Eat Your Heart Out
Norma Desmond

p

atti LuPone can be sure that,
despite a recent rift with An-
drew Lloyd Webber and an
occasional snub by the Amer-
ican press, she'll always have an au-
dience.
The Broadway diva has culti-
vated an intense and diverse fan
base, as evidenced by her mention
in the long-running gay comedy
Party: The name LuPone, an old-
er character instructs a younger,
should evoke the same sense of
awe as Streisand or Garland.
No small compliment.
Then again, LuPone's talent and
pizazz have been considered forces
of nature since her
Patti LuPone may starring role in
Evita, which won
not be Andrew
Lloyd Webber's
her both the 1980
idea of the perfect Tony and Drama
Norma Desmond,
Desk awards for
but the diva's rift
best
actress in a
with the director
musical.
hasn't lost her
many admirers.
Her stage debut
as Norma Des-
mond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's
London production of Sunset
Boulevard ended on a less stellar
note. Having created the charac-
ter in the 1993 production, Web-
ber unceremoniously dumped
LuPone for Glenn Close when the
show moved to Broadway via Los
Angeles. The sudden casting
change shocked LuPone, who re-
fused during an October interview
with USA Today to even speak
Webber's name. (Despite this, her

performance won her the British
equivalent of a Tony.)
Non-thespians might know
LuPone from her regular spot on
television's "Life Goes On," and
film roles in Driving Miss Daisy,
Witness and 1941.
But the theater is home, and
song is LuPone's dramatic vehicle.
That's why, since the Norma
Desmond debacle, she's returned
to the stage for a concert of Irving
Berlin tunes, recorded at the Hol-
lywood Bowl; an appearance in the
concert version of Pal Joey; and a
return to the Great White Way in
Patti LuPone on Broadway — a
mix of Kurt Weill, Cole Porter and
Stephen Sondheim and, not un-
surprisingly, a critical hit.

—Liz Stevens

LuPone appears in concert
with the Ann Arbor Symphony
Orchestra (the performance is
a benefit for the Ann Arbor
Summer Festival) 8 p.m. Sat-
urday, Feb. 17, at Hill Audito-
rium. Tickets run from $15 to
$50; tickets for the Off-Broad-
way Party at the Trueblood
Theatre from 6-7:30 p.m. that
evening are $125; tickets for the
dessert afterglow in Hill Audi-
torium, which LuPone is sched-
uled to attend, are $65. Call
(313) 747-2278 or (313) 764-
2538.

This Week's Best Bets

AUDITIONS

COMEDY461".""

Detroit Oratorio Society
seeks singers of all types for a
March 24 performance of An-
drew Lloyd Webber's "Requiem"
and a May 17 "Mostly Mozart"
concert. Rehearsals Monday
evenings. (810) 650-2655.

Second City: Computer Chips
and Salsa, the comedy team's
newest revue. 8 p.m. Wednes-
day-Sunday; 10:30 p.m. Friday-
Saturday. Irnprov sessions after
each final performance. $12-$19.
Next to the Fox Theatre, Detroit.
(313) 965-2222.

Michigan Theatre and Dance
Troupe. Saturday afternoons
through Feb. 29. Singers, actors,
dancers, writers and stage tech-
nicians 16 and over wanted. By
appointment only. (810) 552-5001.

Mark Ridley's Comedy Cas-
tle: Jeff Stilson, with Ross Am-
micucci. Friday-Sunday, Feb.
16-18. Kevin James, with Tim
Lilly, Wednesday-Sunday, Feb.

21-25. 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-
Thursday; 8:15 and 10:45 p.m.
Friday-Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sun-
day. Reservations required.
Open Mike Night 8:30 p.m.
every Tuesday with "Totally
Unrehearsed Theater." $6/
weeknights, $12/weekends. 269
E. Fourth, Royal Oak (810) 542-
9900.

Just For Laughs: Seth Buch-
wald, Friday-Saturday, Feb. 16-
17. John Rizzo, Thursday-
Saturday, Feb. 22-24. Open Mike
Nite 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday,
with 'Totally Unrehearsed The-

ater." At Sanctum, 65 E. Huron,
Pontiac. (810) 334-6512.

DANCE

Joey's Comedy Club: Kip Ad-
dotta, Friday-Saturday, Feb. 16-
17. Ricky Kalmon, Friday-
Sunday, Feb. 23-25. 8:30 p.m.
Thursday; 8 and 10:30 p.m. Fri-
day-Saturday. $8-$ 10/$ 18 . 95-
$20.95 with dinner. 5070
Schaefer, Dearborn. (313) 584-
8885.

Contra Dances: Sponsored by
the Oakland County Tradition-
al Dance Society. Early Ameri-
can and English Dances the
fourth Saturday ($6, smoke free)
and second Sunday ($6) of the
month. All Saints Church,
Williams at Pike, Pontiac. (810)
569-7573.

Gino's Comedy Room: Bob
Posch, 9 p.m. every Friday. 1999
Cass Lake Road, Keego Harbor.
(810) 682-6540.

FAMILY

Corinne Stavish tells love sto-

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