Patti LuPone and Ben Rimalower. Photo by Jenny Anderson for Broadway.com.

Judy, Barbra, Liza. Bernadette, Julie, Patti…

The names of legendary divas roll off the tongue like a litany of saints and martyrs. But, ultimately, we all choose just one to whom we build our shrine.

Even as a child, accomplished writer and director Ben Rimalower prayed at the altar of belter-extraordinaire and dramatic dynamo Patti LuPone. Now, he’s woven together stories of coming of age as a LuPone lover (from being a fan to working with her as a colleague) in an acclaimed one-man show, Patti Issues. The play, though, is much more than just inside Broadway gossip. Emotionally cathartic as well as raucously funny, Patti Issues focuses on Rimalower’s relationship with his father — who “came out of the closet and embarked on a drug-fueled tear that left his family in tatters” — and how having a guardian diva can help all of us find our way home.

As he prepared for a new round of performances (beginning tonight at the Duplex), born-storyteller Rimalower took time out to chat with me about the moment he fell, his first time performing and what Patti said when she came to see the show…

Why Patti? What was the moment for you?

That’s basically what my show is about. The moments were in several degrees.  I had a very intense experience of the Evita commercial when I was very little and we lived in New York.

(laughter)

And that really stayed with me. Even when we moved to California when I was five in 1981. Whenever the Evita tour would come through, which seemed to be a lot in the 80’s, they always used that same commercial. So I felt like Patti was haunting me. I talk about in the show how I was a little kid in New York and I saw some Broadway shows and I wanted to see Evita but I was told it was “too grown up” for me.

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Hugh Jackman in "Les Miserables". Image via lesmiserablesfilm.com.

The Broadway news this week was particularly brutal with three tough closing announcements — Chaplin, hanging in there against the odds for a number of months, Scandalous, quickly closing after tough reviews and The Anarchist, a shockingly brief run given combo of Mamet, LuPone and Winger.  But it’s the holiday season and I refuse to let any of this get me down.  Instead, let’s look ahead with some delicious preview footage from three musicals.

First up, the film version of Les Miserables has been getting generally very good reviews  (except for those who seem to want it not to be a musical) after opening in London.  There’s a lot of footage on the internet and I’ve been trying to stay away from it so I go into the theater fresh.  However, I couldn’t resist watching this snippet about a NEW SONG written just for the film:

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Steppenwolf's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". Photo by Michael Brosilow.

If the fall season’s crop of musicals is a sparse and eccentrically planted lot, the roster of plays is lush with big ideas, big stars and must-see events (if a few too many “didn’t we just see that” revivals). So let’s dig into the harvest feast…

"Grace". Image via O+M Co.

An Enemy of the People (September 27): Henrik Ibsen’s sturdy study of personal pressure and politics kicks things off just in time for election season. Class acts Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas play brothers, a mayor and a doctor, on opposite sides of an environmental disaster in the making. (Yeah, this was written when?)

Grace (October 4): As I’ve said before…Paul Rudd. I lerve him. Toss in the always magnetic Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) and my interest is more than peaked for this surreal comedy-drama about a couple’s plans for religious-themed motels and their less than faithful neighbor.

Running on Empty (October 9): Comedian and professional ranter Lewis Black brings his stand-up to Broadway for a week of performances.

Cyrano de Bergerac (October 11): The French war horse (no, not that one) gets trotted out for another display of witty banter, actorly showmanship and much-needed rhinoplasty. Tony-winner Douglas Hodge (La Cage aux Folles) takes on the title role in a Roundabout Theatre revival.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (October 13): The revelatory Steppenwolf production starring playwright (and seriously accomplished actor) Tracy Letts and the incomparable Amy Morton finally makes it to Broadway. Check my review from when I saw it at Arena Stage last year and tell me you aren’t a wee bit excited to see the Albee classic again.

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Sutton Foster in "Anything Goes". Photo by Joan Marcus.

