Through April 26, the actress — who recently triumphed in the City Center Encores! presentation of Can-Can — will present her evening of Torch at Feinstein's at the Regency. Conceived and directed by Hairspray's Scott Wittman, the show will feature musical direction by Dick Gallagher.
LuPone debuted her Torch songs March 29 at Los Angeles' Feinstein's at the Cinegrill. In his L.A. Times review Don Heckman wrote, "[LuPone has created] a beautifully paced, marvelously delivered torch-song exploration of the pleasures and pains of love."
About the genesis of the show, LuPone recently told Playbill On-Line, "Scotty and I were talking about doing a new show. I wanted to do blue grass, and he wanted to do torch, and he won out! [Laughs.] We have another booking at Carnegie Hall in 2005, and we couldn't very well do Coulda Woulda Shoulda there again, so it was time for a new show. Then, my agent said, 'You have an offer from Feinstein's, and you have an offer from the Plush Room,' and I said, 'Oh boy, let's get to work.'"
LuPone's evening of Torch, which will also be one-half of her upcoming return to Carnegie Hall, includes such tunes as Dietz and Schwartz's "By Myself," the Jule Styne standard "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," Billy Barnes' "Something Cool," Harold Arlen's "Ill Wind," Ted Snyder's "Who's Sorry Now," Johnny Mercer's "I Wanna Be Around" and the Gershwin classic "The Man I Love." LuPone is also reprising one of her Can-Can gems, Cole Porter's "C'est Magnifique."
A Tony Award winner for her work in Evita, Patti LuPone also earned an Olivier Award for her performances in the West End productions of Lés Misérables and The Cradle Will Rock. Her other theatrical credits include Noises Off, Sunset Boulevard, Anything Goes, Oliver!, Working, The Old Neighborhood, Master Class and Pal Joey. LuPone also headlined two solo concerts, Patti LuPone On Broadway and Matters of the Heart, and received glowing notices for her performance as Mrs. Lovett in the Lincoln Center concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. She has also received acclaim for her work in concerts of A Little Night Music, Passion and Can-Can. In May LuPone will join Wicked's Kristin Chenoweth for concerts of Candide at Avery Fisher Hall. Patti LuPone will play Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:30 PM with late shows on Friday and Saturdays at 11 PM. There is a $60 cover charge and a $30 minimum. Feinstein's at the Regency is located in Manhattan at 540 Park Avenue at 61st Street. Call (212) 339-4095 for reservations.
