WHY? CAN'T? YOU? GIVE? HER? THE? R E S P E C T ? SHE'S? ENTITLED? TO???!!!!

I have often wondered this about my favorite diva of all time. Ms. Patti LuPone.

She of "EVITA"
She of "ANYTHING GOES!"
She of "LES MIZ"
She of "SUNSET BOULEVARD"

She is THE musical theatre diva of our day. But no. Who gets the love and respect? Bernadette Peters. Linda Eder. GLENN CLOSE? I'm tired of it.


Well, it seems that SOMEONE has finally taken note.
From Liz Smith this morning:
BROADWAY'S belter Patti LuPone is off to California this week to guest ap pear on "Will & Grace," playing - Patti LuPone! She follows in the high-heeled steps of Cher and Jennifer Lopez, both of whom have played themselves in this TV hit. (When Madonna guested on "W&G," she did not appear as her famous self but played a wacky comic character.)

LuPone continues to tour with her one-woman show "Matters of the Heart." She is prepping to star in "Regina," the Marc Blitzstein 1949 musical adaptation of Lillian Hellman's drama "The Little Foxes." (Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor each scored in this role! - sans music.) Patti's "Regina" happens March 10-12 at D.C.'s Kennedy Center.



On March 14, Patti will be at Carnegie Hall in a solo night titled "The Lady With the Torch." She'll cap all this on March 30-April 1 in a concert of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion," playing the role of Fosca. She co-stars with Audra McDonald and Michael Cerveris.

Let's don't cry for the powerhouse that is Patti LuPone.