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Revered actor of stage and screen, Patti LuPone has done many things in her career. She’s asked Argentina not to cry for her in Evita, dreamed a dream in Les Misérables, and baked meat pies in Sweeney Todd. Now, for the first time in her career, LuPone is taking on her latest, most challenging role as The Apologizer on Instagram.
Per Vulture, LuPone took to Instagram yesterday to offer a heartfelt apology post to the Broadway community, after an open letter from 500 artists asked her to stop bullying her fellow performers in response to a very LuPonian New Yorker interview and, also, a career of being Patti LuPone. In the interview, LuPone calls Broadway star Audra McDonald “not a friend” and Kecia Lewis a “bitch.” The letter also accuses her of “degrading and misogynistic” behavior that amounts to “a blatant act of racialized disrespect” and “bullying.” The Tony winner now regrets doing so.
“I am deeply sorry for the words I used during The New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful,” LuPone wrote. “I regret my flippant and emotional responses during this interview, which were inappropriate, and I am devastated that my behavior has offended others and has run counter to what we hold dear in this community. I hope to have the chance to speak to Audra and Kecia personally to offer my sincere apologies.”
LuPone also “wholeheartedly” agrees with “everything” in the open letter to her, stating that “theatre has always been about lifting each other up and welcoming those who feel they don’t belong.” After some 40 years of not living up to those beliefs, LuPone now says she “made a mistake” and takes “full responsibility for it.”
Meanwhile, appearing on CBS Sunday Morning last week, McDonald seemed confused about why LuPone took a swipe at her in the first place, saying she hadn’t seen her in over a decade. “I don’t know what the rift she’s talking about,” she said. “You’d have to ask her”.
But it’s really on LuPone to step up. She can’t simply hit the marks as The Apologizer; she must also star as The Accountability Taker. The call-out letter asks the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League to bar LuPone from the June 8 Tony Awards unless she actually makes some changes, an essential part of every apology. “Participation, recognition, and attendance at high-profile events must be contingent on conduct that reflects community values,” the letter states. “This includes completion of comprehensive anti-bias or restorative justice programs before re-entry into public-facing spaces.”
