Rainbow High - Evita 1980 OBC Patti LuPone

Rainbow High by Pati LuPone. From musical Evita 1980 original broadway cast.

[@patton303]

Fucking badass. 30 years of videotape deterioration and you can still feel it.

[@roisingrant]

40 years of video tape deterioration and I can _still_ feel it.

[@patton303]

@@roisingrant 😉

[@Ailine123]

Gah, the part where she launches into "I'm their savior/That's what they call" and hits that note and flings her arm above her head, I get chills every single time. She is a force of nature.

[@djjnonya2170]

same here.

[@gabrielcampbell9462]

I just have to repeat that part at least twice a day. 😍

[@ask4rockie]

I was so fortunate to get to see this original Evita with Patti Lupone. My drama teacher took the drama group to New York in 79. I still have the Playbill.

[@yuffie2626]

queen of belting

[@wilshawlr]

God that scarf wrapping at the last second. I adore her. If anyone ever gets a chance to see her live in ANYTHING don't even think about hesitating for one second. If you want to see what passion and fire and inspiration looks like on stage, Patti is IT.

[@michaelgiuseffi7434]

It wasn’t a scarf, it was a stone Martin stole! I was there.

[@hummerboy29]

that scarf and "dressed up somewhere to go". i'm screaming, this is pure diva manifestation! you can't find them better than LuPone.

[@johndalton3180]

The "dressed up somewhere to go" thing is the great moment in diva history! I've seen tape of countless others doing it, and NO ONE does it as fierce as La LuPone.

[@AntiSocialExtrovert323]

Yes the scarf throw at the end devoured me!!

[@jleeharris4569]

I'm obsessed with this clip! If you don't know, Ms. Lupone's performance is LEGENDARY. This might be the most difficult singing role EVER written for Musical. And you'd be hard pressed to find someone who could do it better even today. You have to remember the sound on Broadway was very different back then. You had to really SING OUT to be heard in the back of the theater. And as you can see, Patti had no problem with that. I bet you could hear her down the block!!! But she can also sing soft and pretty. To play Evita on stage you have to be able to sing with every part of your voice. And do it Live 8 shows a week! You can't even compare the Madonna performance to THIS! That was a film, And it's totally different. But you CAN say that without Patti giving this AMAZING performance, the Madonna movie might not have ever happened in the first place. SO RESPECT PATTI! Mic drop....

[@ciociosan]

Jamal Lee Harris Might I add that they weren't amplified?

[@michaeljj43]

when it came to broadway she only did 6 performances a week. they had a matinee eva, terri klausner, who played it. but still…6 performances of this score…emotionally and physically draining, is quite an accomplishment.

[@fergusmurray1828]

I feel similarly to you, but I’m also obsessed with this this clip for another reason. This is because a few other Evita OBC clips of a similar quality exist on KZbin, making me believe there may be a full bootleg out there, or at least one was recorded by someone.

[@mandymills1031]

Fergus Murray if you find it can you tell me Lol. I can only find the 2012 B-way revival and while it’s decent it doesn’t come close to Pattis performance.

[@elle7483]

Fergus Murray I actually have the full bootleg, feel free to email me at narglesnboots @ Gmail . Com if you still want it

[@diggerhoward4078]

People have to remember this was before click tracks, sweetening vocals, and shows that had strict digital tempos. The conductor watched the leading lady... she truly dictated the tempo and movements of the show.

[@davidfathom3051]

Watch her last performance of this song if you need further illustration of this. It's quite a thing.

[@mzmiller52]

It was mandy’s show when I saw it in previews. My partner went back 5 months later and said she had owned it.

[@matthewtzivakis9567]

Yeah, it really shouldn’t be that way though. The conductor should be leading, and cast should be following them. Unless it’s marked ‘colla voce’ in the score, which means follow the vocalist. And this is song is definitely NOT marked colla voce! (As a conductor it’s infuriating when cast do what they want and you have to keep up with them)

[@josephcarlisle1943]

@@matthewtzivakis9567 You should really strike a balance between the two. As a performer, I know I'm not going to be score accurate every night. Musical theater wasn't written with the intention that all the actors sound the same. That's why there's a bajillion ways to sing the last section of Defying Gravity. Or why Patti LuPone sings this song in like ten different tempos, because it's a creative choice. And what happens when the performer skips a page? You skip to the page with them, or at least any good orchestra does. I'm not trying to crap on conductors, in fact I didn't mean for this post to be this long. When it comes to who should be following who, there's no right answer. It's just all relative.

