by Patti LuPone
First published 2010
Patti LuPone opens her life to readers with characteristic bluntness and humor. The Tony Award winner traces her path from a four-year-old who knew she belonged on stage to becoming one of Broadway's most celebrated performers. LuPone describes her brutal years at Juilliard, where she endured constant criticism from instructors as one of just 36 students in the Drama Division's first class. She recounts touring the country with The Acting Company in her twenties, then achieving Broadway success in shows like Evita and Les Misérables. The memoir covers her television work on Life Goes On, her marriage to Matt Johnston, and her acclaimed performances in Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy. LuPone reflects on both triumph and failure with equal candor, finding lessons in spectacular disasters alongside her greatest successes. She offers behind-the-scenes details about working with costars and directors while developing her craft. The book includes nearly 100 photographs documenting her career. LuPone writes this as a love letter to theater itself, sharing the reality of a working actor's life with the outspoken honesty that defines her public persona.
Genres: biography, drama, autobiography, biography-memoir
Vibes: candid, emotional, intimate
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, memoir, personal-journey
336 pages · Hardcover · Crown Archetype