DIVA TALK
Very exciting news on the Betty front. Betty B will be singing many Andrew Lloyd Webber songs she has never sung before in the upcoming Music of the Night tour, which she joins in Boston this month. Following is a list of the songs BB will be wrapping her rich vocals around:
"As If We Never Said Goodbye" from SUNSET BOULEVARD
"Buenos Aires" from EVITA
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from EVITA
"Tell Me on a Sunday" from SONG AND DANCE
"Memory" from CATS
"All I Ask of You" from THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
"I Don't Know How to Love Him" from JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
"With One Look" from SUNSET BOULEVARD
Love Finale
Be sure to check the Betty Buckley website regularly, now in its new home on Playbill On-line. Recently added: pictures from Betty's dressing room when she was starring in Sunset Boulevard as well as her thoughts about leaving the role of Norma Desmond. New stories and photos are added weekly. Next up: Postcard #3 from Betty herself. PATTI LuPONE
On Sunday, November 17, her day off from portraying Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's Master Class, Patti LuPone gave a thrilling concert at Brooklyn College's Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts (Walt Whitman Theatre). La LuPone delivered two acts worth of show-stoppers, drawing from her eclectic repertoire and her musical theatre roles. The concert was almost the same as her recent Broadway triumph, Patti LuPone on Broadway, but minus the Mermen and with a one-man band, Dick Gallagher, at the piano. LuPone, like the true great performers, doesn't need anything more than a piano and a microphone (and the occasional chair). In fact, she doesn't even need the microphone, as she demonstrated to the audience at the end of the evening, delivering a luscious, unmiked version of "A Hundred Years from Today."
LuPone kicked off the evening with "I Get a Kick Out of You," which led into two Kurt Weill songs, a delicious "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" and the haunting "It Never Was You." For a bit of comic relief, she complained "Everything Happens to Me," which segued into her wrenching "Lonely Heart." Other songs in the first half included "My Ship," "Surabaya Johnny," a wonderful medley of "Calling You" and "Get Here" plus the comical "Peel Me a Grape." She led into "Grape" by asking an unsuspecting member of the audience, Roy, if he would mind getting her something to eat. LuPone conveyed that she hadn't had any dinner, and would give him a list of items that she wanted...
LuPone closed the first act with the emotional Stephen Sondheim classic "Being Alive."
After the intermission, LuPone returned to the stage in the same white outfit, joking that she "liked the outfit so much she had bought two!" Actually, she had forgotten there was going to be an intermission and left her other gown at home. Luckily, she brought her voice with her, which sounded great, ranging from her lush head tones to her don't-mess-with-me Broadway belt. The second act, which began with James Taylor's "Looking for Love on Broadway," was a wonderful trip through LuPone's award-winning theatrical career, making stops at Evita ("Don't Cry for Me Argentina"), The Baker's Wife ("Meadowlark"), Oliver ("As Long As He Needs Me"), Les Miserables ("I Dreamed a Dream"), Pal Joey ("Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered") and Anything Goes ("Anything Goes"). The only quibble: no Sunset material. Oh well, it hardly mattered. As she often jokes about herself when she leaves a role in a show: "I steal costumes, I steal jewelry...." and Sunday night, she also stole the show.
CONCERT REMINDERS:
BETTY BUCKLEY
Betty Buckley will make her first professional concert appearance in New York since departing the Boulevard. Buckley will appear in the beautiful new cabaret room at Maxim's for three shows on November 22 and 23. The shows will be held at 8:30 on both nights, with a 10:30pm show on the 23rd as well. Call 212-751-5111 for ticket information and reservations. Maxim's is located in New York City at 62nd Street and Madison Avenue. BERNADETTE PETERS
The Tony-winning Song & Dance gal, Bernadette Peters, will make her eagerly-awaited solo Carnegie Hall debut in December to benefit the Gay Men's Health Crisis. BP will perform on the legendary stage on December 9, singing songs from her new album, "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" plus an array of Sondheim material. Tickets are priced at $40, $100, $150, $250 and $550. The top two ticket prices include a post-concert party/reception. Call 212-247-7800 for more information.
That's all for now. Happy diva-watching!
--By Andrew Gans)
