Photo Coverage: Patti LuPone Surprises at SPLASH!
By: Walter McBride Nov. 05, 2008
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Patti LuPone made a surprise appearance at Splash in support of her new CD, "Patti LuPone at Les Mouches," out next week. The CD was recorded in 1980 live at a Chelsea nightclub when Patti starred in Evita. She was introduced to the crowd by Ugly Betty's Michael Urie, whose mother she portrays on the hit ABC show.
The year was 1980, and Patti LuPone was starring as "Evita" on Broadway. She was en route to winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and cementing her status as a Broadway star. But there was another Patti LuPone performance taking place -- one that only a comparative handful of people were aware of: Every Saturday night at midnight, for 27 weeks, after performing one of the most demanding roles ever, she made her way to Les Mouches - a legendary nightclub in New York City, to perform a solo concert...This was a one-woman tour de force that -- until now -- only the lucky few who were on hand knew about.
All that will change on November 11th, when Ghostlight Records proudly releases "Patti LuPone at Les Mouches," a digitally-restored concert recording of LuPone's 1980 solo show. Ghostlight President Kurt Deutsch, along with longtime producing partner Joel Moss and co-producers Ben Rimalower and David Lewis, have culled performances from the venue's original board mixes, and assembled a recording that captures the raw energy and excitement of a once in a lifetime concert event, and a moment in time. Everybody who was anybody was there, from Andy Warhol to Jodie Foster to Stephen Sondheim. It was literally the hottest ticket in town. This music has never been released before, in any format.
Patti LuPone swept the 2008 theatre awards winning the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance for her performance as Rose in the critically-acclaimed new Broadway production of the classic Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents musical Gypsy, directed by the show's author, Mr. Laurents, currently at the St. James Theatre.
She has brought her special brand of "star quality" to shows such as Evita, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, The Robber Bridegroom, Oliver!, Les Miserables, Anything Goes, Master Class, Sunset Boulevard and Sweeney Todd. The roles of Eva Peron, Reno Sweeney, Norma Desmond, and Mrs. Lovett have all lead her to her current triumph as Mama Rose.
Photos by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.
Chip Duckett
Chip Duckett
Chip Duckett
Then she comes back for a second surprise appearance
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