I'm delighted that ever since Sunset and Patti refusing to sing his music again, she's gone through a golden period of her career with astonishing performances as she worked her way through the Sondheim repertoire and received every single theatrical award for Gypsy on Broadway. Go Patti!
She is truly a force of nature as was Judy Garland! You like Streisand are rehearsed to perfection. I love and respect you so much because it took a lot of years of hard work to become this great! 🤗👍♥️😇
As much as I love Chris Colfer's version of this - he took the song he killed it, and he made it fit his character and his story and his journey - Patti will always be, quite simply, the best. And I think Chris would agree with me.
I love Betty Buckley as Norma...I saw all of t hem and my fave is Betty...Patti and Glenn have such powerful command of their voices as well, however..I just happen to Like Betty :)
@dudewheresmydignity this was taped around 2001, way after her run and way after the show closed on b'way. i've seen her do this show several times and it's he only song she does from sunset
Elaine Paige's performance was the best i've heard (check out her "Celebrating 40 years on the stage" performance), but Patti's voice is so distinct and powerful, it's among my favorites. Viva Lupone! :)
If anyone can add VALID information to my question, I'd be most grateful!! My question is this - Patti MADE "Evita" a smash hit for Webber, so why in the WORLD would he "let her go" from "Sunset"??? As this clip proves, she could handle the music and the emotion of the song with soaring assuredness and effect! It makes NO sense that Webber would replace her.....unLESS something happened that we don't know about! Any ideas/info? Thanks!!
When Sunset opened in London in 1993, most of the reviews were good except for the New York Times review written by the infamous theater critic, Frank Rich. Rich was notorious for not liking any of Webber's shows. Even so, he gave Sunset a mediocre review but trashed Patti, saying she was totally wrong for the part and unsympathetic. In fact, almost half the review was about how wrong Patti was for Norma. That made Webber nervous because like his Evita, the female lead in Sunset IS the entire show. Sunset was his first show after his mega-hit Phantom of the Opera, and expectations were VERY high. I'm not sure why Webber felt he had to cater to Rich or win his approval because the guy never liked any of Webber's shows anyway, and Phantom of the Opera was a huge hit in spite of Rich's anti-Webber bias. Still, Sunset was so big and so expensive it seems Webber didn't want to take the chance of the show closing early. Even though he knew Patti had a huge fan base in New York, he let his fear drive his decisions, and he fired Patti as well as closed the show in London for four weeks to make changes. It reopened with Betty Buckley there and later Glenn Close in LA and New York. The rest, as they say, is history. You can hear about this whole story in a video Titled, How Andrew Lloyd Webber Lost One Million Dollars on the YT channel, Wait in the Wings. The channel is all about Broadway history.
Patti came to London for the premiere production,for some reason Lloyd Webber decided to cut short her contract by about six months.....God knows why,i thought then and i still do,that she performed well.She was compensated financially but it must have hurt her pride.I think he claimed that he wanted to halt the show for a re working.
Amy Baker oh it destroyed her pride - when she found out she was let off and being replaced by Glenn Close she wrecked her dressing room and refused to perform that night; her memoir has all the juicy deets
I think this'll explain why I mainly thought the way I did about LuPone - Patti LuPone - As If We Never Said Goodbye By Username: katemuffinn. LuPone's actually extremely good o.o I've seen a couple more of her performances :') I understand what you're saying NeuwirthFan (Glenn=Movie Star, LuPone=Theatre Actress) =) I didn't look at the bigger picture of LuPone's whole career -.-
+The Gordojo Glenn Close can’t act her way out of a paper bag, nor does she have the vocal chops for this role. She isn’t a great singer so this role was definitely a miscast.
Which songs or roles especially? Because a lot of the times it has to do with the personality of the character she is playing. Songs in musicals are meant to be sung with emotions, to reflect the emotions of the scene and character
@NeuwirthFan So evil T.T I was just saying because I liked the fact that Close looked so well (oldish but "wealthily" youthful and... wealthy :P ), had to act out at the beginning of her performance before singing and interacted with a few of the people up there, she had good voice and sounded to be on que considering all the expressions she made, etc etc... just saying -.-
Everyone seems to love With One Look, but "As If" has always been my favorite of Norma's two solos from Sunset Boulevard. I just wish Webber hadn't given this big and sweeping song such a wimpy ending by tacking on a short reprise of New Ways to Dream at the end. It builds from quiet and insecure at the beginning to exciting and then just fizzles out. I never liked that. Norma is finally back at the studio in her element and (in her mind) at the very start of her comeback when she sings this song. It deserved a more triumphant ending.
