Gypsy

[foxy]

There’s one major reason to see the musical Gypsy and that’s all about the actress singing the role of Mama Rose. In 1974 I saw the production with Angela Lansbury who won a Tony for her performance. Well deserved. Now we have Audra McDonald who has won six Tonys, more than any other actor and the only actor to win in all four acting categories. No doubt she will be nominated once again. And she should probably win if only for her final number Rose’s Turn. She barely finished the song and the entire audience leapt to its feet with screaming applause. No surprise there. 

[+ ApexNomad]

I can’t wait to see this production. She’s the draw. This show will likely close once she decides to leave.

It will also be weird to step into the Majestic for the first time in decades without seeing Phantom.

Edited December 12, 2024 by ApexNomad

[+ WilliamM]

1 hour ago, ApexNomad said:

I can’t wait to see this production. She’s the draw. This show will likely close once she decides to leave.

It will also be weird to step into the Majestic for the first time in decades without seeing Phantom.

Well I saw Ethel Merman in Gypsy twice. The musical was written for her.

I saw Merman from the front  row. She had tears in her eyes because Oscar Hammerstein'  died that morning 

[musclestuduws]

I am seeing it this Saturday. Can’t wait. 

[Manhattan]

Ms. McDonald has incredible talent and skill, but she has very little personality on stage. Gypsy depends on a leading lady who is a force of nature, otherwise the show can't really get off the ground. Ms. McDonald is one of the least challenging and least offensive actors of our time. 

I think George C. Wolfe used the gimmick (you gotta get one) of an all black cast to mask and protect a miscast Mama Rose. 

[+ ApexNomad]

1 hour ago, Manhattan said:

Ms. McDonald has incredible talent and skill, but she has very little personality on stage. Gypsy depends on a leading lady who is a force of nature, otherwise the show can't really get off the ground. Ms. McDonald is one of the least challenging and least offensive actors of our time. 

I think George C. Wolfe used the gimmick (you gotta get one) of an all black cast to mask and protect a miscast Mama Rose. 

I haven’t seen this production yet. Did you see this new production of Gypsy or is this your overall assessment of Ms. McDonald from other performances you’ve seen?

[Manhattan]

28 minutes ago, ApexNomad said:

I haven’t seen this production yet. Did you see this new production of Gypsy or is this your overall assessment of Ms. McDonald from other performances you’ve seen?

Yes, I saw the current production. I've seen her in a few things - Ragtime, Carousel, 110 in the Shade and Master Class. I liked her in all of them except Master Class. I think she's best when she plays a kind of noble, warm, capable, but underestimated woman. 

In my opinion Rose needs to be humorless and entirely unsympathetic. She can't be warm (Audra, Tyne) , or appealing (Bernadette), or funny (Bette), or insane (Betty Buckley). 

Linda Lavin came closest for me. I don't like her as an actor and she doesn't sing well, but she was small, grasping, and selfish - suitable for the Depression. 

It was written for Merman and she had an amazingly uncomplicated lack of self awareness combined with a powerful presence and voice. 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

3 hours ago, Manhattan said:

I think George C. Wolfe used the gimmick (you gotta get one) of an all black cast to mask and protect a miscast Mama Rose. 

It's not really a 'gimmick' if it's done well.

Chicago's Porchlight Theater did a production of it several years back with Faye Butler and it was incredible.

As for Audra:  This vocally might not be her role, I'd agree, but there's no doubting her acting skills.  Tyne Daly was no great singer when she did a Gypsy revival, but her acting was what made it memorable.  

[+ ApexNomad]

On 12/17/2024 at 10:31 PM, Manhattan said:

Yes, I saw the current production. I've seen her in a few things - Ragtime, Carousel, 110 in the Shade and Master Class. I liked her in all of them except Master Class. I think she's best when she plays a kind of noble, warm, capable, but underestimated woman. 

