Video: Patti LuPone Discusses Broadway 'Pandering' to Audiences and Possible Return to the Stage on NY1

Patti LuPone appeared on NY1 with her son and collaborator Josh Johnston to discuss their project RADIO PLAY REVIVAL with Frank DiLella. 

When asked about a return to Broadway, LuPone states that she has "stuff in the wind," hinting at Off-Broadway and Broadway plays in the works, but they have to figure out how she's going to be on stage after giving up her Actors' Equity membership, which she says is "not a problem," adding "We'll find out."

DiLella asked what she thinks of the state of Broadway, LuPone said "I don't support how Broadway has changed. I don't support it at all. We are not educating audiences. We are pandering to them, and we're making stupid audiences, as opposed to people that need to be challenged."

LuPone puts the blame squarely on marketers and producers. "It's heartbreaking to work as hard as we do and have a show fail because of either inexperienced marketing or inexperienced producers," said LuPone. "Everybody wants to be on Broadway. I'd love it if they knew what they were doing."

Watch the full interview below.

LuPone most recently won a Tony Award for her performance as Joanne in Company. A two-time Tony Award winner for her performances in Evita and the most recent Broadway production of Gypsy, her New York stage credits include War Paint (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations); Shows for Days; The Seven Deadly Sins (New York City Ballet); Company (New York Philharmonic); Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC Award nominations); Sweeney Todd (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC nominations); Noises Off; The Old Neighborhood; Master Class; Anything Goes (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award); Oliver!; Accidental Death of An Anarchist; The Water Engine; and The Robber Bridegroom (Tony and Drama Desk nominations).

In addition to Company, her London stage credits include Master Class; Sunset Boulevard (Olivier Award nomination); The Cradle Will Rock, and Les Miserables, for which she won the Olivier Award, the first American artist to do so, for her performances in both musicals.

Opera credits include The Ghosts of Versailles (Los Angeles Opera), To Hell and Back (San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra), The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Los Angeles Opera debut), Regina (Kennedy Center).

Her film credits include: The Comedian, Parker, Union Square, Summer of Sam, Driving Miss Daisy, and Witness. LuPone's television credits include "Pose," "Mom," "The Simpsons," "Vampirina," "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Penny Dreadful" (Critics Choice Award nomination), "Girls," "American Horror Story: Coven," "30 Rock," "Glee," "Frasier" (Emmy Award nomination), and three years as Libby Thatcher on the ABC series "Life Goes On."

She is a founding member of both the Drama Division of The Juilliard School and John Houseman's The Acting Company and the author of the New York Times best-seller Patti LuPone: A Memoir.

 

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