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<\/p>\nLast weekend on Fire Island in New York, far from the bright lights of Broadway, Patti LuPone performed at the Ice Palace nightclub for some of her most adoring fans. These die-hards, sometimes called LuPonettes, included a man who had seen Ms. LuPone in the 1979 production of \u201cEvita\u201d and another who had a caricature of her tattooed on his back.<\/p>\n
Ben Rimalower, who arrived hours before doors opened, stood at the front of the line. \u201cI first fell in love with Patti when I saw the \u2018Evita\u2019 commercial,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve now seen her live hundreds of times, but never on Fire Island. Nowhere else will Patti get an audience that understands her like here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opened in the 1970s, the Ice Palace is an institution in Cherry Grove, a Fire Island hamlet known as a summer haven for New York\u2019s gay community. In addition to its Friday night Underwear Party, its stage has hosted Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli and Alan Cumming.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatti has played the greatest venues in the world, but for her to play here it\u2019s about connecting with her most fervent fan base,\u201d the club\u2019s co-owner, Daniel Nardicio, said. \u201cHer fans will scream and cry for her here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms. LuPone, 74, put on two sold-out performances of \u201cSongs from a Hat,\u201d in which she sings tunes plucked at random. Accompanied on a white piano by her musical director, Joseph Thalken, she gave her all to staples like \u201cEverything\u2019s Coming Up Roses\u201d and \u201cMeadowlark.\u201d When she did the Sondheim number \u201cI Never Do Anything Twice,\u201d she brandished a riding crop.<\/p>\n
In the edited interviews below, her fans reflected on why they can never get enough LuPone.<\/p>\n
Accountant<\/p>\n
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Why do you love her? <\/strong>I\u2019m a fellow Long Island girl, just like Patti. Her power as a performer is so unattainable that you can\u2019t help but be in awe.<\/p>\n When did you first see her live? <\/strong>It should have been when I was 12. I still hold a grudge against my family. My parents took my sister to see \u201cGypsy\u201d for her Sweet 16, but they didn\u2019t bring me because I was too small. My mom told me I have to get over it. I told her, \u201cI will never get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n Actor<\/p>\n Why do you love Patti? <\/strong>Because she\u2019s an ally to us in a way others are not. Lots of celebrities are part of the battle, but she\u2019s been with us a long time. For an artist like Patti to come out here and do a show for us at the Ice Palace, that says something about her allegiances.<\/p>\n If you could spend a day with Patti, what would you do? <\/strong>I\u2019d love to sit and have cocktails with her and Mandy Patinkin. Just to listen to the two of them talk. About anything.<\/p>\n Bartender and playwright<\/p>\n What\u2019s the story behind your tattoo? <\/strong>Years ago, I decided I wanted to cover myself with the divas I love, and I\u2019ve been adding Broadway legends to my back ever since. This Patti is from \u201cThe Baker\u2019s Wife.\u201d I\u2019ve also got Liza Minnelli and Elaine Stritch.<\/p>\n Nightlife promoter<\/p>\n How did this show come about? <\/strong>We basically wooed her to come out here and eventually she said yes. Sure, we have the famous Underwear Party, but we also have greats like Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera here. Gay men have a deep relationship with these women, so they\u2019re always appreciative to see them, and that\u2019s why these women are willing to come out here and do these shows at the Ice Palace.<\/p>\n Retired astrophysicist<\/p>\n When did you first see her live? <\/strong>I saw her do \u201cEvita\u201d years ago and I was mesmerized. I don\u2019t even like musicals. I\u2019m not like the guys here.<\/p>\n What do you make of her performing here? <\/strong>This place started out as a sea shack for good times by the ocean. Everyone was doing poppers and having fun. But Cherry Grove has been changing. Lots of straight people from the city have been buying places here, changing our community\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n Whiskey salesman<\/p>\n Any song you\u2019d like to hear? <\/strong>Anything from \u201cSunset Boulevard.\u201d It holds a special place for LuPone fans because Patti was infamously fired from her role and replaced with Glenn Close. So hearing Patti sing anything from it would be special and rare.<\/p>\n Cabaret director<\/p>\n Why do you love Patti? <\/strong>Her ferocity. Everyone throws that term around now but she\u2019s the real thing. She\u2019s a tiger. Patti would cut you.<\/em> Whereas Minnelli is there to delight, Patti commands you and makes you afraid of what you might miss if you take your eyes off her for even one second.<\/p>\n If you could spend a day with Patti, what would you do? <\/strong>I wish a reality television show camera followed her. I would watch it all day.<\/p>\n Theater critic<\/p>\n Why do you love Patti? <\/strong>Because her voice is a unique musical instrument and she\u2019s maintained it to an astonishing degree. <\/strong>When other stars do cabaret shows they can sound diminished, but not Patti. She\u2019s also old-school in a way that Broadway doesn\u2019t reward so much anymore. She plays by her own rules.<\/p>\n Retired property manager<\/p>\n Any tune you\u2019d like to hear? <\/strong>\u201cThe Ladies Who Lunch.\u201d There\u2019s no one like Elaine Stritch, but Patti is the only one who can sing it with the same feel as Stritch.<\/p>\n Cherry Grove residents<\/p>\n You\u2019re <\/strong>longtime<\/strong> Cherry Grove residents. What do you make of Patti\u2019s playing here?<\/strong><\/p>\n M.F.:<\/strong> The Ice Palace is where gay men used to come to discover their sexuality. It only makes sense for Patti to play here, to perform for her most devoted following.<\/p>\n G.S.: <\/strong>We love Patti and it\u2019s beautiful to see her come to our community. I hope she sings \u201cDon\u2019t Cry for Me Argentina.\u201d Because when she sings that, I want to cry.<\/p>\n Alex Vadukul<\/span> is a city correspondent for The New York Times. He writes for Styles and is a three-time winner of the New York Press Club award for city writing and a three-time winner of Silurians Press Club medallions for his feature writing. He was a longtime writer for Sunday Metropolitan and has been a reporter on the Obituaries desk. More about Alex Vadukul<\/span><\/p>\n Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Quinto Ott<\/h2>\n
Austin Tracy<\/h2>\n
Daniel Nardicio<\/h2>\n
Lynda Marchese<\/h2>\n
Josh Prete<\/h2>\n
Ben Rimalower<\/h2>\n
Adam Feldman<\/h2>\n
Yvonne LaViale<\/h2>\n
Michael Fisher and Gary Sacks<\/h2>\n