Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin heading to Broadway

[August 02, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, who first teamed up together in the musical "Evita," are coming back to Broadway.

The concert show "An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin," which has been playing dates around the country, will land for 63 performances at the Barrymore Theatre starting Nov. 16. Opening night is set for Nov. 21.

"I so adore working with Mandy," LuPone said. "He's always been a risk taker, a quality I love best in an actor. I treasure our partnership which began in `Evita' and which today is stronger than ever. And that's rare."

The concert show, which got its start in 2007 and has also taken the pair to Australia and New Zealand, is directed by Patinkin and includes musical staging consulting by fellow Broadway veteran Ann Reinking.

During the show, LuPone and Patinkin usually sing some songs by Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern and Andrew Lloyd Webber and present scenes from classic shows like "South Pacific" and "Carousel."

LuPone was last on Broadway in the frothy musical "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." Patinkin last appeared on a New York stage in the moody "Compulsion" at The Public Theater.

"To be onstage with Patti is as good as it gets for me," Patinkin said. "When I look into her eyes, I'm 30 years younger instantly. We're right back in time and I'm just in heaven. I'm only sad when the evening's over."

[Associated Press; By MARK KENNEDY]

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