In my opinion Rose needs to be humorless and entirely unsympathetic. She can't be warm (Audra, Tyne) , or appealing (Bernadette), or funny (Bette), or insane (Betty Buckley). 

Linda Lavin came closest for me. I don't like her as an actor and she doesn't sing well, but she was small, grasping, and selfish - suitable for the Depression. 

It was written for Merman and she had an amazingly uncomplicated lack of self awareness combined with a powerful presence and voice. 

Mama Rose is a role that traditionally demands a belter—a raw, powerhouse vocal approach. In my opinion, Audra’s voice is more head-driven, which makes me wonder how that will translate to such a force-of-nature character. That said, I trust her talent so I’m sure she’ll bring something unique to the role. If anything, I’m even more curious to see how her interpretation might reframe the character in ways I haven’t considered.

The only role of hers that didn’t quite work for me was her portrayal of Lizzie Curry in 110 in the Shade. There’s something about Lizzie as a character that didn’t feel like the perfect fit for her. Lizzie is supposed to be plain and awkward, someone grappling with deep insecurities, and Audra’s natural elegance and sophistication made that a bit of a stretch. To her credit, she brought depth and power to the role, but I just didn’t find it entirely believable.

[jeezifonly]

Gypsy is a play that is so well structured and composed that it doesn’t need fixing in any way. Talent-free casting is the only way to screw it up, and that doesn’t seem to be the case with this revival. 
Having caught it on PBS, I was EXTREMELY impressed with Imelda Staunton’s Mama Rose from London, which she squeezed in between West End turns as Mrs. Nellie Lovett, Sally Durant Plummer and Dolly Gallagher Levi. 🩷

Audra has spectacular talent that needs to be written for. Producers don’t do that anymore. 

[+ ApexNomad]

14 minutes ago, jeezifonly said:

Gypsy is a play that is so well structured and composed that it doesn’t need fixing in any way. Talent-free casting is the only way to screw it up, and that doesn’t seem to be the case with this revival. 
Having caught it on PBS, I was EXTREMELY impressed with Imelda Staunton’s Mama Rose from London, which she squeezed in between West End turns as Mrs. Nellie Lovett, Sally Durant Plummer and Dolly Gallagher Levi. 🩷

Audra has spectacular talent that needs to be written for. Producers don’t do that anymore. 

I adore Imelda Staunton. She’s terrific!

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 12/17/2024 at 8:33 PM, BenjaminNicholas said:

On 12/17/2024 at 5:17 PM, Manhattan said:

I think George C. Wolfe used the gimmick (you gotta get one) of an all black cast to mask and protect a miscast Mama Rose. 

It's not really a 'gimmick' if it's done well.

I believe the choice of using the word "gimmick" was made as an homage to the play.  It was an intended pun.

[Manhattan]

I can't argue with anyone's taste. I agree that it's an almost perfect piece. Performers should trust it and not try to make improvements with their acting. My only requirement is that Mama Rose be vocally strong enough to sing the closed vowel of "FOR MEEEE!" instead of "FOR MAYYY! 

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

6 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

I believe the choice of using the word "gimmick" was made as an homage to the play.  It was an intended pun.

I'm aware of the intended pun, but the comparison of the word gimmick to all-black cast is something that should have died when David Merrick was doing it in the late '60s with Hello Dolly.

[Manhattan]

It's naive to think that George C. Wolfe, Audra McDonald, and their producers weren't trying find a gimmick for this production. They could have cast Audra McDonald in a colorblind production. They could have used the original Jerome Robbins choreography. But they didn't. They knew that to make money, they needed a device to increase interest. So they added other BIPOC actors and a BIPOC choreographer. 

That's what happens on Broadway, they need to write press releases. Everyone needs to get attention and ticket sales. Gimmicks send a message that you're doing something different. It can be an incredibly effective and successful gimmick like Hamilton or it can be less so, like ART's 1776 , Ivo Von Hove's The Crucible, or God help us, the Elevator Repair Company's The Great Gatsby. 

