• Patti LuPone

  • A Memoir
  • By: Patti LuPone
  • Narrated by: Patti LuPone
  • Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (409 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Patti LuPone  By  cover art

Patti LuPone

By: Patti LuPone
Narrated by: Patti LuPone
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.75

Buy for $15.75

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The legendary Patti LuPone is one of the theatre’s most beloved leading ladies. Now she lays it all bare, sharing the intimate story of her life both onstage and off - through the dizzying highs and darkest lows - with the humor and outspokenness that have become her trademarks.

From inspired costars and demanding directors to her distinct perspective on how she developed and honed her Tony Award - winning performances, Patti LuPone: A Memoir is as inspirational as it is entertaining. And though the title might say “a memoir”, this is ultimately a love letter to the theatre by a unique American artist.

Raised on Long Island’s North Shore, Patti discovered her calling at the age of four and knew that she was destined for the stage. A prodigiously gifted child, she was one of only 36 young actors chosen for the inaugural class of The Juilliard School’s Drama Division, where she fought near-constant criticism from her instructors, and here describes those early years with disarming frankness. From the heady days of her early 20s - crisscrossing the country as a founding member of the classical repertory theatre ensemble, The Acting Company - to her early success on Broadway, her four-year stint as Libby Thacher on the television series Life Goes On, her loving marriage to Matt Johnston, and much, much more, Patti chronicles her professional and personal life with inimitable candor and wit.

With its insightful retrospective of her career-defining turns, both on Broadway and abroad, in Evita, Les Misérables, Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy, Patti LuPone: A Memoir reveals the artist’s deeply felt passion for music and the theatre and is, in the end, the compelling and quintessential tale of an exceptional life well lived.

“I have been incredibly fortunate over the course of my career to have been associated with some extraordinary dramatic and musical productions, and also some rather spectacular disasters. Looking back, I can find gifts and life lessons in every one".

©2010 Patti Lupone (P)2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Patti LuPone, with honesty and humor, gives a brave and candid account of an astonishingly unique and brilliant performer’s journey to reach Broadway stardom." (Angela Lansbury)
"Anyone who has seen Patti LuPone perform on stage is well aware of her daring, risk-taking artistry. Now she has channeled her considerable talent from the stage to the page and the result is a frank, funny and totally captivating memoir about her life on and off the stage." (Jane Fonda)
"For some rare performers, there is a place beyond commercial success, popularity with audiences, and honors within an industry. A special place where they are both respected and adored--even envied--by other performers for their wealth of talent. These are actors who sing, as opposed to singers who act. They bring an actor’s range of thought about character and truth and psychology. Among them, none has more talent, more courage, and more emotive power than Patti LuPone. When Patti LuPone comes on stage, you don’t always know what will happen, but you know it will be among the greatest work by any stage actress in theatre, ever. Ever. As everyone in our business knows, Patti…is Patti." (Alec Baldwin)

Featured Article: The Show Must Go On—Premier Audiobooks Now Playing for Theater Fans


A good play or musical is emblematic of what we love about entertainment—a chance to escape, to be fully immersed in another world, to engage with our most human emotions in a moment brought brilliantly to life by the talents of impeccable performers. It's possible to get your fix of the Great White Way in the comfort of your own home. Here are just a few of our favorite theater audiobooks to tide you over until curtain call.

More from the same

What listeners say about Patti LuPone

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    337
  • 4 Stars
    47
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    314
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    274
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

LuPone's Memoir Hits The High Notes!

