Patti LuPone "The Ladies Who Lunch"

Stephen Colbert joins the amazing Patti LuPone on stage as she performs a show-stopping number from Stephen Sondheim's "Company." #Colbert #CompanyBroadway #PattiLuPone
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[@darklordlc]

I will never grow tired of Patti singing this song. This is magnificent. I’ve seen her do this twice on Broadway and it is electrifying. Her delivery is amazing. She is planted in a chair and lets it rip. Brava.

[@MM-cy1tc]

I COMPLETELY AGREE! She was incredible in this show. The holding of that note was worth the entire ticket price. The lead, however, was not a great singer at all! Her voice was terrible!

[@wileyjb1951]

Exactly. We were they 3 weeks ago. I thought I would lose my mind! 73 years old1

[@leoneguardo905]

Nah, she’s a joke lol

[@michelebenedosso3899]

You are SO LUCKY to have seen her multiple times on Broadway! I look forward to my first ( we got the understudy in the 80s- Evita). Btw… you have excellent taste! 😉🥂

[@beyondz55]

Shes a cretin who snaps at her own audience like a cackling witch. She looked insane on stage during her rant. Also dead wrong about covid and the vaxx. Go to hell.

[@HaussOfSharon]

The lungs of this woman... It's like the air just doesn't run out. What a gem.

[@JM-zo5me]

A diamond!

[@ezelfrancisco1349]

@@JM-zo5me A yellow diamond, if you will (Hello fellow SU fan)

[@JM-zo5me]

@@ezelfrancisco1349 😁 Made me smile.

[@yaboighandiyo6510]

@@ezelfrancisco1349 love this, this is precisely why I'm here!

[@SnowboardCraving]

Plus she does it all SITTING DOWN. holy shit. The diaphragm on this woman

[@samosullivan1744]

She’s done that iconic “Does anyone still wear a hat” line so many times, and each and every version just feels so perfect! HOW does she do it?!

[@martinrotvig]

It feels improvised every time, I have no ducking idea about how she does that! Sure you can do that the first couple hundreds of times, but not indefinitely! Apparently LuPone just jumped over the wall instead of crashing into it as you are supposed to do.

[@Mxyzptlksac]

Funnier is when she sang it at Sondheim’s 80th. Elaine Stritch was there- in a hat. Lol Patti made it funnier

[@Kasino80]

​@@Mxyzptlksac and Elaine leaning into it by looking anywhere else than on Patti.

[@p1neappleunderthesea]

she got a 30 second applause before she even started. AS SHE SHOULD

[@JfergusonKG]

I can’t believe Stephen got to perform Company alongside her and NPH. Can only imagine how awesome that was backstage.

[@KEW13rocks]

Right? I bet this brought back fond memories for him.

[@richardperez6945]

And Jon Crier

[@Kasino80]

​@@richardperez6945 Jon Crier was a big surprise in that show. I really like his performance. But the chemistry between Martha Plimpton and Stephen Colbert was electric.

[@bellal7104]

i wish i was stephen colbert lovingly gazing at patti lupone while she gives this top-tier performance

[@ezelfrancisco1349]

Same

[@danielknowlton3882]

That’s exactly what I was thinking

[@Bill.R.124]

I love how she plays with each word. As my choral director used to say. We don't sing words; we sing the SOUNDS of words.

[@melaber77]

Legend. Period. I’m so jealous Stephen got to sit so close during that performance! I saw her with Mandy Patinkin about 10 years ago doing Sondheim, and they were both incredible live.

[@stefanhoimes]

Again. He did a concert with her of "Company" a few years ago and it was absolute perfection.

[@eponymousIme]

Ooh! Lupone AND Patinkin. I swoon. Lucky you!

[@mananimal3644]

What a dread woman👎🏿🙅🏿‍♂️

[@SussexSquad]

He performed with her as a cast member.

[@larrybethune3909]

The legend of bigotry and intolerance. Would you praise an antisemite with the same vigour?

[@NotPatReilly]

Her voice is incredible but she doesn't get enough credit for what an amazing actor she is. Just masterful.

[@vaseline69]

agreed, this is an actors song, like send in the clowns.

[@juliemarshall7458]

Saw her as Evita on Broadway in the Spring of 1981, and have idolized her ever since. We're so fortunate to have the treasure that is Ms. LuPone!

