Live!
Since establishing herself as one oftheleading ladies in Broadway musicals in the 1980s, Patti LuPone has picked up a lot of detractors, and the reasons are on ample display inPatti LuPone Live--the big brassy voice that can overpower just about any song she chooses, the lack of emotional subtlety, the big ego (hilariously spoofed in Forbidden Broadway's"I Get a Kick Out of Me"). Yet this 1993 concert is a fascinating trip through LuPone's career, which does not include that many shows yet seems to hit so many landmarks, fromEvitatoAnything GoestoLes Misérables. The first disc of the set is a song recital ranging from Porter to Weill (and nicely backed by a stage band and the male vocal quartet the Mermen). The second disc is a recap of LuPone's shows, and LuPone takes the self-congratulatory route, offering commentary on the shows and how she so cleverly picked them (only one of these mini-autobiographies is tracked separately for easy skipping), but it's clear she's entitled. This concert includes most of the hits you'd expect (except she makes only passing reference to the soon-to-be-controversialSunset Boulevard, which premiered in London later that year) as well as some lesser-known gems. No question the 92 minutes is a lot for one sitting, and as good as the songs are, you might rather hear them from different singers (try Liz Callaway's "Meadowlark" and "Sleepy Man" onThe Story Goes On), but this concert (also available in aone-disc version) is an extremely informative and enlightening evening. You might even enjoy the music as well. Perhaps everyone who fell in love with Evita and Reno Sweeney were right after all.--David Horiuchi