This chick's a little ahead of the play ._. and sounds a bit odd at times o.o Glenn's appearance though looks so well for this piece + sounds perfect =)
As much as I like her version (its really intense), I actually kind of like Chris Colfer's version better...the slower version makes it sound so much more like the singer's reminiscing about things...and sadder, actually....she sounds rather psychotic here, but I know Norma's supposed to be rather desperate and not quite in the right mind frame....so brilliant performance, but I think I'll stick to the calm one for the repeats =)
The best thing about this performance is that fabulous dress she is wearing. She has a great voice. But her performance is stiff with no real emotion which this song calls for.
She has no reason to be angry..at this point in the show ,she believes that DeMille has sent for her in order to discuss her "Salome".She does not realize that it is her car they want.
In her book she said personally, she was angry to perform this song, because of what ALW did to her, this performance was probs only 2-3 years after the situation, so thats understandable.
Which would you rather hear? A rushed butchered version of an absolutely beautiful song that Patti Lupone delivered, or a heartfelt, passionate version that Elaine Paige so brilliantly delivered? I'd say Elaine Paige hands down...
When you phrase it like that, you take away the choice and it ceases to be a question. This version is her own, and I enjoyed it. So, I'd disagree with you; I prefer this version.
I agree with Reggie. Would you like to sing a song from a production you were fired from? They didn't even have the decency to tell her. She was getting ready for the show and her agent called, informing her. Her agent found out from a magazine
@Zroetter94 She sings the lines too "flat" compared to Glenn Close who acts the song more , this sounds like she couldn't wait to finish the song and lacks the emotion.
the lack of emotion could have something to do with the fact she was fired from Sunset Boulevard and she found out from her agent, not employer which I think was Lloyd Webber. She was getting ready for the show and her agent called her and informed her. I believe she said her agent found out from a magazine, not the employer either.
woah. can see why she didn't get broadway! Talk about hammering through the notes. Get off the stage girlfriend and let Ms. Buckley or Ms. Paige take over
I'm delighted that ever since Sunset and Patti refusing to sing his music again, she's gone through a golden period of her career with astonishing performances as she worked her way through the Sondheim repertoire and received every single theatrical award for Gypsy on Broadway. Go Patti!
And that is how it is done folks. Wow, what a complete resonance and what a complete performance. No cheating.
What an amazing voice she has...totally beautiful...she is the epitome of talent!
She takes my breath away...My favorite performance by her is “Ladies Who Lunch”
Terrible.singing.off.key
The.worst.voice.l
Have.heard
If.you.think.thats.good
You.must.be.tone.deaf
Or.too.much.to.drink
Got.good.taste.to
Watch.it.best.wishes.my
Friend
She crushes every role she sings, from Evita to Mrs. Lovett. Viva LuPone!
What an amazing performance by a commensurate vocalist! 🥰👍
I can listen to Patti's rendition on repeat. Absolutely brilliant.
One of the most emotive performances. EVER.
Just love her in most everything she does
Simply the BEST performance of any one ever that has attempted to sing this song!
Extraordinary. There's no one like her. No one.
She is truly a force of nature as was Judy Garland! You like Streisand are rehearsed to perfection. I love and respect you so much because it took a lot of years of hard work to become this great! 🤗👍♥️😇
a giant.....she hits just the right mix of elation..regret and sadness
Outstanding!! Thanks Patti. Thanks for posting. Patti is the only actress who played Norma Desmond true to form.
Stunning!! Patti truly captures the desperation & the madness better than any of the other Norma's.
The limited notes in the song is a mark of genius in music making. It captured the psychological set-up of the character of Norma Desmond!
Just amazing..what else can one say? Viva Patti! :)
Can you blame her? If I had been treated like she had during her run of this show I'm sure it would be hard for me to really enjoy tis song!
DAMN!!!!!!!! SHE'S AMAZINNNNGG!!!!!!
As much as I love Chris Colfer's version of this - he took the song he killed it, and he made it fit his character and his story and his journey - Patti will always be, quite simply, the best. And I think Chris would agree with me.
ugh, my heartttt
LEGENDARY ! ! ! !