Being a fan Patti LuPone I had anticipated this book since Patti had announced she was writing her autobiography a year or so ago, I had intended to only buy the hardcover edition but when Amazon launched Audible.com I thought "what the hell" and bought the audio version too. I'm so glad I did. Patti brings life to her story of her roller-coaster ride of a career--with enough thrilling curves and dips that you'll want to take that ride with her.
Celebrity autobiographies can often be very egocentric reads with the author looking down upon the reader "look what I have done, look where I have been"--in essence, real snooze fests, Fortunately, Ms. LuPone never does that-she speaks to us in that "you see what you get" attitude. Her story is punctuated with painstaking honesty and self-effacing humor peppered with a few well-placed expletives thrown in for good measure. Like many readers I initially bought "Patti LuPone:A Memoir" because I wanted to hear her thoughts on her star-making role in "Evita" to her being unceremoniously dumped from "Sunset Boulevard", but I found every chapter just as interesting as Patti recounts early years on Northport Long Island, through Julliard, her first tastes with success and failure to her landing the coveted role of Evita Peron. Her memoir or rather, she speaks volumes on why she become an actor, her wise and unwise career choices, the thrill of live theatre, the backstage battles, the sacrifice of a personal life, the joy of acting and the love of a live audience all rolled into one big nutshell. If you can't make it to Broadway its nice to know "Patti LuPone: A Memoir" can bring a bit of it to you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

This is well written and excellently narrated by LuPone. Fans of her performances, career, and celebrity persona will love it. Fellow actors will probably appreciate it, as she clearly establishes herself as an actor who has paid her dues and is worth her salt. Those who do not enjoy her regularly probably should avoid this, but her fans will enjoy this well crafted glimpse into her life. I couldn't stop listening!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

Terrific book. And not just because it's Patti LuPone (though that's a big part of it). It's a very entertaining insider's look into showbusiness. I loved every minute!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely wonderful!

When I heard Patti LuPone say in an interview that recording the audio version of her memoir had been "fun," I couldn't wait to hear it. Her enthusiastic narration and carefully-crafted narrative make for 8 hours and 30 minutes of pure joy. I smell another Grammy!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Behind the Scenes

Where does Patti LuPone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great autobiography. Love it when the author reads it themselves.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Patti LuPone?

Her candid take on those she worked with. Also finding out what kind of personality she is.

Which scene was your favorite?

There were many,

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh allot.

Any additional comments?

Although I love Patti Lupone I sometimes found her articulation a bit irritating.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love her!

I already loved Patti LuPone, and this made me love her even more! If you are a performer, this is a must read. She gives such insight to performing that I was crying 10 minutes into the book! And hearing Patti herself tell you the story makes it even better!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Even better the second time through

Only Patti LuPone could capture the pathos and euphoria of the chapters of her own life. The first time I listened right after purchase, I was listening for facts and details. The second time, I listened for emotion. Her journey, as described by La LuPone herself, is at times harrowing and, at others, exhilarating. Her diction in the narrative passages was precise (almost too precise on some passages) but her asides felt real, loose, conversational. Ms. LuPone is generous with her praise of colleagues and persons who helped her on this journey. Those who were part of her emotional and professional lives where positive and negatives existed, were treated as "grays" rather than one shade or another. Those at the wrong end of her ire should be absolutely clear on her recollection and feelings of her encounters with her; I understood where these people stand with her. Wow.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • LL
  • 10-13-10

She Names Names!

Somewhat enjoyable listen, especially when she names names and spills all the dirt. While I think it is important for her to be able to tell her side of the story, I do think that Patti Lupone plays the victim quite a lot.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Patti Lupone's Memoir

It was very interesting to hear where Patti got her start and follow her journey through her career, but sometimes she just sounds so pretentious and phony it's unbearable. Her reading was great, of course. Would recommend to Broadway fans.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good but not great

What did you love best about Patti LuPone?

The funny stories she told and all the behind the curtain stories she has.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Concord pilot. He made me laugh out loud.

Which character – as performed by Patti LuPone – was your favorite?

The Concord pilot. He made me laugh out loud.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was and I really liked it. I just feel something were left out. Like her having a person kicked out of Gypsy for taking pics. I wanted that kinda of info in the book to hear her side of it.

Any additional comments?

Good book but at times she seemed really bored reading it and at others she seemed really into it and made it more fun to hear. I would love to have heard about her being on Will & Grace. I also like that she does not hold back. She names names and lets people who have F&*Ked her over have it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful