RIALTO CHATTER: Patti LuPone to Join Neil Patrick Harris in NY Philharmonic's COMPANY in April?

Never one to hold her tongue, Patti LuPone has revealed that she will take part in a concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Company with the New York Philharmonic from April 7 through April 9 of this year.  She will be joining the previously announced Neil Patrick Harris for the event.

Says LuPone in the Naples Florida Weekly when asked about her plans post Women on the Verge: "I'm doing New York City Ballet, ‘Seven Deadly Sins...But first, ‘Company,' with the New York Philharmonic."

To read the full interview, click here.

The award-winning musical concert will be produced and directed by Lonny Price, who directed and co-produced last season's SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert!, and will be conducted by Sondheim specialist Paul Gemignani, with the original orchestrations for a 35-piece orchestra by Jonathan Tunick. More details will be announced at a later date.

Set in New York, Company follows five married, once-married, and soon-to-be-married couples and their mutual friend, Robert (Mr. Harris), a bachelor who has been unable to connect in a long-term relationship. The relationships are presented in a series of vignettes, primarily through Robert's eyes. The show's songs include "Company," "Side by Side by Side," "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Another Hundred People," and "Being Alive."

With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, Company first opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on April 26, 1970, produced and directed by Harold Prince. The show ran for 705 performances and received 1971 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Lyrics, Best Set Design, and Best Direction of a Musical, among 14 nominations. It has had several revivals, most recently in 2006 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, with Raúl Esparza as Robert, a production that was broadcast on Great Performances on PBS.

Single tickets for these performances start at $65, and go on sale for the general public on Friday, December 17, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. All tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office or the Alice Tully Hall Box Office at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th Street. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic's Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos