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| Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: bobby2 12:36 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Or was that just paranoia on her part or a tactic Prince used to get what he wanted. I guess the firing of Madeline Kahn must have made it seem real that she could get the boot. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: AlexanderKat 01:45 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - bobby2 12:36 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| I really don't think Patti needed to worry. The only squabble Sylvie Drake, the L.A. Times theatre critic, harped on was the floral dress Patti wore. I don't recall any L.A. buzz about her being replaced (unlike the buzz three years later that Patti would possibly be replacing Betsy Joslyn in A DOLL'S LIFE). I had a student card in 1979 that assured me an orchestra seat for just three dollars. This allowed me to go back over a dozen times during its nine-week run. I saw Patti perform many many times from her first preview to her last unfortunate closing night performance. The audience gave her nightly standing ovations (though they all had already stood up for Patinkin). . I also saw Klausner, Lacey, Opel, and Atlay. Florence Lacey was by far my favorite Evita next to Patti. But watching all these other actresses no one came close to Lupone and I'm sure Prince noticed that. So my question is, "Did Patti get lazy with her diction as the years passed?" I had no problem at all understanding her during EVITA. And I'm sure the Los Angeles papers would have noticed and reported it at the time. But in WAR PAINT it was a whole different story. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: WWriter 08:10 pm EST 02/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - AlexanderKat 01:45 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| A friend of mine saw Evita early in the run and told me not to bother. He said he couldn't understand a word she said--and he knew the albums by heart! He said the whole thing was a disappointment. So, I didn't see her. I semi-regret that. | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Snowgrace 11:12 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - AlexanderKat 01:45 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Re consonants, interesting how with the spoken word, LuPone can very effectively use words as weapons, with perfect enunciation....she sure did as a defense attorney in a delicious performance I recently saw on a LAW & ORDER from around 1997! :) | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: bobby2 05:43 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - AlexanderKat 01:45 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| What did you think of Klausner, Lacey, Opel and Altay? | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 02:16 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - AlexanderKat 01:45 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| This allowed me to go back over a dozen times during its nine-week run. I saw Patti perform many many times from her first preview to her last unfortunate closing night performance. I feel like you might not be entirely unbiased on this topic. Just a hunch. ;) |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 02:14 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - AlexanderKat 01:45 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| "I saw Patti perform many many times from her first preview to her last unfortunate closing night performance." No details on that last performance? Is this a story we're all supposed to know? |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: AlexanderKat 05:52 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Michael_Portantiere 02:14 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Sorry, Michael. After two months, Patti was determined not to miss her final performance in Los Angeles. She didn't want to disappoint her friends and fans who'd be attending. However, the box office knew my face by this point and told me Patti was not in good shape. She'd been recording the 2 LP OCR of EVITA during the day and was experiencing vocal strain. But she was just fine during her opening "Buenos Aires" number but it all went downhill shortly after that. By mid-act, she could no longer sing and shouted out her lyrics instead. For the act one finale, "A New Argentina", she couldn't even shout. Her voice was gone. So at this performance, she died during the first act instead of the second. After intermission, she was replaced but I have to admire her determination. The only time I've experienced a similar situation was with the wonderful Barbara Harris in THE APPLE TREE but that's another story, Michael. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:21 pm EST 02/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - AlexanderKat 05:52 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Wow, thanks. That must have been a very difficult situation for Patti, the rest of the cast, and the audience. These things happen, but I admire her determination. | |
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| re: Her original contract required consonants ... | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 10:16 am EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - bobby2 12:36 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| SOrry - had to. I have enjoyed Ms Lupone on occasion - but I can't get out of my head her Reno Sweeney at Lincoln Center, where she made mush of most of Mr Porter's great lyrics ... | |
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| re: Her original contract required consonants ... | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 10:15 pm EST 02/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Her original contract required consonants ... - NewtonUK 10:16 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| She's crystal clear to my ear on the amazing cast recording of that production... I'm sorry it was mush for you hearing it live. I've also heard live recordings where I could understand her, but... I wasn't there. | |
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| re: Her original contract required consonants ... | |
| Posted by: bobby2 11:50 pm EST 02/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Her original contract required consonants ... - Chazwaza 10:15 pm EST 02/08/21 | |
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| I could never believe they let the part where she sings to the mistress: "Don't act scared or surprised lets be friends civilVized" slip through to the final album. As a kid I actually looked up civilVized in the dictionary thinking it was a different word than civilized. |
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| re: Her original contract required consonants ... | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 01:04 am EST 02/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Her original contract required consonants ... - bobby2 11:50 pm EST 02/08/21 | |
