“An Evening with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin”
You may ask, what is so entertaining about two singer/actors, simply dressed all in black with nothing on stage except a pianist, bass player and thirty or so antique stage lanterns? Plenty, when the two accomplished singer/actors are Toni Award winners Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin.
In today’s’ world of reality TV stars and American Idol making the study of the craft of theater acting seemingly obsolete, I am sometimes embarrassed to admit that I have a degree in Theatre Arts and Theatre History. However Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin demonstrated in one fantastically inspiring evening of theatre song and dance at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in downtown Chicago, that when you have talent of their caliber and are as wonderfully skilled in movement, comedy and drama as they are, all you need onstage are the stars themselves.
Mandy Patinkin absolutely wowed me with his stunning rendition of “Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific. At the end, Mandy hit a glorious falsetto on the last lines “Once you have found her, never let her go” that sounded just like the voice of a 1930’s radio show star. It has got to be the most delicious sound and interpretation of a classic song I have heard come out of a singer’s mouth this entire year. Mandy is also widely known to be one of the best interpreters alive today of Sondheim’s classic music.
Likewise, the adorable Patti Lupone, who still has an opera quality singing voice, showed her delightful mastery of comedy in “Not Getting Married Today” from the musical “Company”. Her heart wrenching and soul-stirring rendition of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy one of her recent triumphs on Broadway also blew me away.
Together these two have such a great chemistry onstage- it sizzles and crackles like electricity- making the audience wonder what is going to happen next between these two and what could possibly keep them from falling into each others arms and making love right there on the stage!
I also loved the hysterically funny stage dance performed to Murray Grand’s “April in Fairbanks’, while seated in spinning office chairs, which was so cleverly choreographed by Anne Reinking.
Grace, humor, stunning voices, sex appeal, great songs and high romance, “An Evening with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin” is an evening of high styled and masterfully delivered entertainment, not to be missed.
