>> Stephen: HEY!
WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
GOOD TO SEE YOU!
FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT IS A TWO-TIME TONY ABARRED WINNER
AND BROADWAY LEGEND.
SHE NOW STARS IN "COMPANY" ON BROADWAY WHICH JUST EARNED HER
ANOTHER TONY NOMINATION.
PLEASE WELCOME TO THE LATE SHOW, PATTI LUPONE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: HEY, KIDDO.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> AND YOU.
>> Stephen: IT'S BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME.
>> YOU GOT ME THROUGH THE PANDEMIC IN ALL SO SORTS OF ROOS
YOU WERE IN.
>> Stephen: WE MIGRATED.
IT WAS A MOVABLE FEAST.
( LAUGHTER ) EARLIER AT THIS MONTH, YOU WERE
IN A TALKBACK AT THE END OF "COMPANY."
>> LOOK AT THESE LOVELY PEOPLE WITH THEIR MASKS ON!
>> Stephen: YES!
THESE PEOPLE GET IT.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: SO YOU MADE NEWS.
YOU TOLD AN AUDIENCE MEMBER DURING THIS TALKBACK TO PUT
THEIR MASK ON INSIDE THE THEATER BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T WEARING IT
CORRECTLY AND MAKING TROUBLE.
WE HAVE A LITTLE CLIP.
>> PUT YOUR MASK OVER YOUR NOSE.
THAT'S WHY YOU'RE IN THE THEATER.
THAT IS THE RULE.
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO FOLLOW THE RULE, GET ( BLEEP ) OUT!
( APPLAUSE ) YOU DO NOT RESPECT THE PEOPLE
THAT ARE SITTING AROUND YOU!
YOU ( BLEEP ).
CHRIS HARPER PAYS MY SALARY.
>> EXCUSE ME.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
YES.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: SO HOW DID IT GET
TO THAT POINT?
BECAUSE YOU'RE A LOVELY PERSON.
>> SOMETIMES.
>> Stephen: WHAT LED UP TO THAT MOMENT?
>> WELL, FOR INSTANCE, WE ARE NOW USED TO LOOKING AT THE
AUDIENCE, AND YOU SEE PEOPLE WITH MASKS ON.
I SEE THE EYES.
USUALLY YOU SEE THE WHOLE FACE, BUT I SEE THE EYES.
I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BACKSTAGE.
THIS WAS A TALKBACK.
WHEN YOU SEE EVERYBODY EXCEPT TWO PEOPLE, THIS WOMAN AND HER
HALF ASLEEP HUSBAND WITH THE MASK OFF, YOU IMMEDIATELY SEE
IT.
WHAT LED UP TO IT IS WHAT SHE DID WHEN OUR COVID SAFETY
MANAGERS CAME DOWN TO TELL HER TO PUT IT ON CORRECTLY.
SHE TOOK IT OFF, WAVED IT IN THE AIR, AND PUT IT OVER HER EYES.
SO SHE WAS MOCKING THE MAN DATE AND MOCKING THE COVID SAFETY
MANAGERS WHO GET ABUSE EVERY NIGHT.
I MEAN, THE USHERS GO UP AND DOWN THE AISLE, AND WE JUST GOT
AN EMAIL TODAY, SOMEBODY ELSE IS OUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT OUT OF
THIS.
WE'RE NOT OUT OF IT AT THE JACOBS THEATER.
>> Stephen: DO YOU NEED ME TO GO IN?
>> DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THEY'D LOVE THAT!
>> Stephen: NOW YOU CAN BUY MERCHANDISE THAT HAS IT ON IT.
YOU CAN HAVE "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, PATTI LUPONE."
( APPLAUSE ) >> WE SEEMS TO BE MY GO-TO.
>> Stephen: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE.
>> IT SEEMS TO BE MY GO-TO.
I HAVE TO COME UP WITH ANOTHER EXPRESSION.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE BACK ON A BROADWAY WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL
REVIVAL OF "COMPANY."
HERE'S THE PLAY BILL FOR IT RIGHT THERE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW, YOU AND I
DID THIS SHOW TOGETHER WITH THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC.
>> WE CERTAINLY DID.
>> Stephen: IN 2011.
THIS WAS TO ME KIND OF THE DEFINITIVE PRODUCTION HERE.