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| Ha, yes, that is undeniable and bizarre. Has anyone ever asked her about this in an interview? I've seen her in several shows, many times, and in concert, and heard all her cast albums... and I think she is inconsistent in her f, for sure... but she gets a much worse reputation for it than I think she actually deserves. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Dale 12:45 am EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - bobby2 12:36 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Yes. And she should be very grateful to Judy Prince. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Roman 08:32 am EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Dale 12:45 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| The idea of Lupone being grateful! | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: bway1430 02:45 am EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Dale 12:45 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| It is clear in ALW's book "Unmasked" that they were certainly having issues with her as her performance was inconsistent. ALW shared a letter he kept that he wrote to LuPone encouraging her when he had to head back to London during the show's tryout. He knew she was struggling and he clearly had concerns but was confident she would eventually get there. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:52 am EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - bway1430 02:45 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| "It is clear in ALW's book 'Unmasked' that they were certainly having issues with her as her performance was inconsistent." I have not seen LuPone multiple timesin any of her roles, but if she is indeed an inconsistent performer, I would not be surprised to heat that, as the performance she gave when I saw her in GYPSY on Broadway did not seem to me worthy of the accolades she received from so many critics and audience members. On the other hand, she was great when I saw her in EVITA, ANYTHING GOES, WAR PAINT, and several other shows. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Roman 03:49 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Michael_Portantiere 11:52 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| I find her to be frustratingly hit or miss. When she’s “on”, she can be electric. I saw her one night in Evita. She was staggering. Went back with pals a few weeks later and she was a MESS. Very disappointing. She was fine as Rose. Nothing great. But also very inconsistent. Saw it. Meh. Got a chance to see the show again with a pal. We were both surprisingly underwhelmed, given all the fuss around her performance. She just wasn’t funny and steamrolled through it, no nuance. In Anything Goes, though, she was sensational. Was dating a cast member at the time and saw it a handful of times. She was having a lot of fun. And it showed. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: theaterbear 12:58 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Michael_Portantiere 11:52 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Her performance in Gypsy at City Center was electric. I remember calling my then boyfriend after the show and going on and on about how incredible she and Benanti were. I went back to see it when it opened on Broadway and a LOT of air had already made its way into the performance - when I returned towards the end of the run it was a full out cartoon. | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Roman 03:51 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - theaterbear 12:58 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Very well put. Contrast that with Peters, whose performance became more nuanced and layered throughout the run. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 02:12 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - theaterbear 12:58 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| theaterbear, I had a similar experience in that I preferred LuPone's performance as Rose at City Center over the performance I saw on Broadway -- I think this was the one time I saw her more than once in the same role, even if it was two different productions. And yet, Ben Brantley famously gave her a largely negative review for the City Center performance but a rave for Broadway. Of course, that could just be a matter of differing opinions, but it might also be further evidence that LuPone is an inconsistent performer. | |
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| City Center Gypsy | |
| Last Edit: dizzyfromtheheight 12:34 am EST 02/12/21 | |
| Posted by: dizzyfromtheheight 12:28 am EST 02/12/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Michael_Portantiere 02:12 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| I had the incredible theatrical luck to see GYPSY at City Center FIVE times. I saw the Broadway production three times, including the Opening Night. I chose not to go to the closing night on Broadway. I was at both the Opening Night and Closing Night of City Center. The City Center production of GYPSY was one of the most beautiful theatrical experiences that I have witnessed. PATTI LUPONE WAS NOT IN ANY WAY INCONSISTENT AT CITY CENTER. She was a completely different Rose on Broadway and yes - inconsistent; however, the SHOW was inconsistent on Broadway because, honestly reason #1 BENANTI. #2 Children #3 REALLY different audiences. The last performance I saw was late in the BWAY run, without Benanti, and everyone was earnest, but hammy. and comfortable. It was a normal workday. NOT the electricity of City Center in any way. I remember thinking during the glorious and legendary final curtain call at City Center, "I hope this doesn't transfer to Broadway, it is was so special." But...it did: and "inconsistencies" began. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 02:47 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Michael_Portantiere 02:12 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Brantley has a tendency to give shows strong reviews when they've transferred, after giving them weak reviews in their first incarnation. He always writes something about how the show has expanded or gained something new in the large venue, but it's always read to me as him attempting to align with the mainstream and preserve his authority on popular taste. | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: pecansforall 12:30 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Michael_Portantiere 11:52 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| WAR PAINT... the accent she deployed on top of her diction issues made it impossible for me to understand most of what she was singing. It was really frustrating. | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: JLagow 01:31 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - pecansforall 12:30 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| I had the opposite reaction. I could totally understand her in WP. It is probably my favorite performance of hers. (I did not see her in Evita). | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: huskyital (huskyital@yahoo.com) 12:13 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - Michael_Portantiere 11:52 am EST 02/07/21 | |
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| I totally agree with Michael. You should look up Patti's performance of DONT CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA on the Tony Awards show that year on YOU TUBE. The tears are running down her face.....she really was marvelous in the part. | |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: bobby2 05:38 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - huskyital 12:13 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| She sang A New Argentina on the Tonys. You must be thinking of the Grammys. |
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| re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? | |
| Posted by: Holland 10:46 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Was LuPone ever really in danger of being fired from Evita? - bobby2 05:38 pm EST 02/07/21 | |
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| Ah yes, I remember it well. She wore a gown of gold... | |
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