Patti rehearsing “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” @MSG

[Brave Sir Robin2]

I think Ben did well, like a 7.5/10 - I enjoyed the arrangement and he eased in by the end. Nice to see the future of musical theatre there, as well as a true legend.

Patti was 10/10. Breathtaking.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought Ben Platt was a bit tentative at the beginning.  I wish there had been a reaction shot from ALW.  

[bear88]

Patti LuPone is 68? That's amazing. 

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Patti was extraordinary. I can’t believe how much time they gave the Broadway pair!

[Zamedy154]

BroadwayConcierge said: "Patti was extraordinary. I can’t believe how much time they gave the Broadway pair!"

I was thinking the same thing! And during the 10pm hour, nonetheless. 

Major producer mistake, however: Not showing ALW's reaction to the tribute to ALW.

[adamgreer]

If you had closed your eyes and listened to that performance, you would have sworn it was front 30 years ago. Simply breathtaking.

[CarlosAlberto]

...Take note bitches...that is how a diva takes over...

[uncageg]

The girl in the blue dress just sitting tbere looking bored, when they panned the audience after the song, annoyed me.

[adamgreer]

Who was that woman? She’s getting excoriated on Twitter.

[uncageg]

Really?! Wish I was on twitter. I have never been a fan of CBS' camera work at live events so not surprised they showed her.

[darreyl102]

I noticed that that lady too, and the guy sitting next to her. I was like WTF, why are you sitting there when everybody is standing up??!

[RippedMan]

Yess! I came here to talk **** about her lol. I hate how different genres of music can’t appreciate each other.

[uncageg]

RippedMan said: "Yess! I came here to talk **** about her lol. I hate how different genres of music can’t appreciate each other. "

That was my immediate thought. Do we know who she is?

[ljay889]

She was nominated in the rap album category. She goes by Rapsody.

[uncageg]

Well hopefully one of her girls just walked up to her at a post awards party, held up her phone and said "Girl, while you were all mad that you lost you should have at least applauded for Patti Lupone cause they ard letting you have it on twtter".

[chernjam]

So happy to see this:

@OfficialALW:

Patti, you were magnificent, infinite thanks, Andrew #grammys

[SweetLips]

Yet again---plump aware from Ms Perfect.

'You feel uncomfortable'!!!! You need help-IMMEDIATELY. Keep those comments to yourself or post a current photo of yourself here so we can all be honest how YOUR looks affects us[or me as only speaking for myself].

Performance crit. Ms LuPone looked beautiful for a woman of any age. Her voice was clear and strong and most impressed by her phrasing and breathing, especially as it had to be rearranged re time element-and there was a hint of Norma at the very end.

Mr Platt was delicious--charming, sensitive, innocent with a voice that hit all the notes, and then some-a simple and effective performance.

[BrodyFosse123]

Just finished watching both performances.

Ben was simply entrancing. The standing ovation and the audience’s response speaks for itself.

As for La Grand LuPone. Chilling and a true Master Class. A perfect example of taking care of your voice and learning proper technique as her voice is as powerful today as it was almost 40 years ago when she did EVITA. It has not deteriorated whatsoever. Yes, I was in tears when the music swelled and she struck her iconic Evita pose. I’m sure people were already standing before the number ended.

[BroadwayConcierge]

The fact that Patti LuPone is the #2 trend on Twitter right now fills my heart with joy.

[qolbinau]

And to think there is a fraction of our community today who think Patti had and has no business playing this role simply because of her national identity/cultural background. We need to protect and encourage talent! In today’s climate it is very possible someone like LuPone could be passed up for frivolous reasons!! Don’t let our community be destroyed.

[rosscoe(au)]

I’ve never really saw what people saw in Patti, tonight that changed. That was magnificent, everything from dictation, phrasing was spot on. Bravo Ms LuPone 

[Dancingthrulife2]

Tears welled up in my eyes. What a transcendent performance. Always impressed by how well Patti can use her voice to express so much from so little.

[Dancingthrulife2]

I don't think Ben Platt's performance did what the segment intended. It felt more like a pop cover than a slice of the wondrous repertoire of Broadway musical theater. I guess Patti's insistence on singing the score as it is written is not totally unreasonable in this case.

[John Adams]

Musically, I didn't care for Ms. LuPone's performance. I thought it was consistently belt-y and more like Ethel Merman than her original, more nuanced performance of the song. One example that stands out for me was how she belted out, "I ne-ver ex-PEC-ted it to", and hit and held that second syllable of 'expected'.

I didn't feel like the orchestra was with her regarding the liberties she took with the tempos of the recitative. Neither was I a fan of the change she made to the rhythmic line of the lyric, "Don't cry for me Argentina". I prefer the smoother triplets.

In spite of the elements I didn't like musically, I enjoyed every second of the performance. Patti LuPone is (IMO) a perfect example for how to take command of a stage. I wish the sound engineers had better captured the audience applause the second she began the refrain, as well as the applause when she raised her arms for the classic Evita "balcony arms". And was that a tear she wiped away at the end? I felt - and loved - the emotion of "but all you have to do is look at me to know" in her Grammy version of the song.

I have a LOT of respect for how Patti LuPone is growing. Can she still sing the Evita she sang in her youth? Nope. But - she still uses her voice with the same effectiveness that's always been there, and there doesn't seem to be any hint of declination - just change. Her instrument has evolved with age, and she's adapted how she uses it, to great effect.

To my mind, Evita is still "hers", but it's definitely part of her past, not her present. Her present is just as vibrant as her past though, albeit different.

[bandit964]

I agree with John Adams 100%

I had the exact same thought re: her belt during, "I ne-ver ex-PEC-ted it to." 

But again, like John Adams said, "In spite of the elements I didn't like musically, I enjoyed every second of the performance."  She acted every millisecond that she was on stage.  Her acting while not singing was just as, if not more informative than when she was singing the text.  A true actress.