This is not a blog about Patti Lupone

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!

...can't sleep...browsing Playbill online... and whoa!

IT'S FINALLY OFFICIAL. Patti's Turn at City Center this July.

Playbill News is reporting, 'round Midnight here:

"...Tony and Olivier Award winner Patti LuPone, who triumphed in last summer's Ravinia Festival production of Gypsy, will get the chance to perform her Rose for New York audiences this summer.
The New York Times reports that City Center will present the Arthur Laurents-Stephen Sondheim-Jule Styne musical as part of its new Encores! Summer Stars series, a spin off of the popular Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert series.
Laurents, who wrote the book for what is considered one of the finest American musicals, will direct the production, which is scheduled to begin performances July 9 for a limited run through July 29. The official opening night will be July 12..."

I'm so knee deep in soggy, chilly, filled with giant ego's, all encompassing, break neck paced pre-production that this news somehow seems pure and honest like real theatre is alive and justified. Seriously. I will be up to my eyebrows in principal photography in July. JetBlewIt taught me to fear the weekend jaunt when schedule is immovable... Will the geniuses I work with understand?

I'm a little concerned with Laurents directing... Oh, to be the piano gal at rehearsals! I hope Mr. Laurents allows her a warm Herbie and a real Louise. Jack Willis and Jessica Bogart were wonderful at Ravinia last summer.

There's been talk of celebrity casting...

Again, from Playbill news online a few weeks ago:

"...Question: Are you going to be involved in the "rumored" City Center production this summer with Patti?

Jessica Bogart: I hear they're looking for celebrities, which I'm totally bummed about because I would love to do it. I hope maybe I'll get really lucky and all of those fancy people will say no. [Laughs.]
Question: You never know. Maybe one of them will get a movie role.

Jessica Bogart: Right — even better, if Scarlett Johansson says yes and the day before she backs out, and they call me, desperate..."

I must get back to bed, but this news has lightened my brain somehow.

Patti, in a role she was born to play, I think. In one of my all time, top of the heap, favorite Musicals, at Ravinia last summer. The first time she played Rose. The Universe provided me a second row center isle seat. Much direct eye contact through out from Miss Lupone. Divine. I'll never forget it.

finally the sky is blue again...

...and the grey buildings have a colorful backdrop again today. Grey on grey is interesting only for so long. Today, from a rooftop at Randolph and State, I paused and took a few photographs of grey arrows pointing towards blue infinity...

Loooong days at work, short sun stays above the skyscrapers, cold Chicago weather and the lack of recent theatrical adventures to take me out of my world may not make a dull gal, but it makes this gal a lil more crabby, a lil less focused and a lot more ready for the change of seasons. Apparently, a change of scenery is out of the question.

Luckily, I do enjoy Chicago. And, as a quick flight to Narnia may have been ruled out, I'm lucky enough to have a job that takes me to new places within my old city on a daily basis. I try to keep my eyes opened even tho sometimes it seems safer to squint.

Dear David Neeleman, CEO of JETBLUE

I'm writing to you from my apartment in Chicago. I had been planning for months to be in Los Angeles today, relishing the company of two dear friends whom I haven't seen for 5 years. We decided to all get together in Los Angeles this weekend, and celebrate with expensive tickets to the LA Operas production of The Rise And Fall Of Mahagonny. We know each other from Drama School, so the idea of Audra McDonald and Patti Lupone in an Opera by Weill and Brecht, Directed by John Doyle, conducted by James Conlon at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for The LA Opera was the ultimate theatrical event of the winter for us.

I purchased my $190.00 ticket to the LA Opera online. I purchased my JetBlue airline ticket online. My job makes it impossible to travel except for one quick weekend at a time. I was looking forward to flying with JetBlue, for the first time, this weekend. There are many weekend journeys that I could take over the next few months and JetBlue's prices from Chicago to NY and LA make those journey's seem possible.

However, I'm sad to report that I can not, in good faith, book with JetBlue and expect to fit my tight schedule on to JetBlues flights.

My ticket on your cancelled flight to Long Beach, CA was not honored by any other Airline Company yesterday. I was not credited the money I spent on the ticket for the cancelled flight yesterday. I was given no alternative plan to get me to California yesterday by anyone who worked for your Airline or any other Airline. Nobody warned me not to check my bag because the flight was already cancelled. JetBlue accepted my bag and pointed me to the ridiculously long security line. I arrived at the gate to find another hundred people who had obviously been there for days. There were no monitors listing JetBlue Flights anywhere. The sign over the podium, where the JetBlue Representative stood, listed a New York flight as "Delayed". The Jet Blue Rep. told us over the loudspeaker that our flight was cancelled, due to no available Pilot. He told us there was one other JetBlue flight scheduled at 5PM, however it was oversold and unlikely to have an available Pilot either. Our best bet was to get to Midway Airport and try and purchase a full priced ticket on another Airline.

