Followers of Broadway have been abuzz after Patti LuPone revealed she and Audra McDonald are no longer friends.
In a profile interview for The New Yorker, LuPone made the comment and it has become a big topic in theater.
“She’s not my friend,” LuPone said directly when asked about McDonald.
Even though it’s been years since their argument, LuPone wouldn’t reveal any details about it. Even so, I could sense that the pain had not yet grown stale for her.
When she was asked to comment on her McDonald’s Gypsy performance, LuPone just stared quietly for fifteen seconds before saying, “What a beautiful day.”
Based on Silence and Support
LuPone didn’t talk about what caused their split, but current Broadway drama could have worsened it.
Last year, LuPone played a role in The Roommate opposite Mia Farrow and then raised a noise complaint about loud music from Alicia Keys’ studio in her LuPone’s West Side apartment.
After she settled things with the Hell’s Kitchen cast, she called Robert Wankel from the Shubert Organization about it and sent a bouquet of flowers to the Hell’s Kitchen actors as a gesture.
Even though that wasn’t her goal, some people on the Hell’s Kitchen show were not pleased with what she said.
The actress, Kecia Lewis, later won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in “Woman,” and she recently accused LuPone of using aggressive tactics and making minor yet hurtful racial statements.
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In a video on Instagram, Lewis spoke out against LuPone for saying a “Black show” was “loud,” and he described LuPone’s comment as an example of privilege.
The moment the post went up, fans realized that it may have been Audra McDonald’s like that helped swing things for LuPone.
When talking to The New Yorker, LuPone said, “That’s exactly how I felt.” And I wondered, ‘Why don’t you understand better? That’s a quality Audra often shows. She’s not my friend.”
Former Stage Giants, Who Are No Longer Together
Many people involved with Broadway see this as a sudden turn of events in a long-lasting partnership between two great theater companies.
They worked together before in 2007 for the Los Angeles Opera’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and in a concert version of Sweeney Todd in 2000 at the New York Philharmonic, where LuPone was Mrs. Lovett and McDonald played the Beggar Woman.
People have consistently praised their acting duo and both singers have attracted attention for their strong vocals and brave acting as different women.
Even though the public and artists loved the Tate Modern, trust between the two has reportedly been lost.
Race, Privilege and Power in the Theater within the Wider Theater Debate
Besides being a personal dispute, the problem between LuPone and McDonald highlights ongoing disputes in American theater.
Lewis’ criticism of LuPone during the award ceremony brought up old, familiar issues of race and power within Broadway.
Even if you do not intend it, saying a Black show is too noisy can be uncomfortable in the context of who gets to manage space, sound and culture in the theater.
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Although LuPone raised her concerns formally, her actions afterward suggest that the problems reach deeper than most people realize.
It is still unclear if her remarks will prompt Broadway to have discussions about race and privilege more openly. Even so, the award-winning friendship between these theater legends appears to have cooled off and it’s not likely to return.
She’s Moving Forward, Yet Reflects on the Path Ahead
Per usual, Patti LuPone carried on the talk without letting any tension get in the way—instead, her remarks hurt without a fight.
Her silence about the McDonald’s Gypsy performance seemed to be a real choice to reject his work, since they were previous acquaintances or maybe friends.
Now that Audra McDonald has received a Tony nomination for her role as Rose, along with widespread recognition, it will be interesting to see if she speaks out.
There is no doubt that they both lead on Broadway now, each appearing on the bigger side of its storied rivalry.