Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 3 - Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes
Lyric Opera of Chicago | 14 HOW DID YOU ALL DECIDE ON THE ORDER OF THE SONGS? Richman Patti, Scott, and Joe do the order. The dialogue is the last thing that goes into it. It’ll be like, “We’ve had three songs in a row, it’s getting a little heavy—should we do something lighter here?” or “We need something here that can be a little bridge over to that song.” Wittman Patti had songs like “Summertime, Summertime,” that meant something to her growing up on Long Island, so we started with that. She didn’t grow up as a “Broadway baby;” she was listening much more to the radio and disc jockeys of the time. She was into rock-and-roll! We played with the order, since we wanted the show to have different tempos. It’s mainly chronological, starting with Patti growing up on Long Island, moving to New York, going to Juilliard. Then she opens the second half with “On Broadway” before doing three songs that are the backbone of her appearances in Broadway shows. JOE IS AT THE PIANO,AND THERE’S A THIRD PERFORMER ONSTAGE, BRAD PHILLIPS.WHAT IS HIS ROLE IN THE CONCERT? Thalken Patti heard Brad playing more than a decade ago at a performance that [actor/singer/guitarist] Jeff Daniels was doing in Michigan. She made a note of it and said, “That’s someone I want to work with.” In this show, he’s playing the violin, mandolin, guitar, and an “octave mandolin,” basically a bass mandolin, with double strings, down an octave from the regular mandolin. Also, for one song, he plays something that looks like a ukelele but is sort of an electric bass, with rubber strings. In five or six of the songs in this show, Brad and I are singing backup. Wittman When it’s just three people, rather than a singer with orchestra, there’s almost a purity to it. It becomes about the three of them—although the voice, of course, is in the forefront. There are numbers where it’s just Patti and Brad, others when it’s Joe and Patti, but the majority of songs are with the three of them. WHAT IS IT LIKE REHEARSING WITH PATTI? Wittman First Patti, Joe, and I work separately, figuring out the keys and how to put certain songs together. Once we have the shell of that, we run through it with Jeffrey, who might say, “The talking here should reflect this .” A large part of my directing Patti is the curation of what she’s singing, and the sequence of it. I try to give it a form that makes sense to her , like she’s telling a story lyrically. Thalken For me, it starts off with just learning the notes as written. Patti can let it ferment, and she might ask if we can try a song a half-step higher, or lower, or what if we did a key change. It took us a while to find our way into some of these songs: how were we going to do them in a way that feels unique to us and isn’t copying someone else’s take on them? Richman We all love each other, we’ve been doing this for a long time, so when you’re in the room, there’s no slack— everyone is at the top of their game. Then, to hear Patti communicate what we do in rehearsal before an audience of 2,000 or 3,000 people—I don’t get that in my day job [as a television writer and producer]. Thalken What I like about our collaboration is the freedom that we all have to express an opinion. Even if it’s shot down, we can express it without any fear of people saying, “That’s a terrible idea!” We can be very honest with each other. WHAT DO YOU MOST ADMIRE IN PATTI AS AN ARTIST? Wittman Such an amazing voice is rare for someone who’s been singing as long as she has. She’s still singing “[Don’t Cry for Me] Argentina” in all its glory! But she also has a great stillness , and she can really weave a spell. The older she gets, the more powerful that becomes. Thalken She’s a very honest performer onstage, and she’s very honest when you’re working with her. Richman She has a miracle of a voice, and it’s remarkable that she has this insane gift and ability to go onstage and really dazzle audiences. Some of them have been her fans for 40 years. The more she performs this show, the more relaxed she is. It’s the most comfortable I’ve ever seen her. She’s just magnificent. Roger Pines writes regularly for Opera magazine (U.K.), opera-company programs throughout America, and major recording companies. He has been a faculty member at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music since 2019.
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