[@leoneldangelo3593]

I realize I'm quite randomly asking but do anybody know a good website to stream new series online ?

[@Gary_Jaffe]

No question about it, one of the most thrilling Broadway performances of all time. I was there - she was ELECTRIC.

[@alexi8741]

Ok I can’t get over how incredible this is. Not only is she singing incredibly fast and IN character, but the effortlessness with which she is able to resonate at moments like 0:32 truly makes her one of a kind. Like the ACTING ✅ the SINGING✅ the ability to take artistic liberties with a character ✅✅✅

[@MelanieAF]

She makes me think this is exactly how Eva Peron would have sounded if she had sung her own life story. Just magnificent! And what a voice, and what a performer!

[@chumpythebunny9000]

1:31 did Patti just hit-the-woah?? This legend was truly ahead of her time.

[@tatemitchell1479]

AN ICON OH MY GOD

[@Booobbbbbyyyy]

I hate this comment so much 😭🤣 I can’t unsee it now

[@sockie182]

Ugh, she is so fucking fantastic. That last toss of the mink around her neck is just perfection. :]

[@johndalton3180]

The finest moment in diva history. Effin' FIERCE!

[@30Rocker1]

Actually it's a pop opera- some consider it a rock opera. And its not shouting. It's belting.

[@oPeRa1923]

Her voice is truly powerful! That's why she got this role. That's why she became EVITA.

[@jondavwal13]

I find it amazing that when she was given the part she couldn't sing this and two other songs in the show. They were way too hard and too high for her and she found a way not just to sing them but to kill them.

[@JBWhitney0402]

Unreal how good this is. Simply the best but you can see how she says ALW made a role that was impossible to sing. She did it, exceptionally well, but I bet exhausted every night.

[@giannis_tar]

The role isn't as demanding to sing as she claims, it was just a bit too high for her voice type which made it feel to her "impossible to sing". Also, it wasn't written to be belted all the way. ALW revealed a few months ago in a live stream interview that it was Julie Covington's (the original-original Evita) idea to belt everything in the score and they went with it (understandable since she sounded amazing).

[@giannis_tar]

@@djjnonya2170 do you even know what belting is? Not only does Covington belt, she actually belts more often than Patti

[@jondavwal13]

@@giannis_tar This role is covered with belted high Es and some belted high Gs. This would be high for anyone to sing full voice. It's a bonus that her voice is extremely rich in the middle of her range but this is an extremely hard role to sing. Julie Covington's "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" sounds like an anemic cat. Belting? She tries but fails miserably. Belting requires the ability to hold sustained notes powerfully and to have control over your vibrato (of which she had none).

[@30Rocker1]

Anyone who has any doubt that LuPone was the fiercest Evita, need only look at this video. It has to be the most electric performance that I have ever seen.

[@johndalton3180]

Electric. The most "in the zone" performance I've ever seen. The power here, the perfection, even overcomes the very crappy quality of the video itself. A supernatural performance. I'm too young to have been able to see this live, but if I got the opportunity to see one classic performance, it would be La LuPone as Evita. Very worthy runners up would be Streisand in Funny Girl, and The Merm in Gypsy.

[@willisthrilled]

I'm the biggest Madonna fan on earth but she shouldn't have been allowed to go anywhere near this role. Eva needs a POWERHOUSE vocalist like THIS.

[@willisthrilled]

i'm not talking about performance, i'm talking about vocal ability

[@willisthrilled]

while you are right that understated vocals work better on film than they do onstage, you are simply wrong that powerhouse vocals don't work on film…Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, Liza Minnelli in Cabaret, Judy Garland in pretty much every single film she ever did, to name a few…powerhouse belters, AND they worked onscreen.

[@willisthrilled]

i also want to make it clear that when i say "powerhouse" i don't mean "over the top"…i mean strong, full voices

[@KerryLuckett]

Ritz AGREED! Madonna never had the pipes, but if we were patient, we could have gotten Stefani as Eva.

[@izzyg2524]

Kerry Luckett she’d be perfect for the role!

