Donna Murphy Weighs In On Patti LuPone’s Recent Crunchy Remarks

Following some crunchy remarks by Broadway legend Patti LuPone about fellow Tony Award winners Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis, Tony Award winner Donna Murphy chimed in with words of civility and wisdom. The issue began when LuPone was appearing at the Booth Theater in The Roommate last fall. The Booth shares a wall with the Shubert Theater where Hell’s Kitchen was playing. Apparently sound from the Shubert leaked into the Booth during performances and LuPone complained. The issue was resolved, but Kecia Lewis (who won her Tony for Hell’s Kitchen) spoke up on social media (speaking as one Broadway “veteran” to another) labeling LuPone’s actions as “bullying.” McDonald replied to Lewis’s post with supportive emojis, which apparently raised LuPone’s ire. https://www.instagram.com/p/DB4uxAfvsEK/ Asked about Lewis’s Instagram post, LuPone replied:

“Here’s the problem. She calls herself a veteran? Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn’t know what the fuck she’s talking about. She’s done seven. I’ve done thirty-one. Don’t call yourself a vet, bitch.”

Actually, Lewis has appeared in ten Broadway shows, and LuPone has 28 Broadway credits. Regarding McDonald adding her support to Lewis, LuPone told The New Yorker in a recent profile, “That’s typical of Audra. She’s not a friend,” adding apparent emphasis with a hard “D.” The dust-up has been a thing in the Broadway community since the New Yorker piece was published, and today Donna Murphy entered the conversation. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKM-wSuN_Uj/ From Donna’s Instagram:

I’ve had the privilege of knowing, working with and being awed by these two veteran artists since the 1990s. They each were stars from my very first encounter with them.

Those 1st encounters for me were as an audience member, being blown away by their astounding gifts (@audramcdonald in #Carousel @lctheater ; @therealkecialewis in the Original Broadway Company of #OnceonthisIsland .)

I then had the honor of workshopping shows w/each of them. I witnessed, up close, not only their immeasurable artistry, but their dedication, discipline, kindness, humor, grace under pressure, strength, support of the communities we were a part of, & their luminous humanity.

Since then, I’ve watched Audra and Kecia’s stars’ continue to rise and shine brighter over the years. Their lives & careers have grown, the children they have raised/are raising thrive with their hard working & loving mothers’ support, and they have never been anything less than warm, kind & supportive anytime we have encountered each other.

I do not understand why we cannot use our moments on this earth to lift and support one another. Especially when, as fellow artists, we know the vulnerability & challenges of day to day survival.

We live lives of uncertainty. Add to that being women of color who have historically been undervalued, mistreated, and worse. Praise them, raise them up, honor them. And in my case: love them. Sending my love & deepest respect to these two superstars.

Suh-nap! Today, “CBS Mornings” released a teaser video of co-host Gayle King’s upcoming interview with McDonald, who received her 11th Tony Award nomination for the current revival of Gypsy. “If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” McDonald says when asked about LuPone’s remark. “That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about.” “You know, I haven’t seen her in about 11 years just because we’ve been busy, just with life and stuff. So I don’t know what rift she’s talking about, but you’d have to ask her.” https://www.instagram.com/cbsmornings/reel/DKPhY_CxqVn/