Patti and Mandy need to reunite for a benefit concert of EVITA

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/8/17 at 8:14pm

Yes, I know it's been suggested before. Yes I know all the reasons why it will never happen. But seeing Patti LuPone last night in War Paint - hearing her sound BETTER vocally now than she did in 1980, this pipe dream is now my number one musical theatre fantasy. 

Updated On: 3/8/17 at 08:14 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 7:09am

They had a pretty big Evita hunk in their recent Broadway show together, no?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 7:36am

Back when Seth Rudetsky did benefits, he was trying to put together an Evita concert with Patti (not sure about Mandy) for the longest time, but Webber's people wouldn't get back to him; apparently they weren't having it. I guess the bridges burned were considered mutual?

Updated On: 3/9/17 at 07:36 AM

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 8:28am

I do vaguely remember hearing something about that though wasn't that around the time the revival was in the works? Try again, Seth!

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 9:25am

QueenAlice said: "I do vaguely remember hearing something about that though wasn't that around the time the revival was in the works? Try again, Seth."

That was my understanding too, but I obviously wasn't in on those calls. They didn't want to compete with the revival. If the concert was great it makes the revival look bad and if the concert was bad it could "damage the brand" kind of thing. I'm shocked it hasn't happened for charity, they could raise a pretty penny.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 9:38am

I kind of envision Patti doing it for personal vanity- if Glenn Close can return years later in that role, why not Patti- especially if she could sing it now better than ever- which she could.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 9:43am

QueenAlice said: "I do vaguely remember hearing something about that though wasn't that around the time the revival was in the works? Try again, Seth!"

I say "back when Seth Rudetsky did benefits" because I get the impression that he's not doing them anymore, as per a conversation we had a while back.

Having said that, this does sound like an idea that someone else should pick up the torch on, especially as ALW is entering a strange new period of leniency, what with naming Ken Davenport to head up the North American division of Really Useful, starting his own Stateside licensing agency that is signing off on (or at least promoting) stuff like an all-female JCS, and the like.

Updated On: 3/9/17 at 09:43 AM

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 12:23pm

As awesome as that would be, on the basis of things that Patti said in her autobiography, I don't think she ever really wants to perform Evita again.  

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 12:46pm

Babe_Williams said: "As awesome as that would be, on the basis of things that Patti said in her autobiography, I don't think she ever really wants to perform Evita again. "

Not necessarily true.  She did say in an interview with Seth Rudetsky that she was approached to appear in the revival for a limited run, but they wouldn't agree to pay her what she requested, and negotiations ended.

I agree with QueenAlice that she'd probably do a concert version if the situation and timing were right.  I think Mandy would be the lynchpin.  Patti mentioned in her autobiography how much she depended on him every night during the original run.  If he agreed to do it with her, I think it would happen.

[chernjam]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 1:23pm

Not to revisit Patti - ALW feud - but... honestly, the things she's said and written about ALW's music (not the man, not how he was treated) - but simply dismissive and derogatory towards his music - and the quality of the shows (Evita and Sunset) - while I would love to see a reconciliation and her to perform in either this benefit concert or follow Glenn in NY in Sunset (can you imagine her with a 40 piece orchestra) - I can never see this happening.

It's unfortunate, because sadly it was egos that destroyed this relationship and it's egos that continue to prevent any reconciliation.


(BTW - I remember hearing that idea of Patti going into the recent revival of Evita and laughed at the thought of it. Was it just something that posters on BWW started or was there seriously any discussions this might happen?)

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 1:57pm

I kind of can't imagine the rumor about her going into the last revival had any merit, and not because of her age, but because I cannot imagine her fitting into Michael Grandige's take on the show.

i've never read or heard anything out of the Andrew Lloyd Webber camp ever disparaging Patti. At this point, I think the  perpetuation of a feud exists only in her mind. And frankly, she continues to sing his music in almost every concert she appears in, so if she's really angry she should put her money where her mouth is. In truth, she just needs to get over it. She was treated poorly 25 years ago. But this is also the same man who is responsible for her stardom. Life is too short for that ****.

Updated On: 3/9/17 at 01:57 PM

[scampsweep]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 2:13pm

A couple of years ago, Patti did a concert in London at the Leicester Square theatre with Rudetsky and sang quite a lot from Evita. She sang some long and unusual sections including Eva and Magaldi/Eva Beware of the City (with the guy who was playing Magaldi on the UK tour at the time), Buenos Aires, High Flying Adored and Rainbow High. I was at that concert and she sang it so well. Wish she'd done A New Argentina!!! She also did With One Look from Sunset. There was some footage on YouTube- not sure if it's still there. 

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 2:30pm

chernjam said: "Not to revisit Patti - ALW feud - but... honestly, the things she's said and written about ALW's music (not the man, not how he was treated) - but simply dismissive and derogatory towards his music - and the quality of the shows (Evita and Sunset) - while I would love to see a reconciliation and her to perform in either this benefit concert or follow Glenn in NY in Sunset (can you imagine her with a 40 piece orchestra) - I can never see this happening.

It's unfortunate, because sadly it was egos that destroyed this relationship and it's egos that continue to prevent any reconciliation.


(BTW - I remember hearing that idea of Patti going into the recent revival of Evita and laughed at the thought of it. Was it just something that posters on BWW started or was there seriously any discussions this might happen?)"

 

Is it really necessary for Patti to embarrass Glenn by following her in this production and singing exponentially better?

