Star-Ledger previews Patti LuPone concerts with NJSO

The Star-Ledger’s Ronni Reich interviews Patti LuPone about the Broadway legend’s critically acclaimed “Far Away Places” show. LuPone debuts the orchestral version of “Far Away Places” with the NJSO this weekend, June 1 and 2, in Newark and New Brunswick.

Reich writes:

When I was a kid going to musicals at the theater,” says Patti LuPone, “the overture started in the pit and seemed to be coming up from the bowels of the basement to the ceiling.

“It was magical to have a big orchestra.”

The sentiment has stayed with her throughout her career as one of musical theater’s greatest leading ladies. LuPone has immortalized her take on “Evita,” “Gypsy,” “Sweeney Todd” and more, in addition to performing in plays, on film and television and in concert. Earlier this season, she starred in David Mamet’s “The Anarchist” on Broadway.

This weekend, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra audiences have the benefit of hearing the orchestral premiere of her latest project, “Far Away Places,” which she debuted in a cabaret version last June at 54 Below in New York. The critically acclaimed performance was recorded and released as an album in January.

Concerts will take place tonight at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and tomorrow at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. Rob Fisher conducts.

LuPone calls the program “a travelogue” and “the story of my wanderlust,” as it takes listeners on a globe-trotting journey — often through, as the title song would have it, far-flung locales.

…

“It’s actually a funny show,” LuPone says. “I prefer to be humorous onstage.” …

For the orchestral premiere of “Far Away Places,” which is set to be reprised at Carnegie Hall in November, LuPone says her approach will not be vastly different from what she does in a cabaret setting. The forces and the space may be larger, but as her fans know, she has the pipes and the presence to compensate.

“As a performer, I have to create that intimacy, even in a vast hall,” she says.

At the same time, there is a particular allure to having an ensemble like the NJSO to support her.

“It’s pretty great to hear that sound behind you,” she says.

Read the full interview at nj.com.