[@evitastories]

It's not Patti taking them down. I corresponded personally with Patti LuPone a while ago and, while she certainly did not say she supports the clips being posted on KZbin, she expressed happiness that someone filmed the Broadway performances, saying, "That's the only footage we have of our Evita." Patti herself does not own the rights to the music, the stage production, the footage, any of it. She portrayed the character but does not own the copyright.

[@ladyluck840]

I daresay most of the performers today could not do this.

[@graciegutierrez7405]

Lady Luck ok boomer

[@ZacBrzuchalski]

@@graciegutierrez7405 It's True. Patti did this show 6 times a week with no microphones, a crap ton of costume changes (some in 10 secs), and performed on a raked stage.

[@tatemitchell1479]

@@graciegutierrez7405 Guess that I, at 20 years of age, am a boomer so!

[@1marilynable]

Whoa she freakin made that song go to a whole new level

[@Dan_da_man-og8zh]

Wow! They don’t make them like this anymore!!! Her energy is magnetic!

[@raymondmaurer1838]

Wish I could have seen Ms. LuPone perform this live. Of everyone I've ever heard sing this role, hers is by far my favorite.

[@alexisgrey3633]

Her voice is amazing here!

[@CalebMiofsky]

I sa her in War Paint while it was in its pre Broadway run in Chicago, she was indescribable, the highlight of that show. She commanded the stage in a way I've only seen a few times and she had me leaning from me seat the entire time.

[@Chishannicon]

I saw her in that, too, and in the first number, I remember being absolutely gobsmacked by how amazing she sounded.

[@johndalton3180]

Insane, unfettered, supernatural talent right here.

[@echeleteich3347]

I was very fortunate to see every Eva from Patti to Terri to Leslie etc....

[@enderdogzzz]

OH MY GOD this performance is unimpeachably the BEST!! I just can't resist the strength in her coming through, such powerful and vital character.

[@3sampv]

I'm not the biggest fan of Patti Lupone's voice for this role, but she nails this scene - spine-tingling

[@AntiSocialExtrovert323]

Omfg THANK YOU. I don’t have a slime tutorial of the OBC yet and this is my fav song. Ofc the voice is SO powerful, but so is her physicality!! You don’t need to see any of her features to know what she’s expressing, eternal theater empress

[@전나무-i7z]

Thank you for posting this video. She's so beautiful... I had to born earlier...🥲🥲🥲

[@Fabilicious81]

I'd give an arm to go back and see this live

[@scotty3034]

Man....this is the days before click tracks and she really pushed that orchestra.....

[@RedAmalgam2000]

Mike Patton interesting!

[@XxSaigonSweetiexX]

I love this song, I've had it stuck in my head all day. Lol.

[@mzmiller52]

She and Mandy were phenomenal. Just came home from revival at city center. No one today is into the character anymore. Intensity, total commitment, gone, technically people are ok, but they just don’t have presence, or the broadway voices.

[@shwing9760]

Wow imagine being able to belt like THAT

[@musicaltheatergeek79]

I read that the recording was recorded early on before the show made it to Broadway. That's why it's called the Premiere American Recording and not Original Broadway Cast. LuPone has always said that she struggled with the score during the tryouts. That may account to why LuPone doesn't sound as good on the recording as she did later on.

[@annvroom5539]

Patti LuPone IS Evita Peron for me forever! - Madonna looked the page, but her interpretations and delivery of the songs was all wrong - LaPone is lusty and authentic - Bravo, forever! :-) thx so much for posting!

[@betweenlakes]

Wow. I only knew the Madonna version - which was nice enough, a great song. But this just blew me away.

[@ericmchicago]

WOW. Thank you so much for this video!! What a gem!

[@evitastories]

It's definitely her at her best in her signature role.

[@TarynThings]

It's so true. When I played the role of Evita a few years back, I stole every single move she did... because if you're going to copy someone, copy the best. LOL!

[@bluegobo]

@giovuolo123 I'm not sure which clip you're watching or what you define as singing. But this type of singing is called "belting" and it's what many Broadway divas specialize in.

[@csi3willows]

@Evolutionaryera They choose Madonna because Madonna was the biggest female musician of the 90's and and and...she basically was Evita, people either loved her or hate her and considering how hard this score is to sing Madonna did a phenomenal job and deserves her props, no one can compare to Patti Lupone who I adore, and Madonna thankfully wasn't trying to be Patti or her performance would have been horrible

[@DRUOPS]

pure talent

[@fludu1]

you go girl! That´s theater!

