Patti LuPone Reprimanded By 500+ Broadway Artists In An Open Letter

[Ladle Ghoulash 21,601]

30 minutes ago, Roughhouse Dandy said:

Nah, I love Patti but she messed up. The way she talked about those women is unacceptable and far too normalized so I'm here for the drama of it all with my opera glasses 🥂 

Maybe this will encourage others to talk like they have some sense when the topic of conversation is a professional Black woman in entertainment. 

Eh, I just don’t really see the race angle when Patti consistently says much worse things about white women and I think it’s borderline infantilizing to say that it’s uniquely bad to speak about WOC that way if she’s not singling them out and if the comments themselves don’t seem to be primarily motivated by race. I can understand disliking how she talks about other people and performers in general, but acting like race played any role in her decision to say what she said here feels kind of disingenuous. 

Edited May 30 by Ladle Ghoulash

[nodandsmile 10,200]

I cannot wait for her response 

[Future Lovers 6,754]

2 hours ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

Ngl claiming that her effectively saying Audra McDonald isn’t vocally right for Mama Rose in Gypsy (which I think is pretty objectively true) is a microaggression is wild and claiming that she’s specifically targeting Lewis and McDonald because they’re women of color doesn’t really add up when you consider that LuPone has said much worse things about white women . Is it ungracious? Absolutely. Is it rude? Assuredly. Is it racist? Probably not. 

Calling a black woman a bitch who doesn’t know what she’s talking about and then questioning her credentials and experience when she knows as well as everyone else how much harder black performers have to work for half the recognition is indeed a micro-aggression.  

Love Patti and respect her talent immensely but the reality of this is she overstepped. Yea she is known to be shady and sometimes rude, but very rarely so nakedly and without a twist of humor or sarcasm, and even more rarely so directly aimed at a valuable and important member of her community. 

Just because she’s a legend does not mean she gets to speak about other people in the theatre community that work just as hard as she does. Especially those whose opportunities in life are more limited than her own. 

Yes, she also speaks negatively about white women, but white women don’t face the same things black women do. And she as an influential white woman in that community publicly questioning a black woman’s experience and using it as an method to imply her opinion does not matter is very different than her criticizing Madonna or other white performers. 

Edited May 30 by Future Lovers

[Roughhouse Dandy 10,841]

29 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

Eh, I just don’t really see the race angle when Patti consistently says much worse things about white women and I think it’s borderline infantilizing to say that it’s uniquely bad to speak about WOC that way if she’s not singling them out and if the comments themselves don’t seem to be primarily motivated by race. I can understand disliking how she talks about other people and performers in general, but acting like race played any role in her decision to say what she said here feels kind of disingenuous. 

Most people aren't saying she's racist, but race does play a role in this and it all boils down to "Patti knows better and chose to act like this anyway". 

The industry is especially cartoonishly horrible to Black women and so many professionals rely on connections and good reputation from word of mouth to keep their career going. To publicly call out one of the few black led shows on Broadway and label it as too loud instead of calling out her own producers for putting her quiet show in the house right next to a musical with big voices. Then to put down Ms. McDonald for her production where race is in the discussion of the evolution of that role. Then to pretend Ms. Lewis isn't a veteran and call her a b*tch. When it is an established fact that these people have to work twice as hard to get half the grace and respect Patti has gotten. When Lilias White tried doing a fraction of the diva thing Patti has done and got viciously attacked immediately for it. It is a pattern for Patti that does affect the Black people around her and does deserve getting called out. Sh*t needs to change and this is a stepping stone to that change. 

[vmpiregrn 908]

1 hour ago, River said:

The nose.. it’s both antisemitic and Italian stereotype.

 

1 hour ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

I didn’t wanna say it, but I’m glad you did 

As an ethnically Italian girl who has had even orthodox Jewish people in my life swear up, down and all around that I *must* be Jewish, (and I’ve done my ancestry, and I’m actually not), I can confirm that’s a big part of it. I looked a hell of a lot like half of my Jewish friends growing up, especially as a little girl. But yeah, Italians do regularly get casted in Jewish roles &nbsp

[Ladle Ghoulash 21,601]

52 minutes ago, Roughhouse Dandy said:

Most people aren't saying she's racist, but race does play a role in this and it all boils down to "Patti knows better and chose to act like this anyway". 

The industry is especially cartoonishly horrible to Black women and so many professionals rely on connections and good reputation from word of mouth to keep their career going. To publicly call out one of the few black led shows on Broadway and label it as too loud instead of calling out her own producers for putting her quiet show in the house right next to a musical with big voices. Then to put down Ms. McDonald for her production where race is in the discussion of the evolution of that role. Then to pretend Ms. Lewis isn't a veteran and call her a b*tch. When it is an established fact that these people have to work twice as hard to get half the grace and respect Patti has gotten. When Lilias White tried doing a fraction of the diva thing Patti has done and got viciously attacked immediately for it. It is a pattern for Patti that does affect the Black people around her and does deserve getting called out. Sh*t needs to change and this is a stepping stone to that change. 

