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Patti Lupone: A Memoir

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Patti LuPone seems to have many purposes for writing Patti LuPone: A Memoir. The book adheres to a format that brings LuPone’s story full-circle. The memoir starts with a description of her opening night of Gypsy on Broadway. The beginning of the book seems to be an appropriate way to launch a chronological memoir because LuPone has performed in four productions of Gypsy during her lifetime. This memoir’s timeline starts with LuPone’s childhood in Northport, Long Island and leads up, once again, to her opening night of Gypsy on Broadway. LuPone showcases one of the greatest theatrical achievements of her career early in the book in order to prepare the reader for the struggles she experiences in later chapters.
It is apparent that one of her …show more content…

The reader finds himself or herself cheering on LuPone as she struggles through moments in her career and celebrating her success with Sweeney Todd and Gypsy towards the final chapters. Many people are originally drawn to read this book as fans of LuPone’s work in Gypsy and Les Misérables. It is so interesting to read about her vast range of theatrical and film work. Some readers may have no idea that her first Tony Award nomination was for The Robber Bridegroom, which is currently being produced Off-Broadway. It is worth pointing out again that her sense of humor is highly entertaining. There is another moment in the book when she describes a review that she receives that is extremely funny. “The Australian people were great. I also got the reviews I’d always wanted. My favorite was, ‘She acts like an inspired witch.’ I said, ‘Yes, finally. Thank you.’ I just hope it wasn’t a typographical error.” (143) This moment makes a reader laugh because it is hilarious that she accepts that her public persona is similar to a witch in many people’s eyes. It is also funny to note that she would not find it surprising if the review meant to call her a

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