Patti LuPone on Her Seven-Year Broadway Heartache with Kevin Kline
Behold, Broadway royalty willingly signing up for emotional marionette work—Patti LuPone just recalled her seven-year on-and-off saga with Kevin Kline. The story began at Juilliard’s famous drama division under John Houseman, where LuPone, fresh off a year of Manhattan disco tours, found Kline more Pinocchio than leading man. He had skinny legs, a tall frame, and apparently no interest in ending his nose-shaped audition anytime soon.
She admits she “took an instant dislike to him,” proving that even legends have lousy first instincts. At age 18, LuPone traded nightclub glitz for Shakespearean soliloquies, only to discover her future ex lounging in the back row of an art-appreciation class. Romantic tension ignited when they turned those desks into handheld cuddle zones—because nothing says highbrow theater quite like furtive grope sessions over linen sketches.
Their collaboration on the 1975 Broadway musical The Robber Bridegroom cemented their onstage chemistry and offstage chaos. LuPone describes Kline as a “Lothario,” which loosely translates to “serial heartbreaker” in thespian speak. It was as if someone misread “leading man” as “leading heartbreak,” and Broadway critics applauded anyway.
For seven years, she was his girlfriend whenever he remembered her name—until he didn’t. Kline would break up and bounce whenever a fresh romance called his name, demonstrating astonishing commitment issues for someone with a Tony Award. LuPone stuck around until she wisely realized misery isn’t elevated by a playbill credit.
In a recent New Yorker interview, she called that era “painful,” which might be the understatement of her career. Kevin himself labeled the affair “fraught,” likening their fights to August Strindberg–level drama. If you thought your family dinners were tense, try mixing Shakespeare with soap-opera-grade jealousy.
Both stars eventually found domestic bliss elsewhere: Kline married Phoebe Cates in 1989, LuPone wed Matthew Johnston in 1988. Today, they’ve reached a détente that allows friendly conversation—although double-dating remains on the no-fly list. Apparently, seven years of heartbreak buys you a seat at the apology table, minus any tablecloth romance.
This chapter in theater history may lack a tidy finale, but it teaches one lesson: never sign up for a romance without a well-crafted script and at least one understudy. Tune in next time for more Broadway heartbreak and the proof that some love stories should have been cut during previews.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, The New Yorker
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
