Thrilling Melbourne musical theatre aficionados once again, Broadway grand dame Patti LuPone returns with her latest intimate and inimitable musical celebration, A Life in Notes.

In her sixth decade on the stage, LuPone shows no signs of slowing. A Life in Notes has toured the US and goes on to play in London after LuPone completes the upcoming Broadway premiere season of comic play The Roommate opposite Mia Farrow. 

Over and above her infectious joie de vivre, most striking at this point is the extraordinary quality of LuPone’s vocal instrument. Known for her belt, which she retains at killer strength, the concert allows for a stunning range of vocal expression, including delicate soprano and powerful chest voice. 

Collaborating again with director Scott Wittman and music director Joseph Thalken, LuPone shares a generous, ecelectic set of songs, reflecting upon her life including, along the way, a selection of her great Broadway triumphs. Thalken accompanies LuPone on grand piano, with the stage trio completed by musician Brad Phillips, expertly playing a mind-boggling number of stringed instruments. 

As LuPone ebulliently traverses through the musical memories of her early life, the capacious Palais auditorium is seemingly reduced to a dainty lounge. LuPone has the delighted audience in her palm throughout, keeping the other hand on an invisible barometer that can flip the mood from laugh-out-loud hilarity to tender sentimentality in a heartbeat.

Recanting exploits of her youth, LuPone moves from spoken to sung story so naturally that many of the songs seem as if written directly from her life experience, such is the way she completely inhabits them. 

From playful early numbers “Come on-a My House” and “Summertime, Summertime”, LuPone moves gradually forward in time, creating a beautiful stillness with “I Wish It So” one moment then absolutely blazing through Gypsy’s “Some People” the next. Romantic classic “The Man That Got Away” is a late act one highlight before the first half closes with a uniquely vibrant rendition of “Those Were the Days.”

Gliding on stage to begin a significant Broadway bracket in act two, LuPone has changed from her smart black pants suit to a glittering metallic silver gown and cape. All-time hit “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” is re-imagined to commanding effect with a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment. Signature Les Misérables torch song “I Dreamed A Dream” concluded with the emotional gut-punch of a devastating tear-choked finale. 

Having previously sung “Ladies Who Lunch” down under in Don’t Monkey with Broadway, LuPone brought down the house again with the classic Sondheim powerhouse ballad, having played Joanne in the West End and Broadway revival of Company in the intervening years. 

In a perfect example of her control of the room, LuPone linked a pair of Cole Porter songs to mark the 1980s, flipping from the sunny joy of “Anything Goes” to “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” repurposed as a soulful reflection of the lives of men lost to the AIDS epidemic.

As the unforgettable concert neared its conclusion, LuPone brought new life to Leiber and Stoller gem “Ready to Begin Again.”

“Ready to begin again!

Looking fresh and bright I trust.

Ready to begin again,

As everybody must.”

Patti LuPone – A Life in Notes plays at Palais Theatre, Melbourne again on 25 June 2024. For tickets, click here. 

Patti LuPone – A Life in Notes plays at QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane 27 June 2024. For tickets, click here.