HERE WE ARE TOGETHER, THAT'S YOU RIGHT THERE, AND THAT YOUNG GUY
RIGHT THERE IS ME.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) AND MOST TERRIFYING THING I'VE
EVER DONE.
MOST TERRIFYING THING I'VE EVER DONE.
>> IT IS TERRIFYING.
>> Stephen: YES.
YOU HAVE TEN DAYS TO ABSORB A MUSICAL AND YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO
BE ON THE STAGE OF THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC BECAUSE THE STAGE
HANDS ARE SO STRICT WITH HOW MUCH TIME YOU CAN SPEND ON THE
STAGE.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE ALSO DONE IT IN THE WEST END, AND NOW HERE
YOU ARE DOING IT AGAIN.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT HOW YOU APPROACH THE ROLE, OR DOES IT
CHANGE WITH EACH PRODUCTION?
>> IT DOES.
IT CHANGES WITH THE DIRECTION.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
MARY ANN ELLIOTT, THE BRILLIANT DIRECTOR OF THIS
CONCEPT OF BOBBY BEING FEMALE, I NEVER WORKED WITH HER BEFORE AND
I WANTED TO.
IT'S JUST HER APPROACH WITH ACTORS, AND SHE ISEN A ACTORS'
DIRECTOR.
AND THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE INTERPRETATION OF JO ANN BECAUSE
SHE'S FUNNY.
SHE GETS TO LAUGH, YOU KNOW, AND SHE'S NOT DOWER.
IS IT DO-ER OR DOWER?
>> Stephen: YOU'RE THE LEGEND OF BROADWAY.
( LAUGHTER ) "COMPANY" WAS WRITTEN BY STEPHEN
SONDHEIM.
TO HONOR HIM, THERE ARE SPECIAL PLAY BILLS FOR STEPHEN SONDHEIM
FOR THE LOVERS AND THE COLLECTORS OUT THERE.
THIS IS THE MAN THAT I MET AND KNEW.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) AND HERE HE IS AS A VERY YOUNG
MAN.
AND I'M CURIOUS, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO INTERVIEW HIM A COUPLE
OF TIMES, TO DO THAT, SHORTLY BEFORE HE DIED, INTERVIEWED HIM
RGHT THERE.
>> I REMEMBER THAT INTERVIEW.
>> Stephen: AND IT WAS DEEPLY -- THOUGH I DIDN'T GO DO
MUCH OF HIS WORK, DEEPLY INFLUENTIAL TO ME.
>> YOU DID SIX.
>> Stephen: STEPHEN SONDHEIMS.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM HIM?
>> I RE-CREATED.
IT'S ALWAYS INTIMIDATING WHEN SOMEONE YOU DEEPLY RESPECT AND
ARE DEEPLY INTIMIDATED BY SHOWS UP IN THE REHEARSAL ROOM BECAUSE
I JUST WANT APPROVAL, I WANT A VALIDATION OF MY INTERPRETATION,
AND HE WAS A TASK MASTER.
HIS NOTES WERE AT TIMES EXTREMELY HARSH.
BUT WHEN THEY WEREN'T HARSH AND THEY WERE APPROVING, IT WAS -- I
COULD CRY NOW.
IT WAS SORT OF -- IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHEN HE DIED, MY FIRST
THOUGHT WAS WHO WILL MAKE ME BETTER?
AND NO ONE -- I MEAN, NO ONE -- HE HAD SUCH -- DAVID AND STEPHEN
SONDHEIM ARE MY STRONGEST INFLUENCES IN MY PROFESSION IN
THEATER, AND I DON'T THINK THEY'LL EVER -- THERE'LL EVER BE
SOMEONE AS COMPLEX AS STEPHEN TO INFLUENCE THE INTERPRETERS OF
HIS WORK AND MUSICAL THEATER.
>> Stephen: BEAUTIFULLY SAID.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: IN JUST A MOMENT,
I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT YOU ARE GOING TO PERFORM A NUMBER FROM
"COMPANY."
WHAT WILL WE BE HEARING?
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> WE'LL BE HEARING JO ANN'S
ANTHEM, "THE LADIES WHO LUNCH" ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> STEPHEN: "COMPANY," IS ON BROADWAY AT THE BERNARD B.
JACOBS THEATRE.
STICK AROUND FOR A PERFORMANCE BY PATTI LUPONE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )