The year was 1980, and Patti LuPone was starring as "Evita" on Broadway. She was en route to winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and cementing her status as a Broadway star. But there was another Patti LuPone performance taking place -- one that only a comparative handful of people were aware of: Every Saturday night at midnight, for 27 weeks, after performing one of the most demanding roles ever, she made her way to Les Mouches - a legendary nightclub in New York City, to perform a solo concert...This was a one-woman tour de force that -- until now -- only the lucky few who were on hand knew about.
All that will change on November 11th, when Ghostlight Records proudly releases "Patti LuPone at Les Mouches," a digitally-restored concert recording of LuPone's 1980 solo show. Ghostlight President Kurt Deutsch, along with longtime producing partner Joel Moss and co-producers Ben Rimalower and David Lewis, have culled performances from the venue's original board mixes, and assembled a recording that captures the raw energy and excitement of a once in a lifetime concert event, and a moment in time. Everybody who was anybody was there, from Andy Warhol to Jodie Foster to Stephen Sondheim. It was literally the hottest ticket in town. This music has never been released before, in any format.
LuPone's concerts at Les Mouches often featured unexpected song choices, from Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen's 'Because The Night' to Bob Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man.' LuPone mixed it up in a spirited assortment of familiar Broadway tunes, songs from 'Evita', and more. In addition to the abovementioned tracks, "Patti LuPone at Les Mouches" will include 'Rainbow High', 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina', 'Come Rain Or Come Shine', 'Not While I'm Around', 'Meadowlark' and more. A full track list will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Here's what the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS said at the time:
"Anyone who thinks there are no volcanoes in Manhattan should check out Les Mouches any Saturday midnight in March. It is here at the witching hour that Patti LuPone fulminates, thunders and showers the room with sparks of her debut cabaret act."
Ghostlight's recent releases of the OCRs for Tony winners In The Heights and Passing Strange, as well as their single release featuring the winner of MTV's Legally Blonde The Musical competition, have brought the label acclaim for their innovative marketing techniques and their efforts to reach the next generation of Broadway music fans via iTunes, music videos and more. Coverage has ranged from Rolling Stone to USA TODAY to The New York Times, from Blender Magazine to Playbill to Billboard, from AP Radio to MyBroadway.com, and much more.
More Press Quotes the Original LuPone Concerts in 1980:
The night I saw her, she had a room full of sophisticates close to sexual hysteria, as she ran her repertoire from crotch-clutching ballad to high-spirited rock. If cabaret is going to return it could begin with this act. - The Village Voice
Bounding into the spotlight with a fervor that stamped her cabaret act with excitement, the star of the much heralded SRO Broadway hit musical Evita set out to expose as many unexploited sides of her musical personas as possible. - Mark Bego, Cue Views
She also has a kinetic flair for comedy, which makes seeing this scarlet-mouthed, tuxedoed chanteuse with a blazing voice a constant source of show biz voltage, and a trip to the West Side warehouse district in the dead of night entirely worthwhile. -- NY Daily News
With a wide assortment of songs from Fats Waller to Bob Dylan, her taut, tight act, recently reprised at New York's Les Mouches, is highlighted by a presence filled with power, authority and confidence, which, she claims, are the result of theatrical training. Plus, its dazzling to hear her voice--which rings through a Broadway theater--adapt itself so well to a much smaller space. -- GQ
What is most special about this LuPone performance is the individual ingredients she brings to it. There is the freshness she had in The Robber Bridegroom, the Everyman quality she employed in Working and the fire of Evita. -- New York Post
About Patti LuPone:
Patti LuPone swept the 2008 theatre awards winning the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance for her performance as Rose in the critically-acclaimed new Broadway production of the classic Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents musical Gypsy, directed by the show's author, Mr. Laurents, currently at the St. James Theatre.
Miss LuPone's recent stage credits include her debut with the Los Angeles Opera in Weill-Brecht's Mahagonny, the world premiere of Jake Heggie's new opera To Hell and Back with San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's award winning Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations – Best Actress in a Musical; Drama League Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre), the title role in Marc Blitzstein's Regina, a musical version of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, a critically acclaimed performance as Fosca in a concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Passion, which was also broadcast on PBS' Live From Lincoln Center, and a multi-city tour of her theatrical concert Matters of the Heart. She has also performed Matters of the Heart internationally, including runs at Australia's Sydney Festival and London's Donmar Warehouse Theatre. Her CD recording, based on this concert, was named one of 1999's best recordings by both The Times of London and Time Out/New York.
In addition to Matters of the Heart, Miss LuPone also performs two other solo concerts Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda and The Lady With The Torch. She made a triumphant solo concert debut at New York's Carnegie Hall in Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda resulting in a sold-out encore performance, and performs the concert with major symphony orchestras around the country. The Lady With The Torch is the basis for Miss LuPone's latest solo CD, on Ghostlight Records. She also tours in a new concert with her Evita co-star Mandy Patinkin – An Evening With Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin.