[@wickedwizard5377]

Are you sure you saw her? She left the show before the spring of 1981.

[@juliemarshall7458]

@@wickedwizard5377 Hmm... while I can't guarantee anything about my memory these days, I'm counting back to when I graduated high school, then went to NYC on college spring break in 1981. Elizabeth Taylor was in "Little Foxes". I really think it was '81, but I wouldn't bet anyone's life on it. :D

[@mappingoutthesky]

How can Stephen have her singing straight to his face and be so put together? I would be ON THE FLOOR

[@eponymousIme]

He did a superb job as her foil. An anchoring presence without being distracting.

[@Xx-xd3zo]

The man is consummate.

[@gazzamuso]

Yeah I'd have been bawling my eyes out at how incredible it all was

[@samanthaDH]

there is a difference between stage and camera acting; i had the privilege and honor to see this on broadway and the differences she does for the camera are phenomenal. Patti Lupone is such a legend

[@jeffreyshev3707]

Thank you Colbert for having the Broadway Icon Patti LuPone on to perform this classic piece of Sondheim. Most will never get to Broadway to hear it live. Elaine Stritch truly owned this number, but next to her it's Patti. I strongly encourage your producers to invite more Broadway cast members on to perform.

[@suzawilo]

Agreed 100%👍🏽

[@debbiedoodiedandi]

I agree too! Another thing I just discovered is that the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series has a few Broadway ones! They do about four songs from the shows. They did one for Company about six months ago.. The most recent ones are for Little Shop Of Horrors and A Strange Loop. They're amazing!

[@lbwlawyer]

There’s a great blu ray of honoring Sondheim for his birthday, I think it’s like 8 oR 9 years old. There’s a great bit where Patti sings it while Elaine is on stage at the same time honoring her. I’m pretty sure the clip is on the KZbin, gimme a sec

[@lbwlawyer]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYXWpn6Vfax5gMk

[@lbwlawyer]

And then there’s this ripper (pun intended) with Sweeneys both new and classic

[@whitediamond000]

Always remember when she sang this infront of the late Legend that was Elaine Stritch. She was so moved that she gave Patti a standing ovation. This was a lady who watched her baton being passed down and couldn't of been more happier. RIP Ms Stritch, Patti is still doing you proud x

[@carlychamberlain4237]

I love that you can tell Stephen is working extra hard to be a good scene partner for her and not freak out ❤️

[@christopherlundgren3499]

I love the staging of this, with Stephen sitting there. He's starred in this show before, he's talked with presidents and kings, and come out on top, he's entertainment Gold! And still, he's just a theater kid sitting there, in awe

[@christopherlundgren3499]

Though he's one of the most polite fan boys ever lol and She only wishes that She was Elaine Stritch, to do this song the Right Way :-)

[@politemenace]

I need exactly 5 business days to recover from this incredible performance. I've been fortunate enough to see Patti three times in Company since it re-opened, and I'm never not blown away by her performance. There is only one Patti LuPone, and we are so fortunate to live in the same timeline as her.

[@suchitramaagala3115]

I wonder how Stephen managed to keep a straight face while she was singing. I would be giddy like a school girl 🤣

[@catherinefisher8534]

He has a musical theater background and has performed with her before ~ lucky guy 🤗

[@mguevarra61]

@suchitra maagala Sondheim WAS giddy like a schoolgirl. Try watching "Sondheim! The Birthday Concert" and you'll see what I mean!

[@keymeko95]

Me too!

[@richardhoover4471]

She is incomparable! A toss of the head. A look. A hand gesture. 🍸Here’s to THE lady!

[@Mistardmuster]

I LOVE what this number becomes when it's between two actors, not directed toward the audience.

[@Izzy-Maurer]

Such a wonderful staging of this song, with Stephen sitting across from here - and a reminder that Stephen and Patti did this show together back in the day! If you've never seen that version, it was properly filmed and I believe it's still available on KZbin!

[@alexanderthegreat1270]

I love that Patti is so experienced with this song, she doesn’t even need to stand up for it anymore, she can do the whole thing seated

[@sugarcookiecube]

She is singing like that while sitting. Amazing. Patti is a living legend.

