Broadway star Patti LuPone to sing, tell stories at IU Auditorium

Patti LuPone is one of the — many critics would say the — greatest Broadway stars of any age. She, however, fears the dark. "I still think the boogeyman is under the bed," she said over the phone. In fact, lots of things scare her. But never a stage.

LuPone comes to the Indiana University Auditorium Oct. 11, bringing her one-woman show "Don’t Monkey with Broadway." The three-time Tony winner and five-time Tony nominee will regale her audience with "plenty of Broadway songs and lots of laughter. I hope!" The relatable Long Islander (New York) will also tell stories from Broadway and beyond.

Joanne in "Company," Rose in "Gypsy," Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd," Eva Peron in "Evita" — that's just part of it

A Juilliard School actor-singer to the marrow, LuPone tosses her anxieties the instant her toes touch the boards.

She has won a slew of succulent musical and theatrical roles, some of which are Joanne (original) in Stephen Sondheim's "Company," Rose (original) in "Gypsy" (Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents), Mrs. Lovett (original) and others in Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd," Eva Peron (original) in "Evita" (Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice). There are many, many more.

Acting versus singing

Which is harder, acting or singing? Singing, said the veteran of both. In fact, she learned from opera diva Jessye Norman about the mechanics of the human vocal folds (aka "cords"). "Opera singers know all about diaphragmatic breathing and vocal cords," LuPone said.

To have come as far as LuPone, one has to be made to last. "I just soldier on. I don't let things get in my way." Once, after breaking her wrist, she was back working on set five days later.

In a December 2021 interview with Maureen Dowd of The New York Times, LuPone said that ever since babyhood she has received critiques for asking questions. “I got in a lot of trouble in school. When I got out of Juilliard and got into the professional world, there was some weird behavior. Mean stage managers, lousy agents that didn’t protect me."

Feeling totally alone while doing "Evita," she earned to handle conflicts by herself.

Juilliard and sad goodbyes

"I'm an actor," she said to several interview questions. "I have no hobbies."

She, unlike multitudes of actors, is a working one and has been since her career began in the 1970s. One of her favorite memories is playing Rosamund in "The Robber Bridegroom" in 1975. "People pass through us in theater. We actors have to make people believe that (the characters) have a relationship. We let down our guard."

And then, sadly in most cases, the show is over; it's goodbye, often forever. "In Robber Bridegroom, we had all been together for eight years" (starting at the Juilliard School).

A graduate of the first class of the Drama Division of New York’s Juilliard School and a founding member of John Houseman's The Acting Company, in which she toured the country for four years, LuPone's New York credits include, among others, Dario Fo's "Accidental Death of An Anarchist,"David Mamet's "The Water Engine, Edmond" and "The Woods" and  Israel Horovitz' "Stage Directions" plus performances in "Pal Joey" for City Center Encores!, "Anything Goes," "The Cradle Will Rock" and "Oliver."  Encores! is a series of shows focused on bringing back the American musical, often using original scoring.

Recently, LuPone won critical applause for her performance opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Ari Aster’s latest film "Beau Is Afraid."In London, where she most recently won her second Olivier Award for her Joanne in "Company," she recreated her Broadway performance of Maria Callas in "Master Class," created the role of Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" (Olivier Award nomination) and received her first Olivier Award for her Fantine in the original production of "Les Miserables." The Olivier Award is the UK’s most highly regarded theater award.

When writers strike ...

Raised as she was in New York, LuPone embraces controversy and hard discussions. She fully supports the recent Writers Guild of America's strike. This year's strike by Writers Guild of America started on May 2 and ended Sept. 27.

"What people need to remember," she said, "is that it's a labor movement. It's about the middlemen, the lower-tier writers who can't make a living. It's about corporate greed and corporations raping the people."

She retains her SAG (Screen Actors Guild) membership, although she has relinquished her Actors Equity Association ("Equity") card. "I can still work, even on Broadway, as a 'guest' (type of contract)."

Change has created Broadway free-for-alls

Over the decades, LuPone has witnessed vast change in the types of shows produced and the audiences who attend them. "Broadway has turned into a free-for-all."

Many readers will recall viral videos of LuPone telling audience members to mask and reminding them about cellphone use during the show. In England, she said, it's even worse. "Theater has become a circus. I don't know what's happening."

Where's the help from the actors' union, she wonders.

"Don’t Monkey with Broadway" show might monkey with your memories

Her one-woman show "Don’t Monkey with Broadway" at IU will whirl listeners through a tunnel of surprises. She puts aside many of the roles for which she is known to do songs she wouldn't have sung on Broadway. "River City" from "The Music Man," "Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat" from "Guys and Dolls" and "Something’s Coming "from "West Side Story," instead, make the cut.

If you go

WHAT: Patti LuPone, one of musical theater's biggest stars ever, performs her one-woman show "Don’t Monkey with Broadway" with songs from Broadway, stories from life.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11

WHERE: Indiana University Auditorium, 1211 E. Seventh St.

TICKETS: $19-$79, available at https://tinyurl.com/23z9mb93

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Patti LuPone performs "Don't Monkey with Broadway" at IU Auditorium