Patti LuPone

Patti LuPone is an American singer and actress of Italian (Sicilian [1]) descent. [2] She is a graduate of Northport High School. She was part of the first graduating class of Juilliard's Drama Division along with classmate Kevin Kline. In 1972 John Houseman took his beloved class and formed them into The Acting Company making them America's foremost nationally touring repertory theater company. Ms. LuPone is an important player in contemporary American musical theater. She has performed on Broadway in works by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim and others. She won a Tony Award for Evita in 1980. In 1987 Patti landed the role of Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of Anything Goes, for which she won the Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Musical. In 2005 Patti LuPone played Fosca in a critically acclaimed concert of Stephen Sondhiem's Passion. She also played Libby Thacher on the television drama Life Goes On, which ran on the American Broadcasting Company network from 1989 to 1993. She originated the role of Fantine in London's West End production of the musical Les Misérables, Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, and had a recurring role in the last season of HBO's Oz. Known for her range and versatility, she once played Lady Bird Johnson opposite Randy Quaid's Lyndon B. Johnson in the television movie, LBJ. Ms. LuPone is currently starring on Broadway as Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's new staging of Sweeney Todd , the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Ms. LuPone was nominated for a Tony Award for this role. A regular star at the Ravinia Festival's annual Sondheim concerts in Highland Park, IL, Ms. LuPone starred as Rose in Gypsy in the August 2006 performance. This was her first time playing this legendary role. Her past performances at Ravinia have included starring turns in Stephen Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George.