Broadway Revolt: 500+ Artists Accuse Patti LuPone of Bullying
Time to peel back the curtain: Broadway’s revered Patti LuPone finds herself in the eye of a rare and highly publicized backlash after over 500 stage professionals—spanning Tony Award winners, ensemble veterans, and understudies—signed an open letter publicly accusing her of “bullying” two of the Great White Way’s most illustrious performers, Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis. The letter, first reported by Variety and later confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, details multiple incidents stretching from a tense October 2023 rehearsal at the Kensington Stages revival—where LuPone allegedly launched a blistering tirade at ensemble members mid-run-through—to an off-the-record dressing-room confrontation with Lewis that left her “stunned and silent,” according to a Broadway World interview. McDonald, herself a six-time Tony winner, told People Magazine she was “taken aback” when during a February panel for the American Theatre Wing LuPone openly questioned her interpretive choices “in front of the entire creative team,” provoking awkward silence and bruised egos. The document is signed by heavyweights like Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sara Bareilles, asserting that LuPone’s “passionate intensity” often crossed into “demeaning criticism.” Amid the fallout, Actors’ Equity has acknowledged a respectful inquiry into workplace conduct standards, and social-media channels have been alight with the hashtag #BroadwayUnites as fans and peers debate the ethics of star-driven power plays. On X, former Rent actor Wilson Jermaine Heredia rallied behind the letter’s signatories, tweeting, “No place for intimidation at the altar of art.” Producers of the revival have remained tight-lipped, though insiders hint at upcoming optional mediation sessions for cast and crew. LuPone’s representatives offered a statement via Deadline defending her “unyielding commitment to artistic excellence,” while expressing regret if her fervor was misread as personal attack. The controversy comes at a time when the theater community is sharpening its focus on mental-health support, equitable leadership, and clearer codes of conduct, with Equity workshops slated for next month’s Off-Broadway season previews. This clash between a stage legend and her peers underscores a broader conversation about power dynamics on Broadway, and whether passion excuses abrasive behavior. For now, audiences and industry watchers alike will be tuning in to Patti’s next moves—because this curtain has yet to fall. And there you have it: take it with a grain of stage dust.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Variety, People Magazine, Broadway World, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