I totally get that, but in all fairness, I have also seen people calling her racist for it which I think is unfounded. I agree that there’s a broader systemic and cultural problem about hurdles for performers of color in terms of access to opportunities and in terms of the amount of grace they’re shown as public figures, but I guess, in the same way that I read the shade of a lot of drag performers as being largely performative, I tend to feel the same way about “divas” of all stripes. I understand where you’re coming from about it representing a broader issue, but I also don’t really think blowing this particular instance out of proportion (as many have) necessarily achieves that end. 

 

52 minutes ago, Future Lovers said:

Calling a black woman a bitch who doesn’t know what she’s talking about and then questioning her credentials and experience when she knows as well as everyone else how much harder black performers have to work for half the recognition is indeed a micro-aggression.  

Love Patti and respect her talent immensely but the reality of this is she overstepped. Yea she is known to be shady and sometimes rude, but very rarely so nakedly and without a twist of humor or sarcasm, and even more rarely so directly aimed at a valuable and important member of her community. 

Just because she’s a legend does not mean she gets to speak about other people in the theatre community that work just as hard as she does. Especially those whose opportunities in life are more limited than her own. 

Yes, she also speaks negatively about white women, but white women don’t face the same things black women do. And she as an influential white woman in that community publicly questioning a black woman’s experience and using it as an method to imply her opinion does not matter is very different than her criticizing Madonna or other white performers.

I don’t really agree with the characterization of her comments here as being especially venomous when her response to the question about Audra in Gypsy was basically comedic deflection. I’m not saying what she said wasn’t rude or shady, but I’m saying that I think inflating it to something intentionally racist is kind of blowing it out of proportion and acting as if her behavior in this instance alone and how people respond to it is somehow going to change the tides of legitimate racism in the entertainment industry feels misplaced. 

[NemoMyName 613]

56 minutes ago, Future Lovers said:

Calling a black woman a bitch who doesn’t know what she’s talking about and then questioning her credentials and experience when she knows as well as everyone else how much harder black performers have to work for half the recognition is indeed a micro-aggression.  

Love Patti and respect her talent immensely but the reality of this is she overstepped. Yea she is known to be shady and sometimes rude, but very rarely so nakedly and without a twist of humor or sarcasm, and even more rarely so directly aimed at a valuable and important member of her community. 

Just because she’s a legend does not mean she gets to speak about other people in the theatre community that work just as hard as she does. Especially those whose opportunities in life are more limited than her own. 

Yes, she also speaks negatively about white women, but white women don’t face the same things black women do. And she as an influential white woman in that community publicly questioning a black woman’s experience and using it as an method to imply her opinion does not matter is very different than her criticizing Madonna or other white performers. 

wtf is this mentality? so people should have inmunity from being insulted or criticized only for their color skin? 

Edited May 31 by NemoMyName

[RaveMonster 61]

9 minutes ago, NemoMyName said:

wtf is this mentality? so people should have inmunity from being insulted or criticized only for their color skin? 

No one said that. This is about understanding that black women have it really hard in the industry and are constantly questioned by everyone about their talent or credentials, this is why being mean to everyone can come bite you in the ass sometimes, sometimes it’s a good thing to read the room and realize that comments like the ones she made can come off as racially motivated specifically the “loud” comment. 

[OliviaRodrigoStan 6,296]

1 hour ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

I think it’s borderline infantilizing to say that it’s uniquely bad to speak about WOC that way 

It is infantilizing 100%. It feels very "gen-z activism", in the way that it is completely performative and pour la galerie. There is an actual fascist resurgence globally, the tolerance towards hate-speech against minorities is the highest it has been for the past decade... and this is what makes these 500+ people move?  Patti LuPone? . 

Is good to see that "progressive activists" continue cannibalizing each other, while the actual far right continues to solidify and win over the youth, and the elections . I'm sorry but I can't with these people's priorities. 

Patti LuPone is not the enemy, but whatever 💀. 

[BUtterfield 8 41,323]

[ALGAYDO 31,979]

Should she have said these things? No. Is she racist? Also no. I feel like there’s bigger fish to fry or whatever the saying is lol 

Edited May 31 by ALGAYDO

[Ilia Malinin 1,535]

3 hours ago, LG2008 said:

The Broadway community is so dramatic

coming from a former theatre kid who wanted to be on broadway, let me tell you it's not just broadway.

it's all of theatre.  my best friend stopped talking to me in high school because i got a role in the school musical and he didn't.

[ALGAYDO 31,979]

9 minutes ago, Ilia Malinin said:

coming from a former theatre kid who wanted to be on broadway, let me tell you it's not just broadway.

it's all of theatre.  my best friend stopped talking to me in high school because i got a role in the school musical and he didn't.

wtf? Is he by chance a block of salt? Cause why would someone be salty enough to end a friendship over that…. 

[Ilia Malinin 1,535]

6 minutes ago, ALGAYDO said:

wtf? Is he by chance a block of salt? Cause why would someone be salty enough to end a friendship over that…. 

we both were.  we were catty gay teenage boys. 

we're friends again, have been for over a decade, the silent treatment lasted 2 weeks. 

[ALGAYDO 31,979]

2 minutes ago, Ilia Malinin said:

we both were.  we were catty gay teenage boys. 

we're friends again, have been for over a decade, the silent treatment lasted 2 weeks. 

I-  you fúckin theater kids are too much, I love yall, which makes sense cause Gaga herself is such a theater kid, too