Patti LuPone

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Patti LuPone in her Tony Award winning role as Eva Perón in the Broadway musical Evita.
Patti LuPone in her Tony Award winning role as Eva Perón in the Broadway musical Evita.

Patti LuPone (born April 21, 1949 in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York) is a Tony Award-winning American singer and actress.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

LuPone is of Italian (Sicilian [1]) descent. [2] She is a graduate of Northport High School. LuPone was part of the first graduating class of Juilliard's Drama Division along with classmate Kevin Kline.

[edit] Career

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In 1972 John Houseman took his beloved class and formed The Acting Company, making them America's foremost nationally touring repertory theater company. Her stint with The Acting Company lasted from 1972 to 1976, and she was featured in such works as The School for Scandal, Women Beware Women, The Beggar's Opera, The Time of Your Life, The Lower Depths, The Hostage, Next Time I'll Sing to You, Measure for Measure, Scapin, Edward II, The Orchestra, Love's Labour's Lost, Arms and the Man, The Way of the World, and The Robber Bridegroom, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. In 1986, alumni members of The Acting Company joined forces for a West End revival of The Cradle Will Rock in which LuPone played Moll, and for which she received an Olivier Award. Ms. LuPone is an important player in contemporary American musical theater. She made her Broadway debut in the play Three Sisters Her first leading role in a musical was The Baker's Wife, which did not make it to NYC. She has performed on Broadway in works by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim and others. She won a Tony Award for Evita in 1980.

In 1987, LuPone landed the role of Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of Anything Goes, for which she won the Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Musical. LuPone's return to Broadway was supposed to be with the musical Sunset Boulevard, however Andrew Lloyd Webber breached LuPone's contract by recasting her role for the New York production. LuPone subsequently sued Webber, but the two settled the dispute out of court with a hefty settlement in favor of LuPone. After this LuPone was so disappointed, it took her a year to return to the stage. In 1996, LuPone returned to Broadway in a triumphant fashion in a concert style celebration of her career called Patti LuPone on Broadway for which she received an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. Also in 1996 LuPone was asked to replace Zoe Caldwell in the Terrance McNally play, Master Class for which she received rave reviews. In 2001 she starred along side Peter Gallagher in the Broadway revival of Noises Off. The play was a tremendous success and ran for 348 performances. Other Broadway credits include Working (1978), Oliver! (1984), and Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1982).

LuPone has worked with legendary playwright David Mamet since 1977, acting in both his plays, including The Woods (1977), All Men Are Whores (1977), The Blue Hour (1978) The Water Engine (1978), Edmund (1982), and The Old Neighborhood (1997) (for which she received a Drama Desk Award Nomination), as well as his movies, (The Water Engine, the critically acclaimed State and Main, and Heist). Among LuPone's other film credits are Witness, Just Looking, The Victim, Summer of Sam, Driving Miss Daisy, King of Gypsies, 1941, 'Wise Guys, 24 Hour Woman, Family Prayers, Bad Faith, and City By The Sea.

Ms. LuPone has been a part of many semi-staged concerts of musicals in New York such as the Encores! production of Pal Joey (1994) opposite Peter Gallagher and Bebe Neuwirth, Sweeney Todd (2000) opposite George Hearn and Audra McDonald, Can-Can (2004) opposite Michael Nouri, Candide opposite Kristin Chenoweth, and Passion (2005) opposite Michael Cerveris and Audra McDonald. It has been announced that LuPone will reprise her role in Gypsy as Rose in an Encores! Summer Series in July 2007 (New York Times, March 19, 2007).

LuPone's triumphs in the opera world extend to Kennedy Center's production of Regina, To Hell and Back, and the upcomming Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny opposite long time friend Audra McDonald and directed by John Doyle with the Los Angeles Opera

She also has three one-woman shows that she performs: Matters of the Heart, Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, and The Lady With the Torch which sold out Carnagie Hall.

She also played Libby Thacher on the television drama Life Goes On, which ran on ABC from 1989 to 1993. She has twice been nominated for an Emmy Award for the TV movie The Song Spinner, and her guest appearance on "Frasier". LuPone's further TV career includes a recurring spot on the last season of HBO's hit series "Oz".

She originated the role of Fantine in The Royal Shakespeare production of the musical Les Misérables, becoming the first American actress to win the Olivier Award. LuPone returned to the London to portray Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard in the West End. Known for her range and versatility, she once played Lady Bird Johnson opposite Randy Quaid's Lyndon B. Johnson in the television movie, LBJ

LuPone recently starred on Broadway as Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's new staging of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Ms. LuPone was nominated for a Tony Award for this role.

LuPone recorded a duet with Seth MacFarlane (in character as Glenn Quagmire) on the 2005 album Family Guy: Live In Vegas.

LuPone released a new CD in 2006, of one of her shows "The Lady with the Torch" on Sh-k-Boom Records. In December she released bonus tracks for that cd only on itunes.

A regular star at the Ravinia Festival's annual Sondheim concerts in Highland Park, IL, Ms. LuPone starred as Rose in Gypsy for three performances in August 2006. This was her first time playing this legendary role. With her unanimously rave reviews for the role LuPone was hailed as the best Rose.[citation needed]

Her past performances at Ravinia have included starring turns in Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd (2001), A Little Night Music (2002), Passion (2003), Sunday in the Park with George (2004) , Anyone Can Whistle(2005) "Revival of Sweney Todd" (2005), "Gypsy" (2006).

[edit] Personal life

Her first name, Patti, is not short for "Patricia"; it is her mother's maiden name. LuPone's great-grand-aunt was the celebrated 19th-century opera singer Adelina Patti. Her brother is actor, dancer, and director Robert LuPone, and her other brother William is a teacher. When they were little they performed on Long Island as the LuPone Trio.

She had a long-term relationship with fellow Juilliard classmate Kevin Kline.

She married Matthew Johnston in 1988 on the Vivian Beaumont Stage at Lincoln Center after filming the TV movie LBJ, they had one child on November 21, 1990, Joshua Luke Johnston.

She currently resides with her family in upstate Connecticut.

Preceded by
Angela Lansbury
in Sweeney Todd		 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical
1980
for Evita		 Succeeded by
Lauren Bacall
in Woman of the Year

[edit] External links

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