“Belting (or vocal belting) is a specific technique of singing by which a singer produces a loud sound in the upper middle of the pitch range.” Wikipedia

Sure, that’s the technical definition. But theater types know belting as that spine tingling, vocal chord busting, earsplitting, sometimes heartbreaking sound that makes grown men weep and every little girl wish she were Annie. Love it or hate it, belting is the sound of modern Broadway and the holy miracle that creates diva worshippers as devoted as any Delphic priestess. (Personally, I’m a mix man but that’s for another day…)

Need a little belt booster shot? Watch this hysterical/awe-inspiring video compilation of some of the best belters ever, followed by some choice quotes from the diva’s themselves about their voices…

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Carol Kane & Jim Parsons in "Harvey". Photo by Joan Marcus.

Jonesing for more star power after getting a taste of glamour at the Tonys? Need a fame injection to get you through withdrawal? Well, this week’s theater news wrap-up is glittering with full-strength big names…

• Emmy-winner Jim Parsons and the sublime Carol Kane are the first hit of the 2012-2013 season with the Roundabout revival of Harvey. Reviews are all over the place so it looks like we may have to check this one out ourselves to get the scoop.

• 

  Patti LuPone. Image via PlaybillVault.com.

  You want some staaaahhh quality, you can’t go wrong with the original Evita herself, Patti LuPone, back on Broadway and joined by acclaimed film actress (and Wonder Woman’s little sister) Debra Winger in Anarchist, a new two-hander by the legendary David Mamet. Set to open November 13, the play is set in a women’s prison — though don’t expect to see a ready for Cinemax shower fight with this pedigreed team.

• Two stars not enough to satisfy your fix? The starry revival of The Best Man is dipping into the TV well to replace four departing cast members. Cybil Shepherd (Moonlighting), John Stamos (Uncle Jesse), Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) and Elizabeth Ashley (Evening Shade) will take over for Candice Bergen, Eric McCormack, Kerri Butler and Angela Lansbury.  If this show lasts and the turnover picks up, I can’t wait to see Charo as the President of the United States. No, really, I’d love that.

• Remember when I said that Vasser in the summer was like the cool kids’ table in the high school cafeteria? Check out who they just announced for their Powerhouse Summer Theatre: Greg Kinnear (Oscar-nominated for As Good As It Gets), Maura Tierney (ER and wonderful last summer at Williamstown) & Jennifer Westfeldt (Friends with Kids and Jon Hamm’s significant other). Yep, stars just doing a little summer theater between big gigs.

• Finally, get out your score card, we’ve got some post-Tony openings and closings to discuss. Godspell, Other Desert Cities, Venus in Fur will shutter in the next two weeks, a Sutton Foster-less Anything Goes sails away August 5; the musical Fela is making a short return engagement to Broadway July 9 – August 4, and the Tony-winning Best Play Clybourne Park is adding an extension to its full house through September 2.

Every fourth Wednesday of the month, the “VIP Access” column will serve up advice on how to make your theater-going experiences cheaper, easier and more fulfilling with inside scoop from the experts. This month, we’re introducing you to the coolest new kid on the block…

54 Below Cabaret. Sketch by John Lee Beatty.

You know the scene. It’s a black and white film set in New York City. The impossibly urbane leading couple finds their way to the swankiest club in town for some delicious banter–all to the latest Broadway chanteuse singing from the stage. Heaven. Too bad a place like that doesn’t exist today, right?

Well, the glamor and pizzazz of a real Manhattan night club might be back–with a hip, young Broadway twist–at the June opening of 54 Below. Designed by Tony-winner John Lee Beatty and architect Richard Lewis, lit by Tony-winner Ken Billington, and with sound by Tony-nominee Peter Hylenski, the new lounge (tucked under the legendary Studio 54) promises to combine fine dining with a star-studded selection of performers.

