The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen a litany of A-Listers take center stage over the years. The franchise is as known for casting heavy-hitters as it is for forging them, and it didn't slow down on that front when it came to the Multiverse Saga. And it goes without saying that one of the greatest casting decisions of the franchise's current chapter was indeed casting Patti LuPone in Agatha All Along.
LuPone is a Broadway legend who has amassed an incredible career in television and film over the years too. Joining the MCU was just another outstanding accomplishment in a career full of them, with her performance as Lilia Calderu earning her critical acclaim. Now, she returns to the small screen again in a brand new role, appearing in a CBS powerhouse.
Patti LuPone is back on TV as she stars in Elsbeth's season 3 finale
Patti LuPone is set to guest star in the upcoming season 3 finale of CBS' Elsbeth. The Broadway icon will play a legendary cabaret singer known as Ruby Lane, with Shrinking star Michael Urie set to join her as as philanthropist Monty Blakemont III. TV Insider was able to unveil an exclusive first look at LuPone in action in recent weeks and, well, let's just say that she looks as commanding as ever in the role.
It sounds like her character is going to be a larger-than-life presence in the episode, too, for star Carrie Preston (a.k.a. Elsbeth herself) revealed to TV Insider that LuPone would be playing "a murderess cabaret singer" and that she would be singing in the episode as well. If you weren't aware, Elsbeth follows a different format from the typical procedural "whodunnit" in that it actually shows viewers the killer at the beginning of the episode while the rest of it is planned around how the protagonists figure it out and catch them. The show is a spinoff of The Good Wife and The Good Fight centred on Preston's character as the star reprises her role from both shows.
Well, it's safe to say that LuPone will be once again bringing the razzle dazzle glitz and glam from the stage back to the small screen. As we mentioned above, she's built up quite the catalog of roles on television and her Elsbeth stint will mark her return to the format for the first time since her successive high-profile appearances in Palm Royale, The Artist, And Just Like That, and indeed Agatha All Along.
The star got to show off her powerhouse vocals in Agatha as Lilia Calderu became a part of Agatha Harkness' coven, which involved singing multiple versions of "The Ballad of the Witches' Road" (as they ventured down the actual Witches' Road). Her character was extremely well-received by audiences, with LuPone earning a Critics Choice nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
Lilia became a fan-favorite in the MCU series pretty early on, with LuPone's compelling performance largely responsible for that. A 450-year-old Sicilian divination witch, Lilia could see fragments of the future, but as she kept "falling out of time", she was often unsure of what her visions meant during the coven's trek down the Witches' Road. However, in the seventh episode of the series - which is widely regarded as one of the best Marvel TV episodes of all time - she took center stage and saved her friends from the Salem's Seven, all while seemingly sacrificing herself in the process.
While the Disney Plus series very much implied that it was the end for Lilia Calderu, the episode left her fate somewhat ambiguous. She did fall to her death on the swords hanging above - or, well below - after she utilised the Tower Upright to defeat the Salem's Seven, but knowing how her mind works, it seems that she returned to her younger years, learning the intriciacies of witchcraft from her original coven. Could she be ready to do it all again? Perhaps. But this does leave the door open for a potential return down the line.
Regardless of whether you're talking about her legendary run on the stage, starring in the likes of Evita, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, or Company, or her incredible on-screen career, which features roles in Life Goes On, Frasier, Glee, Pose, American Horror Story, and indeed Agatha All Along, Patti LuPone has done it all. No doubt fans will be excited to see her return to the small screen in Elsbeth while also holding out hope that she might return to the MCU some day,
Elsbeth season 3 episode 20, "That's All", airs on CBS on Thursday, May 21, at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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