This is among her best song's.
Argentina was the Best.
*chills*
Ms. LuPone at her best. Brava
3:49 is everything!
Absolute perfection! Patti rocks! All the others can go home in shame.
i didn't know she sang this song!! I can die happy!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! that was amazing!!!
Patti sings this better than anyone else who has attempted to sing it
I love Betty Buckley as Norma...I saw all of t hem and my fave is Betty...Patti and Glenn have such powerful command of their voices as well, however..I just happen to Like Betty :)
Glenn can’t even be in that comparison, Betty is pretty good.
❤
@dudewheresmydignity this was taped around 2001, way after her run and way after the show closed on b'way. i've seen her do this show several times and it's he only song she does from sunset
Brava!!
@dudewheresmydignity She mentions in her memoir how she had to be convinced to do it. It was and is one of her signatures. She hesitantly agreed.
I like the way glen close acts it not only sings it... patti sings it only....
The feather duster dress :-)
I can't find any download of her singing this song, on iTunes or otherwise. It's a shame, I really really like her rendition the best. :(
This was the version that chris colfer did.... love patti and chris xxx
Any chance they'll ever play this on TV ever again?
@dudewheresmydignity
WAY after, but a song that she still nails and is know for ...
... oh, and I found out that LuPone and other actresses have dressed the same way Glenn has for her Tony Awards performance n_n
Elaine Paige's performance was the best i've heard (check out her "Celebrating 40 years on the stage" performance), but Patti's voice is so distinct and powerful, it's among my favorites. Viva Lupone! :)
Elaine Paige wishes she could do what Patti does.
Do you have the video of her singing Meadowlark from this performance?
@NewNickTahoe Sad, I wish she'd do "With One Look."
If anyone can add VALID information to my question, I'd be most grateful!! My question is this - Patti MADE "Evita" a smash hit for Webber, so why in the WORLD would he "let her go" from "Sunset"??? As this clip proves, she could handle the music and the emotion of the song with soaring assuredness and effect! It makes NO sense that Webber would replace her.....unLESS something happened that we don't know about! Any ideas/info? Thanks!!
When Sunset opened in London in 1993, most of the reviews were good except for the New York Times review written by the infamous theater critic, Frank Rich. Rich was notorious for not liking any of Webber's shows. Even so, he gave Sunset a mediocre review but trashed Patti, saying she was totally wrong for the part and unsympathetic. In fact, almost half the review was about how wrong Patti was for Norma. That made Webber nervous because like his Evita, the female lead in Sunset IS the entire show. Sunset was his first show after his mega-hit Phantom of the Opera, and expectations were VERY high. I'm not sure why Webber felt he had to cater to Rich or win his approval because the guy never liked any of Webber's shows anyway, and Phantom of the Opera was a huge hit in spite of Rich's anti-Webber bias. Still, Sunset was so big and so expensive it seems Webber didn't want to take the chance of the show closing early. Even though he knew Patti had a huge fan base in New York, he let his fear drive his decisions, and he fired Patti as well as closed the show in London for four weeks to make changes. It reopened with Betty Buckley there and later Glenn Close in LA and New York. The rest, as they say, is history. You can hear about this whole story in a video Titled, How Andrew Lloyd Webber Lost One Million Dollars on the YT channel, Wait in the Wings. The channel is all about Broadway history.
Patti came to London for the premiere production,for some reason Lloyd Webber decided to cut short her contract by about six months.....God knows why,i thought then and i still do,that she performed well.She was compensated financially but it must have hurt her pride.I think he claimed that he wanted to halt the show for a re working.
Amy Baker oh it destroyed her pride - when she found out she was let off and being replaced by Glenn Close she wrecked her dressing room and refused to perform that night; her memoir has all the juicy deets
Wow what a voice - but Glenn is Norma
I think this'll explain why I mainly thought the way I did about LuPone - Patti LuPone - As If We Never Said Goodbye By Username: katemuffinn. LuPone's actually extremely good o.o I've seen a couple more of her performances :') I understand what you're saying NeuwirthFan (Glenn=Movie Star, LuPone=Theatre Actress) =) I didn't look at the bigger picture of LuPone's whole career -.-
+The Gordojo Glenn Close can’t act her way out of a paper bag, nor does she have the vocal chops for this role. She isn’t a great singer so this role was definitely a miscast.