[@jackprather81]

When I went to see this show in April of 2022, Patti's gaze rested on me in the audience and she sang most of this song directly to me. It's something lots of actors do to keep hold of the intimacy and storytelling in singing a song. I was wearing my mask (as I should have been) so she couldn't see much of my face, but you can bet I gave her the eye contact she needed. Great show.

[@LyndaMarie929]

Patti LuPone is a national treasure. I’ve had a girl crush on her for decades.

[@joncerda351]

The fact she STILL HAS THAT VOICE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! LEGEND!!!!

[@pacofan]

What I love the most of this magnificent Diva is her capability to surprise me every single time. What an artist!

[@pfn]

And this at 73 years old....holy hell! Fabulous!

[@barbararey4337]

I gasped when Stephen Colbert announced the great Patti LaPone was going to appear - confirmation that I was a Theater Major. Thanks!

[@PatriceFitzgerald]

I saw Patti do this in the "Company" previews last November, three days after Sondheim was there... and the week before he died. She was fabulous in person, and she was fabulous here with Colbert. Serious conditioning goes into being able to belt like that, night after night, at any age... let alone in your seventies. I'm pretty sure she has to build her life around hydrating, getting plenty of rest, and watching her stamina. Here's to the ladies who sing!

[@marypendleton-hoffer8285]

I say THANK YOU, as well to the amazing Ms LuPone - and to Colbert and Co. for presenting this. What a magnificent performance! You know this high standard inside out; it lifts us all. Please bring us more like this!

[@scottmiller7779]

I honestly feel that her rendition of this song just keeps getting better and better and better. Truly an amazing performance!

[@maushkyy]

Elaine Stritch is watching down from heaven like a proud mother.

[@bobshort2149]

Now that's class. What an immense, unbelievable talent. Perfection!

[@silentjay01]

As someone who lives in the midwest, I appreciate moments like this where I can see a legend of Broadway perform even just a little bit of a role they are known for. I wish there were more shows that make a recording of the whole show for posterity like they did with Hamilton.

[@MorganMcCauley11]

Many actually do!! If you can, you should check out Broadway HD - it's a paid streaming channel (of course) with lots of recorded musicals and plays, Broadway and other shows, and I think there's also some movies based on plays/musicals.

[@06LadyLily]

There are several recordings of Company including the one with Patti and Stephen.

[@melissaburke5682]

My god her voice only gets better. Next to Elaine Stritch (I know I probably misspelled her name, don’t come for me) this has got to be my favorite. ❤️❤️❤️

[@tomshea8382]

Spelling is 100%, and no one has done it better than Elaine Stritch. This is too much Patti and not enough Joanne. (Which, to be fair, is prolly what audiences going to see it want.)

[@eponymousIme]

And the lyrics have remained relevant over the decades, too!

[@raynemichelle2996]

@@eponymousIme but there's a lyric change from "here's to the girls who play wife... clutching a copy of Life" to "here's to the girls in their prime...clutching a copy of Time." Interesting change and sister magazines.

[@eponymousIme]

@@raynemichelle2996 Yes. I noticed that. Do you know if Sondheim made the change? It works.

[@raynemichelle2996]

@@eponymousIme I have no idea.

[@serenitysfirefly]

That warm look in Stephen's eyes...I wonder if he's being sent through time to the Philharmonic production. I can't express how envious I am of everyone who got to see these two, Neil Patrick Harris, and Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana) all share a stage. I'm so glad it's preserved for us. Hoping for a proshot of this Broadway cast as well. 🙏🏽

[@pmurraymusic]

Elaine is looking on, cheering and laughing her face off. Well done, Patti! Brava!

[@flutecf]

If you weren't standing by the time she finished, you weren't listening - what a legend!

[@JP-lu9ed]

She’s perfect at this.

[@Dino_In_A_Suit]

Saw Company on Broadway in March, and let me tell you. she held that final note for so much longer than that! I was so amazed at the performance!

[@amymiller8964]

She’s the BEST OF THE BEST!! ❤

[@cmw12]

Company is some of Sondheim’s best work.

[@dee_dee_place]

"The Ladies Who Lunch" has to be my favorite Broadway song. I love it. Patti LuPone does a wonderful job with this song. My favorite interpretation was done by Elaine Stritch, may she RIP. My other favorite song is "I'm Still Here" from "Follies", also done by Elaine Stritch.

[@TheJoyBinkley]

Yes, not to detract from Patti's lovely revival, but I can't hear this song without hearing Elaine Stritch. Her original rendition was amazing.

