Patti LuPone to bring her Broadway pedigree to Atlanta

Start a conversation about any Broadway legend -- Elaine Stritch, Betty Buckley Jennifer Holliday, Chita Rivera – and a flutter of intimidation will immediately seep into the discourse.

A roll call of adjectives apply to these women: tenacious, assertive, compelling and, of course, monstrously talented.

But no list of modern-day Broadway legends would be complete without Patti LuPone.

The singer/actress is revered for her Tony-winning leading roles in “Evita” and “Gypsy;” her nominated performances in “Sweeney Todd,” “Anything Goes” and last year’s “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown;” her commended appearances in dozens of TV shows and movies; and even her cogent 2010 memoir.

She also gained a new layer of respect from the theater community – and anyone with common sense and decent manners – when she broke character during a 2009 performance of “Gypsy” to admonish an audience member snapping photos of her at the start of a signature song.

There’s that intimidation factor again.

But in conversation, LuPone, 62, laughs warmly and is frequently self-deprecating -- not an attribute one might immediately appoint to a performer of her status.

Speaking on a day off last week from a beach house near the Barrier islands of South Carolina, LuPone, who just wrapped a production of “The Seven Deadly Sins” with the New York City Ballet, talked a bit not only about what to expect at her weekend shows at Atlanta Symphony Hall, but also her cameo in the season finale of “Glee” this week and the status of some rumored projects.

Her quick interaction with Lea Michele’s Broadway-obsessed character at, fittingly, Sardi’s, in the New York-based finale of Fox’s song-and-dance hit was exactly the level of inclusion she wanted.

“[Series creator] Ryan [Murphy] asked me to do it once before, but I was hesitant,” she said. “But when he asked me again, this time, it was less about me. I was a little concerned that the appearance was going to be about me. I didn’t want it to become some celebrity thing.”

Speaking of celebrities, LuPone also recently performed in a two-day run of “Company” with the New York Philharmonic and a litany of marquee names including Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton and Anika Noni Rose.

A filmed version of the production will come to movie theaters (including 12 in Georgia) beginning June 15.

When asked if the cameras were a distraction, LuPone paused, then laughed.

“You know, I can’t even remember the cameras onstage!” she said.

Does she plan to watch the movie-screen presentation?

“Oh ... I hate looking at myself on camera. I have a real theater face and I work to project across to the back row, so I’m very uncomfortable watching myself on camera. My lips work independent of my face,” she said. “So if I’m going to see the screening, I’ll sit there and cringe.”

Live and in concert, as she will be this weekend with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for her “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” show, LuPone will share stories and belt songs from musicals including “Funny Girl,” “Oliver!” and “South Pacific,” along with those hallmark anthems from “Evita” and “Gypsy.”

One might think that a performer of LuPone’s range has a bucket list of shows she’d like to tackle.

But, not really.

“I don’t think that way. All of a sudden something shows up and I say, ‘That sounds cool.’ I’m really not that savvy,” she said. “And besides, the ones I wanted to play all came and went in my youth. Annie in ‘Oklahoma,’ Nellie in ‘South Pacific.’ Now I just wait and see what roles come in.”

But she did note, when pressed, that of the “tons of people” she’d love to work with, Jessica Lange is at the top of the catalogue.

LuPone also confirmed that plans for a “Hello, Dolly!” revival have flat-lined.

“[Composer/lyricist] Jerry [Herman] doesn't want to do anything but the original production and no one wants to invest in the original production,” she said. “I’m disappointed, but, you know, you get to a certain age and everything gets philosophical.”

LuPone might practice a “que sera sera” approach to her career, but one certainty is that her legacy will continue.

“I have to work. I have a mortgage to pay!” she said with a laugh. “But seriously, I don’t mind the traveling. I don’t like airplanes and airports, but I love what I do.”

Concert preview

Patti LuPone