Patti LuPone Blasts A Maskless NYC Theatergoer To Audience Cheers

Whether Patti LuPone is talking about teaming up with internet sensation Randy Rainbow and manifesting the last President’s departure or appearing on Watch What Happens Live (at the height of quarantine) and discussing everything from Cats box-office performance to her official ranking of the Broadway dames that have portrayed Mama Rose on stage in Gypsy (for which LuPone won a Tony Award), you can count on her to deliver her message directly and with the least amount of sugar-coating as possible. During a post-show Q&A on Tuesday (filmed by the American Theater Wing), LuPone read the (Broadway) house down to audience member who refused to wear their mask properly (Broadway League COVID safety protocols currently require all audience members to wear a mask inside theaters through May 31 right now).

During the Q & A, LuPone suddenly stopped and boldly demanded that the attendee in question “Put your mask on over your nose, that is the rule,” going on to say “That’s why you are in the theater, that is the rule. If you don’t want to follow the rule, get the fuck out”!. After raucous applause from the audience, LuPone continued “I’m serious. Who do you think you are, if you do not respect the people that are sitting around you?” After a woman (who may have been with the maskless attendee) attempted to retort, telling LuPone “I pay your salary,” LuPone firmly told her “You pay my salary? Bullshit. (Company producer) Chris Harper pays my salary”. “Who do you think you are? Just put your mask over your nose”. TikTok’s Joshua Kilimnik was in attendance at Company on Tuesday night and posted a blow by blow of what exactly occurred (here and here). Additionally, LuPone speaks to her COVID concerns from firsthand experience, after she tested positive for COVID-19 in late February. “Hi Dolls. I showed up for Saturday’s matinee, tested positive for Covid with 3 tests,” she tweeted at the time. “Unfortunately, I’ll be out of the show for 10 days. I’m so sorry.”

without further ado… ms. patti lupone pic.twitter.com/rEBB7nfXQ2

— hen 🕊️ (@themascsinger) May 11, 2022

This is not of course, the first time LuPone has channeled her inner showstopper to put a halt to the stage proceedings to gather an audience member. During her 2009 epic run as Mama Rose in Gypsy, LuPone was performing the climactic closing song “Rose’s Turn” and stopped singing to verbally tear into an audience member who was taking pictures and verbally demanded to “get them out”. She then schooled the rapidly applauding audience on how we as the public have “forgotten our public manners” and assured the audience that “every single one of you, except for that person, has respect” and saying that “I, and the rest of this company appreciate it; thank you”. 

Queens all over the internet are already asking the question; who’s creating the sure to be epic and heavily tipped mix of LuPone’s now theater legend “Who do you think you are” speech with the Spice Girls camp classic pop anthem of the same name?!

For more Patti LuPone, check out her website