Patti LuPone's other recent New York stage appearances include performances as La Mome Pistache in the Encores! production of Cole Porter's musical Can-Can at New York's City Center, as The Old Lady in the New York Philharmonic's concert production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide, and performances on Broadway in the hit revival of Michael Frayn's Noises Off, in David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood, Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play Master Class and in her own concert Patti LuPone On Broadway, for which she won an Outer Critics Circle Award. Over six consecutive summers, she's appeared in the Ravinia Festival's Sondheim series, starring as Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd, as Desiree in A Little Night Music, Fosca in Passion, Cora Hoover Hooper in Anyone Can Whistle, Rose in Gypsy and was featured in two different roles in Sunday in the Park with George.
After completing her training with the first class of the Drama Division of New York's Juilliard School, she began her career as a founding member of John Houseman's The Acting Company playing a variety of leading roles, both on and off-Broadway and on tour throughout the United States. Her subsequent New York dramatic credits include Dario Fo's Accidental Death of An Anarchist; David Mamet's The Water Engine, Edmond and The Woods and Israel Horovitz' Stage Directions. Miss LuPone's memorable performances on the New York musical stage include Vera Simpson in the Encores! production of Pal Joey, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, (1988 Drama Desk Award, Tony nomination, Best Actress in a Musical), The Cradle Will Rock, Nancy in Oliver!, Evita (1980 Tony and Drama Desk Awards- Best Actress in a Musical), Working and Rosamund in The Robber Bridegroon (1976 Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, Best Featured Actress in a Musical).
In London, she created the role of Fantine in the the RSC production of Les Miserables, a role she subsequently played on the West End. For that performance, as well as the reprise of her performance in the London production of The Cradle Will Rock, she won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Miss LuPone created the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1994 Olivier nomination, Best Actress in A Musical), and recreated her Broadway performance of Maria Callas in the West End production of Master Class.
Film: City By The Sea, David Mamet's Heist, State and Main; Just Looking, Summer of Sam, The 24 Hour Woman, Family Prayers, Driving Miss Daisy, Witness.
TV: PBS Great Performances The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, "Ugly Betty" Will & Grace (as herself), PBS Great Performances' Candide, Oz , the TNT film Monday Night Mayhem, PBS' Evening At The Pops with John Williams and Yo Yo Ma, Falcone, Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (Showtime); Frasier (1998 Emmy nomination); Law & Order, An Evening with Patti LuPone (PBS), the NBC movie Her Last Chance, Showtime's ACE Award and Emmy nominated The Song Spinner (Daytime Emmy nomination, Best Actress), The Water Engine, L.B.J., AMC's Remember WENN and ABC's Life Goes On.
Recordings include: Sweeney Todd (both the 2006 Broadway revival cast recording and 2000 live performance recording on NY Philharmonic's Special Editions Label); Pal Joey (DRG); Heatwave with John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (Phillips Classics); Sunset Boulevard (Polygram); Patti LuPone Live (RCA Victor). You can visit Miss LuPone on the worldwide web at www.pattilupone.net.
Ghostlight is a label created by and for the Broadway community. They are committed to bringing the music of the 'New Broadway' to a contemporary audience, using modern technology, innovative marketing and artist involvement. Utilizing music videos, digital downloads and other aggressive strategies new to the Broadway arena, Ghostlight continues to be on the vanguard of interacting with the next generation of Broadway music consumers. The label and its artists continue to generate significant attention. President Kurt Deutsch was interviewed by PLAYBILL, regarding the label's embrace of 'Broadway's Digital Age': http://www.playbill.com/features/article/118331.html
ABOUT Ghostlight Records:
Sh-K-Boom Records and its imprint Ghostlight Records is a Grammy-nominated record label, a producer of recorded and live entertainment, and an interactive community at www.sh-k-boom.com, and www.ghostlightrecords.com. Since being founded seven years ago by Kurt Deutsch and Sherie Rene Scott, Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight is the leading producer of Original Broadway and Off Broadway cast albums, and solo recordings by the new generation of Broadway stars and composers. Their winning philosophy has been to work in close partnership with performers and producers, to create product that comes from directly within the community of Broadway artists. With over 50 albums in their catalogue, titles include: The Smash Broadway Hit Legally Blonde, Grammy and Tony Nominated Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Grammy nominated and Tony Winning The Drowsy Chaperone, Grammy nominated and Tony Winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the Grammy nominated all-star benefit recording of Hair for The Actors' Fund of America, as well as The Last 5 Years, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Bright Lights, Big City (with Patrick Wilson and Jesse L. Martin), and Michael John LaChiusa's See What I Wanna See and Bernarda Alba. Solo Artists include: Patti LuPone, Billy Porter, Jason Robert Brown, Christine Ebersole, Adam Pascal (original star of Rent), Sherie Rene Scott (star of Aida and The Little Mermaid), and Kelli O'Hara's debut solo album, Wonder in the World. On May 27, Ghostlight released the Passing Strange OCR as the first-ever Digital Exclusive release via iTunes for a Broadway show.