[@robrivax]

Patti brings her gritty, but she is not as gritty as Elaine. Elaine is untouchable in this song. I feel Elaine had a deeper understanding too of this song and was able to convey it better....and Elaine's vocal performance is informed by her POV to the ladies...sometimes I feel Patti's vocal in this song is because she puts the Patti vocal spin on it (which she does brilliantly, but to me, is not conveying a POV in moments.)

[@StephiSensei26]

Such a wonderful 'Three Penny Opera" sound from Stephen Sondheim's music and Patti's brilliance. I have a new hero! I'll drink to that!

[@myeclecticchoices]

Thank you for having the great Ms. Patti LuPone on your show. 😍❤

[@lenak5337]

If only to be able to sit across a table from Patti LuPone as she sings!🍸

[@mij6304]

It makes it so much better knowing they were in Company together

[@merlapittman5034]

My gods, the pipes on this woman! She is utterly magnificent!

[@jersey94133]

Beyond brilliant. Regardless of how many times she has done this, every time I’ve seen her do this you would think she is doing it for the first time and the lyrics are just coming to her as she sings it. And THAT is what makes a true star.

[@mollydooker9636]

She’s incredible as always.

[@deozeo4442]

Hey Steve!! 👋 As other comments have stated, perhaps once a week/ bi-monthly provide a seg of 5 minutes for one of your (NYC) "Broadway" Playbill shows, as Ms. LuPone (her voice! Oh...my...gawd!) performed for an example. They...are...the...BEST...in...the...world! San Antonio👏🐈

[@HappyLife693]

The irreplaceable Patti LuPone, THANK YOU!!

[@ChristopherVogelmann]

I saw her in 1979 in the second week after Evita had opened. And her performance was mesmerizing. I have been a fan ever since. (The show was sold out but a couple from Spain sold us their tickets to us at face value when their guests were a no show. $35 each 🥳 Perfect price for college students)

[@stephaniejohnson4358]

Had heard of her but hadn't heard her. WOW What a set of pipes!!! Wish I had money to go to Broadway

[@debbiedoodiedandi]

What a treat!!

[@dameladytracy]

Absolutely the most beautiful voice on Broadway

[@cmw12]

I mean, no, but beauty isn’t everything. It’s powerful, expressive, and full of character.

[@dirkandi]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣FO!!!

[@heg203]

I love how you can see each thought “occurring to her” - always a strong choice to play discovery onstage. 👏👏👏

[@MSBLS721]

For me, "Life Goes On" was Patti Lupone's most memorable role--at least it's always the first thing that comes to mind when I hear her name ❤️

[@tonyfan3]

Fact that’s neat: she was in one of the first productions of Evita in Chicago in the early 80s. She has deep Broadway notches

[@terrytube5247]

Voice is g-damn amazing for 73.

[@chrisa0001]

My wife & I wish we can sing half that well at that age.

[@nicoletrudell2065]

For any age

[@nunyabiz44]

Makes me miss Broadway!!!

[@kleenmary7060]

OMG. Goose bumps! I would give you my first born to be Stephen Colbert being sung to by Patti Lupone.

[@donnacsuti4980]

She's so good I was luckily enough to see her in a play years ago. She still sounds great she must live right. Thanks for giving us a song, much appreciated.

[@adrianravarour4010]

Patti LuPone singing "The Ladies Who Lunch" from Sonheim''s "Company" is the BEST show ever!! Thank you!! Do more Broadway!!

[@indyphoto1]

I can only imagine how thrilling it was to sit 3 feet from her as she sang this iconic song. WOW!

[@tiffanyanderson9437]

Her control is legendary!

[@mizzury54]

And the band sounds great too. That bass line !

[@aquarian6004]

Stephen just got the front row of all front rows and just casually sipping his drink.

[@user-hh2te8zu7l]

Evita. My dad let me go to Kalamazoo to see Evita. And he was ever so protective of me. It was glorious.

[@KeithQuinney]

One of my favorite musicals , I’m super happy the revived it I can’t wait to go see it!

[@pauljackman7137]

We were there the night Sondheim passed. Before the show, the cast & crew came on stage to pay tribute to him. Not a dry eye. A spectacular show (despite the nitpicking critics).