Edited December 20, 2024 by Manhattan

[skynyc]

BTW: "Gimmick" is the discount code that was sent to me for discount tix. I got what was on the website for $239 for $150 for January. I went to box office so no fees. According to mailer good through tickets in January-February...purchased in December. (And of course: "Offer can be revoked at any time", meaning if ticket sales pick up.)

 

[Ali Gator]

I really, really wanted to see this with McDonald. (Last time I saw 'Gypsy' was in 1991 with Tyne Daly, and she made me a Broadway musical fan for eternity). The reviews are spectacular - except for the one in the NY Post.  And the few musical theater devotee friends of mine who went to see this on opening night are (sad to say) agreeing with the NY Post (though in their own words, none of them read the Post's reviews or any reviews). They left totally underwhelmed - and this group are die-hard McDonald fans. 

Then I started reading audience reviews on other sites, and they seem to be split. They either loved this production, or were disappointed (many saying this is not a character for McDonald to play). It will be interesting to see how this does at the box office, once the 'pre-sale' ticket holders are done. 

[+ ApexNomad]

I had tickets for tonight’s performance, but it was canceled due to illness. Wishing everyone a speedy recovery!

(It’s a long musical - I need that 7pm start time.)

[foxy]

https://youtu.be/GUBKx08hh_Y?si=24V1apnrLOHU2NCW

Angela Lansbury reacts to her performance as Mama Rose

[Marc in Calif]

3 hours ago, foxy said:

Angela Lansbury reacts to her performance as Mama Rose

She's so modest! 

"... To see what I did at that time -- and what I considered okay...."

[+ ApexNomad]

I thought Nicole Scherzinger was a lock for the Tony, but I think Audra (even though I haven’t seen her performance yet) is the odds-on favorite to win. She’s beloved, it further cements her history, and the role itself is revered among Tony voters. We shall see.

[musclestuduws]

I saw it a week before opening night. I think Audra is astounding. She gives a magnificent performance that captures every human nuance of this larger than life, mythical character. Her chemistry with Danny Burstein as Herbie is beautiful to watch, something you would rarely see. Audra’s closing number surely brings the house down: it’s like an emotional volcano on stage but with laser beam intensity and precision. Hard to believe any actor can do that every night. Joy Woods as Gypsy is wonderful even though she’s not given enough time to properly portray the  miraculous transformation of her character. George Wolfe did a great job directing a production that honors the original book and its socio historical context while at the same time giving a whole new dimension to Madam Rose’s journey by very subtly highlighting the racial inequities that would’ve stood on the way of her ruthless ambition, for herself and her daughters. Surely this is not an easy feat at a time we see so many misguided productions of musicals plagued by so-called presentísm as a way to shabbily “update” classics. I virtually enjoyed every minute of this production. A big win for Audra, Wolfe, and for Broadway as a whole. Go see it. 

Edited December 28, 2024 by musclestuduws

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

The string of cancellations has been rough on this show.  I believe they're up to day 4 now.

That they don't have any understudies ready to take over is a little concerning.

[+ ApexNomad]

Today’s matinee and evening performances have also been canceled, but the show is expected to resume tomorrow. It’s clear that this production hinges entirely on its star. They likely fear that if Audra is out, most ticket holders will request refunds. Interestingly, they don’t seem to have a name-worthy star to cover for Audra, unlike Nicole Scherzinger’s understudy in Sunset. The situation must have hit the company hard to affect both the cast and their understudies.

https://playbill.com/article/audra-mcdonald-led-gypsy-cancels-december-28-matinee-and-evening-shows-performances-to-resume-december-29

 

[Peter Eater]

On 12/19/2024 at 1:59 PM, Vegas_Millennial said:

I believe the choice of using the word "gimmick" was made as an homage to the play.  It was an intended pun.

“Once I was a schleppa, now I am Mazeppa…”