Review by Ron Fassler . . .
In a career that began on Broadway in 1973, Patti LuPone continues to reveal layers that define her as a once-in-a-generation talent. In Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes, which she performed for one night only on the David Geffen Stage at the Kauffman Concert Hall last week, she sang with passion, precision, and pride that belie her seventy-seven years. In the capable hands of writer Jeff Richman (multiple Emmy Award winner for Frasier and Modern Family), and director Scott Whittman (Tony winner fo Hairspray), the show is as tight a set as you’re likely to see from anyone. Taking a page from the old show biz adage, “always leave them wanting more,” she covers a lot in her short stage time, leaving no stone unturned. Well, she doesn’t bother to look under the rock that involved her infamous escape in Sunset Boulevard, so Andrew Lloyd Webber is left unscathed.
Although she has carried the reputation of a diva, LuPone defines the term differently than most, once saying, “The word ‘diva’ to me means doing something supernatural with something natural.” Audiences can attest to her achieving that goal many times over in the musical theatre with roles as diverse as Eva Peron (Evita), Reno Sweeney (Anything Goes), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd), and Rose (Gypsy). In addition, there’s little that she hasn’t attacked dramatically. A member of the first graduating class of Juilliard’s drama division, she has appeared in both classic and modern plays, from Shakespeare, Marlowe, and Chekhov to Mamet and McNally. She has also been performing on the concert stage since 1980, once Evita launched her into the stratosphere, so the fact she’s so comfortable in this setting comes naturally, albeit with years of practice. With a wink, she told the audience at the start that “the ones I sing for you tonight are the ones I actually remember.”
Taken from a double album set released in 2024, A Life in Notes is broken into two parts with the first half has LuPone taking us through her upbringing as a child of the 1950s and 60s in East Northport on Long Island. Covering hit recordings of the period like Rosemary Clooney’s “Come On-a My House,” the Righteous Brothers’ “Ebb Tide,” and Dionne Warwick’s “Alfie,” gives us a fun look at a youthful LuPone without a care in the world. It’s significant, however, that the end of the act had her singing “Those Were the Days” and flashing a peace sign before the blackout. One standout was the choice to sing Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin’s “The Man That Got Away,” long associated with Judy Garland, for whom it was written. If you’re all curious to how she interprets it, you can hear it here (available on the A Life in Notes CD).
The second act, which opened with a sensational rendition of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s “On Broadway” concentrated on her work in the theatre. Though she did a stirring “Some People” in the first half, by performing “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” and “The Ladies Who Lunch” in the second, all three of LuPone’s Tony-winning shows were represented. It was very moving to listen to that Evita anthem since it’s going on fifty years since she first played the role in the musical’s American premiere. That she is singing it in the same key is extraordinary, even if her use of more head voice is expected. Accompanied solely on guitar by Brad Phillips, who also picked up a violin and mandolin and played them expertly during the show, the pair surely made the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice song new again. And mention must be made of Joseph Thalken’s contribution, a go-to-guy of many a musical theatre star. In his line of work as musical director, arranger, and pianist, Thalken is among the finest there is.
Saving the best for last, LuPone turned to Bob Dylan and “Forever Young.” Though a song about a parent’s love for their child and not about the aging process, one can’t help but make the connection. LuPone is an ageless wonder.
The evening, however, didn’t finish there. Coming back onstage for an inevitable encore, she shouted, “Apropos of Nothing!” and launched into Pasty Montana’s “Cowboy’s Sweetheart” and yodeled! Though not wanting to leave on a comic moment, LuPone instead ended with as simple a version as possible of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “In My Life.” But still in need of that element of surprise, she found a way to meld it to “Those Were the Days,” sung earlier. That slight nostalgic spin, with the audience clapping along being mandatory, left everyone with a joyous feeling as they walked up the aisles. And what could be better than that?
Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes was on October 1st at the David Geffen Stage at the Kauffman Concert Hall, 1395 Lexington Avenue, NYC. For information on future programing at 92NY, please click here.
Photos by Richard Termine.
Headline photo: Patti LuPone with Joseph Thalken at the piano.
