#1
Posted: 5/18/07 at 11:10pm
Tonight my mother and I went to see Miss LuPone in concert, as a "belated birthday" present [and Mother's Day present, too]. Neither of us had seen her perform in her one-woman show or any show for that matter, so we didn't know what to expect [which made it a lot more fun]. AsI sat there, through both acts, I couldn't believe I was watching Patti LuPone. Even now, as I am typing this up, I still can't believe it.
We dashed down the streets of Portsmouth, dodging the rain to the best of our abilities, and got to the theatre just in time for the show. Despite the weather, the theatre was packed and I noticed there didn't seem to be a lot of teenagers/young adults, except for two that were sitting in my section. The show began with Patti telling us that when she was a kid, dancing in a show, she noticed how the audience was smiling at her. "As long as they were smiling at me, I knew I could do whatever I wanted," then added, "So tonight, I'm going to do whatever I want!" And that she did!![Patti LuPone @ The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH - 5/18 [my review :-D]](https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/board/happy.gif)
One of the first songs she sang was from Bye, Bye Birdie one of first shows while she was in high school. She proceeded to tell us about how she'd cut class and go to cattle calls, stating it was a miracle she even passed high school. Listening to her speak about her auditions was great - especially "the drama division of the Juilyard School of Music" story - in which she chose the most generic modern monologue, classical monologue and overall terrible song choice to perform. Not to mention she showed up wearing the turtle neck mini dress her friend had bought for her for an earlier audition [and still managed to get in!]. It was stories like these that helped us [the audience] connect to her, and vice versa. I commented during intermission that it was like going to see Liza, because they're the same kind of performer. They both have little tales behind their song choices, and that's fascinating. Throughout the first act, she performed "Don't Rain On My Parade" [rather fitting!] as well as a song from The Baker's Wife [one of her first Broadway shows], and a segment devoted to West Side Story... which, for me, was one of the highlights of the evening. It was hilarious to hear her sing Anita and Maria's part at once! Another favorite was "Neverland" She closed the act with "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" met with a rousing applause.
After a twenty minute intermission and a costume change, Patti came back to dazzle us with "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma. As she stated in the first act, this show was about roles she could have played, would have played, and should of played, so the second part featured roles that she very well could have played... if she were the leading man. To my Mom's surprise, there were no Sweeney Todd numbers, but to our delight, she sang "Trouble" from The Music Man, encouraging the crowd to join in on "Oh, we've got trouble!" During one of the songs, which required a pause in the music, someone's cell phone went off. So Patti, while taking the indicated pause, turns and looks in the direction of the ringing cellphone. After the number, she noted, "I'd like to remind you to turn off all cellphones and pagers..." to which we responded with a chuckle. In the back of my mind, I had hopes that she would perform a song from Company. My wish was answered when she sang "The Ladies Who Lunch". In true Patti fashion, she belted the hell out of the ending, and even though she had previously belted the hell out of her other selections, I didn't mind. It was wonderful to hear her live and not on a recording. And like Liza, she came out for a few encores. She "closed" with "My Way" and came back out for "The Way You Look Tonight" and just when most of the patrons thought finished, she returned once more to sing "If It's Magic", a song also covered by my favorite performer, Jon Peterson. Although I have to admit, I really enjoyed Patti's rendition, as well. As we stood standing and clapping, thinking that she was definitely not coming back out, [the curtain had closed by this point], she snuck out holding some flowers and tossing them to people in the front of the house. Then, she paused and sang "One Hundred Years After Today" [I think that's the title of the song, I'm probably mistaken] accappella. Sending off a kiss to us, she ducked behind the curtain and the show was complete, but not before saying "You have a beautiful city and a beautiful theatre. You're so lucky, Portsmouthians! God Bless."
It was truly a performance that will have a lasting impression on me. I hope to see her perform more in the years to come!
We dashed down the streets of Portsmouth, dodging the rain to the best of our abilities, and got to the theatre just in time for the show. Despite the weather, the theatre was packed and I noticed there didn't seem to be a lot of teenagers/young adults, except for two that were sitting in my section. The show began with Patti telling us that when she was a kid, dancing in a show, she noticed how the audience was smiling at her. "As long as they were smiling at me, I knew I could do whatever I wanted," then added, "So tonight, I'm going to do whatever I want!" And that she did!
One of the first songs she sang was from Bye, Bye Birdie one of first shows while she was in high school. She proceeded to tell us about how she'd cut class and go to cattle calls, stating it was a miracle she even passed high school. Listening to her speak about her auditions was great - especially "the drama division of the Juilyard School of Music" story - in which she chose the most generic modern monologue, classical monologue and overall terrible song choice to perform. Not to mention she showed up wearing the turtle neck mini dress her friend had bought for her for an earlier audition [and still managed to get in!]. It was stories like these that helped us [the audience] connect to her, and vice versa. I commented during intermission that it was like going to see Liza, because they're the same kind of performer. They both have little tales behind their song choices, and that's fascinating. Throughout the first act, she performed "Don't Rain On My Parade" [rather fitting!] as well as a song from The Baker's Wife [one of her first Broadway shows], and a segment devoted to West Side Story... which, for me, was one of the highlights of the evening. It was hilarious to hear her sing Anita and Maria's part at once! Another favorite was "Neverland" She closed the act with "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" met with a rousing applause.
After a twenty minute intermission and a costume change, Patti came back to dazzle us with "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma. As she stated in the first act, this show was about roles she could have played, would have played, and should of played, so the second part featured roles that she very well could have played... if she were the leading man. To my Mom's surprise, there were no Sweeney Todd numbers, but to our delight, she sang "Trouble" from The Music Man, encouraging the crowd to join in on "Oh, we've got trouble!" During one of the songs, which required a pause in the music, someone's cell phone went off. So Patti, while taking the indicated pause, turns and looks in the direction of the ringing cellphone. After the number, she noted, "I'd like to remind you to turn off all cellphones and pagers..." to which we responded with a chuckle. In the back of my mind, I had hopes that she would perform a song from Company. My wish was answered when she sang "The Ladies Who Lunch". In true Patti fashion, she belted the hell out of the ending, and even though she had previously belted the hell out of her other selections, I didn't mind. It was wonderful to hear her live and not on a recording. And like Liza, she came out for a few encores. She "closed" with "My Way" and came back out for "The Way You Look Tonight" and just when most of the patrons thought finished, she returned once more to sing "If It's Magic", a song also covered by my favorite performer, Jon Peterson. Although I have to admit, I really enjoyed Patti's rendition, as well. As we stood standing and clapping, thinking that she was definitely not coming back out, [the curtain had closed by this point], she snuck out holding some flowers and tossing them to people in the front of the house. Then, she paused and sang "One Hundred Years After Today" [I think that's the title of the song, I'm probably mistaken] accappella. Sending off a kiss to us, she ducked behind the curtain and the show was complete, but not before saying "You have a beautiful city and a beautiful theatre. You're so lucky, Portsmouthians! God Bless."
It was truly a performance that will have a lasting impression on me. I hope to see her perform more in the years to come!
"I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams." - Doctor Who
"Yes, the brutalities of progress are called revolutions. When they are over, men recognize that the human race has been harshly treated but it has moved forward." - Les Miserables
Updated On: 5/18/07 at 11:10 PM
![re: Patti LuPone @ The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH - 5/18 [my review :-D]](https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/board/wink.gif){kind=small}
![re: Patti LuPone @ The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH - 5/18 [my review :-D]](https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/board/icon_smile_big.gif){kind=icon}
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