Patti LuPone is DONE.  D-O-N-E, done!  She just made an announcement via Twitter: “Quite a week on Broadway, seeing my name being bandied about.  Gave up my Equity card; no longer part of that circus.  Figure it out.”  Lots to unpack here.  First, LuPone stated after War Paint that she didn’t see herself doing another Broadway show.  Then came Company, which brought her another Tony Award.  She says, “When the run of Company ended this past July, I knew I wouldn’t be on stage for a very long time.  And at that point I made the decision to resign from Equity.”  Then there’s “seeing my name being bandied about”.  This refers to the incident where Lillias White chastised an audience member for recording the show, when they were actually using a closed-captioning device.  Oops.  News outlets made parallels to Patti lashing out at an audience member for taking photos during Gypsy.  All neither here nor there, according to LuPone.  Of Actors Equity, she says, “They’re just not good.  And I just didn’t want to give them any more money…The best kept secret is that you can perform without being a member of Equity.  Nobody knows that, so I don’t use their services.”  Well, I knew it…

Patti’s getting out in the nick of time.  It’s the beginning of the end – or perhaps the middle of the end (Disney was probably the start).  New York State is allowing three casinos to operate in the Manhattan area.  Since two will likely go to existing betting locales in racetracks, one is up for grabs.  Caesars Palace has proposed building a casino right in the middle of Times Square, ‘cause that’s what NYC needs – more tourists and traffic!  Their location would be above the Minskoff Theatre, which currently houses The Lion King (the theatre would be incorporated into the plans).  However, there is competition. Wynn Resorts would like to build a casino at Hudson Yards.  Which all begs the question – aren’t casinos illegal unless they are on Native American land??  And who came up with that bright idea anyway?  I know they sold New York for a handful of beads, but a deal’s a deal!