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:24pm

House management should have come out and fired Patti on the spot.

The show must go on!!! How unprofessional!!!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:29pm

Remember when "stopping the show" had a whole different meaning?

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:42pm

What is her problem? Well, let me rephrase- she's got problems. She clearly has no respect for the audience. If they paid for a ticket it's not her business what they do. And please don't act like she's protecting the rest of the crowd from one or two bad apples- A person quietly texting on the other side of the theater is NOTHING compared to the diva you paid to see stopping to rant at him.

I guess if you can't be known for the scope of your talent, you might as well be famous for the size of your ego.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:05pm

Honestly, I wish more performers would do this. I'm so tired of audience members behaving as if they are in their own personal living room. Patti gets the publicity because she's the only one doing this. I don't think paying for a ticket gives anyone more right to abandon the rules usually clearly spelled out by theatres and performances spaces than those who pay for tickets and follow the rules. And these rules aren't new at all. Generally, these people know the rules and still feel that they are above them and can do what they want. If I was in the audience when it happened, I would probably not only applaud Patti (or any other performer brave enough to tackle it head-on), but send her flowers in appreciation. It doesn't mean I'm necessarily a Patti fan, but a fan of those in opposition to the self-centered disrespectful egomaniacs in the audience who refuse to acknowledge that a theatre is not their own personal VIP lounge.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:14pm

I wonder if she's really bothered by it so much as feeling that now it's expected of her to do that. Kind of the way I feel about Simon Cowell's tirades about bad singing.

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:18pm

Oh, goody. Another reason to re-post this.
One of my favorite clips EVER

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:18pm

Love it, love it, love it, LOVE IT!

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:20pm

Don't blame her one bit.
Never mess with a Sicilian fishwife.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:20pm

I agreed with her stopping Gypsy, but I have to say that I think stopping your own concert is totally more okay. like Mister Matt said: Patti gets publicity because no one else is doing it. yes, you pay for your ticket, but you're not in your living room, so don't behave like you are.


Jane Fonda wrote something about Patti tearing into audience members (and her work ethic, and Patti sending her a bouquet of flowers) in her blog a few days ago.


Jane Fonda's blog

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:22pm

It reminds of the amazing Rosemary Clooney.

Last time I saw her at Rainbow and Stars, there was a drunk man at a good table, whose wife kept shushing him because his over-loud utterances were clearly disturbing Rosemary, who was known for not suffering fools.

Finally, Rosemary called over the maitre d', whispered in his ear and then announced to the drunk, "That's it. You're outta here. I JUST PAID YOUR CHECK--and you're leaving. NOW!"

The drunk started to talk back to her but she had a microphone. She just said, "I don't wanna hear another word outta you. You've said too much already. I want to keep singing, and I don't want to do it with you here."

Then she turned to the drunk man's embarrassed wife and said, "Get your husband outta here. I paid your check. The tip too. Just GO."

After a lot of applause, Rosemary Clooney finished her set in peace.

Updated On: 6/22/09 at 01:22 PM

[winston89]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:23pm

Mister Matt, I understand where you're coming from. But, concert or musical it is still not her place to do it. She of all people should know what she was getting into when she decided to play a room in Vegas. Hell, Wayne Newton has been doing it for years and years and I have yet to hear a story about him going off on an audience member.

Being professional means knowing how to not let situations like someone texting get to you and how to work through them. In the end she was not only yelling at someone who was paying her in a way but she was disturbing the rest of the crowd. as well.

If I ever went to see her in concert I would intentionally play with my phone just to spite her. And, if she yelled at me I would not be afraid to yell back and say that what I am doing is wrong what she is doing isn't right either. She needs to grow up and stop acting like an immature little child.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:30pm

If I ever went to see her in concert I would intentionally play with my phone just to spite her. And, if she yelled at me I would not be afraid to yell back and say that what I am doing is wrong what she is doing isn't right either. She needs to grow up and stop acting like an immature little child.

how grown up of you, winston. why not just create a fake unflattering MySpace for her?

