In a week that has shaken Broadway’s cultural core, more than 600 theatre professionals—including Tony Award winners and emerging voices—have signed a blistering open letter condemning iconic performer Patti LuPone for what they describe as “racialised disrespect,” bullying, and the misuse of celebrity privilege. The catalyst? Comments LuPone made in a recent New Yorker profile targeting fellow Broadway veterans Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis—both Black women whose careers have helped redefine American theatre.
This isn’t just backstage drama. It’s a public call for accountability in an industry that has long prized prestige over people. And it raises urgent questions: Who gets to define authority in the arts? When does blunt opinion become harassment? And can institutional spaces still hold their cultural elders accountable?
What Happened?
In her profile with The New Yorker, LuPone, now 76 and a three-time Tony winner, was asked about a 2024 incident involving noise complaints during her production The Roommate, which shared a wall with the musical Hell’s Kitchen, starring Kecia Lewis. LuPone reportedly sent a note asking for sound adjustments—routine by theatre standards—but Lewis later responded publicly, calling the interaction “racially microaggressive” and “rooted in privilege.”
LuPone’s reaction? “She calls herself a veteran? Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done… Don’t call yourself a vet, bitch.” She wrongly claimed Lewis had done only seven shows (the number is ten).
The same profile quoted LuPone dismissing Audra McDonald—one of the most decorated Broadway performers in history—as “not a friend,” criticising her response to the Lewis situation and offering a 15-second silence when asked about McDonald’s upcoming role in Gypsy.
The Community Responds
The backlash was swift and wide-reaching. An open letter, originally reported by Playbill, began circulating within hours of publication, eventually drawing over 600 signatures. Its language was unambiguous:
“This is not about differing opinions. It is about public actions that demean, intimidate, or perpetuate violence against fellow artists… This is a public affront to the values of collaboration, equity, and mutual respect that our theatre community claims to uphold.”
Addressed to the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing (which oversees the Tony Awards), the letter demanded that participation in industry events be contingent on upholding those community values. Notably, it included the names of respected figures like James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin), Wendell Pierce (Radio Golf), and 2024 Tony Award-winner Maleah Joi Moon (Hell’s Kitchen).
Legacy vs. Conduct: A Cultural Fault Line
Patti LuPone is no stranger to confrontation. She’s built a public persona as Broadway’s unapologetic grande dame, known for scathing wit and onstage walkouts. But there’s a difference between forthrightness and targeted disrespect—especially when that disrespect aligns with racial and gendered lines.
Historically, theatre has struggled with this contradiction: its most celebrated figures are often granted carte blanche, while their colleagues—particularly women and artists of colour—are expected to absorb slights quietly. This time, the industry seems unwilling to let it pass.
“We will no longer tolerate violence—verbal, emotional, or physical—against artists within our own community. No more free passes.”
It’s a watershed moment, echoing wider shifts in entertainment where powerful figures—once insulated by acclaim—now face scrutiny for how they wield that power.
Audra and Kecia: Silent Strength, Loud Legacy
The most dignified responses have come from McDonald and Lewis themselves.
McDonald, a six-time Tony winner and the first performer to win Tonys in all four acting categories, addressed the matter in a recent CBS Mornings interview. When asked if she was surprised by LuPone’s comments, she replied:
“If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is. That’s something you’d have to ask Patti about… I haven’t seen her in about 11 years because I’ve been busy with life.”
Lewis, meanwhile, has not issued new statements, but her earlier comments about the “normalisation of harm” in the theatre—particularly when it involves racial dynamics—have gained fresh resonance.
Both women exemplify a mode of leadership that contrasts sharply with LuPone’s: poised, community-focused, and rooted in mutual respect.
What’s at Stake?
Theatre is a collaborative art form. No production exists in isolation; it’s the result of dozens, if not hundreds, of interdependent artists. When a powerful figure like LuPone disparages others publicly, it ripples beyond the individuals targeted. It undermines the very ideals theatre professes to uphold: inclusion, equity, dialogue, and respect.
This controversy isn’t merely about LuPone’s words—it’s about a cultural reckoning. The same way galleries and collectors have begun rethinking who gets to define “masterpieces” in visual art, theatre is now asking: Who gets to speak with authority? And what are the consequences when that authority harms others?
A Final Curtain—or a New Chapter?
Patti LuPone has not yet publicly responded to the open letter. The Broadway League and American Theatre Wing have also remained silent ahead of the 2025 Tony Awards. But the silence itself may prove unsustainable.
Whether LuPone apologises, is censured, or remains defiant, this episode has already shifted the conversation. It’s a reminder that even titans of the stage are part of a community—one increasingly unwilling to excuse bullying as brilliance or dismiss harm as “personality.”
Theatre has always been about transformation. Perhaps it’s time for Broadway itself to take a cue from its own art—and change.