[@POPERYLEE]

Love this

[@1marilynable]

So powerful

[@alftir]

thanks a lot!

[@NewNickTahoe]

This is my clip. I have posted the whole show over the last few years, but keeps being removed by Equity, not by Really Usefull, by I an sure by Patti's people. Only HER stuff seems to get removed and then all the others i have. I think Patti has a fan that keeps blowing the whistle...

[@Gary_Jaffe]

stop this silly conversation! this woman is BRILLIANT

[@ryan.engstrom]

I remember the Simpsons doing a parody of this song with the teachers at Lisa's school dressing her up so she could be a bad-ass class president. And when I saw Evita with Julia Murney last summer I freaked out when this song came on (since I didn't know anything about Evita at the time) because I remembered the Simpsons joke. Hehe

[@coripixie]

what a boss.

[@amyhuerta3980]

Lyrics Eva: I don't really think I need the reason Why I won't to succeed I haven't started Let's get this show on the road Let's make it obvious Peron is off and rolling Eva's Dressers: Eyes, hair, mouth, figure Dress, voice, style, movement Hands, magic, rings, glamour Face, diamonds, excitement, image Eva: I came from the people, they need to adore me So Christian Dior me from my head to my toes I need to be dazzling, I want to be Rainbow High They must have excitement, and so must I Eva's Dressers: Eyes, hair, mouth, figure Dress, voice, style, image Eva: I'm their product, it's vital you sell me So Machiavell me, make an Argentine Rose I need to be thrilling, I want to be Rainbow High They need their escape, and so do I Eva's Dressers: Eyes, hair, mouth, figure Dress, voice, style, movement Hands, magic, rings, glamour Face, diamonds, excitement, image Eva: All my descamisados expect me to outshine the enemy-- The aristocrasy-- I won't disappoint them I'm their savior, that's what they call me So Lauren Bacall me, anything goes To make me fantastic, I have to be Rainbow High In magical colors You're not decorating a girl for a night on the town And I'm not a second-rate queen getting kicks with a crown Next stop will be Europe The Rainbow's gonna tour Dressed up, somewhere to go We'll put on a show Look out, mighty Europe Because you oughta know Whatcha gonna get in me Just a little touch of Just a little touch of Argentina's brand of star quality

[@badabingbadaboom489]

Hell yeah. We should never have stopped supplying the performers with cocaine.

[@DonJuan1992]

Which is stupid why not preserve this amazing performance i mean Evitas not even on broadway anymore let us see it while we can

[@ryanivey7926]

Not sure if the video is sped up at all, but the tempo seems very fast! I assume Patti is driving the tempo-- she had somewhere to be that night!

[@TheAleph74]

Wow.. she was/is a monster!

[@AnibalCLitvin]

La mejor Evita

[@Rachael1918]

Hi everyone I'm trying to find out more about Patti's intepretation of Eva, especially how 'Waltz for Eva and Che' was acted in the production she starred in. I have seen many diffirent intepretations of the song; Eva and Che dance together in some productions but dance apart in others, some end with Che backing off slowly, others end with him being chased off the stage by guards etc. etc. Did anyone here see Evita on Broadway in 1980? If so, can you please give details about the waltz?

[@johnyzero2000]

God bless the bootleggers!

[@lamontrussell1524]

Omg!!!!

[@Marialuvr01]

thank you SO much for putting this up! where did you get this recording?

[@Piccolo13]

Not enough applause!!

[@mrahlersscience]

Simpy the best. Not even a question.

[@mooniemuk]

Not a patch on Elaine Paige.

[@benjaminbackbite]

You know she said to that ensemble guy you just slam that damn fur on me OK?

[@AntiSocialExtrovert323]

😂 ☠️

[@JuanSeCG96]

Patti, Madonna and Elena Roger, are far, the bests evita's. Every single note is difrent in some way, but they still being the bests. Love U girls, you are such and example.