And as sbflyfan said, it was Patti who said in an interview with Seth Rudetsky that she was approached to replace Elena Roger in the Evita revival, but that they didn't offer her enough money. To be honest, I wonder why they approached her knowing that so much work would need to be done to accommodate her in that revival.

 

[sparepart973]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 2:36pm

I believe she mentioned the concert possibility herself in an interview with Paul Wontorek on Show People. 

I don't think she has issues performing Evita per se. She's performed Don't Cry For Me time and again after the Sunset fiasco. It was only Sunset material that she had boycotted, until the Leicester Square concerts in London (which were incredible). 

Patti had a long term feud with Arthur Laurents and eventually they made up, so you never know about ALW. I personally don't think Webber cares one way or another-- Sunset was never truly harmed with LuPone's exit. The show's financials back then soared during Close's run, and then dwindled again in the subsequent years. Patti wouldn't have been able to save it one way or another, and as amazing as she is now, I doubt this production could survive without Close's name attached to it. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 2:37pm

Wow, well if it was just a matter of money and not her feelings about ALW then she should do a benefit concert ????

[chernjam]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 2:37pm

scampsweep said: "A couple of years ago, Patti did a concert in London at the Leicester Square theatre with Rudetsky and sang quite a lot from Evita. She sang some long and unusual sections including Eva and Magaldi/Eva Beware of the City (with the guy who was playing Magaldi on the UK tour at the time), Buenos Aires, High Flying Adored and Rainbow High. I was at that concert and she sang it so well. Wish she'd done A New Argentina!!! She also did With One Look from Sunset. There was some footage on YouTube- not sure if it's still there. "

I know I saw those as well scampsweep  - and her belt is still there - so she definitely nails the music.  

Queen - I agree with you... I mean, I can understand how disappointed/hurt/angry - even humiliated she was at the time.  It really became the foundation to its own stage show in it's own right.  But as a huge Sunset, ALW fan - I never thought she came out of that looking badly, particularly because of the way it all went down (she finds out she's not doing Broadway by Liz Smith, a gossip columnist in the paper)

And what better way to show her confidence, class, etc then to agree to taking over for Close (although I know that's even more of a remote possibility with War Paint opening).  I still don't think acting wise she ever got "Norma" - definitely not the way Glenn has embodied her at this point.  But to hear her sing the score with a 40 piece orchestra on a Broadway stage... yeah I'd be there.

But back to Evita.  What really diminished her was how she really did trash Evita, ALW and all post-Sunset.  Which she did as she gladly sang those songs (often at the audience demands) on stage.  Even saying ALW must hate women for writing music like this.  Really?  She hated it so much she played Eva in San Francisco, Broadway and then in Australia...  Then dissed the movie/Madonna (but saying it wasn't Madonna's fault...)  

You're right though - life is way too short for this type of ****

 

[chernjam]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 2:43pm

sparepart973 said: "I believe she mentioned the concert possibility herself in an interview with Paul Wontorek on Show People. 

I don't think she has issues performing Evita per se. She's performed Don't Cry For Me time and again after the Sunset fiasco. It was only Sunset material that she had boycotted, until the Leicester Square concerts in London (which were incredible). 

Patti had a long term feud with Arthur Laurents and eventually they made up, so you never know about ALW. I personally don't think Webber cares one way or another-- Sunset was never truly harmed with LuPone's exit. The show's financials back then soared during Close's run, and then dwindled again in the subsequent years. Patti wouldn't have been able to save it one way or another, and as amazing as she is now, I doubt this production could survive without Close's name attached to it. "

 

Oh I'm not sure on that... Had she taken over for Glenn in NY - the stampede for tickets would have been intense.  As it was Betty Buckley was able to maintain pretty high grosses throughout her run.  And when it closed, NY Times reported that somewhere between 85-90% of the capitalization (for NY) had been returned (not sure about LA, London or how they attached costs from one failed production to the other... for example, some of the LA costs were paid off by NY as they took the entire company with them or something...  plus when it opened in NY to a still held record advance of $37.5 million, they probably had no reason to think it wouldn't be able to recoup all those other costs)  Anyway, I think Patti would have definitely helped push Sunset over the finish line.

I don't recall ever hearing that "they made up."  I've never heard ALW speak about her since (he joked about working on an auto biography and said something about all the knives that would be out for him or something like that) and the couple of times I've seen her interviewed, it seems she's still pissed at him

 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 2:48pm

Asking Patti to replace Glen I think is too much. Now that is something I can not imagine her ever agreeing to. Patti's iconic role is Evita. That's what she should  reclaim- particularly since the last revival really was so awful.

[Luscious]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 5:20pm

If Patti ever does EVITA again, it should be in concert. I'm all for suspension of disbelief and all, but Eva Peron died at age 33. Patti is 67, for goodness sake. I think she would look silly playing Eva, especially in the early scenes when she's supposed to be 15. Sorry, but this ship has sailed for Patti. But a concert version would be great!

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 3/10/17 at 1:00am

It'd be nice to see someone who could actually sing the score as it was meant to be sung.  

 

I'd say the same thing about Sunset:  I don't care how well Close acts the show.  It's a musical. If you can't act AND sing, I have no use for you in that kind of show.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 3/10/17 at 12:37pm

Luscious said: "If Patti ever does EVITA again, it should be in concert. I'm all for suspension of disbelief and all, but Eva Peron died at age 33. Patti is 67, for goodness sake."

Ted Neeley.

 

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 3/10/17 at 4:45pm

This thread made me imagine Patti jumping at the chance to  sing Sunset at a concert during Glenn's run.