Last Saturday night was an evening of pomp and circumstance as singer-performer Patti LuPone graced the Fine Arts Center stage with her one woman show “A Gypsy in My Soul.” This was a show that promised some of her best work, along with chatty humor about the woman behind the act. On those two fronts, it most certainly delivered.
The night started it off with the namesake song of the show, “A Gypsy in My Soul.” The number was a great start and an instant crowd pleaser. From there LuPone delivered tune after tune that added more and more depth to the show as a whole. Simply put, the woman has the voice of an angel. It’s a voice that fills a room, sings love songs and instantly puts a smile on your face after a dreary day. Her vocal expressiveness makes the birds themselves want to chirp along and emulate every single tone and tune.
The songs churned along, each one sung with as much heart as the previous. The audience fell even more in love with each high note and each low note that was hit. What they were witnessing was a woman who was showcasing talent with a stage presence unmatched by most performers in this day and age. Not just anyone can light up a stage with pure charisma and talent, and what’s more LuPone truly sparkles on stage. From her wardrobe to her perfectly choreographed steps, LuPone knows how to take center stage and become a visual treasure. There is a certain grace and clear possession of veteran showmanship that you know has taken years and years of hardship and work ethic to acquire, all of which makes the act unfolding on the stage all the more wondrous to see.
LuPone by herself is an act to behold, but with a partner that can match her tune for tune, she really blows you away with what she can do. Her pianist, Joseph Thalken, completes a perfectly synchronized duo. There is a level of camaraderie in this relationship that adds dimension to the show and an air of amiability. Between her voice and his piano, together they make a sensational show to bop your head to. Neither missed a beat all night long. Instead it was a harmonious partnership from the first instant they waltzed on stage to the very moment they stepped off of it.
After the quick intermission in the middle of the performance, LuPone and Thalken made their way back to the stage to cap off the concert with a rousing second half. A quick change of scenery on stage from a bouquet of white roses to one of red roses and the mood was set. One of the best numbers of the night was a tune taken from the legendary musical “West Side Story,” in which Mrs. LuPone took the role of two characters simultaneously. A jab of the head one way, and she sang like one character, then a quick motion to the right and she was an entirely different persona. Left and right she went, not once stuttering or confusing her roles. It was an astounding accomplishment that the audience applauded with a great roar after the number was over. Truly, it was one of the spectacular highlights of the night.
The show was lightly broken up by LuPone’s quick anecdotes in between numbers. She was charming, funny and so very relatable to those watching. The audience which at times went from chuckling to full on laughter, and LuPone made this portion of the show a success and a great companion to the tunes that came before and after. As a true performer, whether she was singing or telling a story, she never once let the audience down, and in return, the audience never wavered with its admiration and its praise for her.
It was a night filled with pleasantries in the art of music, truly an amazing experience for the ears and eyes. The songs that LuPone sang from her heart were beautiful, fun, vivacious and completely satisfying to every listener with an audial appetite for show tunes. Hers was a spirit of reverence that captivated the stage and never let you look away. Between Patti LuPone and her equally skilled partner and pianist, Joseph Thalken, it was a wonderful musical evening.
Thalia Pena can be reached at [email protected].