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:40pm

Love that clip TulitaPepsi! I had completely forgotten about it.

Go Patti!

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:41pm

Winston, I don't see what is so awful about Patti (or any other performer) calling out a disrespectful audience member. It's not like someone forgot to turn off their cell phone (it happens), this was intentional rudeness. Why should Patti - and the rest of the audience - put up with it?

Updated On: 6/22/09 at 01:41 PM

[BwayTday]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:44pm

God.... she is such a diva! I mean really she could have just exited the stage AFTER the number and told someone.

She seems really cocky.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 1:54pm

If I ever went to see her in concert I would intentionally play with my phone just to spite her.

And that would make you an asshole. Using your phone during a show pisses of everyone behind you who now has to put up with the glare of your phone.

I say Brava, Patti. I wish more people would go off on these selfish twits who can't go 2 hours without checking their oh so important messages of "wat r u doin latr?"

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 2:04pm

"If they paid for a ticket it's not her business what they do."

I couldn't disagree more.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 2:12pm

I'm right with you Reginald...what a stupid thing to say. It's attitudes like that that makes people think they're entitled to whatever they wish. This isn't a free-for-all...we need to be mindful of one another.

And again, this is a concert, and a candid one at that. It's a bit more acceptable for her to be like, "Um, hello?!" toward disrespect. And she is more than respectful towards audiences who respect her and her fellow company members.

Updated On: 6/22/09 at 02:12 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 2:34pm

Being professional means knowing how to not let situations like someone texting get to you and how to work through them. In the end she was not only yelling at someone who was paying her in a way but she was disturbing the rest of the crowd. as well.

Being professional is not about learning how to tune out those who are intentionally disturbing the performer and the audience. It's really not. Being professional is knowing how to cover when you or another actor forget a line or lyric, when prop or set mishaps occur on stage, pushing through an injury, incidents that are not a result of the audience. When the audience deliberately breaks the rules to disturb the actors and other audience members, it is not unprofessional to stop the show and call them out. That person caused the action and brought it on willingly and knowingly and if the audience suffers a disturbance, it originated with that member of the audience NOT the performer. Most performers don't have the balls to handle it personally in a confrontational matter. Just because someone does, it does not mean they are unprofessional. I would consider them MORE professional if they do.

If Wayne Newton chooses to let it go, then that's his personal decision, but it doesn't make him more "professional" (not to mention he's been doing the Vegas act for so long, I doubt it would be considered newsworthy if it did happen). It just means he has a different set of standards or different methods of handling it. Some performers love cameras and recording devices, though they wouldn't admit it or encourage it. Does it make them more "professional" because they don't say anything when it happens during a performance? Nope.

If you actually read the articles about the incident, it sounds like Patti actually handled it well. But like I said, I hope this becomes a trend among performers. You pay for a live performance, you get a live performance, warts and all. What you don't get is a guarantee that a show won't be stopped for whatever reason, especially if you are the reason it is stopped.
Las Vegas Sun Article on "The Incident"

Posted: 6/22/09 at 2:56pm

Was I the only one who read the post? This wasn't a drunk talking loudly or a heckler who was disrupting the show. They were texting- somethign I hate, but can certainly ignore easier than a diva meltdown. The only person who disrupted the performance was Patti.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 3:22pm

I am sure her panties were wet while she berated the guy. People probably plant troublemakers in her audiences so she can get her fix.

[Anna_Elizabeth]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 3:33pm

"If they paid for a ticket it's not her business what they do."

I'm a bit shocked that someone actually said this. So, if you're having a make-out session in the 1st row then the actor has to go on as if nothing is happening? That's ridiculous.

Thank goodness Patti is calling people out on this. Even if she went backstage, told someone to tell the stage manager, to tell the house manager, it would be about 10 minutes or more before said house manager would be inside the theater, find the offending person, and by that time said person would be finished. Or even if you said something after the show to the person, said person would have probably denied even doing it. If you don't say something right as they are doing something, people will never 'get it.'