54 Below Booths. Sketch by John Lee Beatty.

They’re kicking things off with the one and only Patti LuPone, and the rest of their current bookings are a who’s who of music theater and cabaret ranging from class acts like Liz Callawy, Jenifer Lewis and Rebecca Luker; to a sprinkling of Smash with Megan Hilty and Brian d’Arcy James; and on to artistically adventurous types the old fashioned supper clubs wouldn’t normally feature like songwriter Joe Iconis, downtown icon Mx Justin Bond and Lea DeLaria.

The Bottom Line: I know what you’re saying; cover charge and drink minimums make these places a money pit. I won’t lie, if you want to see Patti, you’re going to be paying upwards of $100 a person, however the cover/food charges for other artists come down significantly to a respectable special night out at $55 a seat for top-line entertainment. If you want to sample the atmosphere without breaking your budget, “The Green Room” offers after hours seating and live music with no cover or minimum.

Pick Hits: Glancing through the schedule, you can’t go wrong with almost any night you’re in town. But, if I had to create a package, I’d make a tour of next generation Broadway divas and catch:

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Yesterday, I said that Show Folk this month was “getting epic;” you thought it was just a lame Homer joke. Truth is, we’re doubling up on great interviews with another leading man of the stage pulling up a chair to our cyber table and joining us for a little conversation. As usual, I’ve edited the transcripts (removing the truly libelous parts) and posted the results. If yesterday was all about Gods, today we’re going straight to the devil…

Howard McGillin in "Damn Yankees". Photo by Ken Jaques.

Tony-nominated actor Howard McGillin has exchanged a mask for a set of horns…and we ain’t talking a brass band. Having famously played The Phantom of the Opera for more than 2500 record breaking performances, he’s descending to new devious depths (and crossing the river to Jersey) to take on the devilish Applegate in Paper Mill Playhouse’s new production of the classic musical comedy Damn Yankees. Busy with last Sunday’s opening night, the dashing star still found the time to chat with us about some favorite co-stars, making up lyrics to “Music of the Night” and his run-in with a bionic wardrobe malfunction.

The devil comes in so many different guises; what inspired your take on Applegate in Damn Yankees?

Well, he’s the classic comic villain. He’s vain, revels in all the mischief he causes, and is ultimately brought down in a satisfying tumble of self-inflicted grandiosity. It’s delicious. Of course I remember Ray Walston’s performance, and my friend Victor Garber’s wonderful take on the guy. But I just try to find a way to make it mine, and I think the key is his ridiculous vanity. It makes it so much fun to see him fall.

You famously hold the record for playing the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera  more times than anyone else. What are the benefits and challenges of doing a short run like the month of Damn Yankees at Paper Mill?

It’s a joy to tackle any part, no matter how long or short the run. Of course, when you sign on for something like Phantom you never imagine you could be doing it over 2500 times! It just happened that I loved performing it and the creative team seemed to like what I was doing and decided to keep me on. The process of performing a role remains the same. You always set foot on stage with the goal of making it a fresh performance. The only difference is that after many years of doing long runs in Broadway shows, four weeks seems unfairly short. I know I will miss doing this show. It’s just so much fun.

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Photo by Joan Marcus.

A backstage birdie tells me (I feel like Walter Winchell) that the Roundabout’s critically-acclaimed revival of Anything Goes has officially been extended through January 2012. With this good news, leading lady Sutton Foster can put her gym membership on hold; she gets the workout of a lifetime every night during her awe-inspiring, lung-defying, shin-destroying numbers. Seriously, how many Broadway actresses are truly diva singers and top-tier hoofers? My favorite moment of the show comes at the end of the title song’s epic dance break; Foster walks upstage, takes the biggest “damn, now I have to sing again” breath, turns to face the audience again and seamlessly wails the last chorus.

Of course, she’s not alone in tackling that big number; she’s just one in a long line of Reno’s belting out Cole Porter’s snappy lyrics. So, thanks to the wonder of video, let’s compare and contrast the contenders: Sutton Foster, Patti LuPone, Ethel Merman…and one surprise, dark horse candidate.

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