[@johnmcaleese8438]

Only I could sit there and screw up my tv and miss this, Thank you @KZbin!

[@julianstefanosmolcic1920]

She sounds even better than on the London cast recording! How does she do that? A true queen!

[@eponymousIme]

What a treat!!! Can't get enough Patti LuPone. Great idea to share her talent with a larger audience. She deserves the exposure.

[@paulwagner688]

I got to sing background for Patti in Chicago for the Auditorium Theater's anniversary. The choir I sing in opened the theater, and it was only fitting that we should be a part of the anniversary.

[@RegeneOdon]

I love her SO MUCH.

[@robinhahnsopran]

One of the very best musical theatre performers there has ever been - a true genius ✨

[@KerryLuckett]

Damn how I absolutely love this woman’s talent, skill, and execution. Whenever I am feeling some kind of way, I still put on Evita and rock it out with Patti. She is just a pro!

[@zachhoward4326]

They only made one Patti LuPone.🤩

[@YearsinSeason]

Could you imagine being Stephen Colbert and being told, Patti we’ll be on the show tonight… and she’s performing “Ladies that Lunch” and then… oh, and you get to sit in the stage with her and get the best front row seat in the world! My God, Stephen, how lucky you are!

[@darreylhenderson702]

He starred in the 2011 NYC philharmonic production of 'Company' with Patti.

[@stefanhoimes]

Colbert can hold his own as a singer. I think the concert he did with Queen Patti is still somewhere on yt.

[@mgg5418]

I see Patti LuPone and Ladies Who Lunch… I click Like even before hearing it cause I know it’s gonna be EPIC.

[@suekelsey1329]

And, Thank You Again!!!

[@michaelsalovaara567]

Love the bass threading through her wonderful performance.

[@JillKnapp]

Patti is the fucking master... such incredible technique plus such glorious pipes. She makes it look so easy even though every syllable, vowel, consonant, breath, pause, switch, blend, choice of vibrato (or not), and subtle tweaks to her pitch for maximum dramatic/comedic effect are perfectly planned and executed. A testament to decades of practice and refining the craft, and also to her innate talent.

[@andrewrea5547]

Fabulous. I was lucky enough to see Ms LuPone perform this in Company in London, and she was magnificent.

[@Stardrums]

Finally a real musical guest on Colbert! The last one should have stayed and drank with her friends.

[@French-Kiss24]

Wow! So great to listen to TALENT!

[@mtoboekid11mouse88]

There are far too many roles of Patti Lupone for me to pick 'a favorite', but I absolutely loved her as Yellow Diamond from Steven Universe. I feel like it would've been very easy to be annoyed with that character and feel like she was just a cruel and uncaring person, but Patti Lupone did such an amazing job bringing out her deeper dimensions. That character ended up meaning a lot to me and it was in large part due to Ms. Lupone's performance that we the audience got to feel that. Also loved seeing her with Randy Rainbow that one time recently, that made my whole day!

[@apple707]

Amazing! Lupone is a treasure.

[@dafyddil]

What a dream to see this show

[@ShadowDancer6990]

THIS WAS "FANTASTIC"!!!!!

[@robsherfey4582]

The way she clips the ends of words, especially if they end on a hard consonant, perfectly conveys a hint of contempt & snarkiness. But as the song goes on you realize she's talking about herself. Plus she's belting out those notes sitting; that's a powerful diaphragm.

[@mariannefornelos6035]

Fantastic. Love this great lady⭐️👏👏👏👏👏👏🥰

[@adriennepender673]

Patti says Rise, you get outta that seat and RISE!!!!!

[@howards8535]

Riveting performance. A master class performance.

[@phyllispetras3369]

Terrific band!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@c849243]

A REAL legend!

[@freshname]

It's astounding! How much meaning, how much colour that lady has in her singing!

[@douglassalexander6008]

Yellow diamond can sing so well 🥰

[@joerombold5029]

holy crap. she practically melted Colbert.

[@TheJohnpandy]

I saw Patti sing this song in the West End production. The theatre erupted like I have never experienced before. I will remember it to my dying day. John Sivorn ❤️

[@dirkandi]

Exaggerating much?? 🤣🤣🤣

[@zelma8]

THE QUEEN!!!!! 👑😍 👏👏👏

[@andreaatalay2649]

If that didn't give you chills ... you were paying attention.