Patti LuPone is ‘very curious’ about the SUNSET BLVD Revival

To say the least, Patti LuPone and Sunset Boulevard have had a rocky relationship over the years. However, during a recent visit to The View, the Broadway icon shared that she “can’t wait” to see the revival next Wednesday.

“I’m really curious to see what (director) Jamie Lloyd has done with this,” LuPone said. She went on to say that she would prefer to see directors like Lloyd “use original material (and) support new playwrights, new composers and lyricists rather than things we’ve seen.” She describes the musical as “clunky” and would like to see what they did to make it less so. LuPone originated as the character of Norma Desmond in the original West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical. She was infamously replaced by Glenn Close, causing quite a scandal in the Broadway community.

During the new interview, LuPone talked about her recent turn as fortune-telling wizard Lilia Calderu in the hit MCU series Agatha All Along, her return to Broadway in The Roommate, and more. LuPone recalled the first time she performed her iconic rendition of The Ladies Who Lunch for the late Stephen Sondheim. “When it was over, Steve said, ‘I’m surprised you understand.’ The song, from his Tony-winning musical Company, is about an East Side woman: “The lyrics make it very clear who these women are and we all know who these women are. They don’t have to be from the East Side” , she explained. LuPone won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Joanne (the character who sings the song) in the recent revival.

Also during the show, she and the hosts discussed the current election cycle. They released a clip from the 2017 Tony Awards ceremony, where she famously told Variety that she would refuse to perform in the musical War Paint if then-President Donald Trump were present. “I hate that son of a bitch,” she said at the time. “It was a stupid question to ask on Tony’s red carpet,” LuPone told The View.

Patti LuPone is a three-time Tony Award-winning actress and legend of the Broadway stage. She played the role of Fantine in Les Miserables on the West End and Evita on Broadway. Other stage credits include Reno in Anything Goes, Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and Rose in Gypsy.