Cyndi Lauper announces farewell tour, documentary: 'Right now this is the best I can be'

In her fifth decade of fame, Cyndi Lauper is finding that life is still a succession of hellos and goodbyes.

Her complex history – from her multicultural upbringing in Brooklyn and Queens to her abusive stepfather to her pre-solo-career success with Blue Angel – is examined in the documentary “Let the Canary Sing,” arriving on Paramount+ June 4.

For many, it will be an illuminating introduction to a backstory far deeper than casual fans would expect of the zany, flame-haired “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” singer. Though there are plenty of smiles too, as Lauper recalls an early job as a secretary (“I’d fall asleep reading the mail”) and landing on Tipper Gore’s infamous “Filthy Fifteen” song list for the taboo-at-the-time “She Bop”.

But Lauper, soon to be 71, is also realistic about the sands of time and on Oct. 18 will embark on a 23-date farewell arena tour, including her first headlining show at Madison Square Garden in her native New York Oct. 30. A ticket presale begins June 4 with the general on sale starting June 7 at 10 a.m. local time.

“It was all like a perfect storm,” Lauper tells us.

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In “Let the Canary Sing,” directed by Alison Ellwood (“Laurel Canyon,” “The Go-Go’s”) and named for a comment made in a judicial ruling in her favor during a long-ago court case with a former manager, Lauper’s varied career (remember the wrestling era?) is presented briskly and colorfully.

Lauper also remains committed to her philanthropic work with her True Colors United foundation, which assists homeless LGBTQ+ youth, and her more recently established Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights fund to benefit women’s rights and reproductive health.  

The always-loquacious, ever-forthright Lauper checked in recently to talk about plans for her final tour, why she finally agreed to a documentary, the status of “Working Girl” on Broadway and why she doesn’t listen to music at home.

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Question: So you’re really saying farewell to touring. Why was this the right time?

Answer: Because right now this is the best I can be. It’s an arena tour, which I haven’t done it in a long time. I just want to thank everybody, say goodbye, celebrate with fans that have been so loyal and sweet and were there for every crazy-ass concert or thing that I did and I’m excited about doing it. I don’t think physically in another five years I will be as good, but now I can do it, you know?

If this is being billed as a goodbye, what are you thinking as far as the setup of the show and the setlist?

I’m going to include a piece of everything – (songs from) Blue Angel, “Shine” – and combine art and moving visuals, use a lot of color and design. I haven’t had a fun tour since ’84, so now it will be the ‘24 fun tour!

I love the documentary footage of you on tour in the ‘80s, flying over the crowd in a garbage can like in the (live) video for “Money Changes Everything.”

I asked for a cherry picker and they gave me a garbage pail! I thought it was on a pulley system, but it was 10 men pulling me. They had me sign my will before (going up). I don’t want any more garbage cans. I want more class.

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For years you’d been reluctant to do a documentary. What changed?

A lot of people had come to me before and said let’s do a documentary and I thought, wait, I’m still here, I’m not dead. And people said you should do it while you’re here so you can get it right. So I figured OK. I had been watching all these documentaries during COVID and I saw “Laurel Canyon” and I was really moved. I thought, she did a documentary but she’s a freakin’ filmmaker and she can tell a story. So when people started again on a documentary for me, I was like, you know, this woman Alison looks like a real filmmaker and I think she would tell a truthful story.

A lot of music documentaries lately seem to be multi-part and many hours, but yours in an efficient 90 minutes. Did you specifically want it to be easily digestible?Listen, it’s not my whole entire life; it’s just a time period. It’s good that Alison didn’t make it 2 ½-hours. Do you really need to see me that much? I’m excited because they’re going to show (the film) at the (TCL) Chinese Theatre (June 4) and come on, I get to do the handprints. It’s so kitsch, I love it.

Your sister Ellen says in the documentary that singing is like your church. Do you still feel that way?Yeah, it has to be. I start to get bogged down and (need to) go back to the source, which is a spiritual source. I have to do that, or I can’t sing. I always ask, what is my highest purpose when I’m singing because that’s the most important thing. The fact that I was given that ability – that was a gift. It saved my life and when you don’t feel so great, singing is fantastic.

Do you sing a lot when you’re not performing?

Not since the whole (home) stereo thing went kaput. I don’t sing around the house or listen to music. I don’t like listening on the computer. I think it sucks. It’s not like it used to be having the big stereo console in your living room and everybody laughing and singing and dancing.

You’ve been involved with turning “Working Girl” into a musical since 2016 and certainly put in your time with your Tony-winning "Kinky Boots" in 2013 . Do you find the pace of Broadway frustrating?Now I can say that in 2025 we will be out of town and in 2026 we will come to Broadway. (The pace) is a little frustrating. When you do an album you have a budget, you’re working, you finish it. Everyone is working on the same thing. On Broadway, it’s everybody trying to make a living and if you’re a creative, you don’t get paid (until the show is in rehearsals) and then directors don’t get paid until they actually direct. It’s a whole different thing.

How are things going from the music standpoint?

This story takes places in the ‘80s, so easy peasy, right? I brought (longtime collaborator and founder of The Hooters) Rob Hyman in because for a moment we were the ‘80s. I called on Salt from Salt-N-Pepa to write something, too. You really just want to get it right.