Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Broadway Star Patti Lupone Says It’s the “Rotavirus,” Not COVID, That’s Kept “Company” Down

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Whatever you do, don’t say Patti Lupone has COVID. She has the runs. That’s right. stomach virus, diarrhea, or as she calls it, the “rotavirus.”

In a scathing social media post this evening, Lupone, star of “Company” on Broadway, explains why the show has been in so much distress lately. They’ve canceled a number of performances.

Lupone writes that two other actors also got the stomach virus. She says of her own case: “My toilet can confirm this.”

Meantime, the virus has spread to the crew and “We currently cannot field a crew of stagehands to run the show safely.”

Here’s her post:

I’m sure people will think Patti is full of you know what, but no one posts a statement like this if it’s not true. Just everyone get better at “Company,” Patti included, “Company” is a gem and audiences love it and her!

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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