Mandy Patinkin: No "Evita" reunion concert- Page 2

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 4:41pm

Patti can bite me. I did the movie version when I was pregnant. Top that beyotches.

--Madonna

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 5:12pm

Last spring Betty Buckley told Seth Rudetsky on his Sirius radio show that LuPone called and took her to task for singing "Meadowlark", which LuPone had originated in THE BAKER'S WIFE. Buckley did not portray LuPone as a horrible person and even said she understood how LuPone felt. And then proceeded to sing the song on the radio.

That broadcast suggests LuPone has a sense of what is "her" territory, but also that the two women are cordial enough for one to phone the other. (Another interpretation is that Buckley is sly enough to sound gracious while portraying a rival as petty, but she sounded sincere to me.)

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 5:16pm

From what I understand, Seth Rudetsky has been trying to get Evita to do an Actor's Fund benefit concert (a la Dreamgirls and Hair) with at least Patti involved, but RUG has kept giving them trouble with the rights.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 5:21pm

I agree that any reunion concert (at least in New York) would be inappropriate when a revival is pending (or running).

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 5:29pm

^I hope Seth gets that worked out one day because I would love a reunion concert with Patti. Hopefully, they'd film it or record it?

I've always thought that it would be interesting to hear Patti sing "You Must Love Me," but I'm not sure she'd ever do it.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 6:08pm

I think what actually happened was that Betty had said (or implied) that "Meadowlark" was written for her, or rewritten for her, or some such, and that's what Patti took exception to--to put it mildly.

I don't think it was about Betty singing the song, per se.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 6:10pm

As long as they give back the Mistress' song. I thought giving that song to Evita in the film was a cheesy attempt to make the character "sympathetic".

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 9:01pm

That idea of post-stroke Ethel Merman driving across the country to be with Mary Martin in Palm Springs is so sweet.

I think if Patti had a stroke, Bernadette would ask her to drive across country and meet her in Palm Springs.

Then Bernadette and Betty would get together in New York and laugh and laugh.

Updated On: 11/22/11 at 09:01 PM

[Miranda3]

Posted: 11/21/11 at 9:22pm

Joey, Joey. Wicked good!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 12:50pm

And if we can't get an EVITA reunion concert, how about a reunion of Andrea Martin in INDIRA....
INDIRA THE MUSICAL

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 1:15pm

"I think if Patti had a stroke, Bernadette would ask her to drive across country and meet stay with in Palm Springs.

Then Bernadette and Betty would get together in New York and laugh and laugh."

See I think Bernie would ask Patti to drive across country and then decide to stay in New York and host Broadway Barks with Mary Tyler Moore and both would laugh and laugh.

Bernadette: She thinks she's a musical comedy star. Call me when she does Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway. Even Susan Lucci did that.

Mary: She thinks she's a tv star. But she forgot Rule #1 - never work with children or animals. They'll steal your focus every time!

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 1:29pm

"I think what actually happened was that Betty had said (or implied) that "Meadowlark" was written for her, or rewritten for her, or some such, and that's what Patti took exception to--to put it mildly.

I don't think it was about Betty singing the song, per se."

Reg, are you saying that was the truth *behind* the story that Buckley told? Because if she had said on Seth's show that "Meadowlark" was written for her, I think I would remember. It's one of my favorite Schwartz songs.

The version I heard clearly said that LuPone felt possessive of the song because she originated it. Buckley quoted LuPone as saying, "Why are you singing MY song?"

Buckley then proceeded to justify singing it on the radio because of the number of years that have now passed. (A fair argument, IMO, if one were required.)

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 2:17pm

Gaveston, to the best of my recollection that's the way the story was told to me by someone connected to both women.

I think what happened was that Betty told some story about Schwartz agreeing to a different high note on the "Before my past" lyric. And by the time the story reached Patti, it had become (or she heard) that Betty was claiming he'd written it for her.

I don't think she ever claimed any such thing, but Patti apparently phoned her up and ripped into her. It doesn't surprise me that for Betty the story morphed into a simple territorial issue.

But as I said: I heard the story from someone other than the two women, so I can't swear to it's accuracy. And I could be misremembering.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 2:33pm

I promise you, Reg, I trust your memory better than I trust mine. The version you heard actually makes more sense.

But I suspect Buckley just simplified the story when she told it on Seth's show. As I said, although one might interpret it as a dig against LuPone, Buckley didn't make LuPone sound awful. She certainly didn't say LuPone was nasty about it.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 2:39pm

It's also possible that the truth lies somewhere in between: that even though Patti said it was about Betty claiming something or other that ultimately Patti just didn't like her singing "her" song.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 2:56pm

Indeed. The territoriality strikes me as amusing given that (a) only the tiny fraction of the public who attend Broadway musicals could possibly care, and (b) both women know that up through the mid-1960s, it was quite common for multiple artists to record a hit song and even climb the Billboard charts simultaneously.

[AngelorPhantom1359]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 4:49pm

I read this today and thought it was interesting

http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/09-2013/from-far-away-places-to-american-horror-story-a-ca_66115.html?cid=rssfeed

Basically what Patti says is that she would love to do a one night reunion concert of Evita with Mandy, but she's been denied twice by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Sounds to me like it's ALW's way of getting back at her for her 20 years of hatred.

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 5:10pm

It's not like ALW doesn't deserve the 20 years of Patti's wrath.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 5:27pm

I'm just gonna go out on a limb and speculate that if she's willing to refer to him as "that famous asshole" in a press interview, she's probably not ever going to get permission to sing his tunes.

It's just as well. Neither one of them could hit the notes anymore. If she struggled with it at 29, does she really think she could sing through the whole role now?

Please. Might as well keep twisting the knife on ALW. She has nothing to lose and nothing to gain.

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 5:34pm

Pretty Sure Patti could still hit the notes. Plus, Patti sang the score in a way not many women did. She belted most of it, where as Elena Roger and Elaine did more head voice. Could Patti sing the score the way she did it in her later run? Probably. Could she sing the score the way Elena Roger sang the score? Most definitely.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 5:42pm

I just think it's convenient that she keeps making sure she'll never be allowed to, with public remarks like that.

Updated On: 10/14/13 at 05:42 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 6:13pm

Even if Webber and luPone were still on good terms, they would not have been allowed to do either of those concerts simply because the professional US rights to Evita are at the moment and for the past five years been controlled by The producers of the current Broadway and now touring revival. I still think it could happen someday.

Updated On: 10/14/13 at 06:13 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 6:20pm

After 20 years, Patti is still quite satisfied to tell us all it's because of "that famous asshole" instead.

Does she really think she's the first person to be fired (and paid off handsomely) out of town?

Does she really think this is how other famous, "respectable" stars behaved when they were?

Classless.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 6:44pm

Patti hit the notes remarkably well this summer in those shows with Seth Redetsky.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 10/14/13 at 6:52pm

Without a doubt she can still sing that score!