CPS Kicks Off 2016-17 Season with Patti LuPone Concert, 'Don't Monkey with Broadway'

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Patti LuPone will kick off the 2016-17 CPS Guest Artist Series season with a concert on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Hosmer Hall at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.

• Patti LuPone will present her concert, "Don't Monkey with Broadway," including a special guest appearance by the Crane Concert Choir, for CPS on Sept. 24, at The Crane School of Music.

POTSDAM, NY (09/20/2016)(readMedia)-- Community Performance Series will present the award-winning vocalist and actress Patti LuPone in concert on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. The performance will include a special guest appearance by the Crane Concert Choir.

The multitalented theatre, film and television star will perform her program, "Don't Monkey with Broadway," in which she explores classic Broadway show tunes by the likes of Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jule Styne, Stephen Schwartz, Charles Strouse, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.

"Patti LuPone has been a widely requested artist throughout the years, but one that had been outside of our ability to contract. However, thanks to the Cania Family Endowment, which was established last year, we are finally able to give our audiences the chance to see Ms. LuPone in Potsdam. We are tremendously grateful to Sal and Lisa Cania for helping CPS bring artists like this to our community," said CPS Executive Director Amy Flack.

The program was conceived and directed by frequent collaborator Scott Wittman, and features the music direction of Joseph Thalken. The two-act show displays LuPone's musical personality and provides audiences with unforgettable renditions of songs like "Meadowlark," "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina," "Some People," "Being Alive" and "Ladies Who Lunch."

The Crane Concert Choir will join LuPone for a portion of the second act, as they accompany her during such songs as "Blow, Gabriel, Blow," "Sit Down, You're Rockin' The Boat" and "Ya Got Trouble." The choir diligently prepared these arrangements under the direction of Crane School of Music Choral Conductor Dr. Jeffrey D. Francom.

In a review of this program, Brian Scott Lipton of Theater Pizzazz wrote, "some of the greatest joys of this concert were her personal stories of early involvement and introduction to musicals, whether in her bedroom, community theater or before making her Broadway debut, and hearing the songs she chose to illustrate these memories."

Tickets are now on sale, and can be purchased by visiting the CPS Box Office, located in the lobby of SUNY Potsdam's new Performing Arts Center, by calling (315) 267-2277 or by visiting www.cpspotsdam.org. Single tickets can also be purchased in-person at Brick & Mortar Music in downtown Potsdam. Prices range from $15 to $50, with discounts for seniors and students.

A 25 percent flexible subscription discount is available exclusively in-person at the CPS Box Office, when purchasing tickets to three or more 2016-17 CPS Guest Artist Series events. The box office is open Monday through Saturday, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., and one hour prior to show time. Flexible subscriptions cannot be processed on the night of the event.

For more information on the 2016-17 CPS season and artists, visit www.cpspotsdam.org, or check out the CPS Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/cpspotsdam.

CPS is a college-community partnership presenting world-class performing artists and arts education opportunities in Northern New York. This rich mixture of programming links communities, classrooms and audiences of all ages and preserves access to the performing arts for future generations. For more information, visit www.cpspotsdam.org.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of only three arts campuses in the entire SUNY system. SUNY Potsdam's arts curriculum offers the full palette: music, theatre, dance, fine arts and creative writing. No matter the discipline, people from all backgrounds can find their creative compass at Potsdam, with myriad arts immersion experiences available for both campus and community.

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