The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

Combined across the Emmys, Grammys, Olivier and Tony Awards, Patt LuPone has 14 nominations and six wins. Her resume includes 27 Broadway credits, including Eva Perón in the original Broadway production of Evita (1st Tony Award), Anything Goes, Sweeney Todd, Noises Off, Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy (2nd Tony Award), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, War Paint, Working, Oliver!, The Robber Bridegroom, and The Beggar’s Opera. In London she starred in the original casts of Les Misérables, The Cradle Will Rock, Sunset Boulevard, and the West End revival of Company. She also has a long and illustrious career across TV and film, with credits including Driving Miss Daisy, Frasier, Will and Grace, Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, Glee, American Horror Story, Girls, Penny Dreadful, and of course, Life Goes On. She's a voiceover artist, a cabaret performer, a mom, and performs regularly with the New York Philharmonic, all of which mean you can find her singing across 22 different albums. Patti LuPone was the first American to ever win an Olivier Award, has been inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame, and can now be seen on Broadway in the revival of Company.

LuPone recalls her first introduction to the musical Gypsy (playing Louise) in high school, speaking candidly about not understanding the play at the time, and shares how she was initially banned from participating in any of Arthur Laurents work before going on to win a Tony Award for playing Rose. She reflects on going to the “dark side” a lot when COVID shut the industry down, noting it wasn’t that she couldn’t perform but rather that she had nothing to fill that void with, and shares how close-knit and supportive the cast and crew of Company is as a result of the collective trauma and uncertainty they faced together once they resumed rehearsals. LuPone also speaks about the importance of doing her work completely in the rehearsal room, allowing her and the audience to both play and relax once she is onstage, and shares why she looks at the audience every single night.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Being in one of the first-ever students in Juilliard’s school of drama in the 70’s
• Her Marilyn Monroe impression at 3 years old
• What it is about laughter from an audience that brings her joy
• What she calls the “Italian blast”, and not having a filter
• Her “Andrew Lloyd Webber memorial pool”
• Resenting producers or anybody that underestimates the audience's intelligence

Connect with Patti:

• Twitter: @pattilupone
• IG: @pattilupone
• Web: pattilupone.com

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

• Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
• Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
• Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
• TheTheatrePodcast.com
• Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
• Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

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Actor, writer, director and producer Faran Tahir may be best known for his roles in “Iron Man” (he tried to kill Tony Stark!) and “Star Trek” (he was killed by Nero!) but is now currently making his Broadway debut as Baba in “The Kite Runner”. Faran talks about playing villain roles, the challenge that comes with it, and how he brings a level of humanity to his roles. He talks about his childhood and growing up in a family who has been in the arts, and why he wasn't initially supported in his goal of becoming an actor. Aside from playing a bad guy, Tahir also shares the challenge of playing a good guy and of finding flaws, why he thinks art is "about putting up mirrors so that we can look at and examine ourselves". He shares what he would tell his students when he used to teach acting, which was you can never say you've mastered something. He also reflects on his role as Baba in "The Kite Runner", finding your spiritual community, and how as humans there is always room for redemption.

Faran Tahir is an actor, writer, director, and producer who came from a theatre family. He has appeared in over 50 stage productions across the US and the world. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and his graduate degree from the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. His film credits include "Iron Man", "Star Trek", "Escape Plan", and Elysium. He has also appeared in numerous TV shows, including "The West Wing", “12 Monkeys”, "Shameless", "Supernatural", "24", "Lost", "Prison Break", "Chuck", "Criminal Minds", and "How to Get Away with Murder". He's recently played the title role of Othello at Shakespeare Theatre Company and Richard III at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. His other theatre credits include "Macbeth" at American Repertory Theatre, "Beast and Moon" and “A Perfect Ganesh” at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, and "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" at the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Tahir is currently making his Broadway debut as Baba in "The Kite Runner".

Connect with Faran:

• Twitter: @farantahir_
• Instagram: @faran.tahir
• Facebook: @OfficialFaranTahir

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

• Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
• Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
• TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast
• Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
• TheTheatrePodcast.com
• Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
• Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices