Photo by Amy Arbus for Vanity Fair...but
Congratulations to Patti and all the lucky souls involved with Gypsy. A "triumphant opening on Broadway..." is not an understatement for what happened to Patti and company two nights ago in New York. Mr. Ben Brantley wrote a love letter review for The New York Times that is sure to create box office lines around the block.
I've been gone for quite a while from Isn't It Rich...
Life, work, work, and more life have kept me away from composing new Isn't It Rich entries for various reasons.
The inspiration, or reason, for my own artistic reawakening that began Isn't It Rich was the production of Gypsy that Patti and her friends mounted at Ravinia in the summer of 2006. I had been seeing her, Audra McDonald, George Hearn, Michael Cerveris and many more lovelies perform Sondheim concert productions at Ravinia every summer. When it was announced that Patti Lupone would be playing Rose in Gypsy at Ravinia with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the pit, I literally got* tears in my eyes. The "back story" of Patti's history with the desire to play Rose on Broadway is one of those theatre stories for the history books...
Here is Margo Channing's (from BroadwayWord) account:
"...Laurents and Lupone had a falling out over a regional production of his play "Jolson Sings Again." I've heard various reasons, but the real story seems to be that she wanted some guarantee from Laurents that he not only planned to take the show to Broadway and that if it made it, then she would be the star (she'd been burned in past). When he wouldn't/couldn't give her any reassurance, she withdrew from the production. Laurents SEETHED and blames her for the play never progressing beyond a few regional productions (truth be told: the reviews were always mediocre and Lupone was smart not to do it -- with or without Lupone, it'll never see Broadway).
So, ever since then Laurents has refused to allow any show of his to be produced with her on Broadway (under the Dramatist Guild contract, he has approval rights over casting of the original production, as well as any subsequent major revival of his work -- Broadway or national tour; a staged reading at Ravinia doesn't count)..."
I got* myself to Ravinia, alone, on a beautiful summer night (amidst a crazy busy filmakers schedule of full tilt boogie production) and sat 2nd row center for Patti's first time playing Rose. With the CSO backing her up and her "camp Ravinia friends next to her... It was magic, blow the roof off, electric theatre. The audience knew we were part of a theatre history time line and I knew, personally, that I can not forget my own artistic roots. No matter how tired, scared or unfulfilled I was. Patti was still exploring, reaching for the forbidden, and, at 57 years old, had the stamina of a draft horse and the work ethic of a super hero. (She used her 10 day vacation from Broadways Sweeney Todd to come to Ravinia and rehearse and play Rose for three performances.) Her road to Broadway as Rose had begun and I am so grateful (and was so inspired) to have been there that night.
When Patti's Gypsy was brought to City Center last summer, I made my way there with bells on. I brought the loveliest man in the world with me. We rejoiced in the exuberance of the theatrical event of the summer. (We also got* to see Audra in 110 The Shade - but thats another great theatre story!) And now I am assured a chance to see her create Rose on Broadway as her Rave reviews will keep it running well past my current film production....
My absence from Isn't It Rich isn't an absence from my own artistic expression. My Flickr page has always remained active.
*Apologies to Rod for using the word "got" three times in this blog!
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