Patti LuPone Talks Broadway, TV's Musical Turn

In an interview with Varitey out today Patti LuPone opens up about the inspiration for her solo show 'Matters of the Heart,' her love for GLEE and the musical turn television has been taking of late, and her new book, Patti LuPone: A Memoir, out now by Harmony.

On the genesis of 'Matters of the Heart,' Lupone explains: "I was frankly sick and tried of singing showtunes. I was frankly sick and tired of singing showtunes. I grew up on Long Island in the '50s and '60s listening to rock 'n' roll, while my mother listened to opera and my dad listened to jazz."

As for her musical inspirations she credits Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Ronettes, the Shirelles and the Four Seasons growing up, with Cream, the Beatles, the Band, Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson beling influences later on.

As for GLEE, LuPone gushes:  "I think it's really terrific!... Hopefully this will want to make (audiences) go to a Broadway musical."  The singer does not share a similar sentiment for talent show competitions such as American Idol, however, claiming: "It's a very difficult profession. And it's insulting to the people who have trained for a discipline -- acting and singing are crafts and disciplines...It's also, especially 'American Idol,' so derivative. They all sound like somebody who's already famous. And "Dancing With the Stars" is pathetic. If you're going to have a competition, have it with real dancers. Show me some real talent."

To read the complete interview Click Here.

LuPone will perform her concert 'Matter of the Heart' on May 15th at Walt Disney Concert Hall. In her concert "Matters of the Heart," LuPone takes the audience on a tour of the crimes, affairs and mysteries of the heart, and explores love in its various iterations in performances of more than two dozen songs. The mix of ballads, pop, show tunes, up-tempo and cabaret songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Randy Newman, BrIan Wilson, Judy Collins, Dan Fogelberg, Joni Mitchell and Cyndi Lauper are all delivered with LuPone's inimitable sass and class, remarkable humor and immensely rich voice. The concert is part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2009/10 Songbook series.

LuPone is accompanied by music director Chris Fenwick at the piano, as well as a string quartet that includes Rick Dolan, first violin; Fritz Krakowski, second violin; Richard Brice, viola; and Arthur Fiacco, cello. The concert is performed in loving memory of its co-creator Dick Gallagher, who passed away in 2005.

Patti LuPone most recently starred on Broadway as Rose in the hit revival of Gypsy, for which she won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical as well as Drama-League Award for Outstanding Performance of the 2008/09 season.

For more information on Patti LuPone and 'Matters of the Heart,' visit www.pattilupone.com.