By Melissa Griegel . . .
Tony and Grammy Award winner Lauren Patten brought the house down in her solo show at The Green Room 42. The Jagged Little Pill actor/singer/writer is charming, funny, and humble. Patten has been acting since age four and made her Broadway debut in Fun Home as the understudy for Medium Allison and Joan. She took over Emily Skeggs’s role of Medium Allison for four months while Skeggs was shooting a television show. Prior to singing “Changing My Major” from the show, Patten regaled The Green Room 42 audience with a funny story about being asked to sing that song for the winning US Women’s Soccer Team and realizing after seeing the young girls and their dads watching the performance being a bit uncomfortable by the lyrics, that the organizers probably should have selected a different song. The patrons at The Green Room 42 were, however, absolutely delighted to hear Patten sing the well-known song, full of emotion.
Patten has a deep resonant voice and carries off big numbers like “Rolling in the Deep” and “I Feel the Earth Move.” She fills each song she sings with feeling that seems to come from deep within her, as she adds her own vocalization to make the song her own. Choosing a song she always loved growing up, Patten did a beautiful and heartfelt version of Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine.”
In between songs, Patten shared tidbits about her life and her career. Her intimate way of speaking makes it feel very personal, as if she is just telling you the story. She brought with her the Music Director from Jagged Little Pill, Brian Perri, to accompany her on the piano. She talked about how Perri went through each Alanis Morrisette song with her line by line while she was preparing for her role as Jo. Patten sang five songs from the show, including her always-standing-ovation-inducing version of “You Oughta Know” and an a capella “Your House.”
Her show included a few of her favorite non-theater songs and also three more musical theater songs: “For Forever” from Dear Evan Hansen, “I’ll Cover You” from Rent, and “If I Didn’t Believe in You” from The Last Five Years. In addition to theater, Patten has acted in numerous television shows and is heading to Los Angeles to finish shooting the upcoming Hulu series Career Opportunities in Murder and Mayhem. She also enjoys performing with her band and has appeared at The Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, and Tavern on the Green.
Patten received her BA in Creative Writing from The New School and studied acting at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Two of her former teachers, Antonio Merenda and Joanne Edelmann, were there to see one of their star students sing her heart out at The Green Room 42. Patten is a very engaging performer with a stunning voice. I highly recommend seeing her when she returns to New York.
Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography
