Diva Patti LuPone accused of going 'too far' in feud with acting rivals after brutal swipes

Daily Mail​

27-05-2025

Patti LuPone is facing a wave of criticism from Broadway insiders and fans after skewering multiple high-profile colleagues.
LuPone, 76, declared a interview with the New Yorker published Monday published Monday that fellow Broadway legend Audra McDonald is 'not a friend anymore' - and it has been that way for some time.
The touchy topic was brought to the surface when LuPone was asked about McDonald performing in Gypsy, a musical she's closely associated with.
'When I asked what she had thought of McDonald's current production of Gypsy,' the publication's Michael Schulman wrote LuPone 'stared at me, in silence, for fifteen seconds.
'Then she turned to the window and sighed, "What a beautiful day."'
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LuPone also questioned the experience of Kecia Lewis, six months after Tony-award winning actress called her out for remarks she found 'offensive,' also asking for an apology.
Lewis called LuPone out for remarks she found 'offensive,' also asking for an apology in an open letter in extended clip she posted to Instagram last fall.
LuPone told the magazine in reaction: 'Oh, my God. Here's the problem. She calls herself a veteran? Let's find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn't know what the f*** she's talking about.'
LuPone added, 'She's done seven. I've done thirty-one. Don't call yourself a vet, b****.' (The publication noted that Lewis has done 10 and LuPone 28.)
LuPone's latest sentiments were also criticized in a post on the Broadway-based On Stage Blog from founder Chris Peterson titled 'Patti, We Get It. You're a Diva. But This Ain't It.'
'Patti LuPone has long built her brand on being Broadway's no-nonsense, truth-telling, don't-you-dare-use-your-phone--in-the-front-row diva,' Peterson said. 'And listen, there's a place for candor. There's even a place for a little theatrical flair offstage.
'But in 2025, there's also a line. And in her recent New Yorker profile that would make any publicist bang their head on their desk, Patti didn't just cross that line. She gleefully stomped all over it.'
Peterson cited LuPone calling Lewis a b**** 'dismissively;' and suggesting 'she doesn't know what she's talking about.'
Dailymail.com has reached out to reps for McDonald, Lewis and LuPone for further comment.
LuPone also questioned the experience of Kecia Lewis, six months after Tony-award winning actress called her out for remarks she found 'offensive,' also asking for an apology
LuPone declared a interview with the New Yorker published Monday published Monday that fellow Broadway legend Audra McDonald is 'not a friend anymore.' Pictured in 2011 in NYC
Emmy-nominee Douglas Lyons also slammed LuPone for her remarks. saying, 'Dear Patti Lupone, '31 shows doth not equal class. #broadway.'
In an extended statement, Lyons said, 'White privilege is the audacity to be quoted in a major publication flippantly discrediting our Black Broadway Queens - while calling them a name you'd dare never to whisper to their face.
'I think Ms. Lupone is a remarkable talent, but 31 Broadway shows obviously doesn't equal class.'
Reactions on X were also divided into camps of people blown away by LuPone's candor, and others annoyed by her stream of vitriol.
Writer Tom Smyth said 'gonna start saying 'what a beautiful day' when people ask me how a show was.'
Another Broadway fan defended LuPone's opinionated takes, calling her 'the world's foremost professional hater,' adding, 'that's why she's also our greatest theatrical talent.'
Last fall, Lewis said remarks LuPone made struck her as 'racially microaggressive,' 'rooted in privilege' and 'bullying,' adding that LuPone should take a different tack to 'promote a culture of respect, empathy and inclusion.'
Lewis said that she was only speaking for herself in public calling out LuPone over the perceived slights.
'I am speaking for Keisha Lewis only,' said Lewis, who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for Hell's Kitchen earlier this year. 'Not from the cast or crew or producers of Hell's Kitchen.
LuPone contacted officials with the Shubert theatre on Broadway (where the show is performed), Lewis said, as she is currently performing in The Roommate at the Booth Theatre, a neighboring venue.
Lewis said Lupone complained to Shubert officials to tweak various sound cues in Hell's Kitchen she found 'to be too loud.'
LuPone 'sent flowers to our sound and stage management team thanking them' after the adjustments were made to her liking, according to Lewis.
Lewis also cited a clip of LuPone refusing to sign a Playbill for Hell's Kitchen, saying, 'They're too loud.'
Lewis said: 'I wanted to address this because, Ms. LuPone, these actions, in my opinion, are bullying - they're offensive, they're racially microaggressive, they're rude, they're rooted in privilege and these actions also lack a sense of community and leadership for someone as yourself who has been in the business as long as you have.'
Lewis said she defines microaggressions as 'subtle, unintentional comments or actions that convey stereotypes, biases or negative assumptions about someone based on their race.
Lewis said that while microaggressions 'can seem harmless or minor,' they 'can accumulate and cause significant stress or discomfort for the recipient - examples include calling a Black show loud in a way that dismisses it.'
Lewis said that the specific words LuPone used in her summation of the musical spoke volumes: 'In our industry, language holds power and shapes perception, often in ways that we may not immediately realize.
'Referring to a predominantly Black Broadway show as loud can unintentionally reinforce harmful stereotypes, and it also feels dismissive of the artistry and the voices that are being celebrated on stage.
Lewis said that comments like LuPone's 'can be seen as racial microaggressions, which have a real impact on both artists and audiences.
'While gestures like sending thank you flowers may appear courteous, it was dismissive and out of touch, especially following a formal complaint that you made that resulted in the changes that impacted our entire production, primarily the people who have to go out on stage and perform.'
Lewis said LuPone should have approached the Hell's Kitchen production with more of a collaborative approach, as 'direct communication' would demonstrate 'respect for the work being done, and awareness of how actions resonate across diverse teams.'
Lewis said that in the absence of a collaborative approach, LuPone's conduct amid the situation could be viewed as bullying.
'Bullying in a professional setting can include exerting influence to disrupt using one's status or connections to cause unnecessary changes to someone else's work environment, such as requesting sound adjustments,' Lewis said.
She added: 'Performative gestures are also bullying, and what I mean by that is by sending thank you flowers after impacting the production can be perceived as disingenuous, particularly if it sidesteps meaningful dialog or resolution.'
Lewis said that she, LuPone and others in the Broadway community 'are not just neighbors' but rather 'a community that shares in each other's artistry and challenges.
'Respect and collaboration are what keep us thriving and inspire the next generation.'
Lewis wrapped up in saying, 'Ms. LuPone I respectfully submit to you that you owe us an apology, not flowers.'