“Matters of the Heart”- Patti LuPone

***** How do you end the longest January Chicago has known in recent years? On a frigid Saturday night, Jane and I made our way to The Auditorium at Roosevelt University to see a one night only concert, “Matters Of The Heart” featuring the one and only Patti LuPone. We arrived early as traffic was light. As we entered this amazing venue, we could feel the excitement of the evening. LuPone, a three-time Tony Award winner was going to bring us some wonderful music and her unique styling of works from Broadway favorites to contemporary writers.

Think about composers like Rodgers & Hammerstein, Frank Wildhorn and of course Stephen Sondheim. Yes, Broadway is her beat, but she also sang songs from Judy Collins and Randy Newman. The theater was almost filled to capacity and when the four musicians, the Four Play String Quartet and pianist, Musical Director, Joseph Thalken took the stage, the audeince began to rise to their feet. They knew that their beloved Patti LuPone, would be onstage very soon. One could feel the excitement in the air. No one cared about the deep freeze Chicago was experiencing, or even the fact that another snow storm was predicted. All eyes were on the stage waiting for the reason they had come downtown.

This show has been around, debuting in 2000, so it is over 25 years, but I am sure it has been tweaked and changed as time goes on.

LuPone plays the people in the front row and has a lot of fun as she tells us stories dealing with love, mysteries of the heart and her selection of songs Broadway and contemporary music intertwined with her stories is perfect. Music like “Being Alive”, “Hello Young Lovers” and many others all relate to the love she has experienced in her life.

Jane and I left the theater feeling the energy that LuPone projected onto the audience, and I am pretty sure everyone was on their feel and thankful ( as we were) that we were able to have this special evening. If you ever have the opportunity to witness this show ( or any other performance) , grab that opportunity. You won’t be sorry!

Meanwhile, The Auditorium is an amazing venue to visit and hosts a variety of opportunities.

For information, visit www.auditoriumtheatre.org