[@blackbeardtwo]

I would recommend some posts on Eva Peron's IMDb page. There is a very intelligent poster there who argues that Eva wasn't as evil as the musical portrays her. It's an interesting read, even if you don't agree with their view. :) Anyway, I am of the view that the original West End version is the best. You can disagree with that if you want, frankly I will never see what people like about LuPone as Eva. But we could keep this going forever. :)

[@DonJuan1992]

Hey, watch it, I am a typical citizen of the United States, and I must say I am proud of the country I live in. It is not perfect, it never will be, but I love it anyway. However I see your logic behind it, sadly it is true.

[@megan132]

TONY.

[@macrent2]

@TheConstantineN If she pronounced the ends of her words any harder she might have a heart attack!

[@dramanrc]

I'm not a Madonna fan, I adore Patti Lupone. But that doesn't mean that I think she would have been good in the movie. I think she is incredible here and it wouldn't have been the same if she had done the movie

[@AngelofMusic04]

I wonder what an Evita-inspired musical about Sarah Palin would be like?

[@jonothandoeser]

I've never quite understood the choice of that Disco stage design.

[@NewNickTahoe]

As a person who has had over 100 clips removed, trust me, it all starts with a whistle-blower...someone that supports equity's agenda. somebody notifies equity who in turn files a complaint with youtube and viola! the clip is gone.

[@scienceharris123]

@EZYCHEESY Well you gotta love the original and totally!

[@scienceharris123]

@EZYCHEESY I don't know who Paige is, so LuPone I guess :)

[@Zshumba]

HO.LY.CRAP.....1:15......CHILLS.

[@lggarrison]

Does this remind anyone of Sarah Palin besides me?

[@liammrpersonal]

1:18 (ima just leave this here)

[@robfuzz]

I get why Patti is loved for this and she has a powerful voice but I can't help feeling like I've been yelled at for two minutes.

[@blackbeardtwo]

Madonna was not as bad as people say - she did not have the vocal range, but she did a good performance with what she has. I don't like her, but calling her terrible when she was decent isn't right. As for Elaine Paige..well, I'm as likely to change my views of her as you are to change your view of LuPone. ;) There are many sources which state that Eva Peron wasn't as evil as you say. While you may not agree with this...(continued)

[@paris400]

AVE MARIA!!!!!

[@mikejr41387]

I cant decide if this is a brilliant performance, or absolutely ridiculous.

[@ladyluck840]

brilliant. absolutely magnificent.

[@andrewmcintyre4955]

Maybe both :D

[@lamoneal]

Agreed. Ethan Mordden in his book "Demented" describes an opera singer who is in voice, in role and in glory as "demented." Everything fits. It's a combination of artistry, technique, musicianship and audacity. Fits LuPone to a tee.

[@jaycejohnson6846]

Damn she was coked up. And it paid

[@ChrisStockslager]

Evita with a brunette wig. Oh, that's mean. Eh, screw it.

[@blackbeardtwo]

What the hell has Madonna got to do with it? I never mentioned Madonna. It is musical theatre. Singing is an important part of it, by its very definition. Elaine Paige could act the part while singing. I was at the UK tour recently, and the woman playing Eva (Rachael Wooding?) was acting and singing. She was an amazing Eva. LuPone may well be a good actress, but she is not as good as other Eva's I've seen or heard because she shouts instead of singing.

[@blackbeardtwo]

Ah, so now you know I'm not one of the Madonna fans you're going to criticise my taste in Elaine Paige. Do you know what, if you're bitter that Patti LuPone didn't get the role in the movie, then that is no problem of mine. I watched this and my opinion is that she shouts rather than singing, which is a fact. She does not "own" the role. You might think she's a great Eva, but I do not. How about trying to construct an arguement? I am at least attempting.

[@blackbeardtwo]

She's shouting more than singing..

[@scienceharris123]

Mandy Gonzalez is like a billion times better!

[@waltwitman45]

Wow, she's really overdoing it.

[@TheConstantineN]

I don't like her accent.

[@robdeeper9514]

madonna forever!

[@giovuolo123]

She is shouting not singing

[@Alberto-tv8rg]

Terrible, the interpretation and the oversinging. Madonna's version is much better

[@AntiSocialExtrovert323]

Lmaooooo i don’t think you at all understand who this character was written and directed to be. Madonna is an amazing artist but her Evita was WAY too low energy, and the iconic aspect of this part is the high belting. The high belong puts it in the top two hardest roles to sing (along w Elphaba). If you can’t high belt (Madonna) you should not be playing the role.