@lcowles WRONG. Linda Balgord and Ann Crumb sang the role in Patti's key.
@dudewheresmydignity what debacle?
She's really good. I do think her voice sounds way too angry when she sings though
Because, she remains theatrical even when she's singing outside the theatre!
Which songs or roles especially? Because a lot of the times it has to do with the personality of the character she is playing. Songs in musicals are meant to be sung with emotions, to reflect the emotions of the scene and character
@NeuwirthFan So evil T.T I was just saying because I liked the fact that Close looked so well (oldish but "wealthily" youthful and... wealthy :P ), had to act out at the beginning of her performance before singing and interacted with a few of the people up there, she had good voice and sounded to be on que considering all the expressions she made, etc etc... just saying -.-
a smashing performance :D , but still spelled and spelt is both correct according to the oxford dictionary of contemporary english
Everyone seems to love With One Look, but "As If" has always been my favorite of Norma's two solos from Sunset Boulevard. I just wish Webber hadn't given this big and sweeping song such a wimpy ending by tacking on a short reprise of New Ways to Dream at the end. It builds from quiet and insecure at the beginning to exciting and then just fizzles out. I never liked that. Norma is finally back at the studio in her element and (in her mind) at the very start of her comeback when she sings this song. It deserved a more triumphant ending.
Not outside of the United States.
yes they did. and you spelled spelt wrong. (sorry..had to say it)
They spelt 'Webber' wrong!
This chick's a little ahead of the play ._. and sounds a bit odd at times o.o Glenn's appearance though looks so well for this piece + sounds perfect =)
She certainly conveys the triumph but misses the underlying fear implicit in the song.
As much as I like her version (its really intense), I actually kind of like Chris Colfer's version better...the slower version makes it sound so much more like the singer's reminiscing about things...and sadder, actually....she sounds rather psychotic here, but I know Norma's supposed to be rather desperate and not quite in the right mind frame....so brilliant performance, but I think I'll stick to the calm one for the repeats =)
Nope. Luv her but...this song is supposed to be sung slowly, just like it was written. Check out Betty Buckley.
The best thing about this performance is that fabulous dress she is wearing. She has a great voice. But her performance is stiff with no real emotion which this song calls for.
wrong, she has more emotion than any other “actress” who’s sang this song.
She’s literally pouring emotion into this rendition.
She has serious problems singing in English.
Perfect, but for me the defintive performance belongs to Barbra
That’s hilarious 😂😂😂😂
She has no reason to be angry..at this point in the show ,she believes that DeMille has sent for her in order to discuss her "Salome".She does not realize that it is her car they want.
In her book she said personally, she was angry to perform this song, because of what ALW did to her, this performance was probs only 2-3 years after the situation, so thats understandable.
Lucky Lawrence This concert was the first thing she did onstage after Sunset. The wounds were very fresh.
Which would you rather hear? A rushed butchered version of an absolutely beautiful song that Patti Lupone delivered, or a heartfelt, passionate version that Elaine Paige so brilliantly delivered? I'd say Elaine Paige hands down...
When you phrase it like that, you take away the choice and it ceases to be a question. This version is her own, and I enjoyed it. So, I'd disagree with you; I prefer this version.
Patti over Ellen Paper any day. I rebuke.
Why would you listen to this version if you like Elaine Paige's better? Screw off
I agree with Reggie. Would you like to sing a song from a production you were fired from? They didn't even have the decency to tell her. She was getting ready for the show and her agent called, informing her. Her agent found out from a magazine
@Zroetter94 She sings the lines too "flat" compared to Glenn Close who acts the song more , this sounds like she couldn't wait to finish the song and lacks the emotion.
No Patti Lupone’s speed adds the emotion for the character advancement in the show. She was the OG don’t forget that.
the lack of emotion could have something to do with the fact she was fired from Sunset Boulevard and she found out from her agent, not employer which I think was Lloyd Webber. She was getting ready for the show and her agent called her and informed her. I believe she said her agent found out from a magazine, not the employer either.
woah. can see why she didn't get broadway! Talk about hammering through the notes. Get off the stage girlfriend and let Ms. Buckley or Ms. Paige take over
She overacts and oversings.
no such thing
And yet she has 2 Tony's is considered Broadway royalty and has more credits to her name than you or I ever will
I think that is true of her oftentimes. Her abilities are greater than her judgement.