My Thoughts on GYPSY — Page 3

" in the quickly rehearsed concert featuring Patti -- with not much time to truly make distinct character choices"

They did the Sweeney Todd concert thing for like a year at different places across the country. She had plenty of time to
"truly make distinct character choices". If she didn't, well that is on her.

I think Patti is like most of the great musical theater legends... she plays each part with differently-more so than many of you seem to be giving her credit for-but she keeps that "what ever it's called" that is her trademark. Seriously, how different could one expect Ethel Merman, Zero Mostel, Mary Martin, Lotte Lenya, Gwen Verdon, Phil Silvers, blah blah blah. These are stars, not actors... and that is what Patti is... to expect her to disappear in a role is more or less missing the point.

Though, she has done so... Passion anyone?


kmc

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She was fabulous all those years ago as Eva Peron, her voice and acting just blew me away. But geezus, she sang so many wrong notes in Sweeney I thought I was gonna scream!!! It was especially bad in "More Hot Pies" the opening of the second act. To me that is just laziness on her part and disrespectful to Sondheim. Plus it really annoyed me that she sang in two voices using that lovely yodel of hers to get around and over her break.

Em, I disagree. I think there are actresses who can disappear behind their characters: Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson did it in GREY GARDENS, Donna Murphy did it in FOLLIES/LOVEMUSIK, and Audra McDonald did it in 110 IN THE SHADE. At no point during their performances did I feel I was seeing Ebersole playing Little Edie, or Murphy playing Lenya, or McDonald playing Lizzie.
There a number of actors that are brilliant performers but they always play their characters as played by them. Mandy Patinkin does this, Harvey Fierstein does this, Elaine Stritch does this, Kristin Chenoweth does this, and Patti LuPone most certainly does it. It doesn't mean they are any less fantastic than the other actresses I mentioned before, but one can't deny that there are actors who disappear behind their roles and performers who play themselves as playing a specific character.
That's what Brantley criticized in his review of GYPSY when he mentions that sometimes LuPone creates a distance between character and performer. I haven't seen GYPSY and from what I hear what makes her performance so great is that for once she isn't playing a version of herself, but I wouldn't be surprised if she were tempted to do this at times.

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>> These are stars, not actors... and that is what Patti is... to expect her to disappear in a role is more or less missing the point.

Huh???

If that's true, then why even bther giving her a role to perform? Why not just make it a concert and be done with it?

Sorry, but star or not, these folks are actors first and foremost. I dont think it's unreasonable to expect them to act... and for their elevated status in the pantheon, they should be able to act better than your run of the mill performer.

I really find this "logic" bewildering. When I go to a film, I love seeing a favourite performer lose him- or herself in a role to the point that I'm no longer conscious that it's William Hurt or Glenn Close but rather the character they're portraying with such amazing depth and nuance. And you're seriously telling me I shouldnt expect the same from someone like Lupone just because she's Patti Lupone?

Right.

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Agreed Sean Martin. :)

I don't think any of us are saying her vocals were off or she was horrid. I thought she was wonderful. I just thought also that it was impossible to forget that it was Patti up there on stage.

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ray - I'm not saying there aren't actors who can do it better than others, by any means. I agree. If they all did so on the same level, we wouldn't have much perception of it -- why do we praise some performances and not others? I'm saying that... I don't think it's so simple as to single out faults in the performance for our consciousness of seeing an actor playing a part. I think that's part of it -- why wouldn't it be? But I don't think it's the only thing, and that we should be giving more credit to our own consciousness. The point I'm making is kind of similar to seeing a friend of yours on stage, or something, where you can be very conscious of both levels -- that's not only in the hands of the actor, but the spectator, too.

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Updated On: 7/16/07 at 11:33 AM

Actually phobia would be fear PalJoey. :) Not hatred.

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Who isn't?

What I would like to know is why I have never heard of this Lorna hatred. I think she is so underrated as a performer and have been dying to hear her live. Any explanation would be greatly appreciated!

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I've never been able to go and see a famous performer and forget who I'm seeing. I highly doubt I'm going to forget I'm watching CHRISTINE F*CKING EBERSOLE in Grey Gardens, only because I absolutely adore and cannot wait to see her live. And I highly doubt I'll forget I'm watching Patti as well.

And I'm sorry, I don't think Audra McDonald should be Lizzie Curry. She's Audra McDonald playing Lizzie Curry. There's nothing else there. And I don't think fantastic acting is about become a character, that doesn't make sense. That character, were they real, wouldn't not know where they're going to move or what they're going next. Acting is about portraying a character. Which, I have no doubt, Audra, Christine, and Patti are all doing.

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