My $190 Opera ticket was nonrefundable. The Opera (that just got a lovely rave on Valentines day) will close before my schedule allows me to get back to LA. Most of all, I continue to miss my friends and we all missed a glorious weekend together.

I think about going to NYC for the weekend to see more marvelous theatrical adventures, but unfortunately, JetBlue has left me too disappointed to trust that JetBlue could get me there.

*Edited to add NYT Article on your mortification

My back door...

I rarely exit my building through its front door. I have no less than four options of building departure and arrival, not counting the most popular choice - the parking garage beneath the building. The buildings front door is by far its most gracious entry. The lobby is modest, immaculate, industrial and very minimally but elegantly appointed. One front door visitor remarked to me "you have a real entrance here! Makes me feel that somebody actually thought about it..." I put to use the front door mainly for two purposes... to accept delivered dining and to mark the beginnings and ends of daily walks during the Spring, Summer and Fall. The parking garage is my most prevalent form of egress. Its automatic door, reserved parking space and inherent, concrete weather shield may not be cinematic, but I admit to still being awed by the luxury of it all.... far more luxurious that my elegantly appointed lobby. The back door is my favorite. Its use makes me feel low profile. Unexpected exit. My building mates and I utilize our back door rarely. Occasionally, during Bears season, a handful of residents gather at our back door to watch the fireworks over Soldier Field. Daylight brings an urban view to my back door. The Sears Tower looms over the South Loop like a giant sun dial. Recently, I began to notice that I will have to rely on my own sense of place when exiting and entering my back door...

Tagged... what I read for work....

fun game... tagged by Sarah, I obey...

rules: WORKBOOK... "find the nearest book, turn to page 123, post the fifth, sixth and seventh sentences"; "tag three folks".

P. 123 - hmmmmm. My name and the words
"This script is the confidential and proprietary property of W__ B__. P___ and no portion of it may be performed, distributed, reproduced, used, quoted, or published or shared."
is overlayed on each page...

2nd choice "book", P123, 5th, 6th and 7th sentences...

"Producer agrees to indemnify and hold Licensor harmless from all claims for injuries to persons and damage to property (ordinary wear and tear excepted) resulting from Producer’s occupancy and use of the premises. Licensor hereby warrants and represents that the right to use and occupy said premises is under the exclusive control of Licensor and Licensor has full right and authority to enter into this agreement and to grant the rights herein granted. Licensor agrees to indemnify and hold Producer harmless from all claims made against Producer as a result of Licensor’s breach of this warranty."

I tag Little Voice, This Kids Got Moxie and Steve On Broadway.

...one who keeps tearing around

Principal photography for our bigger than it needs to be film is OVER. An exhausted happy dance and big sigh of relief was mandatory for all involved. No tears were shed, but plenty of sweat, mind numbing logistics figuring and no more blood than a band-aid or three... The must have piece of clothing for Chicago Movie makers that I will not be without next winter was insulated, flannel lined, Gortex ski pants. Sub zero temperatures through out filming helped with keeping looky-loos scare, but fashion quickly left the building once filming began. Finding someone on set involved remembering what their eyes looked like. We looked like we were filming a NorthFace commercial. One more week of wrap.

I celebrate with a grand reunion and my first visit to the LA Opera next weekend. Jet Blue will be my magic carpet. The prize is, with a dear friend on each arm, I will escape the real world for one fine evening at The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny

I'm breathless about the whole 48 hours in LA, a city I've spent considerable energy avoiding.

The day after I arrive back in Chicago from la la land and its' richest artistic and personal rewards, I begin the next new big flick. It promises to be the biggest in scope, most expensive circus ride to date. Just when one sleigh ride is over, the Bat beam shines again on Chicago.

I miss my old friend...Bud, October 2006 in the sunny South Loop

GO BEARS but also GO to the supermarket DURING THE SUPERBOWL

...Dominicks is a dream during the Bear-full Superbowl. I parked in the first spot by the door and waited nor wanted for anything... except for maybe a loss of the fluorescent lighting and a sense of humbleness. I loathe the Supermarket experience and wish for the comeback of the corner store where I could walk to fresh bread, laundry detergent, butter and a light bulb. When I gather enough courage to enter a Dominicks, I usually go mid-day or midnight to avoid the crowds with shopping carts of issues. The South Loop Dominicks was filled with a handful of female 30somethings this Superbowl evening. No waiting, no idiocy.





The drive home last night was brisk, but I stopped and snapped a few photos of one of my favorite views from the 18th Street Bridge. Bitter cold but rich with team spirit.

What is it about what people choose to put on the top of their urban sky scrapers...?

Go Bears.

A very special napkin ring on top of a cat... Shazam is reluctant to become the Alfa Cat in Buds absence. He did agree to try on Buds crown, but was generally crabby about it.

What ever patience Bud taught him has remained.