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The award, created in 2009 in honor of one of the most influential American contemporary musical theater writers, will be presented at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC at a black-tie gala on Monday.
LuPone, a two-time Tony award winner has a close working relationship with Sondheim’s works after her roles in “Sweeny Todd,” “Gypsy,” “Company,” and “Passion.” Her portrayal of Rose in the musical “Gypsy” in 2008 earned her Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League awards.
"There are few performers who can play both Mrs. Lovett and Fosca, Evita and Reno Sweeney, Nancy in “Oliver!” and Cora Hoover Hooper in “Anyone Can Whistle,” and still create roles for David Mamet,” said Sondheim to Broadwayworld.com. “In fact, there's only one. Versatility of such a high caliber is rare indeed, and therefore it couldn't be more appropriate that the recipient of this year's Signature Theatre Sondheim Award is going to the best tuba player on Broadway: Patti LuPone."
LuPone starred in the original Broadway production of “Evita” in 1979 for which she won her first Tony for Best Actress in a Musical. She also won an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Fantine in London’s original cast for “Les Misérables.”
For her more recent stage projects, she created the part of Lucia for the Tony-nominated musical “Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown” and played Joanne in the New York Philharmonic’s concert production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company.”
