Everything's Coming up Patti

I went to see Gypsy on Saturday night in advance of its Sunday close. I had never actually seen a live production of Gypsy before although I was certainly familiar with many of its songs (I will never be able to listen to Together Wherever We Go without thinking of the Carol and Marcia Brady version). As expected, Patti Lupone is a powerhouse and Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti were also great. However, I didn't quite expect Patti Lupone to turn that power on to the audience.

The announcement made before the show was that no photography or video was allowed and the actors on stage would be able to see you so beware - a bit strange but I didn't really think anything of it. Then in a tense, silent moment between Lupone and Benanti in the second act, a cell phone ran and Lupone shot a look of death into the audience - again, didn't think too much of it. But I didn't realize that tensions were brewing and just after Lupone started Rose's lament, her showstopper/showcloser number, it all came pouring out.

Just a few lines in to the song, Lupone told the orchestra to stop playing and launched into a screaming diatribe against a couple in the orchestra section who she said was taking pictures (I was in the balcony with no view of the orchestra). She accused them of taking three pictures and repeatedly and angrily said "you heard the announcements - who do you think you are ?!?" and demanded that they be thrown out or she wouldn't continue. She even briefly left the stage but a voice came over a microphone and assured her they had been removed. Lupone then gave a brief speech about how there is no common decency or respect any more and thanked everyone else in the audience for being respectful. She then took her place, cued the orchestra and started the number over to much applause. The song is an angry, energetic song ordinarily but the keyed up Lupone packed so much power into it it blew the house away. She received such a long standing ovation when she was done that it seemed like an afterthought to squeeze in the closing dialogue scene. Here is the song from the soundtrack so you can get a sense:



Now I agree that common decency is sometimes lacking in big Broadway musical audiences but I have never seen a performer stop a show and unleash such ferocity on an audience. The audience clearly favored her side of things but I would have been perfectly happy to make it through the show without interruption.